-
what are studio owners doing wrong
-
YES! LOL! A lack of GOOD training!
-
I think people often open pole studios based on passion & a personally transformative experience they’ve had with pole. There’s a genuine desire to share that experience with others. But when that passion isn’t matched with clear vision, business skills (including impeccable customer service) & an effectively taught movement curriculum; it results in overwhelmed and frustrated studio owners and students.
-
Here are just a few of the reasons why I’m leaving my “home studio” of a year:
1. Owner holds students “hostage” in lower levels until they have taken some ungodly number of class hours. For example, after a year of biweekly classes, I am still stuck in “Beginner 2” classes because I haven’t done the 150 class hours there. In comparison, I am in the top level at all of the other studios that I have tried. So while the other students in my class are trying to figure out basic choppers and inverted crucifixes, I’m doing self-taught ayeshas, brass monkeys, jade splits, etc., and learning absolutely nothing from the class! This is most likely why she currently only has 1 student in her “Intermediate” level and nobody in her “Advanced” level- they all left after getting stuck in a too-low level.
2. The owner “teaches” all of the classes herself, because she cannot seem to keep any of the instructors she hires or trains for more than a month. Because none of her current students want to be instructors for her, she recently brought in 3 new girls to train to be instructors that have absolutely no pole experience (some of them did ballet as kids or do yoga, but that’s as relevant as their experience is…).
3. Frequently cancels or changes class times with only a few hours notice, without providing refunds to those who can’t make it to the changed time.
4. Doesn’t warm up students- is not in the room for the first 15 minutes of class, as students are expected to do their own warm ups during that time.
5. Often simply puts up a series of combinations on the board that we are supposed to practice, while she is off doing something else or is facetiming with her boyfriend.
Honestly, after writing this out, I am shocked that this studio is still in business after 5 years!
Due to all of these reasons and more, I am finishing up the last few classes in my package there, and am transitioning to a much better studio less than 10 miles away.
-
Scorpiotrickster- that really sucks! sorry you had that experience. hearing this makes me feel appreciative that I go to a great studio. I am very new and if I had gone to a studio like that one, I probably would have given up.
-
I found out I lost my first two students to another studio today witch was rather upsetting as I actually felt like id let them down 🙁 xx
-
I would leave too, Scorpiotrickster. That’s a horrible way to treat your customers.
Log in to reply.