Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Silva.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have had a major love for all physical activity since I was a kid. I started off playing group sports and then, in college, fell in love with the practice of yoga. I started out like many people, took a class, got hooked, signed up for a training just to “learn more – what me teach, no way that’s too scary” and then just continued to immerse myself into the world one step at a time. I started apprenticing with certain teachers and doing work studies at the local studios in exchange for free classes. Each step forward just seemed to flow into the next and then I found myself teaching at our town community center and studios and the girl that “wasn’t ever going to teach” fell in love with teaching.
About 10 years ago, one of my favorite teachers in the whole wide world and I looked into opening a studio together and then I ended up needing hip surgery so there went that plan. It was a long road to recovery but in the back of my head I’d always hoped the option for owning a studio would present itself again. After different trainings, jobs and a new career path in healthcare investing in downtown Boston, I got the itch again in 2016 to finish up my 500-hour YTT (Yoga Teacher Training). Once that fire was lit again it was impossible to put it out. My family spends a lot of time on a small island outside of Charleston, South Carolina called Kiawah Island. It’s known for it’s golf, tennis, and 11 mile beach. A place my husband, Frank, likes to call Disney World for adults. One trip, while we were down there, we were wandering around the towns village center (Freshfields) and asked ourselves why they didn’t have any form of fitness space or yoga studio. Afterall, they had a pharmacy, plenty of retail and restaurants and even a super cute pet store. It feels like a bit of a blur but on a whim Frank said “let’s call up the real estate agency and see if they would have any interest in a pop up yoga studio.” So, we did, and they were and it happened faster than I could have ever imagined. That was November and by January we had negotiated a six month lease that would start after Memorial Day so that we could see if the studio would be successful during the busiest time of the year.
Looking back on it, I’m so glad it happened as fast as it did because I may have gotten cold feet if it hadn’t. We worked with an amazing construction team and did our own build-out, which, let me tell you, really wasn’t as bad as everyone says as long as you find good people! I’m still friends with our general contractor! Anyway, we opened the first week of June and went through a roller coaster of the first six months. It was amazing and scary and fun and sad and exciting and as you can already tell by my writing such an incredible experience, we even were evacuated down there for hurricane Irma! We were able to build a small but super supportive community there that wanted us to stay, so when our six month pop up lease was over we re-signed and I’m so glad to say we’ve got an unbelievable manager down there that even keeps me in line! We moved back to Boston last January for our full time jobs and to be with family, but I try to get down to the studio every six weeks or so. I miss it so much, but I’m really grateful that it’s succeeded and that Frank and I have built something together that makes people happy. I could never have done it without the team behind the studio and the teachers that make everything work. It’s been a journey I had always dreamed about but it took more than 10 years to come to fruition and I wouldn’t have changed that for the world. I’m actually headed down there at the end of September for our first ever teacher training and cannot wait to see how things have changed since August!
Has it been a smooth road?
HA! No way, sorry, I probably already blabbed too much in the first question about how un-smooth the road was but I’ll go into a bit more detail. I have never been tested so much in my whole life. I was questioned by my family, my friends and my peers for jumping into something that was such a drastic shift from my current career and yet, I did it anyway. I had this drive to build this space that was so fierce that I knew if I didn’t jump on this opportunity someone else would and both Frank and I felt that we couldn’t pass it up. I read this book by Elizabeth Gilbert called Big Magic right around the time that we decided to sign the lease and I have to tell you, it really spoke to me. Free advice is worth what you pay for it, but I have to tell you, if you don’t have faith in yourself and leap into your deepest desires and dreams now, when will you? So we did, and boy did we bang our heads into the walls of the studio over and over again but it was so worth it. For the young women out there starting their own journey, if you fall, get up, you will probably fall again, but get up again. I know I did. If you can, have someone that you can fully confide it. I was so grateful I had a partner in Frank to go on this journey with. There were SO many times where I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to put one foot in front of other and then Frank would be there for the support and all of a sudden my feet were moving. So, whether it’s a partner in business or in life, that’s a huge support system. Second piece of advice, trust yourself. You have a voice so use it, even if you’re afraid to, use it. Your intuition is so much stronger than you realize – which is one reason a support system can be so valuable, they’ll believe in you until you believe in you! Third piece of advice, you cannot make everyone happy, do what is best for you, your family and your business first. The people that are unhappy will always be the loudest, listen to them and see what you can learn but don’t forget about the quiet people that are always behind the scenes supporting you. Lastly, if you ever feel overly emotional or energetic about something that is going on in your business or in your life, sit back on it and let it marinate for at least a day, once you’re able to take yourself out of being extremely energetic then respond to the situation. Hope that’s helpful – again don’t forget it was free so it might not have made complete sense! HA!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with STUDIO 33 – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My full-time job is in Healthcare Investing at a growth equity firm here in Boston which I love and could not be more grateful to be a part of. We help strategize and build small healthcare and healthcare IT businesses on the east coast which is one of the reasons I’m so grateful we opened the studio in South Carolina. We’ve always been on the other side doing the investing but last year we really got to get down and dirty in the operational side of building a business. No, when I sit down with an entrepreneur, I feel like I can fully empathize with things that I didn’t understand because I hadn’t fully lived them in the past. The studio, on the other hand, is a fitness studio where we offer yoga, pilates, barre, workshops, and training. We originally thought we’d just be a yoga studio but due to the market size down there, we realized that we’d do much better if we offered other forms of fitness. It’s been unlike any other studio I’ve worked at but I think that’s one of the reasons it’s been able to succeed. We don’t just bring in yogi’s, but we bring in barre and pilates practitioners that offer even more thoughts and ideas on how to grow the business. I’m most proud that it’s a space where people can just come to be themselves. The team that we’ve built there is full of all types of personalities, so it brings all types of personalities to the studio. When we first opened, Frank called it a wellness lab, which I loved. It’s been a place where people can come, try new things and not feel judged by it. We always have people come in and say things like “well, I only do barre, but I guess since I’m here I’ll try a yoga class,” and then they end up loving it. I think that’s maybe what sets us apart, aside from the distance from any other studio, is that we aren’t just a yoga studio, but we’re a barre studio and a Pilates studio, so in fact, we’re just a studio that has brought a bunch of different people together to practice in one space.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Hmmm, the only advice I can say on this one is that you should look to learn something from everyone you meet. My mom and dad always tell me that it’s really important to keep learning and that once you feel like you’re not learning anything anymore, it’s time to re-access where you are in life and what might come next. I think meeting as many people as possible in your arena of expertise is key. For example, in the growth equity world, we try to go out to as many conferences or events as possible in the industry, in the yoga/fitness world I try to take as many classes as possible to meet people and to see what the new and latest workout is. I find that when I attend events that I’m drawn to, a lot of like-minded people are there as well. If you’re afraid or nervous to go to something, go anyway, I always say, trust your gut and your nerves, if you’re a bit nervous excited to do something, definitely do it, that’s a great way to keep growing and you never know who you could meet!
Contact Info:
- Address: 209 Farm Lake View Kiawah Island, SC 29455
- Website: https://www.studio33kiawah.com/
- Phone: 843.619.7210
- Email: liz@studio33kiawah.com
- Instagram: studio33kiawah
- Facebook: studio33kiawah
Image Credit:
Frank Silva, Nick, Jess Sionni
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