Stephanie is opening her wellness studio in San Diego, and stepping into her role as a leader with systems to support her growth long-term
Stephanie B Richardson | Activate House
Stephanie B. Richardson is a cycling instructor, and now studio owner, based in San Diego, CA. As a Class Pass instructor of the year, she’s led more than 1000 classes, and trained over 45 instructors around the world. She’s created cycling programs in studios, and runs her own virtual training programs to help instructors build a loyal rider following, lead their classes with intention, and create an experience for their community. She helped kickstart 4 cycling studios before launching her own, Activate House.
THE PROBLEM
When Stephanie reached out to work with us, she had a vision of expanding her brand, Activate, into a wellness studio in San Diego, CA. She was looking for a partner that would dive deep into her business, give her tools to be successful, and help her learn more skills to be the best leader she could be. She chose Curate Well Co. because she liked how we were showing up online — with a “we” over “me” mentality, a platform for leadership (not authority), and the structures to expand brands into new channels — and wanted our help prepping to create her own space.
She had already created a signature program based on her expertise — to teach cycling instructors skills they didn’t learn in their certification programs so they can create a unique brand experience and grow their rider loyalty. But, she was struggling to communicate with and convert clients into the program.
Her goals were to build her virtual studio, certification program(s), and trainings that supported instructors’ continuing education in 90 days, and in one year turn her virtual studio into an IRL studio.
She’d hired a business coach in the past, but was seeking deeper guidance and a hands-on approach. She was stuck, and said: “I need to make this the year I’m moving forward in my business.”
Drawing from your talents and deep expertise to tackle complex problems got you exactly to where you are today — with a first-of-its-kind offering, and without thoughtful solutions to scale.
THE RESULT
Together, we re-launched Stephanie’s Virtual Studio. We created a launch plan for her signature offering the Activate Method and she re-launched with conviction. We also created a new offering, The Coach’s Comeback, created a full launch plan for it, and saw this offering through its first launch. Through these two offerings we built a strong virtual studio she can continue to serve instructors with all over the world.
Then, we helped her translate the online experience into a physical space. She successfully signed a lease for her wellness studio in San Diego, started the build out, and has a scheduled open date!
As a result of our work, Stephanie feels equipped to put systems in place for her studio NOW (vs waiting until she has a staff and it’s open). She feels prepared and capable to become a caring leader, hire staff with intention, and create a space that will have a bigger impact.
Stephanie is a first generation American who is opening her dream fitness studio in January 2022 (just 9 months after we started working together), with her family playing a key role in the build out.
She translated her experience as a successful cycling instructor with a loyal following, her identifiable and sought out rider experience, and years certifying and developing cycling instructors all over the world — into her own studio that fulfills on her values.
She is able to do things she cares deeply about, such as teaching bi-lingual classes, showing (not just telling) instructors how important it is to show up authentically in their strengths, and delivering her knowledge of playlisting, studio experience, intention-setting and motivation, and cueing via her OWN studio experience.
HOW WE DID IT
Through our hybrid learning and consulting container, and using personal touches, next-level organization, resourcing Stephanie with tools she can use forever, and delving into the details that make a difference, we helped Stephanie really hone in on her instructor experiences and pivot the messaging around her signature programming to solve REAL problems.
We helped her identify how who she is as a person helped her create an offering that doesn’t exist in the market, and create content that accurately reflects how qualified she is and what her unique value adds are, including:
- Updated her brand messaging and positioned her virtual offerings to re-launch them with connection to her ideal clients
- Created compelling content that highlights her unique skillset and expertise, accurately communicates the value of her products, and resonates with her ideal client holistically
- Rewrote the sales pages, planned social media promotional content and campaigns
Then, we translated all this hard work into her IRL studio build out. We:
- Audited her business plan that she was using to secure funding
- Crated a grand opening plan for her space, complete with several layers of campaigning to different audiences
- Crafted the details of her studio experience, which wouldn’t have been possible without identifying all the things that make her approach different
By giving Stephanie tools that she can use forever, we equipped her to grow her virtual studio AND her physical studio. As she hires a staff, more riders come to Activate House, and she extends her reach in her community, she’ll have systems to continue to grow.
We helped her create a long-term business foundation, timelessly serve her vision, and create a sense of capability and confidence that she has the tools she needs to grow sustainable.
IN HER WORDS
“It was one of the best decisions I made to grow my business. The team at Curate Well Co. is so detailed, organized, and professional. Everything felt seamless, relatable and I just wish I had more time with Pia! The best part was having unlimited communication with Pia. I loved our 1×1 calls because Pia dove DEEP into my business and that was exactly what I was looking for. We received the keys to our place yesterday, and I’ve been putting so many back end systems in place thanks to this work. I’m already noticing how helpful they are.”