GrowBiz Journeys: Susie Black

Susie Black is a personal trainer and Pilates instructor based near Blairgowrie, Perthshire.

I recently overcame the challenge of organising my business to be able to take time out.

As a sole trader, it can be hard to juggle holidays and downtime with the demands of running the business. Working in the Wellness Industry means that taking care of yourself is not just good business practice but also your best advert. Unfortunately for me, this year I have been forced to step back for a surgical procedure, the run up and recovery of which has impacted my ability to deliver services.

“The ability to work remotely would not have been possible without support from GrowBiz”

Susie Black

A large part of my business is delivering a range of In Person and remote online Pilates classes, as well as On Demand video access. Rather than taking recuperation time off, I sought out instructors to maintain the In Person classes and continued to deliver the online classes myself. Having rarely sought class cover before I found it challenging to plan ahead, source appropriate instructors, rearrange the class schedules and manage clients' expectations ahead of my surgery date.

Surgery now complete, I expect shortly to return to a reduced class timetable as part of a self-imposed phased return to my usual busy week of 1-2-1 clients and group classes. This disruptive period of my business has reinforced the importance of networking with industry professionals, understanding and delivering on the needs of my client base, planning ahead and breaking down tasks into manageable segments. The benefit of growing into these challenges is that I now have contacts list of potential cover should I need it and I have proven that it is possible to take time out without losing impetus. On a personal level, having work to focus on throughout the tedious recuperation is more engaging to me than the telly.

The ability to work remotely would not have been possible without support from GrowBiz, but more than this it is the drip-feed of the importance of networking over almost 20 years of GrowBiz that has prevented me from becoming too isolated within my business.

On its recommendation, I have consistently maintained contact with other fitness professionals and this enabled me not just to find the cover I needed for classes but have the skills and understanding required to attract instructors to fulfil the classes' requirements.

https://susieblackpilates.co.uk

Next
Next

GrowBiz Journeys: Janice Fraser