Root360 Case Study: Springboard Pilates

Nestled in the quaint and historic West End neighborhood of Portland, Maine you’ll find Springboard Pilates; one of only a few studios in Maine that teaches the Classic Pilates Method. Springboard Pilates began in 2005 in the home of its founder and sole teacher at the time. Meredith Coffin became Springboard Pilates’ first employee in 2007 and eventually purchased the business in late 2013. Now there are eight teachers (including Meredith), one part-time office manager, and new teachers are trained and mentored through Springboard’s accreditation as a host studio for one of the most esteemed training programs in the U.S.

While it is her love of working with and inspiring people that motivates her teaching, Meredith also has an environmental advocacy background and strives to incorporate those principles into her business. With efficient lighting, creative energy-saving behaviors, all-natural cleaners, local merchandise, largely paperless operations, and a strong emphasis on recycling and reducing, Springboard Pilates operates with a minimal environmental impact.

Springboard Pilates has a culture that fosters collaboration and values input. Although her teachers are all independent contractors, Meredith invests in her staff through a regular review process, and by giving stipends for continuing education. Meredith keeps the business’s risks low through internal and external accounting checks and balances, regularly reviewing financials and setting annual budgets with her accountant, and operating with strong transparency.

While her desire to further improve the studio’s environmental practices led Meredith to Root360, she learned through the experience that sustainability was about more than just the environment. “I came into the benchmark survey with the idea that sustainability was just about the environment, and realized that it’s more than that; sustainability is about how to sustain my business. Root360 showed me the areas within my business where I can do better, that I never even realized were important to sustainability.”

As a result of her engagement with the Root360 tools, Meredith plans to:

• Develop clearer purchasing policies that promotes local sources and factors in environmental impacts
• Evaluate potential policies and structures for incentivized raises or bonuses
• Explore ways to participate in efforts to improve business practices within her industry and community
• Work on formalizing and writing down strategic plans and new business plan
• Increase the focus on sustainability within business strategies

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May 25, 2016 4:40 PM