Franchisee Spotlight: Pilates Addiction in Greenwood, Indiana

Propelled by a franchisor that thought of everything and strong grassroots efforts, this Indiana couple put up historic numbers when they launched their Pilates Addiction franchise

Amber and Kevin Knafel expected a few bumps in the road when they purchased their first fitness studio in Greenwood, Indiana. They were entering a market already dense with offerings, neither came from the boutique fitness industry and Kevin was simultaneously balancing the demands of another business.

It seemed like a lot for a couple opening their first fitness business. In the end, however, the Knafels’ only regret was that they only purchased one studio, not multiple.

“If I were giving advice to someone thinking about purchasing one of these franchises, I’d tell them to go for it, and buy a few,” Amber said. “We only have one right now. We figured we’ll get this one going first, and then we’ll buy more, but I almost think starting two at a time wouldn’t even be that much more work.”

Thanks to their own willingness to get out and connect with their community, and strong support from the Pilates Addiction franchise team, the Knafels didn’t just enter the franchising game, they kicked down the door leading to it, experiencing record-breaking numbers from the jump, tying together a strong staff with haste and setting themselves up for further success down the line.

In May, Pilates Addiction Greenwood secured a record number of memberships and sales for Pilates Addiction on its first day of presale.

“It was awesome,” Amber said. “We had a 16.7% conversion rate on launch day, which is pretty high.”

Extraordinary as their initial sales were, the members didn’t just appear out of thin air. Even before opening their doors, the Knafels made concentrated grassroots efforts to connect with their community and stir hype around their launch. Their more advanced metrics suggest that strategy worked, to say the least.

During its opening weekend in September, the Greenwood Pilates Addiction team continued to break records, finishing the weekend with many more members than they initially projected and putting them on a path for a recurring revenue stream that significantly exceeded their forecasts.

While the Knafels didn’t expect to break records so quickly, they did know they were on the right track when choosing the franchise. When Amber and Kevin first started thinking about moving into the fitness sector, Amber conducted extensive research on franchise and private studios. She quickly learned to favor the former, and her eventual success only reinforced that preference.

“I did a lot of research on the success rate of a private studio versus a franchise, and there is a much higher success rate with franchises,” she said.

Her infatuation with Pilates Addiction’s vibrant appeal also paid dividends in her decision to align with the brand. The programming and the personnel, of course, also played a role.

“I compared it to a couple of others, but this one was first and foremost with the lighting, music, videos and aesthetics,” Amber said. “That’s what I was mainly drawn to. Then, when we flew out to California, I was sold after trying a class. There is nothing like Pilates Addiction where we live. Then, after meeting with Sarah, Anthony, and the rest of the Pilates Addiction management team I was further convinced that this is the right fit. They have a proven track record in the fitness industry and a vision for the future that we align with.”

As things progressed, the support Pilates Addiction provided also reaffirmed the Knafels’ belief that they had made the right decision.

“They’re amazing,” Kevin said. “They give you the vendor direction, from real estate, project management, design, architecture and payroll. It’s the whole nine yards.”

While each resource assists franchisees in a specific way, Kevin remarked on how the collective support from Pilates Addiction, specifically in the presale stage, helps alleviate stress. When you’re just starting out, that’s paramount, and everything trickles down from there.

“The stress of starting a franchise fitness studio is memberships,” Kevin said. “That’s what pays the bills. If you are so stressed out about all the other things, it can take away from the true nature of the business. They make it so easy to get you in touch with the right people to get the ball rolling.

“That’s their biggest asset right now,” he continued. “It’s the people they have in place at the heads of their departments — marketing, sales, finances and construction — that’s what makes them win.