Candice Bruder is Founder of Pure Sweat + Float Studio and Pure Sweat Sauna Studio, a franchise company with four wellness studios in Nashville offering infrared sauna and float therapy. Pure Sweat + Float Studio was the premiere business in Tennessee to launch ClassPass’s wellness vertical.
As a business founder + owner, wife, and mother of 4 children, this has been an experience on all levels. There is hope and strength for growing your small business during a global pandemic, and it begins with you rising to the occasion to meet the needs of your current and future clients.
Rise
Crisis beckons opportunity; opportunity for resilience, for lessons, and to see what shows up in you. Ask yourself, how have you risen in your business? How have you shown up for your family, yourself, and your team? These moments of self-reflection are critical. I believe leadership begins with me, and from there, my business can grow.
Listen & Gather Data
This is a unique opportunity to connect deeply to your community. Ask your community:
- What are your needs?
- What are you feeling?
- What are you yearning for?
- How can my business serve your needs?
Translate your findings into programs and communication platforms that reflect those needs. Share these findings with your team so that every facet of your business is speaking from a unified voice and mission.
Get People through the Doors
Our loyal and longstanding clients will return more swiftly; but new client generation is most likely very low. We are operating within an environment where we are not only trying to attract people back in, we are also changing a months-long habit of people accustomed to not leaving their home, or they have become comfortable with “going without.”Discounts may not even do the trick.
Invite people as your guests! But when doing so, do it with thoughtful intention. Root it in kindness and generosity – an authentic invitation to treat someone to health and wellness. The return will be word of mouth, a potential new client, social media exposure – all of which are the domino effect of generating new business.
Assemble a First Class Team
There’s no room, time or money to spare for anyone on the team who is not an A-game player.
Assess who aligns with your business goals and values on growing your business during a pandemic and who brought value to your business. Build a team that is in it to win it and shows commitment to growth.
Form Partnerships
Create mutually beneficial partnerships with like-minded businesses. Tap into each other’s networks – and be each other’s ambassadors. For example, we have created partnerships with established fitness studios, where we offer their members a complimentary weekday service to aid in their physical recovery. This gives our partner a generous reward to their members (at no cost), and we receive exposure to new clients which can help the business grow during a pandemic.
Create a Unique Experience
Businesses must evolve from one-note services. People are yearning for experience, a deeper connection to a brand, a place, and a benefit. Our Studios can never be just about getting a sweat. There’s no longevity in that. However, there is longevity in creating an experience where they can not only sweat, they can de-stress, boost skin health, burn calories, and enjoy self-care. Incorporate ways to enhance your business experience.
Find Gratitude
Our definition of success may need to be different than what it was pre-Covid. Of course, growth, revenue and being able to cover costs are paramount. But instead of focusing on the losses, focus on the wins – and become empowered by your abundance:
- If your business is even open, you’re already a success. Hundreds of thousands of businesses couldn’t survive the initial pandemic. But yours has. Your lights are on; you’re employing people. Huge!
- Give thanks to those who have shown up. What a tremendous honor that within a world upside down, people find safe space with you.
- Give thanks to the process, your seeds planted. All of your hard work, tough decisions made, proactive, new programs in place – they will bear fruit and grow the business! Give thanks to these efforts and to your community.
Gratitude will maintain a strong mindset that fosters purpose and meaning throughout. The energy is infectious, experienced by your team and your clients. This brings us back to #1: As a leader of your company, how have you risen and grown? It begins with you.
