The (un)glamorous life of a pilates entrepreneur

*The (un)glamorous life of an entrepreneur*

It’s Sunday (although you’ll only read this on Tuesday). I’m sitting by the pool, sipping on my third G&T. The sun is warming my skin. The sound of the birds chirping distracts me from my open book on the table.

Aaah…. The life of an entrepreneur, am I right?

KA-THUNK!

That was the sound of my head coming out the clouds as I snapped out of my daydream and faced reality.

Yes, it’s Sunday, and yes the gin is going down well. But I’m not exactly relaxed.

Yes, there’s an open book in front of me but it’s not a novel. It’s my diary and journal as I plan the week ahead and figure out how to fill two slots that have opened up (side note: contact me if you’re interested in these).

And I don’t own a pool. But I’m pretending the bucket of water is an oasis – how else do you think I cope? The gin – right.

A client told me last week that she envied my lifestyle as a Pilates instructor. She thought that I had heaps of spare time between classes, that I was always well rested, and that I was living the entrepreneurial dream.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being my own boss, deciding my working hours, knowing that every cent I make is a direct result of hard work.

But here’s what I don’t tell you… being the boss means the risk falls squarely on my shoulders. Deciding my working hours means I start teaching at 04:30 on some mornings and only sit down after 21:00 at night. I count my cents every day and, some months, it doesn’t all add up to what it needs to. In fact, I had to cancel a holiday simply because I can’t afford it right now.

I meet so many entrepreneurs, either in my studio, at the gym, or at Sophie’s school. The one thing every single one of them will tell you is this: it’s f&*^ing hard work. It’s thankless work. It’s never-ending work. And yes, it feels amazing when you can finally say that you made it, that you built a successful business, but the road to success is paved with:

* Long hours
* Rattled nerves
* Self doubt (oh, the doubt!)
* Rollercoaster rides, with thrilling highs and stomach-turning lows
* A feeling that you’re always faking it – but when will you make it?
* Constant strategising, re-evaluating, planning, and failing
* A big boot to kick your own ass because there’s no boss to do it for you
* And did I mention WORK?

Is it all worth it? HELL YES. The stress, the tears, the anxiety, and yes, sometimes there’s blood – all worth it. It’s worth it because I remind myself every day why I do this: because I’m determined to be success, because I’m passionate about helping my clients achieve their goals, and because I have a teenage daughter (it’s the big 13 this week – yikes!) who needs me and who I want to spend as much time as possible with before she inevitably decides that I’m uncool and embarrassing.

I do this because I believe that a small, intimate studio, in my own home, allows me to get to know my clients intimately and give them better attention than I would be able to with a big studio. I developed my app to help those who’d like to be part of my family but who, for whatever reason, can’t make it to the studio.

I do this because I have my own goals. I hope to one day offer life coaching and incorporate mental wellness into my practice.

I do this because I want to be an extraordinary person who teaches extraordinary people.

Why do you do what you do? Join me in my studio and lets motivate each other to achieve more, to do more, to be more.

Contact me on

chris@energisedthroughpilates.co.za