From Single Studio to Regional Brand: A Year of Strategic Growth for MBS Pilates (Part 2)
Heather Rex, owner of MBS Pilates
Through teacher training, international retreats, and a second studio acquisition, MBS Pilates transformed from a single location into a regional brand with 55% revenue growth and three distinct revenue streams.
Starting the Year Strong
2025 was a transformative year for Heather and MBS Pilates. After updating email and pricing strategies that reduced Heather’s burnout (check out Part 1 of their story), the studio's momentum was undeniable. Memberships increased 33% year over year, supporting a 55% increase in overall revenue. Meanwhile, studio visits increased 42%, drawing 18.7% more unique clients through the doors. This thriving culture gave Heather the confidence and bandwidth to dream bigger. She launched teacher training programs, organized retreats, and took the bold step of acquiring a brand new location, deepening MBS Pilates' impact throughout the community.
Growing with Intention
Implementing Teacher Training
In September, Heather launched a proprietary teacher training program that solved two problems at once: creating new revenue and building a talent pipeline for expansion. She developed an innovative program with instruction in ways traditional certifications didn't offer. Priced competitively, it attracted committed participants immediately and generated over $8k in the launch month alone. With projected net profits of $17,000-$30,000 depending on enrollment, the program established MBS as an education authority while creating a sustainable solution to one of the biggest constraints on growth: finding qualified instructors who understood the MBS methodology.
Taking MBS Global: The Retreat Business
Heather's first international retreat to Tulum, Mexico proved that her client relationships extended far beyond weekly classes. All 15 spots sold out, generating over $10k in profit with 40%+ margins, exceeding expectations. The success validated retreats as a high-margin revenue stream and led to an ambitious pipeline of future destinations across the globe. Beyond the financials, the retreat business elevated Heather's positioning from studio owner to wellness retreat leader and created a business model that could travel with her—offering long-term flexibility and freedom that studio-only operations couldn't provide.
Acquisition & Expansion
When Reformer Village's owners needed to exit on a tight timeline, Heather negotiated an acquisition that would transform MBS from a neighborhood studio into a regional brand. Working with Telomere, she implemented a thoughtful integration strategy: temporarily maintaining Reformer Village's existing schedule, winning over instructors with superior benefits, and creating personalized communication plans that explained dual-studio access while locking legacy pricing for early commitments. The acquisition created MBS Clarendon Hills. Most importantly, it positioned MBS for a "triangular market strategy" with a potential third location, transforming the business from a single-location operation into a scalable, multi-location model with continued growth capacity.
Closing out 2025
By December 2025, these strategic moves had fundamentally transformed MBS Pilates from a service-only studio into a diversified business with multiple revenue streams. Together, they created resilience through revenue diversification, established clear pathways for regional expansion rather than single-location constraints, and began shifting Heather's role from operator/teacher to CEO - building a business that could scale beyond her personal capacity.
What makes these opportunities truly transformative is how they build on each other: teacher training created instructors for expansion, retreats established brand authority and premium positioning, and the second location validated that the MBS model could scale, creating a masterclass in strategic growth that turned a successful studio into a regional wellness brand, all guided by Heather’s warm, creative and welcoming energy.
For more valuable advice on enhancing your fitness studio's growth and marketing strategies, read our blog and deep-dive into articles like “What KPIs Tell You About Your Fitness Studio”.
Struggling to fill classes and boost your studio's profitability? We've helped hundreds of studios transform their boutique fitness businesses through proven marketing strategies, studio consulting, and comprehensive studio growth solutions. Whether you're struggling with low membership numbers, need help with fitness studio management, or want to scale your operations, our fitness and wellness industry experts provide the strategic guidance to build a thriving, profitable business. Book your free intro call today and discover how the Telomere playbook for success can help you grow and thrive in today's competitive fitness landscape.
