Service Based Business & Automation

If you have a business or conduct business like I do, then you know that your income is tied directly with reaching customers, serving them and dealing with their fluctuating habits. 

I teach pilates.  A few important things to understand.  There are always surges of interest in fitness throughout the year.  New Years, just before Bikini Season, and again at Back to School Time. 

The reality about teaching any type of fitness or offering personal training, is that people cancel often.  I always remind myself that Pilates is a luxury for most people and if they do it regularly it's because it fits in their budget.  Often, pilates or yoga or other specialized activity is the first thing to get cut.  I know this from personal experience.  Sometimes I think about the reasons why I initially wanted to get certified to teach.  Pilates was just too expensive for me to keep taking private sessions 2x a week! 

So, now I teach.  On a daily, weekly basis I deal with the fluctuating income, interest, motivation, schedules of my clients.  Often it will take several weeks of back and forth to schedule a new client who is struggling to get into the gym or try a new activity. 

This is probably the most frustrating part of being a pilates instructor.  The only income that I can count on are the group classes I teach for other studios.  My private clients are hit and miss sometimes.  They are lovely people, but it takes a lot of effort to get people in on a consistent basis.

So, after all this "complaining" about the structure of my business, here are some questions I'm left with (and just might answer in the course of writing this post)

What should I do?

Schedule more group classes? The 80/20 principle tells me that out of the sessions I teach, the classes provide the bulk of my income.  Ok, well that's that.  I can think of 2 different classes to add immediately.

Do I look for a niche within pilates to be my automated muse?  Or do I look elsewhere in life for something that fits who I am, what I do, and the life I live?  My first response is...maybe.  I'm a fairly new mom...and we all know moms love to buy stuff for their little ones.  So this seems like an area I should research a bit more... Prenatal Pilates, Prenatal Fitness, New Mommy Fitness, Fitness for Moms...

What I keep coming back to is this: Find an A-Muse & Product, then develop a new idea I have for teaching pilates without the hassle of scheduling them or running around town to meet with them.

Ok - sounds good to me! 

Thanks for playing along as I chew on some ideas out loud.  I'd love to know what you think about and if you can help me find my muse!