Pilates on the South Side is new in growing area

Name: Pilates on the South Side

Location: The studio is located just off Williams Street.

Products/services: Owner Candy Kinsey offers personal Pilates Instruction focusing on individual attention. Using equipment stemming from early pictures of Joseph Pilates, founder of the discipline, Kinsey is able to facilitate whole-body workouts with clients, targeting all of the muscle groups.

Age: Kinsey founded the business in 2009 in the Chattanooga Choo Choo, and recently moved to a refurbished space a few blocks away.

Startup investment: $35,000 for equipment and a space

Target market: Kinsey says that her target market consists of people who want to take responsibility for their well being, who are thoughtful about their bodies and who have a high level of education.

Biggest hurdle: Educating the people to the benefits of good posture, and the value of taking care of their bodies has been the biggest challenge, Kinsey said.

Biggest reward: “I love seeing bodies get better, seeing people get results,” Kinsey said. She believes that sound physical fitness is a prerequisite for happiness. “Suddenly they’re playing golf again,” she said.

Challenges in the future: Business has been steady, but being a small business owner with a young business, everything is a challenge at this point, she said.

Lesson learned: The good has by far outweighed the bad, and the key is to keep on growing as a person and as a business.

Five-year goal: She would like to be a part of a small group of instructors where sharing ideas and working together to help clients is everyone’s goal.