Season 5, Episode 10: How do I build a team, and where do I start?

Tania Huddart: Most people think a team means the names on the schedule. It's bigger than that. Your bookkeeper is part of your team. So is your insurance broker. They keep track of things, so you don't have to remember them. The moment you see that, you realise you're probably not doing this alone. You just haven't written the team down yet.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Teach Pilates with Confidence and Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last episode was about being chosen, and how to tell people about it. This is the last episode of the season, and the last chapter of the academy. How do I build a team, and where do I start?

Tania Huddart: You start with who's already there. Then you work out who's missing. That's the whole chapter, really. And it's where the academy ends.

Host: Who's already there? For a lot of listeners, the answer is just me.

Tania Huddart: And that's a fine answer. Is it just you? Or are there other people in the business with you? Say two of you set it up together. Do you have a good agreement between you? What are you each going to do? As the founders, what are your responsibilities? Who's doing what?

It's much easier to talk about that at the start, while you're still friends.

Host: And people who teach for you?

Tania Huddart: Ask the same kind of questions. Do you have people working for you? Are they contractors? Or are they renting the space from you? What are the rules around each of those?

They're different arrangements, with different rules. Whether someone is a contractor or an employee matters a lot, and it changes from country to country. So talk to an accountant, or a lawyer, where you live.

And whatever you agree about pay, write it down. What happens if the studio cancels a class? Or a client cancels a private at the last minute? Share it with your teachers before it ever comes up. When people understand how pay works, they trust it.

Host: Is renting space to someone part of building a team?

Tania Huddart: It can be. You might have a spare room you could rent to a physio, an osteopath or an acupuncturist. You might bring other teachers in, and they pay you rent. Or you pay them a fee to teach.

Or it might be a referral relationship. A local physio or osteopath you trust, who sends people to you, and you send people to them. You could even run an information evening together, where they talk about something they love. Your clients learn something. And your business has another friend.

Host: We talked about finding and keeping teachers back in Season 1. What does the academy add?

Tania Huddart: One thing I'd add here. Be very clear about the kind of teacher you're looking for. What values do they need to share with you, so it's a comfortable working relationship? Because only you can teach like you. And the same is true of every teacher you bring in. They become part of what makes your studio different.

Host: Can I be the sceptic for a moment? Couldn't I just do it all myself? It's cheaper.

Tania Huddart: It looks cheaper. But think about what it costs your energy. When you start out, you think you have to put in more and more hours. And those extra demands take your energy away. You have less patience. Less time for yourself, and for your family. You're more likely to get sick. Then all those hours don't make sense any more.

Time runs out. Energy you can top up, if you look after it. Handing things over is one of the ways you do that.

Host: Earlier this season you told us about handing your bookkeeping over. Is that the kind of help you mean?

Tania Huddart: It is. I used to get myself in a lather for a day or two before, because I hated it so much. Now my bookkeeper does it, and only asks me if he needs to check something. He's happy doing it. That fills his cup, not mine. And that's a team member, even though he's never set foot in my studio.

Host: So the first person you bring in isn't always a teacher.

Tania Huddart: Often it isn't. Start with the job you dread. Look at what drains your energy in the business. For a lot of us it's the emails, or the changes to bookings. There are virtual assistants who can look after your inbox for you. You'll need to do a bit of work at the start, to show them how. But then your time goes on the things that bring in income, or bring you energy.

Host: How do you know who else is missing?

Tania Huddart: Ask yourself who your key advisers are. Do you have an accountant? A bookkeeper? What are their roles in your business? Do you have all the right skills in the business, or do you still need to go and find some people?

When you set goals in the academy, you also write down who is responsible for each one. And often it isn't only you. If you need a budget, that might be you and your bookkeeper. If you need a loan, it might be your accountant and your bank manager too. That's your team, showing up in your plan.

And think about where you want to be. In a year's time, two years, five? Maybe you dream of a beautiful big studio. Will you bring other teachers on, so you can teach more clients? Can you keep that growth going? How many extra hours will it ask of you? And who else do you need on board to make that dream real?

Host: Is there something to write down here?

Tania Huddart: Yes. A snapshot. Just a short paragraph. Who are the key people in your business? What are their roles? What's expected of them? And who else is part of the business, and can give you the right advice?

You don't need to hire anyone this week. You need to write down who's already there. Then the gaps are easy to see.

And ask for help early. I've said it before on this show. I wish I had.

Host: This is the last chapter. Can we look back at the whole academy for a minute? Why does it start with you, and not with spreadsheets?

Tania Huddart: Because the business is built on you. When you're clear about where you stand, it's so much easier to talk to your clients. So we start with mindset. The Wheel of Life, where you write down the first number that pops into your head, not the one you think it should be.

Then your values. Mine are freedom first, then adventure and variety. Then your why. Nobody teaches Pilates just for themselves. We teach it because it worked for us, and we want to share it.

Host: And then energy and goals.

Tania Huddart: Yes. Your energy, not just your time, because time runs out. Your goals, working back from the big one. Your top three priorities. The Pomodoro method, twenty-five minutes at a time. WOOP. Then your unique position, your niche and your ideal client. Who you love to teach, and who loves what you do.

Then we take action. Progress over perfection. You don't have to take the perfect step. You just have to take one, and learn from it.

And the second half is the business. A business plan that's a living document, one you keep coming back to. Your SWOT, so you've thought about the worst case before it comes. The money, where the numbers don't have feelings, and that's the good thing about them. Your policies, your risks, and what happens if something happens to you. Why people choose you, and how you tell them. And now, your team.

Host: Is there a thread through all of it?

Tania Huddart: I think it's this. Build the business around the person you are and the energy you have. Not around a version of you who never gets tired. Then get the right people around you, so you can keep doing what you love.

Host: And for someone listening who hasn't started any of it. Where do they begin?

Tania Huddart: With the Wheel of Life. Chapter 2. It doesn't take long. Draw a line in each part of your life, at the first number that comes to you. Then come back to it as you work through the academy. Often the low numbers start creeping up, because you're making better decisions. That's a lovely thing to watch.

Host: So, for the last time this season. Three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. Your team is bigger than your teachers. It's everyone your business relies on.

Two. Write the snapshot. Who's there, what they do, and what's expected of them.

Three. Start with the job you dread. Hand that over first.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: If you could hand over one task in your business tomorrow, which one would it be? And who could you hand it to? Then ask yourself what you'd do with the hour you got back.

Host: Everything we talked about today is Chapter 23 of Tania's Pilatespreneur Academy: Human Resources. It's the last chapter of the whole academy. The academy is self-paced, with 39 video lessons and 11 worksheets. The first half is about you, and the second half is the business. And your access doesn't expire, so you can come back to it as your business changes. You'll find it at taniahuddart.com slash academy.

That's the end of Season 5, and there's more to come.

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: You became a teacher because you wanted to help people. Running a business doesn't change that. It just means you need some help too. Let people in. You'll teach better for it.

Host: That's the season. Thank you for listening, and for everything you're building.