Beyond the Reformer

"Good exit strategy is just good business strategy."
In this episode, Nic is joined by Mitch McGinley, founder of Boutique Fitness Broker and author of The Number Nobody Talks About. Mitch has spent his career helping boutique fitness and wellness owners buy and sell their studios, closing over 70 transactions worth more than 30 million dollars, and he sold his own yoga studio before founding his brokerage.
They explore what actually makes a Pilates studio valuable, and why it's rarely the things owners assume, like a beautiful build out or steady revenue. Instead they unpack profit margin, owner dependence, and team strength as the real drivers of value, along with why some studios never should have expanded to a second or third location in the first place.
They also get into the practical side, from how a studio is actually valued using earnings multiples, to what takes the longest to fix before a sale, to why every studio owner, even those with zero intention of selling, benefits from thinking like they might one day.
Timestamps

 01:15 Does revenue and utilization make a studio valuable
 02:47 Are studio owners paying themselves enough
 05:13 Extracting yourself from the day to day
 10:47 What owners think makes their business valuable versus what buyers actually value
 10:55 The build out myth
 12:10 What is a healthy profit margin
 13:31 The biggest misunderstanding about business value
 15:22 Who is actually buying studios
 19:03 The emotional side of selling
 21:45 What makes a sale go smoothly
 23:21 What actually makes a studio different
 26:09 Standing out in a saturated market
 29:16 Feeling the pinch as margins get squeezed
 31:29 Is now the time to sell
 33:16 What makes people think about selling
 35:06 Why you should sell at the peak
 38:39 Making your studio more valuable over the next three years
 40:59 What takes the longest to fix before a sale
 42:51 Is multiple locations more or less valuable
 45:25 Why bed count matters for profitability
 47:57 Buying versus building new locations
 49:29 How a studio is actually valued
 51:57 What people do after they sell
If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.
Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/
Soul Pilates Education: https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/
Sign up to Our Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer
Connect with Mitch McGinley:
Website: https://boutiquefitnessbroker.com/

Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens here.
Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens here.

"Good exit strategy is just good business strategy."
In this episode, Nic is joined by Mitch McGinley, founder of Boutique Fitness Broker and author of The Number Nobody Talks About. Mitch has spent his career helping boutique fitness and wellness owners buy and sell their studios, closing over 70 transactions worth more than 30 million dollars, and he sold his own yoga studio before founding his brokerage.
They explore what actually makes a Pilates studio valuable, and why it's rarely the things owners assume, like a beautiful build out or steady revenue. Instead they unpack profit margin, owner dependence, and team strength as the real drivers of value, along with why some studios never should have expanded to a second or third location in the first place.
They also get into the practical side, from how a studio is actually valued using earnings multiples, to what takes the longest to fix before a sale, to why every studio owner, even those with zero intention of selling, benefits from thinking like they might one day.
Timestamps

 01:15 Does revenue and utilization make a studio valuable
 02:47 Are studio owners paying themselves enough
 05:13 Extracting yourself from the day to day
 10:47 What owners think makes their business valuable versus what buyers actually value
 10:55 The build out myth
 12:10 What is a healthy profit margin
 13:31 The biggest misunderstanding about business value
 15:22 Who is actually buying studios
 19:03 The emotional side of selling
 21:45 What makes a sale go smoothly
 23:21 What actually makes a studio different
 26:09 Standing out in a saturated market
 29:16 Feeling the pinch as margins get squeezed
 31:29 Is now the time to sell
 33:16 What makes people think about selling
 35:06 Why you should sell at the peak
 38:39 Making your studio more valuable over the next three years
 40:59 What takes the longest to fix before a sale
 42:51 Is multiple locations more or less valuable
 45:25 Why bed count matters for profitability
 47:57 Buying versus building new locations
 49:29 How a studio is actually valued
 51:57 What people do after they sell
If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.
Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyond_reformer_pod/
Soul Pilates Education: https://www.instagram.com/soul_pilates_education/
Sign up to Our Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/2bff55298739/beyond-the-reformer
Connect with Mitch McGinley:
Website: https://boutiquefitnessbroker.com/

Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens here.

"I'm about as alpha male as it gets. I come from 30 years in special forces. It doesn't come much better than that. And I now teach Pilates and I absolutely see the benefits."
In this episode, Nic is joined by Tim Gough, co-owner and instructor at Vagabond Pilates in Dorset, and a 30-year veteran of the Royal Marines and Special Boat Service. Tim shares how his wife Millie's own Pilates journey through cancer recovery pulled him into the method during deployment, and how that eventually led him to leave the military and co-found a full-equipment Pilates studio with Millie and Molly.
They explore why Pilates is still seen as a female-dominated space, what needs to change in how it's marketed and taught to get more men in the door, and the surprising overlap between special forces mindset and the discipline of a Pilates practice. Tim also opens up about the challenges of studio ownership, adjusting to life after the military, and what he's learned about teaching, mentorship and building a team since joining Vagabond as an instructor.
Timestamps 
00:00 Tim's first podcast and his path into Pilates
 01:43 How his wife Millie's Pilates journey began
 03:53 Teaching Pilates to his unit during deployment
 07:11 The mission to get more men into Pilates
 13:52 Running a men-only class at Vagabond
 16:53 Making the studio feel welcoming for everyone
 20:44 Thirty years in special forces, then Pilates
 23:20 Why one session isn't enough
 30:18 Clients who say Pilates changed their life
 31:09 Why nobody notices your struggle in class
 34:34 Meeting high-performing clients where they are
 38:17 How Vagabond Pilates started
 40:40 Interviewing to become an instructor
 43:49 Adjusting to life after the military
 44:29 Working with his wife and an all-female team
 49:11 Mentorship and keeping good teachers
 51:50 A look inside the Vagabond studio
 54:03 Quickfire questions
 59:15 Where to find Tim and Vagabond Pilates
If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.
Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic's Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
Connect with Tim:
Tim Gough LinkedIn 
Tim Gough Instagram 
Vagabond Pilates Website

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"The second guessing is you're trying to be like somebody else and you can never be like somebody else. You can only be like you are."
In this episode, Nic swaps the usual guest chair for an Agony Aunt session, answering real Pilates dilemmas sent in by listeners.
She unpacks what's really behind imposter syndrome, why tactile cueing feels so nerve-wracking for so many teachers, and how to bring your full, authentic personality into the studio without oversharing, including a candid take on teaching as a neurodivergent instructor.
She also gets into the harder judgment calls: balancing what a client wants against what they need, what to do when a studio's direction stops matching your values, and the real story behind opening (and choosing not to keep opening) studios, and what that taught her about staying true to the Soul ethos as things grow.
Timestamps
00:02 Intro to this week's Agony Aunt format
02:19 Dilemma one: will I ever feel good enough?
07:50 Dilemma two: tactile cueing, confidence and authenticity
16:55 Giving clients what they want vs what they need
19:59 Dilemma three: when your values don't match your studio
29:00 Dilemma four: growing without losing yourself
40:49 Closing thoughts and what's next
If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.
Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic's Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens here.

"You're in the service business, you're not in the teaching business."
In this episode, we are joined by Phil M Jones, bestselling author of the Exactly What to Say book series (over 1 million copies sold) and one of the world's most in-demand communication and sales experts, having delivered over 3,500 presentations across 50+ countries.
They explore why personality can't be taught but connection can, and what that means for Pilates teachers who think they're "not chatty people." Phil breaks down why the question "how are you" is a connection killer, and gives a simple alternative that opens up real conversation with clients instead.
They unpack why the first and last five minutes of class matter more than the workout itself, why some of the most technically excellent private session teachers still lose clients, and how to build a pre-brief and debrief into every one-on-one so people actually come back.
They also go deep on the business side of Pilates studios, from why membership models built on spreadsheets fail, to how studio owners can build retention and referrals by making long-term clients feel like they belong.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro to Phil M Jones
03:47 Can personality be taught? What actually makes a great teacher
06:52 Why you're in the "helping business," not the teaching business
11:08 Ban the question "how are you"
19:03 You are the brand: why the first 15 minutes before class matter
24:33 Why 6 technically great private sessions still lost a client
40:37 The three keys to reconnect with clients on the way out
48:35 Building memberships around real people, not spreadsheets
If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you're following along so you don't miss future episodes. And feel free to share this one with someone you think would take something from it.
Connect with Nic:
Beyond the Reformer Instagram
Soul Pilates Instagram
Soul Pilates Education
Nic's Instagram
Join Soul at Home
Book a Pilates Class
Sign up to Our Newsletter
Connect with Phil M Jones:
Phil's Instagram
Phil's Website
Exactly What to Say
Sign up below to hear more about our Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to get priority access when our next course opens here.