SARAH CHATS TO US ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE AS A BARRECORE FRANCHISEE
I first discovered Barrecore when working in London. Very soon I was hooked on the method and inspired by how quickly I was seeing results in both my body and mind and felt confident and more energised after each class! I just couldn’t believe that Barrecore classes were not yet available across the UK and I truly believed that if I opened a Barrecore studio in Manchester then everyone else would love it just as much as I did. So, I decided to approach Niki Rein (Barrecore Founder & CEO) with this proposition and the rest is history!
Honestly, I believe the main reason clients return again and again is because of the long-lasting results the Barrecore Method creates. There is also such a warm and supportive feeling the moment you walk through the doors of the studio and this created an incredible sense of community at Barrecore!
Barrecore guided me every step of the way when opening my two studios. It was very reassuring to have the expertise of the core team who could assist me through each key milestone. I was welcomed into the community and provided with 360-degree support, from finding the right location to training my instructor team, as well as small but crucial details such creating playlists to provide the best atmosphere in class. As my confidence grew I needed less support from HQ but, as a small business owner, it’s so reassuring that they’re always just a phone call away. Feeling as if I am part of a bigger team while running my own business offers me the best of both worlds!
1: Eat, sleep and breathe the Barrecore brand! Your success will come from fully immersing yourself into building a community at your studios so your clients keep coming back!
2: Fully understand your local market and clientele. It’s such an exciting time to be involved in wellness, being aware of your competitors and learning from your community will keep you ahead of the game. It will also give you the knowledge to adapt and work with Barrecore’s incredible business model to truly satisfy the needs of your clients.
3: Build an amazing team around you. Having the best teachers and front desk team is what really elevates the Barrecore experience for your clients.
We have a team of six passionate teachers, including myself and my business partner, each with their own unique style and much loved by all of our clients. Having done many other exercise training courses in the past, I can confidently say that Barrecore’s training is second to none and they really set their teachers up for success. Barrecore’s expert teacher trainers pass on a deep level of understanding on the key origins and technique of barre fitness to ensure teachers really master the method. Each teacher learns how to offer hands on corrections and modify each movement for injured or pre/post natal clients so that classes feel more like a group personal training session rather than just a traditional group fitness class. This level of expert knowledge can then be passed onto clients so that teachers consistently deliver high quality, efficient and inspirational classes.
Being in the studio every day is crucial. Taking a genuine interest in each clients’ goals and being a real part of their journey to achieve these is incredibly rewarding. Our sense of community starts as soon as you walk through the studio doors and we greet every client by name so the whole experience feels very personal. We also regularly hold masterclasses, brunches and challenges that really bring the whole community together.
Each day is diverse and exciting! The first thing I do is check my emails and set up my to-do list for the day. I teach classes or private sessions most mornings, but I will also work on the main desk at one of the studios to ensure I’m constantly in touch with our clients and teachers. I also often teach in the evenings, as I want to stay connected with our evening staff and clients too. I try to do plenty of Barrecore classes myself as another way of staying connected to my team but if they don’t fit into my schedule I do an online class at home instead!
Around my time spent teaching and working on the studio front desk, I always try to squeeze in meetings with either a member of my team, a potential collaborator or someone from my network, as this always feeds my energy and creativity. I then head home which gives me a chance to check in with my family and get some admin work which could range from planning marketing campaigns to ordering studio supplies. Then, at the end of the day I like to switch off with a magnesium salt bath and a good book!
I definitely underestimated the workload in the first year of launching the studio, particularly on my body as it’s a physical job as well as mental. Teaching classes and fitting in an 8 hour working day was intense at first and took some getting used to. It’s important to be fully immersed in the business from the beginning, so I did spend a lot of time networking and saying yes to everything so as not to pass up an opportunity to get clients through the door.
However, after the first year things calmed down and I’m lucky enough to have an amazing support network at home. Eventually, I joined forces with my business partner Kat last year, who has been instrumental in our expansion and continued growth.
I’m definitely always exploring this as the fitness industry is always growing and the barre technique is exploding in the UK. So, I have my eye on a few more neighbourhoods which I think could be a great market for another Barrecore studio.
My best piece of advice would be to abandon traditional preconceived ideas about ‘Work Life Balance’. It’s a notion that is banded about so freely and you need to be more flexible with your time when you’re running your own business. Having two studios that are open for 13 hours a day, 7 days a week, whilst juggling two children and family life has meant that I’ve needed to reframe my thinking.
When I worked a corporate job I was used to having clear weekends and days off, whereas now I think about my weeks differently. During the week I may teach in the mornings and then switch off for an hour or two to get dinner prepared or watch a sports match, and then over the weekend, when my children are at gymnastics training, I’ll hop back onto my laptop to get through some work! It’s simply about being flexible with your hours and in return you get the BEST office: Your very own Barrecore studio!
If you're interested in launching your own Barrecore studio, or know of someone that would be, find out more about our Global Franchise opportunity here.
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TRY OUR ONLINE WORKOUTS FOR FREECreating your own personalised playlists on Barrecore is easy - to start, simply find a video you like, then click the button that looks like this:
You can name your playlist, add as many videos as you'd like to it, and remove/reorder the videos in your playlist to suit your training needs.
To remove a video from a playlist, simply click the 'x' on the video in the playlist view that you no longer want to watch, and confirm to remove.
To re-order it, just click the left '<' and right '>' arrows of the video in the playlist, to swap it with the video next to it.
You'll find your favourite playlists saved for you once you have signed in.
