paintilady
Forum Replies Created
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Hmm I wonder, does he spend any money at all on Cable TV, internet or going out to a bar for the game with guys? Do you spend any money on those things?
While my husband is supportive of just about anything I do… if it has to come out of "our" finances and we have to budget for it, then it is fair for my part of the budget to be for pole and his part cable TV for football games.
If this kind of scenario is not possible, you might have to scrimp on eating out, pedi's mani's trips, clothes and gas running around town to score a pole.
The pole will last you a life time of happiness and possibilities. There is always room to do in life what you want if you are willing to sacrifice to get it.
Pole usually is worth it! Keep an eye on Craigs list or here in the classifieds for second hand poles for sale!
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Quite a few of us from Tucson Pole Fitness are going!
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Would it be OK that a child recognize on television a home run, or touch down, or Hockey score, but we have to be on edge with a child recognizing a pole pose?
Baseball, Football, Soccer, Tennis, Pole, why does there have to be any difference?
I would ask the honey " are you disturbed when the child recognizes a home run or touchdown? "
not fair
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I wish I understood the ripping of a callus. I have seen this seldom in students, it seems to be on really really smooth baby smooth almost virgin skin! My hands are rough all around pretty much compared to these types.
If very soft tender skin gets callused and then rips you might want to look into letting your hands toughen up a bit? Work the garden, pull weeds, move a pile of wood? At least this is what keeps the skin on my hands with enough calluses' to not sweat through, and not rip. If you live the city life, let them dry out a little. I do use a pumice stone in the shower.
Good luck I have wrapped a few hands in the studio with bandages, tape and then gloves… it looks painful When a student gets one or two of those in class, I usually put them on spin pole, with gloves and tell them to tell the other teachers they need to stay on the spinny pole for class as it tends to not create all the friction a static pole has. We actually change what they do in class till their poor skin heels, they get to be special for a few weeks, work on those leg climbs and leg hangs. Also work on not so much lotion or what every they are doing to stay so tender.
Wash some dishes by hand?
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We started out doing 6 week classes and people just complained they wanted to come more than just once a week, it was too hard to schedule classes any other way and accommodate all the needed times, days and levels. Turn over was high, they did not stick around. We took the plunge and went to unlimited classes, $60.00 a month We gave students what they wanted, 2 month minimum, multi level classes. Our studio took off, people stayed got fit, evolved and our whole studio has evolved. Ladies with kids and lives really need a drop in kind of membership to make it work in this town. Then we had to start separating the levels. We now have beginning pole drop in and Intermediate/advanced drop in. We have two teachers per class or one teacher and apprentice during our busy season. So far it is wonderful. We use Authorize.net to organize payments that come in online, I can recharge a card, set up auto pay, and get a much better rate than PayPal.
We use to offer punch cards but now those are only given to seasoned students who have moved on to advanced levels and their school and work make it difficult to come. Punch cards brought in students that come very irregularly, over fill classes, and often come in groups of 2 or more ( friends) and over fill our classes. They actually made it very hard on our teachers, as for our program we need consistent students, not ladies that come once every few months or so.
Mind and Body Software does not work for us, ladies will not reserve a class and show up, we end up with reserved poles but ladies not showing and not un reserving their poles and me dealing with whining women who can't organize their life perfectly.
I now explain in class since no one wants the headache of ' Un reserving " the pole in time for someone else and getting dinged on their card for not doing so, we must occasional suffer an over full class. "take it or leave it, you choose" they understand and have embraced the drop in classes. If we end up with a couple extra students the teacher gets off the pole, people double up, we make the class extra challenging and they "want" to share poles, and rest a bit. This may only happen a few times a year.
Now the one thing we do is offer occasionally a series of classes for those uncomfortable in a semi mixed class setting. We offer classes for new moms, ( bring the babies) classes for older silver stiletto types, and classes for those wishing to lose weight, and have a few extra pounds holding them back, we have been successful with these "sexy siren" packages as there always seems to be a shy little group out there that is too scared to join, but will take a workshop a few weeks long, once a week. These types of ladies are not our typical student, but we love them and they benefit tremendously.
Our studio is a " fitness studio" not a tricks based program, so classes are run like an aerobics class with an instructor leading at the front keeping the class going, while also teaching methods on how to advance certain moves in the class for those strong enough to do so. Students are not allowed to try more advanced methods unless their "card" has been filled out by a teacher and they can progress to the next stage of particular moves.
All our teachers are aware of our students abilities by these cards. Students often wish they could skyrocket to trickdom land but are always held back with strength, and performance testing we do to allow them to progress.
Our method has evolved over 6 years. We let go of series classes within one year. It can be more complex to handle multi level drop in classes, your teachers have to have lessons planned out and all our teachers work together to be on the same kind of plane for a few months at at time so students dropping in and out of all the classes get consistency, we have regular meetings to make sure we are all on the same page and deal with a growing and maturing student base. I listen to my teachers and give them a lot of creative license to mentor the student base that is attached to them and their style of teaching. They can develop their own classes and ideas as long as it fits into our agenda. We are a fitness studio 1st with our number one priority of no injuries, we are not a tricks based program. Our goal is to get ladies fit while getting them to progress to the next level uninjured, and some day perform in our showcase or someone els's, or just be really excited about their new sport.
So far we are loving it.
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Thanks Majikmyke!
I wish I had someone to talk to with a background in business management years ago. I would have saved myself many lessons. Yes, I am skilled with a jigsaw, paint brush caulk gun, drill press etc. My background as a fine artist bronze sculptor gave me that. I have always been self employed. I currently own two companies, a fitness studio, and a pet care franchise. I also still do fine art. My small business's grew out of my necessity to make money when the fine art market dried up 5 years ago with the recession. Because it was imperative I make money to pay my bills running a business and not making a profit was not an option. Since I've never held a job, finding employment with a decent salary was impossible. Running a pole studio has been very rewarding.
If you live below your means, manage your money, and become aware of what a market wants and figuring out how to deliver you can be profitable.
While I love sexy pole dance, Tucson does not, they want pole boot camps and pole aerobics. There will be times that if you can rise to the occasion and figure out how to tap into what a market is craving, you will be successful. Painting Flower gardens was what I wanted to do, painting the Southwest is what sold.
You don't always get to do what you want to in business but I have been lucky to do what I love, fitness, animals and fine art, I am truly blessed.
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Congratulations on your dream! Wanting to run a studio and actually having to supply what the market wants are two different things. If Seasons are going to be a factor where you are, and you will have a slow season and high season it will affect your being able to stay in business if you can bridge the gap.
If your philosophy is no sharing of poles, how many poles will you need, how much square feet, and can you afford the rent and over head.
Poles, Mirrors, floors and lighting are not as important as great teachers, and classes that actually are what people are willing to pay for. What you may want to offer may not be what the ladies in your area want.
Debt, I would say, try to stay out of debt, it will be easier to stay in business if you don't have a huge pile of bills to pay. Mirrors can be had for a song, if you know where to look. I built my studio on taking apart 4 feet wide closet sliding doors found in salvage yards, and Craigs list, affixed to the wall and saved $5000.00.
We started with 6 poles charged to my credit card, paid them off and in time expanded to now a 17 pole studio. All paid off. Besides mirrors, poles, some chairs you don't really need much to start.
The most important thing you and your staff can do is acommodate all types of women from all walks of life, be able to instruct a class room of varying levels, have everyone feel great and want to come back.
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This was for Holly …. above :0
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Sometimes it is better to schedule a private lesson with the owner or teacher that has the power to advance you. Here in Tucson when ladies come to the studio wanting to skip beginning or Intro To Pole Class I have them send a vid of pretty much all basic moves they know up to intermediate. Or schedule a private lesson and if they have the strength to do what is required for intermediate class and can do the moves I will advance them. I can't tell you HOW many emails go back and forth wasting my time. I tell them to send a vid and they send advanced tricks. I ask for beginning moves they send me 2! I ask for a vid of all they know for basic moves and they really don't have much…..
What we find is a lot of self taught polers that have skipped almost all static poses and proper hand placement on moves, don't really have the strength to invert unless they hurl themselves at the pole, know almost no spins and just want to go straight to tricks.
If you talk to the studio owner about advancement and take a private lesson proving you can accomplish all needed to advance, it should work. Thats how we do it, there is always plenty the student does not know and needs to learn in order to function in our classes.
j
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If you have a local salvage yard, where all the doors, windows, bricks and such end up from tearing buildings down or re doing houses, you will find them there…contractors take them there and sell all the parts they can from a re-do project. Go in and negotiate a good price, $35.00 a mirror is a good price.
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Look on craigs list like was mentioned above! I pick them up from salvage yards here in town and cragis list. Take the frames off it is not hard, just need a screw driver, the old brass colored doors no one wants. The 4 foot wide doors are great, then you can attach them to the wall with mirror brackets sold at the hardware store,
I have them in my Pole Studio
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Oh, no, this sounds harder to put on and remove than I thought…. Sounds like it will be extremely difficult to remove.. Please let us know how it goes!
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I ordered one, can't wait to see what it's like! They only had a turquoise one to ship and I want black so I have to wait….
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Sorry, meant to say outside leg hook, into butterfly