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If I was there right now, it would be a blast. I am not at Pole Expo, so very boring.
Since I know other people even yourself that could not make it there, thought maybe we could do our own scaled-down version. Maybe a Veena Expo. It was an idea. -
@Sierra Taye
I do not drink. Doctor’s orders. But I tend to avoid parties where there is a lot of drinking. You don’t meet too many people as usually too loud to talk. For meeting any of the “names” they will have too many people around them to get much closer than when they were on stage. If there was someone you wanted to meet & speak with, check where they are appearing at other days (workshops, vendor booths, etc.) and you probably could catch them before or after and have a short conversation. Did that once and ended up having coffee with several people.
Did not make it to Pole Expo this year. Have been to other events and I skip most of the parties. If I was in Vegas last night, instead of the party I would have went to the Freemont Experience. I love that. -
From a few months ago but still applies. Ask if you have any further questions.
https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/How_do_you_edit_20140417040557 -
I think they charge for the video replay. But you should be able to find performers individually on YouTube in the next couple of days. Tho Leigh Ann was funny in spots with the intros.
I do wish I went this year. -
Hopefully you caught Ashley Fox. She deserved to win. And Sebastian Sosa should win for the guys.
But the best stuff is yet to come. After this musical interlude…… -
Attached is the expense report from the book you sent me. You have welding as projected $200 and actual $120. Now I am not sure how you know the actual expenses for a month we are less than a week into. It cannot be from last year because according to the Yogalife website you started earlier this year. Whether you call it welding or “pole mounts removed” it does not sound to me (admittedly someone w/o a pole business) like a regular expense. That is why I made note in my last post. You list a somewhat unique expense like that but do not list normal expenses like advertising, insurance, telephone, etc. that all pole businesses would have. I did state that your book seems to be a template only for your particular instance and missing a lot of details for others.
Your exact figures (which are few) are again specific to your instance. No Classes under $10. Probably generate a laugh in some parts of the country that would double that figure. The pay split is something that needs to be negotiated. You miss the negotiation process entirely. It is not one-sided. Any split has to be agreed by the fitness center and they may have their own figure in mind.This worked for you but it is too specific to work in very many other instances. Other things in your book are too general or not researched enough to give some proper direction or to plan a business.
Maybe I will at some point write a book about a pole business. Don’t be surprised if a link pops up on here to download a book. But I will be the first to admit that there is much I still have to learn.
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Please everyone understand. I am trying to be helpful for those currently in a pole business or thinking of one. If you are willing to read the book then hopefully you can make your way through my rambling!
You said “In my experience it tends to be the money issue, not advertising, that keeps pole studios from being profitable”
That is like saying “I only need medicine to treat my disease.” If only it was that easy. I am struggling with this issue first hand. Am trying to get on a medicine that is $16,000 (IV Infusion) per treatment. Need a local doctor (Mayo Clinic already has specified this is the medicine of last resort for me.) to sign the orders and then submit to my insurance to see if they would cover part of the cost. The local doctor wants to repeat tests done 2 months ago that insurance will not again pay for. And insurance I already know will at least deny my coverage for the medicine at least the first time. (Sorry for venting about my medical issues! But there is a point I promise)It is the same in business. It is the details that matter. Yes money is in business what will pay the expenses of the business and hopefully pay your own income to some extent. But how do you get that money? Can we all here say together ‘Cause #3: “Business is not easy.”‘
You need to advertise whether it be word-of-mouth, social media, websites, print media or whatever but something targeting the demographics that match your area to get the interest of potential students & customers. Then attract them through phone calls, websites & emails to actually visit your place. Then have a decent sales pitch & visual presentation to sell them on your classes and so they actually hand over that money you think is so easy to get.
On the other side, is no business will have unlimited funds. So how all expenses which includes advertising are handled can be equally important.I was not going to comment on the book here (Jenae was kind enough to email me a copy) but a couple of individuals had asked me to here. And it is important for a lot of people here. I promised her not to divulge the content but will instead focus on what is NOT in the book.
First for people like @litlbit this book will not be helpful. It does not cover a studio owner but is about renting space from a gym. Sorry SCORE did not help you. They are each human and you can get good ones or bad ones.
There is a lot of arbitrary numbers. There is a brief paragraph on estimating business. It is an arbitrary number. She does not explain how she reaches it or how to determine for your own area and market. As planning is extremely important that is proving the point of Cause #1.
Some things were not properly researched. She lists the cost for a group fitness certification. That is the approx. cost for the test only. Not for the most important study materials which are several times the price of the test and I can count on one hand how many people on this planet can pass those tests without the study materials. Also no mention that in order to keep those certification you must spend money each year for continuing credits. She does “recommend” getting a CPR cert but again proper research would turn up that any fitness cert requires not only CPR but AED certs.
She gives the cost RANGE for liability (she calls it something else) insurance but it is a range of several thousand dollars. Hardly helpful in planning. Here she points you to doing a Google search for more info. Would prefer in things like this that she does the due diligence of a few minutes to provide some specifics. As I said before in business its in the details and the book is missing most of the details. Pole expense also is a large range with options (brand, size, etc.) what everyone here already knows and has been discussed in greater detail.
Expenses per month might be reasonable for Norman, Oklahoma but doubt it will work for California, New York, Michigan, Ohio, London, Melbourne, (You get it!) She did have a form with expenses but can someone tell me why you need a few hundred dollars of welding per month? And no expense for advertising?There are a number of business details specific to a pole business that were not mentioned at all.
First while this requires you purchase the poles (to me a debatable issue for an alternative business plan not mentioned) she directs that you might need to “simply cut a hole” (sorry that was directly from the book) in a ceiling. No mention about asking permission let alone that it must be permission in writing!
There is something like 2 or 3 sentences dedicated to discussing an independent contractor agreement. This would be the contract between yourself and the studio/gym. She barely touches on it and only as it regards the poles being used. I would have much preferred if she only included a sentence asking the reader to retain an attorney for creating or reading any contract. That would have had more value. The paragraph is a little murky of you can do this, or maybe this or maybe this. No mention about an Exclusivity agreement, Non-Compete clause or Non-disclosure. Without specific language the agreement may have no legal meaning. Also missing and I want to stress to people here, If you install permanent or even semi-permanent poles in someone else’s studio property, legally (at least here in the states) you have made an improvement to their property and it becomes part of their property. In plain English, if you install poles in a studio they can now claim they own your poles. You must clearly state in your contract signed by a person in Ownership (not just a manager) that you retain ownership of your poles. Again she provides generalities but not the important details.Further as the book describes being only a subcontractor (she completely discourages you from owning an actual studio yourself) then its the studio’s business.By default you cannot just take THEIR students & members and open up shop elsewhere. In fact if you do not have permission from the studio you cannot even market to their members for your classes. Sorry folks but its the world we live in. Would have been nice to show a sample contract at the least.
Without everything spelled out in writing and agreed with. You can setup the room & poles; arrange the classes & schedule; draw in students and they can then throw you out on your butt and continue it themselves. That is one of the reasons it may be a better reason to ignore this book and start your own studio.
If you are not good with the legal stuff, PLEASE Hire an attorney even if just for an hour.Although on this website she seems to have an aversion to advertising, she touches on it in within a few paragraphs. A lot that will not work in other areas. Once again, demographics change everywhere. And how do you take a picture of your entire pole class before you even have your first class? Makes my head explode like the Big Bang Theory. (the theory not the TV show, tho’ love the show!)
Now I must apologize because I am the one who is writing a book here. Mine its not for sale, sorry. But welcome to ask questions on here for free. Just want to protect those that think there is much to it. Give up your day job and try invest a few thousand of your money? Want to help you before you make any decisions and a few that already have.
In closing (finally right?) the book is only 54 pages of content with extremely large print and five pages of forms. I see she dropped the price today to $35 from $50 yesterday. That’s still 60¢/page without a lot of substance or details. It focuses almost exclusively on what she did. Sometimes briefly touching an alternative but before explaining anything discouraging you from going in another direction. It misses a tremendous amount of details I barely touched on here.
I would love to see a book about the pole business with details that would provide assistance, allowing for variations in geographic area, economy, type of pole business, etc. Also equally important but missing from the book is what to do when things go wrong as they will at some point. The economy drops out like in 2008; the fitness center closes down suddenly; you have an accident with a student. Even the Stock Market is fantastic except for when the stock goes down.
Sorry everyone for being long winded. I wasn’t going to post about the book but a couple of people asked me to. Hopefully a lot of this information can be taken in a productive light of what else there is to know for a pole business.NOTE: I personally have a request of everyone on here. Its okay if no one agrees. I myself and other people I think would find more benefit if people who are currently in a pole related business or have been in the past can post details of their business. Start a new discussion for it. Do not have to give specific numbers. I have been involved in a number of business roundtables and panels over the years. Sort of doing the same on here. Helpful to know planning, demographics, advertising & marketing, expenses, contracts & agreements, facilities, issues, and anything else that matters.
Both the good and even bad when something has gone wrong. It would help those thinking of starting a business as well as those currently in business. It always helps to know what works and doesn’t even though it will be different for many. I know some people get frightened about “Competition” but I have already expressed privately to three people that it is not necessarily a bad word. In contrast it can be a strength to leverage. So do not think it will be used against you. Sharing will help everyone including yourself. Just an idea.
Thank You and apologies if you read all of this. Have a Super day! -
Just to clear a couple of things up:
It is a business. Even if you are operating as a sub-contractor at a fitness center. A business is while not the dictionary definition (which would include anything that generates income) the accepted definition is: enterprising entity engaged in commercial, industrial or professional activities.
That is important to understand because if this is how you are supporting yourself and family, it needs to be treated as a professional practice. While it can be successful, it can also just as easily go in a negative way leaving you with searching for other ways to support yourself.
My main point in my earlier post is that every business is different. What works for someone in Boone, North Carolina will not be the same and may not work at all in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are differences in attitudes, income levels, general demographics, competition and literally hundreds of other items. What works with dealing inside one fitness center may be different at another fitness center even across the street. This is one of the reasons franchises may be very successful in one location and fail miserably in another in the same town. Also why Cause #2 of business failures is not knowing your customers. Never presume you know them or they are the same as someplace else.The statement of “Advertising just makes you get to where you’re heading faster.” is misleading.
Even if you only tell friends and family about your business, word-of-mouth is still a form of advertising. If you did no advertising at all then how will anyone know you are offering classes or lessons?
A few years back I used to speak at seminars at trade shows. I did a popular session four years in a row called “If you build it, they will NOT come!” It was for website operators but the same applies in general business. People want to believe like the line from Field of Dreams, “If you build it they will come.” Without advertising & promotion, “If you build it, no one will ever know its there!” Anyone with any type of business experience will tell you, that its not something you do to get to a point and stop. Customers will always come & go. That makes advertising important over the life of a business. Not something you ever should stop doing. Cause #4 of business failures.I myself have owned six successful businesses in the past 25 years in different localities and industries. Some that spanned two decades. I have experienced first-hand the ups, downs, changes & evolution that a business goes through. That is addition to working with many business owners over the years. Plus helped a few people on here with pole related businesses & studios. There is no one size fits all. And Cause #3: “Business is not easy.” Between this website and elsewhere have talked with close to ten pole studios or instructors. It has been a great learning experience for me. Can admit that I am able to provide better help to those people today than I could even yesterday from what I learned. Each one I have talked to has a little different type of customer/student; facility, issues, and almost everything else. Wish I could give a template to each one (would save me a lot of time) but what works for one usually will not work for another except for a few things.
You would not go to a doctor and say “treat me the same as someone I talked to on the Internet.” You should not run a business blindly either.
Hope this helps some of you further. -
do you know the brand and model? if you can’t read where its printed on the outside, it can be found in the menu/settings
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It would help to know what kind of camera you have. As Lucca mentioned, for cell phones they sell fish eye/wide angle lenses that just clip on or attach to the case.
For some of the regular digital cameras, check the manual or menu. Some have a digital zoom that needs to be disabled. -
Running a Pole studio or related business is not much different than most small businesses. Whether a real income is earned is determined by whether gross receipts are more than expenses. Sounds simple but more than three-quarter of all small businesses fail within 18 months.
Poor planning is the #1 cause. Planning not only the business model and the startup but a minimum five year plan. That plan will need to be constantly updated & adjusted over time. The way things move today fast means with poor planning you can not respond to the many changes a business needs.
Cause #2 is not knowing or understanding your customers or market and adapting to those conditions. That is what Ljroo7691 experienced. Kind of a combination of #1 & #2 is knowing whether the local market will support the business model. There are a lot of pole studios just like cardio studios that open in areas where the potential customer base is too low to support themselves. They start off getting people in and think they are on the road to success though reach a plateau and often cannot meet expenses. Often if proper planning has been done and a good knowledge of your market, you can still access other revenue streams or extend beyond your local market.
There is a fitness franchise called “My Gym” which has been around for over forty years. Last year they had a franchise failure of 51%! That means after paying a franchise fee, all the expenses of equipment & starting the business and using a business model that has been around for forty years, chances are greater your business will fail than succeed. This leads to cause #3: Business is easy. Business is not easy. It usually is a lot of work, thinking, planning, evolving & learning. Too many other things to list. There are already several Pole fitness franchises being offered. They will not guarantee success.
Have to stress the evolving & learning. Business & markets change very quickly. What applied and worked well last year is not the same this year. Let alone from five, ten or twenty years ago. Leveraging other people, associates, customers and sometimes even competitors to learn from. If you think you know everything and cannot learn from anyone else then you are part of the problem. Nobody knows it all including me! I still spend time regularly learning & keeping up to date. If you think because your business has been successful the last several years that you will never have to change anything, you will be having issues at some point. I work primarily with Fortune 500 companies and most change on a yearly or more often basis. Does McDonald’s have the same menu as a year ago? Notice Home Depot now markets more to women? While not all successful (JC Penny’s recent “fair and square” pricing was a major failure) a ship with a leak needs something done to stay afloat.
Cause #4 is sales and marketing. Most of my current consulting work is Internet Marketing but the concepts apply to any form of marketing. You want Targeted marketing. Most businesses (even successful ones) do a poor job in this area. They spend money that will not offer any (Return on Investment) ROI. As per Cause #2 if you know your customers & market then why don’t most businesses advertise & promote primarily to them? I know one pole studio that had ads in a sports supplement in a newspaper. The supplement’s demographics was more than 85% male. At least 85% of their marketing dollars were being wasted. Four weeks of ads equaled not one sale.
Website & especially Social media is often misused or neglected but today is the most powerful marketing tool. A lot can be done at little to no cost. How is that for value for marketing dollars?
Sales often for many small businesses is simply “Here is the product or service. Here is the price.” and waiting for a decision. I worked with a fitness center a couple of years ago (besides their advertising campaign) with three simple changes with in-person sales. 1) Introducing themselves by name with a handshake 2) Asking why they came to the gym (weight loss, build muscle, etc.) and presenting the facility towards that goal 3) At the end of the presentation Asking them “Would they prefer the 12 month or 18 month membership.” They Quadrupled (four times) their membership sales conversion rate! The last is the most important. You must ask for the sale!
It is the entire process of reaching new potential customers through paid ads, social media, Internet, community/event promotions, etc. Then providing an Action Item to draw them to your place of business. Then the sales cycle. That leads to avoiding Cause #1. Sales & Marketing must be carefully planned.For those in the US and have already or thinking of starting a pole (or any) business I want to suggest SCORE. They can be found at: https://www.score.org SCORE has free (no cost at all) business mentoring in nearly all areas from startup planning, finance, marketing, legal, Human Resources and beyond. I was a SCORE mentor for a few years when I “tried” retirement. What was fantastic was the people who came with enthusiasm and fresh ideas. Pole Fitness & Dance is still growing. With new pole studios and instructors, hopefully most becoming successful we can see greater acceptance and new outlets for what we all here enjoy so much.
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This has been discussed before in several posts like this one:
https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/Best_Video_Camera_for_Pole_Videos_20140508075017Also be aware that lighting is extremely important. Bad lighting with a great camera equals bad video. Most videos here and elsewhere online would be improved 1000% with simple lighting adjustment.
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Another one not receiving notifications. Just figured nobody wants me 🙁
If you want the Contact Page here is the link:
https://www.studioveena.com/user_registrations/contact -
@Polebull
To be honest, looking at your picture you need…….Nothing.I also take only protein shakes & glutamine (plus Super-B Complex) after a workout and shakes in the mornings. Have for years but also more recently my doctor & dietitian also have recommended the shakes and my vitamins which were based on blood tests. It is important to note that even with vitamins, there can be too much of a good thing. While B vitamins & C pass through the system. Other vitamins stay in the system and can build up to toxic levels. These can cause serious health problems including organ failure.
There are some that believe anything that supposedly improves the immune system has got to be great. As someone with an autoimmune disease (Crohn’s disease) I can tell you firsthand, the last thing I and millions of other people need is an improved immune system. In fact, the last several medicines I have taken do the opposite and reduce the effectiveness of my immune system. Crohn’s disease is an immune system overreacting and attacking a portion of the GI tract (my small intestines) even though no infection or reason exists.
Autoimmune diseases are among the ten leading causes of death among women in all age groups up to 65 years. Just an FYI.
But go ahead and believe the advertising. It has worked well in the past. For those doing the selling…
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There are no supplements that burn fat. Sorry!
Fish oil I take, but it has more to do with inflammation. I take quite a few vitamins but that is because of deficiencies due to advanced Crohn’s disease.
