An Interview With Stephanie Spalding of Pure Barre

Lifestyle

An Interview With Stephanie Spalding on What It's Like to Own and Operate a Pure Barre

An Interview With Stephanie Spalding of Pure Barre Image

Like most college students, Stephanie Spalding wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted her career to look like, but she knew she wanted a degree that would be lucrative and impactful when put to the test within the real world job landscape. She ultimately chose to study business, and after a few jobs, an MBA and almost a decade of time, the choice has proven to be a worthwhile cause. Today, Stephanie owns and operates her own Pure Barre franchise, which means that she could be teaching classes and managing accounting one moment, and then leading a team of barretenders (that’s barre-speak for front desk staff!) the next.

Throughout her career, Stephanie juggled a full-time job in marketing and her dancing career, including stints as a performer at professional dance teams, like the Dream Project, the Rocky Mountain Rockstarz and even the dance team for the Washington Wizards. Finally, after years of performing a balancing act that was beginning to wear on her, both physically and emotionally, Stephanie decided to take a leap of faith (or should we say jeté?) and opened her Pure Barre studio.

By combining her interests in dance and business, Stephanie has succeeded in creating a much more manageable schedule without having to give up any of her passions. These days, the people who make up Stephanie’s franchise team are more like family than associates, and she never lets a day go by without taking it as a challenge to continually ‘raise the barre.’

Her Starting Point

Your degree is in business administration and marketing. What drew you to study those two fields, and how has your degree been beneficial in your current role running your own Pure Barre studio?

I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to study in college, but I knew I wanted to be easily employable, so I started with a general business administration major. As I started taking more marketing courses, I really enjoyed the psychological and data-driven aspects of marketing. Having zero affinity for finance or accounting, the marketing angle was a great fit for me.

What was your first job out post-college and how did you land it?

My first job was as a Marketing Coordinator for a government contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy. I worked to market and manage the Energy Star^® program to help make homes and businesses more energy-efficient, thus saving money and helping protect the environment. I studied abroad in Peru my senior year of college on a trip that focused on the impacts of business on society and the environment, so I was keenly aware of the positives and negatives that businesses could have on local people and the land. I was determined to find a job that would not only pay the bills, but also make a positive difference in the world (yes, I was that wide-eyed, college graduate wanting to “be the change”). I landed the job through a traditional web listing, but I did buy a fancy interview outfit and new shoes prior to the interview. Never underestimate the power of a great pair of heels!

You attended night school to get your Masters Degree while working a full-time job and dancing for the Dream Project. How did you manage that? What did you do to prevent burnout?

It was really tough! I had classes at night, did homework and group projects on the weekends and then danced for four hours on Sunday evenings—all on top of my full-time job. I’d like to say I didn’t get burned out, but to be honest, those two years are a bit of a blur. As I got closer to graduation and my decision to open my own business, I knew something would have to give. My body was telling me it was time to hang up my dancing shoes, so to speak, so I retired from dancing and took on business ownership instead.

My husband has always been my biggest supporter and helped encourage me through school, whether it was doing extra work around the house, or supporting me emotionally. My fellow classmates who were all juggling similar work and family obligations were big motivators, too. We shared the same pain; missing powder days on the slopes to study for a finance exam on the weekend is painful!

When did you first get involved in Pure Barre exercise? How does the physical exertion compare to dancing? Which is more difficult to teach?

I first started taking Pure Barre shortly after the studio in Boulder, Colorado opened in early 2011. One of the girls I danced with on Dream Project taught Pure Barre at that studio; she introduced me to it and it was love at first “tuck”! Physically, dancing and Pure Barre share the same foundation, but they are very different and I think Pure Barre is more challenging, both to take and to teach.

Her Big Break

Describe the transition from doing Pure Barre as a fun form of exercise to running your own studio. How did the opportunity arise?

I started taking entrepreneurial classes during my MBA program at CU Boulder, and couldn’t stop thinking about Pure Barre. Pure Barre seemed like the perfect way to combine my business and dance backgrounds and offer the career change I wanted. I applied to open a franchise and was quickly offered the opportunity for an in-person interview and audition, which at the time consisted of taking a class from the Pure Barre founder, Carrie Dorr. I made it through the interview/audition process and although opening a studio required a big life change for my husband and me, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity!

How long did it take you to open your Pure Barre studio? What aspects surprised you and how did you finance opening your own business in the beginning?

I first applied to open a Pure Barre studio in September of 2012 and we opened our doors in August 2013, so it was nearly a year in the making. One of the biggest surprises was the difficulty of securing a commercial lease. My landlord is a big property management company that owns large shopping centers all across the US, so we were just a tiny piece of their big puzzle and there was a lot of red tape to navigate. It still boggles my mind how slow big companies can move when they have someone ready, willing and waiting to pay them rent!

Financing a new business is always a hurdle and was one of the scariest parts for me. Pure Barre takes a substantial up-front investment, mostly for the studio build-out, and we were fortunate to secure funding through personal savings, loans from family (which we are paying back with interest) and an SBA loan.

What are the pros and cons of owning a franchise business? How are you able to make your specific location stand out?

Funny that you ask, because I actually wrote a paper on this topic for my MBA. One of the biggest pros of owning a franchise business is that you are buying into an established brand and a proven business model; someone else has completed the groundwork for you and succeeded in doing so. Purchasing a franchise is like buying a starter kit—they give you support up front (both operationally and through brand awareness), and it’s up to you to implement it to your fullest. Of course, one of the biggest cons of a franchise is that the starter kit comes at a cost in the form of an initial franchise fee and ongoing royalty payments.

For some people, the franchise model is less appealing because you are required to follow a set of rules laid out in the franchise agreement. For me, the franchise agreement is not a limitation, but rather a tool that strengthens the brand nationwide and provides guidelines in order to be successful. As a young entrepreneur, the strength of the brand, support of other franchisees and the corporate team and proven concept were very attractive.

Here in Fort Collins, we focus our efforts on the clients, many of whom we see every day, in order to make our studio feel like a family rather than a corporation. Our studio has a community-like feel to it and our entire team takes great strides to foster that environment by learning client’s names quickly, asking about their jobs or families or introducing them to other classmates. We know that the entire experience is more than just the workout and although we try to make it appear seamless, we set ourselves apart in that manner through stellar service. I like to strive to be the Four Seasons of the fitness industry in that regard.

Between dancing, Pure Barre, hiking and skiing, you’ve got an incredibly active lifestyle! How do you unwind after so much physical activity?

The physical part of my job was something I didn’t think about much in the beginning, but it certainly was an adjustment coming from an 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. office job the first eight years of my professional career. I found myself on the couch a lot more on the weekends in the beginning (hooray for Netflix!), but as I’ve settled into my new routine, I’m balancing the challenges—physical and otherwise—much better and saving time for fun activities, too. One of my favorite things in the world is curling up with a good book and a cat on my lap. My husband recently took up fly fishing, so in the summer we love to camp by the river, which is really relaxing for me. I make a mean s’more, if I do say so myself!

Her Perspective

A big part of being a business owner is managing employees. What management tips have you learned along the way?

Always trust your gut. In the beginning, this was a challenge for me; although I wasn’t new at managing people, I was new at running my own business and I lost confidence in some of my decision-making. I let fear paralyze me, when looking back at it, deep down I knew what needed to be done all along. When you have the right team in place and truly trust and empower them to do a fabulous job, it makes all the difference in the world.

Owning your own business also means not trying to do it all yourself! What resources and people (i.e. PR, accounting, etc.) do you rely on?

My team of teachers and barretenders (front desk staff) are the absolute best and I rely heavily on them to keep things running smoothly day-to-day. Being in a college town, I also rely on student ambassadors and interns to spread the word on campus. My friend and client, (and fellow Contessa!) Allyson Conklin has done wonders for us in the world of PR, and my husband is a great proofreader and general sounding board. I handle the monthly accounting via Quickbooks, but leave tax accounting to the pros—don’t mess with the IRS!

It’s risky to start your own business. Have you always been a risk-taker? What advice do you have for women thinking about opening their own business? Where should they start?

I haven’t always considered myself a risk-taker, and leaving a steady job (and steady paycheck) was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. My advice to other women is to listen to your heart, but make a careful and informed decision. Talk extensively to your family, because they may need to pick you up or support you when things get rough, as business inevitably does. I’m fortunate that both my parents and my in-laws own small businesses and were great supporters, but kept me grounded by asking “are you sure you’ll want to do this when…” or “what if…” questions. Be real about money, too. Are you financially sound enough to support yourself and pay back any debt, even in the worst-case scenario? Opening a business almost always takes longer and is more expensive than even the most conservative estimates.

And finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?

I wake up every day looking forward to the opportunity to share my passion for Pure Barre with my local community. Pure Barre is more than just a gym; it’s a special, safe place for women to overcome all sorts of physical and emotional roadblocks and I feel honored to be a part of their journey. I have seen so many healthy transformations and there’s nothing better than when a client recognizes the changes in themselves, too.

As for what’s next, I’m not sure, but I hope it includes Pure Barre, leggings all day and the fabulous people I am surrounded by now.