Starting from Scratch: Building a Pilates Business (Ep. 1)
Manage episode 491202860 series 3674204
Ever wondered what it's actually like to build a fitness business from the ground up? Meet Rosie and Leila, two Classical Pilates instructors who crossed paths at a London studio and discovered a shared vision that was too powerful to ignore.
In this first episode, we pull back the curtain on our backgrounds and the serendipitous journeys that brought us together. Despite coming from opposite corners of the world—Leila from Saudi Arabia with Lebanese roots, and Rosie from Michigan with British citizenship—we both landed in London during the pandemic in 2020. The universe wasn't subtle with its synchronicity.
Under our umbrella company, Honeycomb & Co Collective, we're creating Hex: An innovative approach to fitness that honours classical Pilates while pairing it with HIIT training, and Honeycomb Studios: A global community for students and teachers of Classical Pilates. The name "Honeycomb" stems from Rosie's childhood affinity for bumblebees, while "Hex" emerged organically from our conversations—later discovering the bee holds special significance for Leila as well, adding another layer of meaning to our partnership.
This podcast—Sticky Notes—is our real-time chronicle of building something from nothing. We're relatively new teachers stepping into entrepreneurship, balancing Rosie's big-picture dreaming with Leila's pragmatic planning. We're challenging fitness industry norms, particularly the narrow concept of a "Pilates body," and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome regardless of how they look.
Join us weekly as we document every decision, meeting, and milestone. Whether you're interested in Pilates, entrepreneurship, or simply enjoy witnessing the unfiltered journey of two women betting on themselves and their vision—we're so excited to take you along for the ride!
Chapters
1. Introductions (00:00:00)
2. Navigating Accents and Nicknames (00:08:19)
3. Our Paths to London and Pilates (00:21:05)
4. How We Met at PI (00:31:12)
5. The Business Idea Takes Shape (00:38:20)
6. The Honeycomb and Hex Concept (00:44:15)
7. Combining Classical Pilates with HIIT (00:46:54)
5 episodes