Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Taylor O’Dore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Taylor thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back at the decisions you made early in your career, particularly whether to join a firm or start your own, do you feel you made the right choice for that stage of your career?

My journey to Studio Rehab, where I consult and build a community for yoga and Pilates studio owners, began with a simple observation. Leaning against a wall, gazing into an empty studio after teaching two classes on a Saturday morning, I did the math. Thirteen spots, $39 drop-in rate…over $500 a class! That was the spark. Fueled by that vision, I embarked on a five year odyssey. I invested my life savings in high-ticket coaching, uprooted my life, and left the security of my government job, only to discover that the reality of studio ownership is far more complex than that simple calculation.

My first studio launched with double the monthly membership of the studio where I’d previously taught, and I scaled it rapidly. At first I was a one-woman show, designing the website, implementing basic SEO, mastering Meta ads (and, crucially, the follow-up!), handling graphic design, social media, marketing, customer service, and even cleaning the studio myself for months on end, all while teaching morning and evening classes seven days a week. From the outside, it looked like a success. But I felt isolated, constantly seeking validation. I was constantly blowing up Facebook groups asking for advice and signing up for consulting programs back to back because I felt like I always needed to ask for someone else’s opinion before moving forward with my decision.

The highlight of my week became the group coaching calls with other studio owners. The same joy I found in teaching yoga, I now found in connecting with and learning from my peers. Soon, I was the one being asked for advice both online and within my local community. I did this casually for about a year and then the major catalyst for offering formal consulting services was when my own yoga studio got a very lengthy segment on The Real Housewives of Orange County. I was already excited to get students into my studio from that feature, but I was floored by how many studio owners reached out to me for marketing services. I decided that instead of opening multiple physical locations of my brand, I preferred the idea of consulting other studio owners.

That’s when it clicked. I discovered my true calling: mentoring other studio owners, helping them bring their dream studios to life or nurture the studios they already have. It’s about collaboration, sharing stories, and laughing together. Finally feeling like you’re not alone in the journey. Owning my own studio unexpectedly taught me the leadership skills to hold a space for us all to come together and lift each other up. That’s the heart of Studio Rehab.

Taylor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When I opened my first studio, my website was only a link to our class schedule. (Hint- that’s really bad.) If you don’t know why that’s bad, that’s exactly what I do. I help studio owners with little to no experience with marketing or tech implement best practices into their business to drive more clients and more revenue. The average yoga studio owner is not a business woman. She’s a yoga teacher. Yoga teacher trainings do not cover how to build a website that converts visitors to paying customers, implement Search Engine Optimization so that you actually come up when people are looking for you, how to set up automations to keep leads engaged, or even what a lead is. Also- what’s the difference boosting a post and a Facebook ad? One of them burns money and the other makes money. These are all things that I had to learn on the fly after my business was already open. Since I started as a yoga teacher with no marketing or tech experience I know how to explain these topics in simple terms. There’s also nothing I’d rather talk about, so I might as well use my hyper focus to help others.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn blindly following what other businesses are doing. That studio down the street may seem busy from an outside eye, and maybe they are, but are they profitable? You’d be surprised how many popular studios are barley making ends meet or are in loads of debt due to poor pricing, pricing structure, and bleeding revenue from using 3rd party platforms like ClassPass.

I invested in high ticket consulting programs back to back for 2 years because I felt like I had to get the approval from someone else before making any decisions in my business. Then something clicked with me. I had received enough education about marketing so that I now understood the big picture. Now that I know how things work, I can use the info to drive decisions.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I have a great reputation at both my businesses because I am genuinely interested in the community. I’m an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and Visit Huntington Beach, on top of joining every other networking group I can. I show up to events and simply lead with genuine care for my peers and provide as much value as possible. I don’t directly ask people to sign up for a yoga class or consulting services, but by the end of our conversation, if they are interested in either of those things they want to work with me because I care about their goals and am easy to work with,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://studiorehab.co
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorehab.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-o-dore-995845106/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StudioRehabCo

Image Credits

Kate Miller Seattle Photographer