From Burnout to Beach Days: How to Transform Your Pole Business with Smart Systems

These recommendations are from Marylee Bussard’s webinar ”Unleash Your Business Management Pole-tential with Marylee from WellnessLiving” held on September 20, 2023. IPIA Members can view the entire webinar at this link. 

Running a pole dancing studio can feel like an endless juggling act while walking a tight rope and the tightrope and the balls are on fire. 

As a studio owner, you wear a lot of hats: coach, payroll, HR, bookkeeper, marketing, janitorial staff∏—it’s easy to find yourself working late nights and weekends with no end in sight.

But what if there was a way to streamline your operations so effectively that you could literally run your business from the beach?

Marylee Busard runs a pilates studio using WellnessLiving software and transitioned to product manager for WellnessLiving in 2023, so she’s seen both sides of the business. Streamlining processes will save you both time and money, and maybe even allow you to go on that vacation you’ve been thinking about that seems like a pipe dream.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

When starting a pole business, there is a lot of perceived pressure to have classes that fit every style and skill level. Trying to make yourself a pole chameleon will water down your brand.

The key is to identify your ideal “customer segment”—the clients you enjoy serving the most. Some folks really enjoy teaching beginners watching folks hug the walls but then come to life on the pole, or walking in heels for the first time with their knees knocking like a baby deer but over time getting that pole strut locked. Other studios may focus on building up competition teams and elite high level training.

The goal is to identify the clients who align with your strengths (or your coaching staff’s strengths) and business values, then build your offerings around serving that population exceptionally well.

The Power of Customer Segmentation

Once you’ve identified your ideal clients, modern business management software, like IPIA Partner WellnessLiving, allows you to segment and target them with precision. Through features like power searches and client groups, you can automatically categorize customers based on demographics, class preferences, and spending behaviors.

This means sending targeted promotions to your high-value clients while offering different incentives to price-sensitive segments. If you’re an excel wizard or have a very small population that you serve you may be able to do this manually, but as your business grows, so will your data collection and analysis needs.

Automation: Your Path to Freedom

The real game-changer comes through automation.

From triggered email sequences for new customers to automated feedback collection after classes, these systems handle routine tasks that typically consume hours of manual work. Custom forms can capture everything from liability waivers to detailed intake assessments, all stored electronically and accessible to your staff instantly.

Staff Management Made Simple

Growing beyond a one-person operation becomes manageable with integrated task assignment and equipment maintenance checklists. Staff can receive automatic alerts for everything from cleaning schedules to safety inspections, ensuring your studio runs smoothly even when you’re not physically present.

The Bottom Line

Success isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter. 

By combining strategic thinking about your ideal customers with powerful automation tools, pole studio owners can build businesses that serve their lifestyle goals, not the other way around.

The transformation from burnout to beach days is possible, but it requires intentional planning and the right systems. As Marylee proves, with the proper approach, you can create a thriving business that truly works for you.