BUSINESS RESPONSE TO
COVID-19 PANDEMIC OF 2020
Visit us at BodyBarPilates.com
WHO IS
BODYBAR
PILATES?
Founded in 2012, BODYBAR Pilates offers
a modern take on Reformer Pilates in an
environment that is conducive to building
communities filled with members who love,
respect, encourage and motivate one another
to be strong, healthy and happy human beings.
Referred to as “Your favorite happy hour”
workout, BODYBAR’s 40 to 50-minute classes
can be customized to any fitness level. With four
studios open in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and
four more openings planned before the end of
2020, BODYBAR Pilates is continuing to expand
its presence nationwide through franchising.
BODYBAR’S co-founders, Matt and Kamille
McCollum, are more than “founders”, as they
were the brand’s original franchisees in 2015.
Their success with their first studio in Fort Worth
instilled confidence in BODYBAR ownership
to approach the McCollums about taking over
executive leadership of the company, so they
accepted the offer and took over in June 2019.
BODYBAR plans steady, controlled growth over
the next year with 25 territories budgeted to be
awarded in 2020. As of the end of July, they have
awarded 11 new territories with development
continuing throughout the country.
FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT
Our mission to build communities, our promise to provide a badass workout and our membership revenue
model are key ingredients in BODYBAR’s success. With 17% more revenue capacity than most national
competitors, we offer a moderate up-front investment with high returns. And, with an affluent target
customer segment, BODYBAR prevailed during the pandemic, proving that our business model is resistant
to market anomalies.
From the intensity of the workout, to the design of the studio, to our strategic partnerships, BODYBAR
is built to be a lean, profitable and quickly scalable option for our franchise partners. We leverage
partnerships to assist with:
SITE SELECTION
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC RELATIONS
DIGITAL TRAINING PLATFORM
CUSTOMER ACQUISITION
ONGOING QUALITY ASSURANCE
MONITORING
These industry experts provide dedicated assistance with key aspects of opening, onboarding and
managing ongoing business operations.
COVID-19
IMPACT
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic reshaped BODYBAR’s culture. From the uncertainty of how to keep
our friends and family safe, to the frustration of how to appropriately guide our franchisees, this pandemic
made a material impact on every aspect of the business. The fitness industry has certainly been one of
the more visibly impacted - many Big Box Gyms and boutique fitness studios remain shutdown with no
clear timeframe for when they will reopen. Others, like Bodybar Pilates, have reopened in accordance with
guidelines provided by federal, state and local authorities. We are continuing to prioritise client and staff
safety while striving to produce necessary revenues.
While we appreciate the challenge many fitness concepts face, we find our brand in a unique position
to capitalize on the revelations of this pandemic. The primary factors that drive our brand’s continued
success are:
Small class sizes with single-use equipment
Frequent sanitation of equipment and studio spaces
Adjusted times to control the flow of people in-and-out of the studio
More than 6’ of distance between each class participant - our equipment is
not affixed to the floor, so it can be easily moved
Temperature controls and outside airflow in the studio so workouts can be
completed with a mask on
Strong micro-communities that lean-in to support local businesses
BODYBAR Live, which provides value to our clients when they aren’t able
to physically attend a class
These are some of the key factors that have led to a doubling in the number of BODYBAR’s signed
franchise partners since the onset of the pandemic. A further testament to BODYBAR’s resilience, our
most recent studio opening on August 1st 2020 saw enough revenue in pre-sales to be at positive cash
flow within their first month of operation. This is in part due to favorable economic conditions from retail
leases and low interest rates by the SBA.
BODYBAR
PILATES’
RESPONSE
One luxury we enjoy as a smaller, start-up brand is very low operating costs and close relationships with
each of our Franchise Partners. Our executive team and board were engaged in how to appropriately
address the pandemic based on all available information. One of the first things we agreed to was to
abate royalties for the duration of the shutdown. We extended this and abated all royalties for March,
April and May. As more information became available, our response shifted. We issued guidance on how
to safely remain open that included:
•
•
•
Studios are encouraged to use SNiPER,
an EPA registered, non-toxic, broad spectrum
disinfectant during regular cleanings to
eliminate 99.99% of contagious bacteria
•
Asking staff and members to stay home
if they are sick
•
Further spacing out equipment
Instructing Sales Associates to wipe down
surfaces with antibacterial wipes throughout
the day
•
Continuing to monitor class sizes to
accommodate safe conditions for clients
•
Offering flexibility with cancellation,
membership and package expiration policies
•
Instructing staff to promote how physical
fitness stimulates a stronger immune system
Asking members to wash their hands or use
hand sanitizer upon arrival and to use
a sanitizing wipe to clean their machine both
before and after class
•
Avoiding the use of props until further notice
•
Asking instructors to assist members with
verbal cues and demonstration in an effort
to remove hands-on corrections
BODYBAR FACEBOOK GROUP
Once hosting in-person classes was no longer an option, our amazing marketing team quickly established
a BODYBAR Facebook Group to help members stream classes via Zoom and engage with each other
on a daily basis. We assisted our franchise partners with assets to drive engagement with fun activities
like “BODYBAR Land”; a 14-day virtual daily challenge where participants earned points for completing
specific actions or tasks. This fun, engaging environment has grown to include hundreds of participants
across the United States
BODYBAR LIVE! - VIRTUAL TRAINING
With the high engagement of the FB Group and
the reality that a shutdown could last longer than
initially expected, our marketing team launched
BODYBAR Live!. This virtual training platform—which
was in the works prior to the pandemic—provides
our franchise partners ongoing value to extend to
their clients. And, it helped our franchise owners to
stay in business during the pandemic with over 70%
of memberships retained in April when all locations
were physically closed. BODYBAR Live! provides live
streaming workouts, on-demand workouts, nutrition
advice and other features that drive community
engagement. Our franchise partners continue to
generate revenue and build the brand, while Bodybar
Franchising is gaining additional brand awareness
from potential franchisees.
ADDITIONAL MARKETING ACTIVITIES
•
Assisted in driving client acquisition via BODYBAR Live, leading to membership retention and
acquisition during the period of shutdown. Our studios continued adding memberships while
retaining over 70% of pre-covid memberships.
•
Engaged All Points Public Relations to grow brand awareness and help drive more engagement
in our franchise partners studios. To date this effort has created over 116K impressions via various
earned media posts.
•
Continued support for asset creation and copy for various promotions and programs utilized by
franchise partners to operate and continue growth.
STAFFING SUPPORT AND GROWTH
As we continue to sign franchise
agreements and in an effort to support
our franchise partners, we have added
to our corporate staff. We recently
hired Erica Naderi as Director of
Instruction. In the position, Naderi will
help set the standard for the quality
of our brand’s program and take our
certification to a national stage.
STATISTICS
•
Pre-covid system averages of 266
class per month with utilization rate
of 68%
•
Average customer acquisition cost
of <$65 realizing a 45x 1 year return
on each new member
•
Post-covid system is back up to 196
classes per month and expanding
with average utilization rate of 68.5%
•
Average cost per lead <$9
•
Average of 986 minutes of watch
time each month on BODYBAR Live!
•
Hundreds of new active subscribers
to BODYBAR Live! and growing!
•
June and July system sold over 90
new twelve-month memberships,
totaling over $250K in recurring
annual revenue
•
More than 600 new inquiries via one
of our targeted ads from June 1st –
July 31st
Follow Bodybar Pilates for more system updates:
Facebook /BodybarPilates
Instagram /BodybarPilates
linkedin /company/BodyBar-Pilates
Contact for media inquiries: Alexandra Hopkins
ahopkins@allpointspr.com or by phone at (847) 897-7469
Contact for Studio Ownership: Matt McCollum
matt@bodybarpilates.com