The Studio CEO: Business Coaching For Yoga & Pilates Teachers & Studio Owners

The 3 Shifts Every Studio Needs to Scale: Lessons from Greensboro Power Studios

• Jackie Murphy • Episode 40

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What does it really take to scale a thriving yoga or Pilates studio? In this episode of The Studio CEO Podcast, Jackie Murphy recaps her recent visit to Greensboro Power Studios and breaks down three powerful lessons every studio owner needs to hear.

You’ll learn why communication, systems, and relationships are the foundation of growth—and how your unintentional thoughts may be holding your business back. Using Brooke Castillo’s Model, Jackie shows you how to shift from the beliefs that create chaos to the beliefs that create clarity, consistency, and scale.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re hustling harder without seeing predictable results, this episode will give you the mindset and strategy to finally move forward.

And—don’t miss the chance to apply these lessons directly inside the Pack Your Classes Challenge happening next week. You’ll walk away with the exact system to fill your classes consistently and grow your studio with ease.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why your team needs more communication than you think—and how clear leadership changes everything.
  • How growth without systems leads to chaos—and the thought shift that makes scaling predictable.
  • Why relationships are the key to retention, referrals, and culture—and how to build them intentionally.
  • The unintentional thoughts that keep your studio stuck and the intentional thoughts that unlock expansion.
  • How the Pack Your Classes Challenge gives you the system to put these shifts into action right away.

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Work with Jackie Murphy


Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Studio CEO, the only podcast that empowers yoga and Pilates teachers and studio owners to step confidently into their role as CEO. If you are ready to show up with passion, take your business seriously and scale to new heights without burning out, you are in the right place. I'm your host, jackie Murphy, an award-winning certified business coach with over 12 years of experience inside the yoga industry. I have seen firsthand what it takes to build a profitable and scalable business. Join me as we dive into strategies, insights and real-world advice that will help you grow your revenue, build a thriving team and create a business that serves you as much as you serve your students. It's time to embrace your inner CEO and make more money without working more. This is just the beginning. This is just the beginning. Hello and welcome back to the Studio CEO Podcast. I am Jackie Murphy and I am your host.

Speaker 1:

In this episode, we are going to recap my most recent in-studio visit with one of my private clients. I have a high-touch private offer that includes a VIP day for my clients. Now, if you're an online business, we typically run the VIP day online. However, I have a lot of clients who have brick and mortar studios and part of the VIP day experience is me traveling to your studio, because it is so impactful and incredibly helpful One for me as your coach to really see the ins and outs of your business, but also two for your business. Part of why I wanted to create this offer is because some of the knowledge that I have stored in my brain from opening studios for the number one yoga brand in the US is specifically about the brick and mortar location in terms of visibility, in terms of signage, in terms of student experience and in terms of client flow and how the studio actually operates. And those are things that I can't actually give you strategy and expertise on unless I'm standing there in your studio with you. So I recently went up to my client Mia's studio Greensboro Power Studios and I left with some reminders and some lessons that I want to bring to you, because I know they'll be helpful for you, and it really just comes back to always being a learner in your business.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that Mia said to me while we were together she's like Jackie, we have done so much work together and we've grown so much, and the thing that she said to me is that there is still so much work that we can continue to do. There's still so much more. And I said, yes, mia, like at the heart of it. That is true business. Most of my clients will tend to work with me for years. Not that you have to you can pick and choose what serves you and what's best for your business.

Speaker 1:

But when I am able to really dive in with you over a significant period of time, one of the things that you'll see is that over those years, yes, there's massive growth, and then there's new problems. And there's massive growth and then there's new problems and business itself really is ongoing. There is no end to it. Now, if that sounds a little bit daunting to you, I don't want it to sound like that, but I want to offer you the opportunity to take on the idea that business is ongoing. It's it's just like a yoga practice. There is no end goal, there is no end game to it. There's always another level you can reach. And when you have the mindset of I'm in this and I'm going to figure it out for years and years and years and years, like I'm doing this because I love business and being in business, then it starts to be a lot more fun.

Speaker 1:

And specifically going to visit Greensboro Power Studios. Mia has seen massive growth in monthly recurring revenue in team. In her actual physical studio space she has transitioned from a one room space to a two room space. All of that has happened in the past two years and that phase of growth requires so much energy, requires so much effort, requires so much intentionality, requires much of your time and that growth phase in your business is very different than the scale phase, I would say.

Speaker 1:

When we were in the growth phase with Mia, we were doing more to create more, to build more team and going up to her studios. Now and looking around, that foundation is in place. We have done the growing, at least for now. We never know, but at least for now, like the growing is done. And so we're shifting our focus from growing to scaling and I recently got a question on my Instagram that said Jackie, what is scaling? And when you think about scaling a business, instead of doing more to make more, create more, you're really thinking how can I streamline what I'm doing so that I'm spending less time, less energy, less effort and I'm still making more? So Mia has this foundation in place. Now we get to really focus in on systems, on operations, on communication, on really being a strong leader on her funnels and maximizing the new students that do come into the studio.

Speaker 1:

And it's a very different game than the growth phase. So I would take a moment to think about what phase of business are you in? And I think sometimes we want to be in the scale phase before we're actually in the scale phase. Like the idea of scaling sounds so nice to everyone More money, less time, less energy, less effort Hell yeah, like sign me up, but you have to go through building and then growing and putting energy and effort and time into it. I mean, mia was moving studios and moving weights like a month ago, like she was really working on growing. She has hired a leadership team and poured into them for a year. Like that work takes real work and it's okay and it's good to be in that growth phase and you won't be there forever. So the first thing I want to leave you with is like, what phase are you genuinely in? Are you in the build phase, where you are just starting and really refining your offer? Are you in the growth phase, where your business is asking you for more to create more? Are you in the scale phase where you're really being asked to refine, simplify and create better systems in your business.

Speaker 1:

Now I will tell you this this was like the most fun few days for me ever. I was able to go into Greensboro Power Studios as a secret shopper. So I intentionally went up early so that I could take class from a teacher who didn't know me, so that I could go in and experience the new student experience that any person would have walking into these studios. And if that's something that you're like, oh my gosh, that would be so helpful for me. Like, what does the teacher say at the front desk? Do they announce the announcements I'm trying to get to them? Do they sell teacher training? Do they actually use names or create a good environment? And so I was able to go in as the new student and kind of look at, okay, what does this new student journey feel like? And they crushed it. They crushed it. The experience was amazing. It felt like home.

Speaker 1:

Walking in, I walked into the studio and it genuinely felt like love. There was very clearly a regular greeting a new student and the conversation was flowing and class was amazing. There was a community feel and I was able to really focus on details. So, like, huh, this link in this one email you sent me didn't work. We need to tweak that. Or let's change the language in the confirmation email to build more community, more relationship from that first email. Or, hey, the text that I got here. What if we tweaked it here?

Speaker 1:

I think we all think we know our new student experience, meaning we know how someone finds us, what their first visit would be like and then how they would end up buying. But I would say that go in with a fine tooth comb and see are there any details that we can tweak? Because, like Mia's experience was very solid. It wasn't like there's big gaps or anything missing. Really, the main focus now is going from an ordinary not that her studio is ordinary, but an ordinary experience to an extraordinary experience. Like how do we make this new student experience even more special? Is it a welcome gift? Is it a thank you card that's sitting in the mail after? Is it a locker with your name on it? There's all these different ways where you can really elevate your new student client journey so that they feel seen, valued and truly very clear on how to come back and that you want them to come back. So, if you can't secret shop your own studio, if you have someone who can, or if you can pretend like you are and walk through the experience like a new student and see are there any details that I can elevate? Are there any things that are broken or missing? Are there any gaps in the conversation? Is there any way I can bring someone in and make them feel even more welcome and invited?

Speaker 1:

Now lesson number two is about communication, and this is something that I think every single leader manager has to learn and relearn when it comes to managing a team. One of the pieces that I offer as a part of this offer is collecting anonymous feedback from the team to be able to deliver that to Mia and the leadership team. So it really gives your entire team to open up on. What is it like to work there, what are they thinking, what are they enjoying, what do they want more of? And one of the things that came up in this survey specifically was we want more communication, and I could almost guess that 99% of you listening to this podcast, your teams may say the exact same thing to you. Not because you're not communicating. Mia has all the systems in place. She has a communication structure in place.

Speaker 1:

There are things that she has said, however. Most people in this industry are managing teams of 18, teams of 30, teams of 60 of part-time employees, so their focus isn't fully there, their motivation and dedication may not be fully there. So I think you have to be extra clear, extra informative, extra communicative with your team, and you have to say things way more than how many times you think you should say them. It is the exact same as sales, right? You have to talk about your offer and sell your offer way more than what you think feels normal. It's the same thing when telling your teachers on how to get a sub or what membership special is out right there. So make sure that your team is really crystal clear, because if they're not, that will be felt at your front desk, that will be felt by your students also being confused or getting mixed messages, and that's not what we want. So just think like communication isn't one and done, it's leadership, it's an everyday thing and it's always something that we're going to refine and edit and create better systems around, because we want people to feel heard, we want people to be clear and we want to make sure the team is fully aligned on what the business is doing, how the business is executing their plan and what the vision of the business and the vision of the business is. Okay.

Speaker 1:

Now, finally, the last little nugget that I want to leave you with is that your relationships with your people will make or break a studio, like I have worked with studios in New York City where it feels very transactional because of the Manhattan energy. People will come in, come out and they won't even say hello or goodbye and almost treat it like a transactional experience. And I have worked with studios that feel like you want to sit down and, quite literally, have a cup of tea in the lobby after class. And so when you are crafting your culture in your studio, when you're crafting the vibe that your business has, if retention is low, if referrals are slowing down or if revenue is dropping, one thing that I want you to focus on is the relationships that you're building in your studio, and it comes down from you to your team. And when your team genuinely feels like you care, they're going to genuinely care about the students and the culture will thrive.

Speaker 1:

You want your students to feel seen and connected. You want your teachers to feel seen and connected. You want your members to feel genuinely seen and connected. You want the studio to feel like and connected. You want your members to feel genuinely seen and connected. You want the studio to feel like a community and not just a place to work out, and this is something that Mia has done so well. I actually have a podcast episode recorded about it because she was the one who taught me the term third place and she has done a lot of intentional effort to make her studio feel like the third place for her community, to make it more diverse, to make it more inclusive, and that was so crystal clear from the moment that I walked in, and I want your business to have that same feeling. Hey, even if your business is online, you can create this.

Speaker 1:

Do people want to hang out in your stories? Are they responding to you? Do people chit chat back and forth with you in the DMs? Are they coming to the classes that you're offering? If not, we can shift and really, I promise, if you really genuinely go out there with the desire to build true relationship, it will come back in your revenue and in your sales. And I don't mean transactional relationships. I specifically don't mean treat people well when you want them to buy something from you and then forget about them. People can feel that it's very awkward and it's very clear. What I genuinely mean is treat these people like you are so happy that they are there, that you want them to be there, that they matter.

Speaker 1:

For example, what we talked about with Mia's team we led a leadership team meeting and then also a team meeting. One of the things we talked about with the team meeting, with all the teachers, was attendance strategies and membership sales strategies, and one of the little nuggets that I left them with is like hey, if you notice a student is gone for two weeks or they've been gone for a month or they've been gone for the summer, you can reach out to them and say, hey, I miss you, we haven't seen you here. How are you doing? We'd love to see you again. And it's that little piece that will matter so much to that student, right? We're not putting pressure on them to come back to buy. We're genuinely saying, hey, I notice your presence when you're here and I noticed the absence of your presence when you're not here. And I promise you, every single one of us wants to feel seen, valued, important and connected, and that is what you can offer with your community. It's something that Mia has done. So so, so well. So there are so many lessons. I could keep talking. I could keep going on and on.

Speaker 1:

If you know that you're ready to take your business to the next level, from ordinary to extraordinary, I want to invite you to the Pack your Classes Challenge which is happening next week.

Speaker 1:

If you're listening to this podcast when it airs, it's a five day challenge where you can choose to either join General Admission to get the teachings, or VIP to get group coaching for the entire week, and we are going to dive into your goals for the year, how you're selling, what you're doing in your marketing, what kind of team you have and how to hire A players and really what it feels like to build a business from a place of support.

Speaker 1:

The link will be in the show notes. If you're ready to join the challenge, do not wait. My friends, I would love to have you there and it builds so much good momentum as we go into the fall. I have seen people create 30 K from this challenge alone. I have seen people come out of the challenge and then go on to create 50 K, 60 K months not saying that that will happen for you. It's not a promise of revenue, but what I can say is that we are going to get you into action, into momentum, and really shift you from hoping the rest of the year is good to knowing that you have what it takes to pack your classes and grow your business. So I will see you inside of the pack your class challenge and talk to you in the next episode. Bye y'all.