Ten Years of PhysiPole
Kristy Sellars first opened PhysiPole in June 2009 in the dojo of her old karate instructor. Every Friday she travelled three hours to the dojo with her Dad, brother and sister to transform it into a pole studio with eight X-Stages. She taught classes Friday night and all-day Saturday and Sunday before driving back to Melbourne. This is what she did every week for about six to eight months before she looked at getting her own space.
Kristy wasn’t scared when first opening PhysiPole because she doesn’t let any doubt in. When she puts her mind to something, she’s very focused and driven, always telling herself that it will work.Franchising was not something that Kristy was striving for, she was first approached by two of her Ballarat students who were hoping to open a PhysiPole in Bendigo. Kristy tells me she was in franchising before she knew she was in franchising. Unlike other businesses, PhysiPole never searched for investors, they grew completely organically with students and instructors who were passionate and wanted to inspire a new group of students.
Although Kristy says that she did strive for a family aspect to be a part of PhysiPole she could never have imagined how strong the bond between students and teachers would be. Anyone can walk into a studio they’ve never been to before and feel like they’re home. It’s one big Physifam! I asked Kristy to share some advice for people looking to either Franchise or open their own studio. Her first bit of advice is to do a lot of research, franchising may or may not be for you. The good thing about franchising is that so much has already been done for you. You’re buying into a tried and tested network of systems and procedures that already work.
Franchising also gives you the support of not only, head office and the franchise, but also the other franchisees that all want to see you succeed. Kristy says business is a lonely place if you’re in it on your own. On the other hand, franchising also means that you must comply, you will be held accountable if the business is not being run to the standard that is expected. In a studio of your own you can do whatever you want.
PhysiPole allows people to be whoever they want, be creative and be the best version of themselves.
Congratulations on ten years of PhysiPole Studios!
Written By Shania Barrett
