Grassroots Studio Marketing with Michael & Stephanie

In this podcast, Michael Jay and Stephanie Breaux Bradley discuss grassroots marketing strategies for fitness studios. They emphasize the importance of creating a marketing and events calendar throughout the year to focus on business process improvement, financial solutions, budgeting, training, and revenue growth.

They suggest plugging in local community events, seasonal cycles of your studio, and partnering with like-minded businesses to promote retention, new clients, staff, and community engagement. They discuss the significance of tracking and analyzing the effectiveness of marketing strategies to improve them in the future.

Stephanie shares some successful examples, such as partnering with a local coffee shop, creating a challenge around the Indy 500, and sponsoring quilting car shows. Michael emphasizes the importance of putting effort into marketing, being part of the community, and being strategic.

Stephanie's Contact Info
Breaux Bradley Consulting
Stephanie on Linkedin

Links mentioned in the podcast:

• MINDBODY One - https://www.mindbodyonline.com/
• Canva 
• The Sales Arms

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Michael Jay - Yoga Biz Champ 

Michael Jay, the Yoga Biz Champ, stands as the go-to Yoga Business Consultant, embarked on a mission to elevate yoga studios from mere survival to genuine thriving.

With a rich background as a yoga teacher, former studio owner, marketing expert, and yoga studio business coach, he possesses the insider knowledge necessary to elevate your yoga venture to new heights.

His passion for yoga, combined with a sharp business acumen and a sincere desire to see studio owners excel, encapsulates his professional ethos. Michael is not one to offer one-size-fits-all advice; instead, he's dedicated to providing tailored guidance, tangible outcomes, and supporting your studio to emerge as the next Yoga Biz Champ in your community. 

• Certified Yoga Biz Consultant • 
• FitTech Partner •
• Yoga Studio Launch & Growth Specialist

FREE RESOURCES AND BOOK A CHAT LINK
https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

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https://yogabizchamp.link/podlink

Transcript

Michael Jay: Welcome. I am super excited. Well, or a little bit scared. I'm not too sure to have. Really one of my besties on this and she is bar yoga. She's franchise. I dunno what the hell she doing on this yoga podcast. She has nothing to do with the yoga world whatsoever.

Michael Jay: However, she knows her shit. And she is my consulting ride or die. We've been through a lot together and she's the person in my world that I trust the most and she knows all my secrets. I think I know all of her secrets. Ah, I am welcoming the amazing [00:07:00] southern charm. Stephanie, bro Bradley. Hey, Steph. 

Stephanie: Hey Michael.

Stephanie: So good to be here. I can't believe it's taken this long. It's like, um, so long. But something interesting that you said, see already started off when you, cuz I agree with you. You are my ride or die. You are my person to go to and for reasons of supporting and also calling me out. Yeah. Which I think as entrepreneurs we all need, right?

Stephanie: Like we're in this space of giving 90 to nothing all the time. And you need that grounded person who can say, Hey, you're doing a great job, but can also say, okay, it's time to get your head out of your ass. Like, that's where the love and support comes in. Yeah. So I appreciate you along my journey. You're in it for the long haul, so if you get fired, you can take a break.

Stephanie: And that's it 

Michael Jay: for sure. Um, you are the best. You truly are, and I'm super glad that you're here. And this is a little bit more freestyle today. This is just me and Steph chewing the, [00:08:00] 

Stephanie: I do wanna clarify something. It's not that I don't like yoga, I just don't think I'm calm enough for it. I probably really need it.

Stephanie: But I remember when I was training to teach bar and yoga had kind of come up and my youngest at the time was like, mom, you're too loud for yoga. Very serious, very straight to the straightforward about it. And I was like, you know, I think you might be right, but I probably do need it. Which is why I have Michael in my life.

Michael Jay: Yeah. Usually people that go to yoga, um, should go for what the opposite of their regular nature or life is. Mm-hmm. So if you're a go, go, go kind of person, you need to. Chill out and lay over some bolsters. 

Stephanie: Maybe that'll be the next PO podcast Stephanie takes on yoga. It'll be bleeped the whole time, but yeah, 

Michael Jay: I'll give, yeah.

Michael Jay: I was actually thinking this episode might be the first one that might have to go under age restricted. Ass ash. And you know, maybe we'll do the Andy Cohen thing every time she calls me ass. [00:09:00] Take a shot. 

Stephanie: So in addition to consultants, we're Bravo fans big time. 

Michael Jay: Oh yeah, we, no, you just outed me on that too.

Michael Jay: That's okay. You're always at me to stay. All right. I'm gonna, I asked you for your bio. I said short Stephanie, like, do I need to put this through chat g p t to shorten it by 50%? No, 

Stephanie: because it was, it won't have as much personality as it needs. All right. Let 

Michael Jay: me, do you wanna read it then? No. 

Stephanie: Okay. Sounds better from you.

Stephanie: As a fit. Did not give a word limit. 

Michael Jay: I didn't. Maybe I need to do that. My email was pretty good to you though, right? It 

Stephanie: was very good. 

Very 

Michael Jay: thorough. You're very professional. Thank you. As a fitness studio advisor, business consultant and s strategist Stephanie Bro Bradley partners with motivated fitness and wellness studio owners to formulate a customized plan focused on business process involve improvement financial solutions.

Michael Jay: Budgeting training and revenue [00:10:00] growth. Having been a wealth management analyst at earning her C I M A from the Wharton School of Business, woo, and franchise Bar Studio owner for five years, Stephanie's uniquely positioned to create effective sales processes, assess value. Based priced, value based pricing based on your KPIs assist and organizational structure to the root of your issues, all based on authentic, relatable, and data-driven feedback.

Michael Jay: Stephanie is known for her southern wit and straightforward approach when it comes to working with her clients to create a win-win. She feels vital to have a cl she fears. Feels it's vital to have a clear understanding of the numbers, to take the fear outta the process and ensure more focused decision making across the board as you move forward.

Stephanie: You could have practiced that beforehand. Um, but let's, let's talk about this cuz you and I do have this conversation. We have a [00:11:00] group of consultants that we all support each other and to me it is an amazing group of supportive people. Who we can go to with anything we need, whether it's websites, um, whether it's hr, you name it.

Stephanie: And I know for me, I struggled a lot getting into consulting to find what that niche is. Um, and it would bother me because, cause there wasn't just like one thing that I was like, oh my God, this is what I wanna hone in on. And I realized, and correct me if I'm wrong, cuz I think that you're kind of the same way.

Stephanie: Like I want to ingrain myself with the studios that I work with. Yeah. To be like your board of directors or what that looks like. Because I go back to my studio days when I owned and just the rollercoaster ride that you were on as an entrepreneur to have someone on a weekly or biweekly basis to touch base with.

Stephanie: [00:12:00] Yeah, to help you realize the things you're doing well, to help prioritize the things you need to focus on, but just knowing the whole time that you're not alone. Yeah. Because I don't know about you, but for me, I feel like everything bleeds into each other. Whatever your mission statement is, kind of focuses who your avatar client is.

Stephanie: Mm-hmm. Kind of focuses how you market or brand yourself type of thing. And so I feel like having someone on the journey with you to help you see the big picture. And take the emotion out of the decisions is really cool. 

Michael Jay: Yeah. And, um, I mean, you've kind of, y your world has got very focused in right? It's, it's, it's, um, as you know, we started this journey together.

Michael Jay: Um, you are getting really dialed into what really your life was before, but you are, you know, you're really going into heavy into the bar. Consulting. Mm-hmm. Agree. Yep. And, and heavy, uh, into the sort of franchise or [00:13:00] expansion world. Um, and for me, I feel like I. I'm not broad either, and I think I'm getting more niche.

Michael Jay: You know, I know a lot of our, it's journey, a lot of our fellow, um, friends out there, you know, the boutique fitness or it's very broad and I'm like, yeah, I don't speak bar language. I don't know a thing about it. Right? Even though I know how to do I, even though I know how to do, um, consulting for group fitness.

Michael Jay: It's different. To me it's like, it's like the people are a little bit different and, and, uh, I feel I've got so niche down in yoga pretty much only, yeah. Um, and even more niche down lately. And that is in helping studios open, which has been a massive part of my business lately. And, um, I think it's, I 

Stephanie: think when you speak to, yeah, I agree.

Stephanie: I think when you speak to what you know, you actually also bring more added value because you know the product as [00:14:00] well. So that can help when it comes to, yeah, like we talked about the avatar client and the marketing and that sort of thing. Um, but you bring up the franchising and licensing. That's also a passion of mine from experience.

Stephanie: I was part of a franchise. Yeah. Yeah. And I realized that it was not specific to just my franchise, but the franchise business model in as a whole needs some help. Right. Like you have the big picture thinker at the top and you have the studio owners that need to have, um, actionable steps to go ahead and put into place.

Stephanie: And it's really hard to make those two things meet if you don't have that person in the middle who can kind of speak the language. Yeah. Yeah. Right. 

Michael Jay: And I think that's why, I mean, folks, um, Steph's big in this industry and she's working with some, you know, big wig, you know, franchises and, um, But I think they use you because you are that middle person.

Michael Jay: Because you knew what was missing when you were in the [00:15:00] studio. Right. And you could speak 

Stephanie: frankly to it from experience. 

Michael Jay: Yeah. You 

Stephanie: speak frankly, really. You know, sugarcoat is not really in my dictionary at all. I come from a people who think that if you sugarcoat, it means you don't love them enough to go there.

Stephanie: Yeah. So that it does come from a good 

Michael Jay: place. Always. Um, but you and I, I think, you know, there's different styles of consulting, coaching, and I think you and I are kind of similar in the fact that we get in there and we're part of our, part of our Absolutely. Team, right? It's like it's. You know, I say this to you probably weekly, right?

Michael Jay: It's not always about the damn KPIs. You know, the, the KPIs are important, but sometimes, you know, you and I are in there and sometimes we've got studio owners crying to us, you know? Yeah. Like, how do you pay the rent the next month? And, and we're helping them, you know, it's, it's, it's not all fun, fun for, you know, everybody, right?

Michael Jay: It's, it's like there's a lot of emotions involved in this too. So I just, [00:16:00] um, I like our approach of where, where we are, where we're really helping the o. It's owner support, 

Stephanie: right? It is. It's the human interaction of it. I mean, we're all on this journey together, and you have to believe that you're in the right place where you need to be.

Stephanie: And so part of it for me, like we talked about at the beginning, is surrounding yourself with those people who can support you on the journey. I actually, um, am starting tomorrow. I just hired my own coach. Hmm. Um, because that, that was a big thing that we talked about during training. Right. Even coaches need coaches and Yep.

Stephanie: Just to kind of help you see things from a different perspective. Maybe help you, for lack of a better word, get your head out of your ass when you feel stuck Yeah. About things, because it's really easy to kind of fall into that and a lot of us don't ask for help very easily. Yeah. Um, And humbling yourself and getting vulnerable.

Stephanie: I [00:17:00] have found as I'm working towards getting better, that is really where the magic happens. Totally. And someone can relate to 

Michael Jay: you. Totally. 

Stephanie: Yeah. Yeah, totally. And all of this stuff that we're talking about, you could pick all of those subjects up and put it like in a studio owner to client format and it's the exact same thing.

Stephanie: Yeah. Right? Yeah. Like. Serving your niche, creating your boundaries, asking for support. Yeah. Well, I 

Michael Jay: think even for studio owners to, you know, join in other masterminds, you know, that are out there and, uh, also, you know, just having a coach on their side. It just, it helps with clarity, I find. Agreed. 

Stephanie: Agreed.

Stephanie: Hey, I. 

Michael Jay: I wanted to touch on, um, some stuff that you and I, I, I think is kind of an interest out there, but I'd really like to touch on some kind of, um, what you're, what you did in your studio and what you are seeing with your studios you're working with on some real, um, actionable grassroots. Gorilla [00:18:00] kind of marketing things.

Michael Jay: I love 

Stephanie: this subject. Me too. 

Michael Jay: Um, I really do. I always say it's always about money or effort. Money as in you put it into Facebook marketing or, um, ads in the newspaper effort is you gotta pound the pavement a little bit and be strategic and smart and put effort 

Stephanie: in. Absolutely. And I think the key to this, um, you and I were talking about this, I actually just watched Nicole Deandres.

Stephanie: Webinar on um, MINDBODY one, which was very good and she talked about like marketing ideas and sometimes you know it in your head, but you need to be reminded. Not everything that you come up with is going to work. Yeah. Right now throw lack of planning. It could be myriad of things that you could tweak, but it doesn't mean to stop trying.

Stephanie: You just haven't figured out what that niche is. Um, and the reason why I love this subject is cause I work a lot with my clients on like the marketing and events calendar throughout the year so that you can touch on what you need to do [00:19:00] for your current clients to keep retention up, what you need to do to promote new clients coming in, what you need to do for your staff and what you need to do with your community.

Stephanie: And so when we scale that out over the year, 

Michael Jay: Yeah. Can we stop there? Yeah, yeah. I just want, let's just dive in into that little bit there because I think there's some stuff there. I was actually on, uh, I just had our buddy Luke Spark, John on, and we Yeah, John A. Little bit. And um, so let's just talk about that because.

Michael Jay: A lot of people are reactionary when it comes to their promotion sales events. Right? Right. So we are talking about getting a big ass, I think I got you to get a big ass calendar, didn't I? Big ass calendar. Mm-hmm. Big ass calendar, staples, Amazon, or whatever. I get my clients to scribble all over those things.

Michael Jay: Mm-hmm. And it's like literally getting some color markers and scribbling out. You [00:20:00] plug all of the stat holidays in there, all of the events, um, and then also look at the cycles of your studio, right? Mm-hmm. 

Stephanie: Interesting that you say that. So I was gonna use an example, did this with one of my clients, talking about like grassroots, she's in Indianapolis.

Stephanie: Indy 500, she wanted to do a challenge. We did it around the Indy 500 where there are certain points where we had a visual and everybody had their own car. So it was a combination of retention for current members, getting some new members in, cuz it was a team challenge. So we encouraged people to bring a friend and did a promotion that catered to the timeline of the challenge, but it's also kind of speaking to their community.

Stephanie: Yeah. And so when you said that about what's. Seasonality for your studio? Yeah. I obviously am from the New Orleans area, so Mardi Gras is big, so I always had, it was not a no-brainer that J January was gonna kick it out of the park, right? Yeah, yeah. [00:21:00] Because if Mardi Gras falls close to January 1st, these people are going to continue their debauchery until Ash Wednesday, and then they'll start their health journey versus January.

Stephanie: So, To your point, I think that that's very important to kind of watch what's going on seasons with your studio to know when events need to happen for grassroots gorilla marketing. Yeah. Whatever that 

Michael Jay: looks like. So yeah, I, I mean, see, so plugging in those local community events on the calendar, uh, uh, let me speak to this one because I had, so we had let me run, we had in Ladner when my studio Open Space Yoga.

Michael Jay: Every year we had this weird but wonderful event in the village called Quilt and Cars, and it was the quilting car show. And so the entire out, the whole village, uh, on this Sunday was old, beautiful old cars, you know, shiny bumpers and like, just gorgeous. And then every window [00:22:00] in the, in the town had quilts displayed in them.

Michael Jay: Like the, all the shops participated in this. I was the only studio with big ass walls. And so the oversized and the antique quilts came into our studio. And so for probably 10 years, that was a August event. And if anybody knows, August is perfect for, for presales of September after Labor Day opening. Yep.

Michael Jay: That was our jump day. So everything I did. For the fall beginner courses, everything was that day. We had thousands of people through the studio. I had to let go of my no shoe policy that one day and be okay with sticky popsicles on the floor. You 

Stephanie: do what you gotta do. 

Michael Jay: Yeah. Um, but it bought thousands of people into my studio.

Michael Jay: How could I not? Be part of that. So we popped a tent outside, um, and we put stuff on sale that day and it was [00:23:00] just the biggest day of the year for presales. Mm-hmm. So, anyway, 

Stephanie: and it's that, it's that branding inconsistency like you spend all of this time. Putting together your graphics for, so for instance, I'll just use the client that with the Indy 500, put the graphics together.

Stephanie: We did the emails together. Well, you know what, that is now a locked and loaded in key prints and repeat. Absolutely. What we will also do though, is after the challenge is over, we're gonna kind of have a brain dump on like, what worked, we didn't work, what tweaked, whatever we're talking about, you know, never a bad idea.

Stephanie: Maybe the idea you had was just not the right time of the year. Yeah. Maybe it just needed a little bit more prep time. Um, but you can also focus on little things. I recently had a client, um, I forgot the website, but there's some website you can go where they have all of these, you know how you wake up one day and you go on Facebook and it's like National Red Tulip Day, like you never knew it.

Stephanie: Whatever. They come up with these things. Yeah. Well we looked it up cuz it was like national caffeine day or coffee day or whatever and partnered [00:24:00] with a local coffee shop and got her QR code put on the coffee sleeve. For a certain amount of time where the QR code took them to some promotion for them to come to class type of thing.

Stephanie: And then in retrospect, they, we got coffee at her studio and had like a little coffee talk on a Friday afternoon after the morning classes kind of thing. Um, so when you talk about grassroots, I think one of the best things that you can do is have your front desk or you listen to after class and before class, all the chatter of where people are going.

Stephanie: Yeah. To have lunch, to buy a, you know, a blouse, whatever it is, pay attention to where they're going to kind of give you ideas of what those like-minded businesses are for you 

Michael Jay: to partner with. Completely. My 11 o'clock Tuesday slow flow, all those ladies went to the cafe afterwards for lunch together after, after class.

Michael Jay: Um, but what about partnering? So I did really well. Uh, I mean, I think it's [00:25:00] easier in a community than a big city too. Mm-hmm. A little bit. But I did really well in my community partnering with like-minded businesses. Mm-hmm. And so when I put an event on and let, and let's say we did some kind of, um, f uh, fundraiser or given away prizes for a challenge or something like that, we ask them to donate.

Michael Jay: Things and they never hesitated because they knew that we would scream and shout about them to our audience and link them in the newsletters. And, um, but I also, um, had a community corner in my studio. So I would go around the town once a month, pound in the pavement with my rat cards. My, my, my, am I distracted?

Michael Jay: Are you distracted by something right now? 

Stephanie: I'm writing myself a note because I forget so easily and you brought up something and I had an idea, so I made sure I was my paper and pen. Otherwise, I'm never gonna remember it. It's hard to be cute and smart all the time. I don't know which one I'm going for today, [00:26:00] but I needed to remember something.

Stephanie: That's what you said. Okay, 

Michael Jay: go. Where was I going with that now? You were talking about, I was watching your eyes dart to the side. 

Stephanie: You were talking about the like-minded businesses. Yeah, yeah. About supporting 

Michael Jay: you. Yeah. So, um, 

Stephanie: While you're laughing, the reason what I wrote down, since you're such an ass about it, is developing these relationships.

Stephanie: When you start to think bigger picture and other revenue streams. Yeah. You create these relationships. Yeah. These are perfect people to go to. To sponsor your retreats. Yeah. Sponsor your open houses, that sort of thing. Yeah. Like the relationships are, you know, it's a practice just like yoga, right? You develop 'em and where can it take you?

Stephanie: Kind of thing. Yeah. 

Michael Jay: But we had a community corner and so it was just, you know, place for business cards, rack cards. And so I would go around the, the city and distribute my, you know, local, my recent schedule or what have you, or. Um, promotions, but we had theirs in our studio. Cuz you [00:27:00] know, if you're in a yoga studio, how many people say to you, oh my back, right?

Michael Jay: My, my this, my that. And we're like, oh, well Chiropractor next door, go see Dr. Dave. He'll, he'll set you up. Here's his card. Um, you know, h h here's the, um, massage therapist. Go see Gisele down, uh, on Lander Trunk Road. You know, it's like, so it was a really nice two-way street for me. Mm-hmm. 

Stephanie: Yep. You know where else I found success?

Stephanie: As, um, cuz when you say like-minded businesses, businesses don't have to be like small entities like your Chamber of commerce in your city. Yeah. Like that is a business also. Yep. We actually reached out to, um, very active athletically here in the south. We have a lot of five Ks, which I'm sure a lot of other.

Stephanie: Places have. And we reached out and asked if we could do the warmup Yeah. Before the 5k. And I actually asked, I took it a step further and said, do you mind if I own it? And they were like, what do you mean? I was like, I'd like to get a couple of other, um, modalities in town. And they're like, well, why would you do that?

Stephanie: They're your [00:28:00] competitors. And I'm like, really? They're not. Yeah. And this is a bigger picture now. This is about the community. Yep. Yep. So that way I was kind of the go-to person and it was us. It was, um, Uh, kind of a strength hit and it was, um, a Zumba. Mm-hmm. Just to kind of, because the goal of the 5k, this was for breast cancer awareness locally, was to get people moving and what the importance of health looks like wherever that you get that from.

Stephanie: Yeah. And so showing that community part was really cool. And we got to do that every 

Michael Jay: year. Yeah. Now let's talk about that because that cause was important to you because. You went through breast cancer? 

Stephanie: Yeah, but that was, I didn't the 5K before. Oh, ok. I got diagnosed, I was supporting and then was like, okay, hey, I need your help.

Michael Jay: Yeah. I mean, you and I, you know you, but those things that you go through in life, I mean, you're a survivor, you know, that's part of your story. But if you were to put on a fundraiser, if you had your studio and [00:29:00] you were to put a fundraiser on for that cause, Because it's important. Mm-hmm. To you, how many people show up for that?

Michael Jay: That's what I always say to people. Absolutely. Who do fundraisers. Don't do it for the publicity. I've seen studios do that. Oh. And I'm like, well what's your reason? Oh, we get in the local papers, we get some blah, blah, blah. Right. That's not a reason to do a fundraiser, reason to do a fundraisers cuz you, it's important to you and when it's important to you, your community will step 

Stephanie: up.

Stephanie: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. It's interesting that you say that because. The reason why I was drawn to teach took on a whole new reason after breast cancer. It was like, I need you. I now start off every class that I teach where I tell them, I want you to get out of your head. I want you to get out of everything going on your life, and I want you to get into your body because it's going to tell you what you need to know.

Stephanie: Yeah. Whether it comes to something's off, I'm not in alignment. I need to, you [00:30:00] know, I need some mental fitness, I need to calm my brain down, whatever that looks like. But that connection to your body is really important. Yeah. Um, and for me, I accredit it for early detection cuz mine had already traveled and just like me was like, I am playing.

Stephanie: Let's go. Um, but to be able to bring that to someone else is huge. And you're right. Tapping onto the community and localizing it, whatever it is for you, um, can be very, very powerful. Yeah. 

Michael Jay: My, my, I was, um, My charity was the Ho Local Hospice Society. Mm-hmm. Because I was touched by, uh, when my mom died in 2008, um, she had amazing hospice support and I was like, these people are just, they're just angels.

Michael Jay: These people are incredible that look after people that are dying. And I got thrown into that world. I ended up going, becoming vice president at my local [00:31:00] hospice society. Um, but then, My studio did fundraising for that. Yeah. So when I asked, we raised $40,000 my little studio, um, for that charity through, um, uh, pre-Christmas shopping days where we had people.

Michael Jay: Mm-hmm. When that was our annual, um, that was our annual, annual thing where they gave percentage of their revenue, um, to the charity. Um, but because it was my, it was, it was. Important to me. It did really well after I sold the studio, they tried to keep it going on, but it, it does, it fizzled because Right.

Michael Jay: I, I kind of feel like you need to come in and, and say, okay, this is my charity. This is what I believe in. Right. And um, so 

Stephanie: it needs to be authentic. Like, I have a client who's in California where she annually does like a coast cleanup. Everybody meets at the studio. Yep. They go walk a certain area. They clean up the coast.

Stephanie: So it's that sort of thing where it speaks to [00:32:00] her and maybe the first year she had seven people, and every year it grows. Because I think what's important when it comes to, excuse me, events and how you show up is that you keep showing up. You know, like you don't get to decide when someone is ready to come and look at your community, join your community, take your classes, see what you have to offer.

Stephanie: What you could control is to keep showing up and showing them, I'm here, here's the value. This is what I do. Um, because people need that. They need their guidance, they need that stability, especially now. Um, and they wanna be able to follow. So you need to have your shit together so they can 

Michael Jay: follow you.

Michael Jay: Yeah. Um, what else have you seen in the way of not expensive marketing? 

Stephanie: Not expensive marketing? Um, I think a lot of good marketing comes from cross promotion. Yeah, whatever that looks like for you. [00:33:00] Um, I think a lot of great marketing comes from pr I guess. Like when you sit, when we sit here and we talk about like, when you think about your studio, what are ways you can market your studio?

Stephanie: And if I were to sit here and go, oh my God, my studio is the best. It's a great da, da, da. People are like, okay, that's cool. Someone else were to speak on my behalf and say, you need to go to Stephanie's studio. It's really great. That comes across. So much more authentically that if there are ways that you can promote that PR situation among your community and all you have to do is ask, they're more than willing to do it.

Stephanie: Um, there was a great idea that came up at, um, B FS Summit Boutique Fitness Summit that I went, I'm trying to remember, of this amazing woman who said that she put it in her studio. She created kind of like a focus group. Within her studio. Okay. Of a core group of women. Yep. They were not paid. [00:34:00] They didn't get special compensation for a membership.

Stephanie: They did not get a special T-shirt. They didn't even meet. These were people she had tapped into that said, would you be available for feedback on certain areas of my business that I can come to you so that we can make the community better? I love it. And for her, I know she had about 20 or 30 people because she wouldn't always ask the same person the same question type of thing.

Stephanie: But in the spirit of what I was saying about pr, your supporters really wanna support you. Yeah. And can you imagine what it's like to be tapped on the shoulder and going, you know what, I really value your opinion. Can you help me out with this? Yeah. Kind of thing. 

Michael Jay: Yep. Yeah. Kind of your, and also your kind of your.

Michael Jay: Your heavy users of the studio that really are invested in care. Yeah. They want your 

Stephanie: community to stay. Yeah. What's your favorite software right now? Okay. Are you asking this on perfect because I'm not a [00:35:00] technology person? No. 

Michael Jay: But you work with the software 

companies. 

Stephanie: Like I do work with software companies.

Stephanie: Um, my favorite and it's not really a, well, I'm gonna give you two answers cuz one's technology, software and one's not. Um. I do project work with the sales arm. Yeah. Which is fascinating to me because we all know how important the sales process is. This is a good subject. Now that AI is out and about and you're like automating so much stuff and it's going out, how do we feel about someone else using our words?

Stephanie: Are we just using it to give us guidance and then we tweak it for our personality? What does that look like? How quickly is the consumer going to be able to tell that this was AI generated? So all of these things have been going on in my head as I'm dealing with my studios, and so I do project work with the sales arm and what they do, it's like your fractional sales manager, if you are not in a position to have hired front desk [00:36:00] salesperson, or you don't have enough times in the day to call all the people that have come miss sales, what does that look like?

Stephanie: That's where the sales arm steps in. And I'll be honest, at first I was like, okay, how are you gonna make sure that it sounds like the words that I wanna use, can we 

Michael Jay: back up to say what this is? Cuz like it's people calling on your behalf, right? Absolutely. 

Stephanie: Absolutely. They're doing the sales process, they're going in your system and they're finding the missed sales and they're finding the people that did not book.

Stephanie: And at first I was like, oh my God, this is gonna be great to get more business. I didn't realize at the same time, They are speaking your language and they're also getting feedback on your studio. I mean, how many times have you worked with a client who said, I, my problem is marketing, I need more people in the studio.

Stephanie: And you dive deep and you're like, oh honey, we need to back up some stuff. Like the problem is not marketing seriously, like how many times? Yeah. And what a benefit it's gonna be if someone comes back to you and says, well, the reason why people aren't booking me is. [00:37:00] X, Y, and Z. 

Michael Jay: Yeah. Your classes are too 

Stephanie: crowded in there.

Stephanie: Your classes are too crowded, the bathroom is messy. The teacher was a bitch. The music is too loud. Whatever it is for you to actually get that feedback, who doesn't want that feedback? Because all of these things are things you could fix in your business. Yeah, right. So yes. Um, in, in touch with work with a lot of the softwares, um, just on project-based type things.

Stephanie: And what I will tell you is, The majority of people in this industry are in it to help. Yeah. Um, this massive industry that is so needed. Um, I feel like tides are turning when it comes to this is such an important business, but for whatever reason, we don't feel the need to be able to charge what we need to charge Yeah.

Stephanie: To really help people. And I think about it and I'm like, that man went to medical school to help people, but he, and now he's a doctor and he's amazing. He sure as hell is making sure he gets paid for what he does though. Yeah, so. I know kind of went off on a [00:38:00] tangent, but, well, I mean, 

Michael Jay: I, I mean, I mean, I think what we're seeing is there's a lot of change right now and Absolutely when it comes to, you know, there's a lot of automations.

Michael Jay: Um, but you know, our buddy Luke Spark, John, I was just talking to him last week and uh, you know, the conversation was, yes, we've got automations, but a product, product like his and the sales arm. Is that we bring the human part into it as well. Right, right. Which is, you know, and how many people, you know, how many studio owners have somebody purchase a pass?

Michael Jay: And we don't even talk to them like, right. And then their trial ends after three weeks or whatever, and they're gone. And we had no touch points in there. And so, right. I think we're dialing up the customer service right now, and I don't know about you, but in my world it feels like the front desk area we're dialing up the concierge v i p Yep.

Michael Jay: Experience. 

Stephanie: Because when you think about it, it's the [00:39:00] word sales can kind of have a ink connotation at times. Yeah. Like it's just a relationship business where you're asking questions to see what it is. That they need. People just wanna be heard. I mean, the main subject everybody likes to talk about is themselves.

Stephanie: Right. But also realizing, I think, and this is, this was hard for me as a beginning studio owner. Not everyone is going to be your client. Yeah. It's okay. You don't 

Michael Jay: want everyone to be your client. You don't, that woman 

Stephanie: right now, everybody listening is thinking, they're like, mm-hmm. She's talking about Susan, she's talking about Susan.

Michael Jay: Did you fire a client? Would I or have I have? 

Stephanie: I have you. I have. Um, I have, but it was in a manner where they thought it was their idea. 

Michael Jay: Oh, you're that good, huh? Yeah. 

Stephanie: Yeah. I, I, that's happened with teachers also, because, [00:40:00] let's be clear, managing staff is the most difficult part of your entrepreneurial journey.

Stephanie: Yeah. Like, I think you get into it and you just want everybody to get along and this is like a relationship business, so let's all be, and then lines get crossed and then it's becomes awkward and, Hmm. So yeah, 

Michael Jay: unless we Boundaries definitely needed good boundaries and good clear onboarding. 

Stephanie: Good clear onboarding.

Stephanie: Absolutely. 

Michael Jay: Yeah. Especially if you're buying a studio and you're taking on their staff re onboarding. Right. And 

Stephanie: you know what's interesting about our niches? We talk about like, cuz I've talked to a lot of people when they're thinking about scaling, like do you wanna franchise? Do you wanna license? Do you want to own or operate in another five studios?

Stephanie: Do you wanna think outside the box and do whatever works for you type of thing. And I know that you found a lot of success with studios that are just opening. Yep. What getting that [00:41:00] presale in that community looks like. Yep. And for me, it kind of all comes full circle down to. What are your processes and procedures?

Stephanie: How can you simplify things? It takes a lot of time and effort at the beginning. Yeah. But then once they're locked and loaded in place, and I'm talking like mission statement, all of your legal agreements, all of your financial basis, whatever that looks like, and I think Covid provided a great opportunity for even studios who weren't looking to scale, to kind of go back and say, let's get rid of what's not working.

Stephanie: Yeah. Let's look at this from like, A numbers perspective. We have this 10 30 class that these two women come to and I love 'em to death, but it is not profitable to keep a class on the stu on the schedule for just two people. No. And all of it kind of comes full circle because the worst case scenario to you going through all of this is getting your shit together.

Stephanie: Yeah. Even if you decide not to scale. Yeah. Even if you decide not to grow, Could you make your business? It gives, it gives 

Michael Jay: freedom. [00:42:00] It gives freedom, absolutely. Right. So I've got a podcast. My next podcast is my client, uh, Lisa. Um, and she's in France right now for the first time, and she's gone for six weeks and she said, you don't need to contact me, you.

Michael Jay: And so everybody, we've got it to a place where everybody knows their lane. At the studio and the docu, the processes are all documented. Um, everything's in place and so yeah, it feels daunting to put that together. Mm-hmm. But the freedom it gives you is just beyond right. It really, it really gives you that space to be able to step away and have 

Stephanie: balance.

Stephanie: When I look back on my studio, that is the one thing that I wish I would have taken more time to do at the beginning. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know that I was gonna Don't know what you don't know. No, I didn't know that I was gonna have this health journey that was gonna take the better part of 18 months.

Stephanie: Yeah. You [00:43:00] know, like I didn't prepare my studio and myself adequately enough to walk away from the studio for certain amounts of time during the recovery. And I think on one hand, as a studio owner, it kind of feels that ego, like, oh my God, it can't run without me. Like Yeah, yeah. I'm so important. 

Michael Jay: Feels good at first.

Michael Jay: Feels good 

Stephanie: at first. First. It feels great. And then you're like, Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I had an instructor come, she's like, you know, I have a headache. I, you know, can't teach. I'm like, I have needles in my chest, bitch. Go, go teach. Like, come on. But I had to realize that part of that accountability was on me for not putting the structure and the boundaries and, um, everything that was needed in order to be away from the studio.

Stephanie: So, yes. Huge. Huge, huge. And, 

Michael Jay: and then, you know, I'm dealing with a lot of, uh, opening studios, so it's the, that's the best time to put something like, yeah. Even, it's not impossible when you're mid flow of a owning a studio, but if you're just opening, you just [00:44:00] document the process as you are learning it.

Stephanie: Absolutely. Right. I'm working with a lot of studios rebranding, and it's the same type of thing. It's like, let's go back and let's see what worked, what didn't work. And now that you're coming out of a franchise umbrella, what do you wanna create? What do you want to 

Michael Jay: do? Yeah, that's a, that's an interesting one to me because what, when, especially cuz you deal with people that are buying studios or rebranding.

Michael Jay: I deal with some studios that have purchased existing owners of purchase existing studios and I feel it's, it's a great thing, but it's a difficult process mm-hmm. To make it yours. Mm-hmm. Right. And so, so that feels authentic to you and that you are not still trying to be in the shoes of the previous owner.

Michael Jay: That's a hard process. I think 

Stephanie: it's very hard, especially because, cause I have dealt with clients in this situation. Especially if the previous owner is still part of the community somehow. Yes. 

Michael Jay: Yes. [00:45:00] Because we feel we need to keep them, so we keep those students. 

Stephanie: Right. So what, what does that look 

Michael Jay: like?

Michael Jay: Right. And then it's like we're kind of scared to get rid of that teacher, but that teacher has still a lot of power over our studio when the mm-hmm. Students and the, yeah. Rip the bandaid 

Stephanie: like a young and the restless episode. 

Michael Jay: However I say that here's, you know, I say that, get rid of 'em. Rip the bandaid, you know?

Michael Jay: You know you're better off. But here I am. I sold my studio seven years ago. I'm still teaching three virtual classes for the studio. But I think I'm a good example of, you know, I'm not interfering in the business. I'm just 

Stephanie: showing Well, no, but you're also coming from the perspective where, That, you know, you're aware of that.

Stephanie: Yeah. Right. As the compel team doing what you're doing, you only want the best for the studio. So Yeah. You're aware of that. And 

Michael Jay: I'm just, I'm just showing up for the students and, and it, it's also, it's for me to be honest because Absolutely. You know, I gave birth to that studio and it, to me, those people that [00:46:00] still show up for me all these years later, 20 years later, for the same classes, Tuesday, slow flow, and today I'm teaching, um, and they still show up and it feeds me.

Michael Jay: As much as it feeds them. 

Stephanie: But don't you think it also gives you, um, more perspective and street cred in the industry? Cause you're still part of it all, you know, like completely like, here's what I'm seeing when I teach, uh, all of that sort of thing. Because I got, um, certified in Lare, so I'm teaching Lagree now, and it's, it's just very interesting to see it from a previous owner outsider's perspective.

Stephanie: Yeah. So now I'm an instructor. And there are times where I just wanna look at the owner and go, can you just ask me this question so I can tell you?

Stephanie: But then I also realized like, I wanna go in and teach and leave. I don't wanna have to own all the stuff. Like I did 

Michael Jay: that already. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I [00:47:00] like with this. I turn up on my Zoom and I, I, you know, have my little relationships and, um, and then I turn up, peace out. Yeah. No, it's, it's great. Um, all right, we are getting on here.

Michael Jay: Keep talking, keep talking, keep talking. Um, alright, so let's, uh, kind of wrap this up. Um, all right. I'm gonna ask you a few questions, something about you that most people would know. 

Stephanie: I'm extremely sensitive. I cannot watch The Wizard of Oz. I cannot watch Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer. Um, I get really upset because people's feelings get hurt.

Stephanie: Yeah, I've 

Michael Jay: been in those shows. I think every single conference we've been together, I've been sitting next to you with you crying. Crying about something. 

Stephanie: Crying about something. Yeah. I'm the most sensitive member of my family, which makes a lot of people 

Michael Jay: nervous and people probably don't think that because you're very outgoing and [00:48:00] I'm actually 

Stephanie: a social introvert, like I don't feel my cup by being around other people.

Stephanie: I feel my cup by going in a padded room and watching the real housewives of something. But at the same time, I do need that community. Like there are moments when I just need. But you're, I mean, 

Michael Jay: when you walk in it's like, you know, Stephanie's in the room. I hope that's a good 

Stephanie: compliment and not like sucking all the energy out.

Michael Jay: No. Yes. I told you when we first met your superpowers, your southern wit. Dial it up, dial it up. Um, what's your favorite business tool? Website or app? 

Stephanie: Okay. You're gonna laugh at me. Oh no. You know how you're talking about the big S calendar? Yeah. I am keeping Franklin Day planner in business for the rest of their life.

Stephanie: I love my Daytimer. Yeah. It keeps me Don't go in. No, no, no. I, I, I struggle with organizing digitally, so I like to organize this way, and by writing it, it goes into my memory. So as much as I'm [00:49:00] trying to embrace all of this technology, um, I still love my Daytimer. 

Michael Jay: Well, I told you I go old school with the planning, you know, in my big ass calendars.

Michael Jay: Yep. Then it gets transferred into the computer once. Yes. I feel that's my Scratch it out, you know, kind of work. Absolutely. Out. Um, and then I kind of convert that into. So that piece you're missing? Um, yeah, I'm not 

Stephanie: a technology person. Surprise. 

Michael Jay: What's your favorite personal fun website or app? Bravo. Bravo 

Stephanie: channel app?

Stephanie: No, I am actually, um, loving. It's kind of a combination of like Canva and Pinterest. Cause I don't consider myself a creative person. Yeah. But between the studios that I'm working with, rebranding. And realizing that it could be difficult to communicate to someone who's helping you with color scheme and logo and website and all of that kind of stuff.

Stephanie: How cool it is to go ahead and pick the things. I guess it's kind of like a vision board, how [00:50:00] cool it is to kind of pick the things that you want. And that's also been a favorite because as I moved into this house kind of figuring it out, it was like, how do you put it all together and then all of a sudden it looks how you wanna look?

Stephanie: So. I'm kind of loving, canvan all of that for that sort of thing. 

Michael Jay: Well, it's funny, I'm, I'm helping a certain, somebody in Los Angeles, um, renovate a bathroom right now. So in Canva, and I'm being bugged with like every day just mass amounts of text, of tiles, like just Yep. Every day. What do you think? What do you think?

Michael Jay: You doing crazy? Yeah. So I put, I'm like, oh, this drive me crazy. So I go into Canva and I took the new vanity, the blue vanity that's. Purchased and I did a color background wall, and then the photographs of all these tiles, and I just put, I cut out the vanity with the background remover, and then I just put tile behind it, and so I did like six pages of tile.

Michael Jay: There you go. [00:51:00] 

Stephanie: This is the difference between you and I. You're doing all this on the computer. I had to figure out wallpaper next to a desk. I went and got all the samples and taped them off the walls. And kept walking by to see which one I was drawn to. So, yeah. And then that I get scissors and tape and you can like, 

Michael Jay: yeah.

Michael Jay: And then that certain, somebody booked into my, my work calendar yesterday to book a Zoom meeting to finalize tile P tile purchases. That was actually really 

Stephanie: smart. Yeah. That was actually really smart. Yeah. 

Michael Jay: Yeah, yeah. For free.

Michael Jay: Steph, 

Stephanie: how do we find, well, you have to ask me about a favorite TV show. That's not on my thing. It's 

Michael Jay: not, I thought it was favorite. Favorite personal, fun website or app? 

Stephanie: Oh, maybe it was tv. Okay. Well, lemme tell y'all if y'all haven't watched, um, on Netflix, the Diplomat, ah, that's British one, right? [00:52:00] She's in London now.

Stephanie: Yeah, she's in London. Yep. Yeah. Really, really good. 

Michael Jay: Those bri brick com. The brick crime dramas are the best. 

Stephanie: Well, she, yeah. No. Okay. No. Yeah, 

Michael Jay: yeah, yeah. You'd rather real housewives of 

Stephanie: it kind of takes the crazy out. You think that your life or whatever, you watch a real housewife, you're like, you know what? I have my shit together and.

Stephanie: My lips are normal and I don't have a lot of lash, and I'm not taking Ozempic, but you know, the British ones, they're 

Michael Jay: gonna have to delete all of this from this. The, the British ones too, the, the, the Real Housewives of Chelsea. They've all gone Americanized with the lips and everything. I don't 

Stephanie: see that one anymore.

Stephanie: I'm gonna have to check my streaming service. That one doesn't come up for me. All 

Michael Jay: right. You're missing out. Yeah. Maybe we'll delete this from the end of the podcast. I was 

Stephanie: about to say, we're gonna get in trouble. 

Michael Jay: Who's gonna get us in 

Stephanie: trouble? Um, how much time do you have? We got kicked outta kindergarten.

Stephanie: I mean, let's [00:53:00] figure that out. 

Michael Jay: Um, that was fun, Steph. That was, uh, okay, let's cut here. Um, Steph, how do 

Stephanie: we find you? How do we find me? Um, you can find me on LinkedIn. Um, I, my consulting. Operation is called Bro Bradley Consulting, b r e A U X. It's Cajun, B R E A U X Bradley Consulting. And on there I offer a, um, complimentary 30 minute coffee and conversation for us to, cuz here's the deal, when we talked about beginning and we talked about consultants and all that kind of stuff, I think it all comes down to the personality fit.

Stephanie: Totally. You know, just like not every person's gonna be your client in the studio that you own. All of the consultants that, um, that are in our circle. Amazing. Everyone does a great job. It's kind of just finding the fit that works for you. Completely. 

Michael Jay: Completely. Yep. [00:54:00] 

Stephanie: Yeah, because I think we all are great resources for each other also, which has been amazing 

Michael Jay: Yeah.

Michael Jay: To be a part of. Well, I do and I do think we do have a great community of consultants and I do. Absolutely. I do feel that working with one of us, you actually get the knowledge of a lot of them because I know absolutely. I know that when you know I don't know anything about a certain area, I just put it out to our group and we can get the answers pretty quickly.

Michael Jay: So agreed. We're very lucky to be part of our circles, and I'm lucky to have you in mind. You're my 

Stephanie: favorite, huh? For anybody listening to the podcast who thinks that they're his favorite, you're not. I'm his favorite. 

Michael Jay: We're gonna be sharing a room in New York in October. That's gonna be scary. Oh, well.

Michael Jay: Hello. Well, all right. So bro bradley consulting.com. Yep. 

Stephanie: You can find that on Steph Bro Bradley, on Instagram and on LinkedIn. And you can go to the website and find everything you need to find. 

Michael Jay: Well, [00:55:00] thanks for sharing your morning with me. I appreciate you. All right, well talk to you soon, Steph. Okay. Bye bye.

Michael Jay: And see.