How To Find A Space For Pole Fitness Classes
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How can i find a good open location to start teaching pole fitness and pole dancing lessons?
~Question submitted by Aisha
Options Discussed in this Article
- Home Pole Dance Studio
- Shared Space Options
- Gyms/Fitness Centers
- Dance studios
- Community centers
- Colleges & Universities
- Your Own Space
- Renting/Leasing
- Buying
Introduction
Finding a space for pole fitness classes can be a real challenge when you're a new - or new to town - pole dance instructor. But while figuring out where to hold your classes can be a bit stressful, it will also be one of your most important tasks. After all, you can't get started teaching if you don't have a suitable space to install your dance poles.
Most pole dance instructors who are just starting out, or starting over in a new city, need to be budget conscious. Taking the slow and steady approach is a wise idea, since you don't want to over-extend yourself by going all-in on buying or leasing a commercial space and then find you have no cash flow left for equipment, marketing or staffing.
Fortunately, there are a number of creative and affordable options that don't involve buying or leasing a commercial building to house your pole dance classes. Let's cover those more affordable options first, and we'll circle back later to look at leasing or buying a commercial space.
Home Pole Dance Studio
Let's start with the least expensive option, teaching pole dance classes from your own home. This might be be an option for you, but it will depend on a number of factors.
The size of your home, as well as the size of the groups you plan to teach is one of the most important things to consider.
Logistically, a class for one or two students can probably be done right in your living room, or wherever you have your pole set up.
For group classes, you'll obviously need a larger space. Depending on the size and layout of your home, it may be possible for you to create the space you need. For example, do you have an unfinished basement or a spare room that you can convert into a studio space? Do you have extra space in your garage or carport that you're not using? If you live in an apartment or condo, is there a common area space that you can use?
When you're thinking about how to find space for pole fitness classes in your home, it pays to do a little creative brainstorming and think outside the box. If you can create a suitable space, not only will you save money that you would otherwise have to put towards renting a space, you might even be able to write off some of your household expenses.
For example, in some countries you can deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage payment if you have a home-based business. Often, you can also deduct a portion of your utilities, like electricity and water. If creating a pole dancing studio in your home is something you're seriously considering, it's worth looking into potential tax deductions where you live.
Whether you plan to teach just one or two students at a time in your living room, or you're thinking of converting some unused space into a studio suitable for group classes, you'll want to consider a few other important details, such as:
- Does your homeowner's or tenant's insurance cover you for home-based business activities, and specifically a "high-risk" activity such as pole dancing?
- If you are renting, or living in a strata, are there rules or bylaws that govern home-based businesses that you will need to adhere to?
- Do you need a license from your city or municipality to teach classes from your home?
- If you live in an apartment building or a condominium, can you take steps to ensure your neighbors won't complain about excessive noise?
- Do you live in an area that's convenient for your potential students to get to?
- How do you feel about mixing business with your personal life? Consider factors such as the extra housekeeping, privacy, and possibly having to get creative with parking.
- Will your students feel comfortable coming to your home for classes? There are lots of factors that contribute to how comfortable students might or might not feel when they come to your home for classes. For example:
- Do you live in a neighborhood that feels safe?
- Do you have enough parking available?
- Is your home easy to find?
- Is the entrance you want your students to use easy to find?
- Is your home well-lit at night?
- If you have children, roommates, or a spouse/partner who will be home while you are conducting your classes, are they on board with your plans? Conversely, how can you ensure privacy for your students while they are in class?
As you can see, there's a lot to think about if you are considering teaching pole dancing classes from your home. It's certainly do-able, but will take some planning. Of course, this option won't work for everyone. So let's take a look at some other possibilities too...
Shared Space Options
A shared space arrangement with an existing business such as a gym or dance studio can be an excellent (and cost-effective) way to start your pole dancing business. It can also be a great win-win...you get affordable space to offer your pole fitness classes, and the business you partner with earns extra income by renting some of their space during times when it would otherwise be empty.
We'll take a look at a number of different possibilities for businesses you might consider partnering with in a moment. But first, let's cover some of the basic things to keep in mind when you're thinking of a shared space option as a way to find space for your pole fitness classes.
First of all, you'll need to figure out how much space you'll need. To do this, you'll need to know how many poles you plan to use, and also consider the maximum number of students you'll have in each class.
As an example, if you have 4 poles and 2 students will be sharing each pole, then you'll need a space that comfortably accommodates those 4 poles, plus 8 students. Of course a critical question is, how much space is needed for each pole? This article addresses a question about a home dance pole installation, but also offers some good general tips for calculating your likely space needs.
In addition to your poles and your students, be sure to take into account any additional equipment you'll have, such as chairs, mats, or sound equipment.
Think about when you'd ideally want to use the space, but also have a few alternatives in mind too. If you find the perfect space in the ideal location, but your first choice for scheduling it isn't available, you'll need to consider whether it's worth changing your planned class schedule in order to secure the perfect space.
You'd also be wise to give some thought to which part of town you want your space to be located in. Is it important to you that the space be located close to your home? What part of town is easiest for your potential students to get to? Is the space easily accessible via public transit? These are all important questions to consider when choosing a location.
Another very important consideration is whether you'd prefer to have a dedicated space (i.e. a sublet), for which you'll likely pay more, or just rent the space by the hour on a schedule you negotiate with the business owner with whom you're partnering.
Subletting your own dedicated space inside an existing businesses means that you'll be able to install your poles once and leave them up. For example, if you strike a deal with a dance studio that has 5 separate studio spaces, and you negotiate an exclusive use for one of those studios by the month, you'll essentially be able to treat that space like your own studio-within-a-studio.
The downside to subletting a space in this way is that it will likely be more expensive than an hourly rental, since you'll have exclusive use of the space. You'll definitely want to make sure you can attract enough students to pay your ongoing monthly rental cost. On the upside, you'll immediately have a visible presence inside the business you're renting from, and may be able to benefit from cross-traffic.
On the other hand, an hourly rental might be best if you're just getting started and you want to test the waters. You can start by offering one class a week and you'll only need to pay for that one time slot each week.
The final way that you may be able to structure rental of a space for your pole fitness classes is to negotiate a profit-sharing agreement. In this scenario, you would pay the business owner a percentage of your class fees.
This has the advantage of giving you a known cost per student, so that you'll never pay more for rent than you're bringing in. In addition, if the business owner is receiving a set amount for each student, they may be more likely to promote your classes to their own clients since they'll earn more income the more students you have in your classes.
Keep in mind that unless you're subletting your space, you'll need to factor in time to install and remove your dance poles, which can potentially double the amount of time you need the space for. There's also the hassle of either transporting your poles to the location for each class, or arranging for on-site storage, if it's available. And it goes without saying that you'll need to use portable dance poles, likely of the friction mount type.
And no matter what type of rental agreement you ultimately arrange, it's important to have a written agreement with the business owner from whom you're renting space. This agreement should spell out exactly what your rent covers, and what it doesn't, as well as the terms and conditions of the rental.
For example, although it might seem obvious, be sure your students have access to the restrooms located inside the facility. Are utilities included or is there an extra charge for this on top of the rental fee? What about keys, parking, and security? And importantly, are you permitted to install permanently mounted dance poles in the studio if you're subletting?
Gyms or Fitness Centers
Gyms or fitness centers may be willing to rent some of their space out for pole classes when it's not otherwise in use. Many gyms have fairly large rooms dedicated to aerobics classes, and many also have smaller rooms for yoga, workshops, etc. These types of spaces are usually large enough for at least 4-6 poles, and may be much larger.
Renting space from a gym is often a good fit, because your goals as a pole fitness instructor will be closely aligned with those of the gym...you're both in business to help people get active and work on their fitness.
And since most gyms focus on weights and aerobics classes, and don't offer pole classes of their own, renting space to a pole fitness instructor can be a great way for a gym owner to bring new people to the gym, who might then sign up for a membership. Be sure to raise this point when you're discussing a possible rental with the owner of a gym or fitness center!
If you find a gym that's willing to rent space to you, you could even consider offering the management the opportunity to provide your students with a free trial session at the gym, or a free fitness class. It's an extra incentive for the gym to rent space to you, as they might gain a few new members by offering this targeted promotion to your students.
You can also work this in reverse, by offering a free one-time sampler classes to the gym members. Being able to offer this freebie to their clients is likely to be welcomed by the gym management, since it adds value in the eyes of their existing members.
Keep in mind that renting space from a fitness center will likely be on an hourly basis, unless the gym has an extra studio space that's not currently in use. On the upside, partnering with a gym or fitness center can be an excellent way to quickly build your own student base, due to the complimentary yet unique nature of your offerings when compared to those of the gym
Dance Studios
Another option for creating a space for your pole classes is to partner with a private dance studio. You may be able to book space on a session-by-session or a weekly basis, particularly if it's a larger studio with several rooms.
Some studios may even have an unused room that they're willing to rent out monthly, at least at certain times of the year, so you can keep all your equipment in the room and secure it with your own key. Dance studios that cater to children will sometimes have availability for the summer months when school isn't in session, because their schedules tend to follow that of the school year.
If the studio you're considering caters primarily to children and youth, their busiest
times will likely be after school, evenings and weekends. If you plan to offer
any daytime classes, you may find a fair bit of availability.
On very important thing to be aware of when renting space from a dance studio is that they may have strict rules about what kinds of shoes can and can't be worn in the studio. Many dance studios have special flooring and need to keep it in good condition, so they likely won't be amenable to your students using heels in class.
If you're only planning to do classes in bare feet this won't be a problem, but if you want to give your students the option to wear sexy shoes you'll definitely want to make sure this is OK with the studio.
Recreation Centers
Community centers and city recreation departments often have rooms for rent at reasonable rates, so this may be another option if you're trying to find space for your pole dancing classes.
The setup will vary of course, with some larger recreation centers offering a wide variety of spaces suitable for different purposes. Hourly rentals are the norm here, although you may be able to negotiate some locked storage space to store your equipment. This typically isn't offered to new rentals though, but rather is something you may be able to negotiate after establishing a history as a good renter.
Most cities and towns have a website that lists their various departments. If you search online for the recreation department you'll likely find a contact information for the person in charge of facility rentals. You can then inquire about what spaces they have and their availability.
Be aware that some recreation facilities won't rent out space for you to run your own classes. Rather, they may prefer to hire you to teach classes as an employee, or to contract with you to add your pole fitness classes to their list of programs.
This is a possibility worth considering, depending on your goals. The advantage to this arrangement is that the recreation center will handle all of the administrative work for you, such as promotion and marketing, registration, payments, etc. That way, you can focus on teaching your classes without worrying about hiring someone to manage the administration end for you, or spreading yourself too thin by trying to do it all yourself.
You'll also be able to build your reputation for when you later strike out on your own. People in your community will have seen your name and your classes in the recreation center's list of offerings which usually draws a lot of regular interest, and that familiarity will build trust when you're ready to move into your own space.
Colleges and Universities
Another possible way to find space for your pole dancing classes is to contact the recreation department at your local university or college, if there's one in your city. A huge advantage to renting space on campus is that you'll have a built in market with all the students!
Similar to municipalities, colleges and universities usually have their own recreation departments, and they are almost always looking for new activities to offer to students. It's very likely that you could successfully pitch your pole dancing classes as a contractor or an employee, similar to how city recreation centers operate.
However, some universities and colleges will also rent out a room in their gymnasium or fitness center. If you'd prefer to rent space only and do your own marketing and promotion, it's worth checking to see if this is an option. Since you'd be located on campus, the easiest way to do this would be to promote your classes to the student body via posters around campus. Believe it or not, students still read the notice boards while they're waiting outside their next class.
Finding A Permanent Space For Pole Fitness Classes
All of the above options assume that you're looking for short term space, ie on a monthly or session-by-session basis. This is a great way to start out as it's cost effective and doesn't require any long term commitments.
But if you've reached the point where your business has grown and you're ready to make the leap and open your own studio, it may be time to find a permanent location you can call your own.
In this case, you have two main options: sign a lease or buy a commercial property. The most obvious factor in determining your best option is the up front cost, but there are a number of other things to consider too. In other words, even if you have the cash or the financing to be able to purchase your own space, you might prefer to lease instead.
Keep in mind that many of the points raised in the Home Pole Dance Studio section above will also apply here. For example, make sure you look into licensing requirements for your business, carefully consider the location, and make sure basic amenities like parking are available nearby.
Let's look at each of these two options in more detail below.
Rent or Lease a Commercial Space
Most instructors who are ready to open their own dedicated studio will choose to lease a space, purely because of the cost. While your monthly rent payments will go into your landlord's pocket instead of adding to your balance sheet, you won't have to qualify for a commercial mortgage or come up with a large down payment.
Depending on where in the world you live, you may have to seek out potential lease opportunities yourself, or you may be able to work with a leasing agent who can assist you.
An agent can help you sort through the available properties to find ones that meet your requirements. They can arrange showings for you, will know about zoning requirements in different areas, and can help you negotiate the terms of your lease.
The agent should be working in your best interests, though how they are paid may vary from place to place. In some countries or regions, a leasing agent receives a commission from the owner of the property once you sign a lease.
In other places, the agent may work on a fee-for-service basis, either a flat fee or a percentage of the value of the lease they help you negotiate. This fee may be paid by the property owner, by you, or by both parties to the lease agreement. Make sure you understand what fees apply and who pays them before you engage a leasing agent, to avoid surprises!
Keep in mind that there are often substantial differences between renting a residential property vs a commercial property. Typically, when you rent an apartment or a house to live in, the landlord pays for repairs and maintenance, property tax, and possibly utilities.
With a commercial or business lease, it's not unusual that the tenant pays for these items. In addition, if you want to do any improvements to the property, such as installing a sprung floor, you will normally pay for these yourself.
Of course, everything is negotiable. The most critical thing to remember is that whatever you (and your leasing agent if you're using one) agree on with the property owner should be included in a written lease agreement, dated and signed by both parties. Never operate on a verbal agreement, and always have a signed agreement in place BEFORE you occupy the space.
Buy a Commercial Property
When compared to leasing a space, where your monthly payments go directly into your landlord's pocket, buying a commercial property to provide a space for your pole fitness classes can be a great option for keeping more money in your pocket. And it is, if you can afford the initial outlay.
The main advantage to purchasing your own property is that the building becomes an asset on your balance sheet. Even though you'll likely be making mortgage payments, the property should continue to appreciate in value over the long term, and you'll be gradually building equity.
Owning your commercial building also acts as somewhat of an insurance policy. In a worst case scenario where your business fails, you can always lease your space to someone else to generate income, or you can sell it, hopefully for more than you paid. In a rental situation, you may be obligated to continue making rent payments until your lease is up, making it difficult to cut your losses if things are not going well for your business.
On the downside, unless you have cash up front, buying a commercial property typically requires a larger down payment than purchasing a home. There are also stricter qualifying requirements, for example your credit rating may need to be higher than for a residential purpose, as well as your income to debt ratio.
That's why Your Pole Pal suggests that the best place to start, if you're considering buying a commercial space, is with your bank or mortgage broker. There's no cost to gather information, and this first step can help you decide whether purchasing a space for your pole dancing classes is even an option.
When it's time to start looking for a suitable space, keep in mind that it's extremely unlikely that you'll find a space that exactly meets your needs. You may need to remove or add walls, install new flooring, build a reception area, add change rooms, etc.
Whether or not you'll be able to negotiate the purchase price based on
how well the building meets your needs, will depend on the seller's
circumstances and motivation. This is why it's important to calculate a reasonable budget for renovating the space, in addition to the purchase price you're able to afford.
Of course, the condition of the building will factor into your negotiations and the price you end up paying. Consider obvious items such as the roof, but also consider things like the heating and cooling systems, if applicable. If these need repair or major servicing this should factor into the price you offer.
In many regions, a commercial real estate agent will be the go-to professional to assist you, both with finding suitable properties and with negotiating a purchase. Similar to leasing agents, the fees and payment structure can vary depending where in the world you live, so be sure to ask about this important detail if you decide to use an agent to assist you in your search.
Summary
If you're a new instructor, or are moving to a new area and have questions about finding suitable teaching space, there are a number of options that may be available to you. Much depends on your personal situation, finances and preferences, but even if you have to compromise a bit at the start, it's well worth understanding all your options at the outset.
This way, you can decide on your ultimate goal as far as your ideal pole studio space, while choosing an option that works for you to get started. And from there, you'll know what you're working towards, keeping your ultimate goal in mind.
Your Pole Pal sincerely hopes the information in this article helps you map out a course so you can find the ideal space for your pole fitness classes, both now and in the future.
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