Previously living on Bondi Beach, founder Lottie Anderson of Bondi Rise was inspired to establish a Pilates brand that epitomises the exceptional energy of Australia’s Bondi lifestyle. Inviting her community to switch off and connect within, Lottie and her team offer small-group Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates, Barre, and Yoga classes. Championing friendly teaching styles, each class offers a sense of personal achievement, leaving individuals feeling refreshed and connected. This is complemented by Bondi Rise’s internationally subscribed online platform, for their community to work out anytime, anywhere.
Can you tell us a little about your background and the company?
My career began in Accounting and Merchandising, and Pilates was my creative outlet. What started as a hobby soon became my passion and eventually turned into something much more! Inspired by my love for Pilates and the beauty of Bondi Beach, where I lived and did all my training, I founded Bondi Rise. It’s a digital and in-person studio where people come to connect, move and feel empowered.
How did the idea come to you for the company?
I knew that one day I wanted to combine my love of sharing Pilates with my love of excel spreadsheets (!!) by opening a Pilates studio, I just wasn’t sure where or when! But that all changed one morning during lockdown! My husband and I were on our morning walk during sunrise, and I remember feeling really inspired and was flooded with ideas! I took a photo of the sunrise, and the brainstorming of the name/brand colours all came from this one photo and the then it all became clear – that I wanted to take Bondi back to the UK in the form of a Pilates studio. The moment we moved back home to the UK in 2022 I was hunting for a space!
How did you achieve awareness?
I started my Instagram when I first started training, it was originally called “pilates with Lottie” and I documented my journey on becoming an instructor to life as an instructor. During lockdown I launched an Online Pilates platform, which is still a core aspect of the business, so had built a strong following via the online space. This meant when I switched the name to Bondi Rise I already had a small following which definitely helped, and then I think people have loved seeing the journey of the studio opening which has helped raise awareness.
How have you been able to gain funding and grow?
I have only just given up full time employment in a large corporation. So, for the last 7 years of being an instructor and running the online platform, and physical studio, I have been working full time to help fund the initial launch of the studio and then used my experience as an accountant to review our profit and loss closely to make the correct business decisions for our growth.
What are the key successes?
Believe in yourself and your idea! It is daunting launching a business, but as long as you have a really clear vision of who you are, what you core values are and what your company’s purpose is, you will make all the correct decisions! And constantly assess your business – look at what’s working/what’s not working and adapt, especially in those early days.
What were/are the challenges and how have you overcome these?
Although I have managed to grow Bondi Rise to where it is today, the one thing I struggle with is finding time in my day! I am everything from a Pilates instructor, to cleaner, to social media manager, to customer service manager (amongst many other things!!) and it can get overwhelming. One thing that has really helped is outsourcing tasks such as any design work, which my sister now helps me with – she also created the logo and our brand colours!
What are your plans now/for the future?
To continue sharing my love and passion of Pilates, both online and in-person.
What would you like to share with others to encourage them to start their own entrepreneurship journey?
If you believe in it, go for it! And start small. You can always build, grow and keep reinvesting money into the business – but it’s harder to start big and then scale down if your costs start to mount up! Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day! So little steps!
Can you share your top tips for entrepreneurial success?
Watch your outgoings like a hawk!! Even if you’re not great with maths, my number 1 tip is to watch where you are spending your money. Make sure you are spending it on things that bring value to the business, and if it doesn’t bring value, don’t spend it yet!
Know your target audience. It’s all well and good creating an amazing product, but you need to know how to market it to the right people who are going to purchase for success.
Get yourself out there – start building up a community via social media and newsletter. You want people to know and trust you, so when you launch a product or service you’ve already got a strong following who will purchase from your brand.
Who are the 5 people who inspire you the most and why?
My dad is a huge inspiration to me – also an accountant! He inspires me with his work ethic and has been such a huge support when opening Bondi Rise – I use him as a sound board to really validate any financial decisions I am about to make! I like having business chats with him too, and always feel inspired after!
Roxie Nafousi is another – I read her book “Manifest, 7 steps to living your best life” and it was truly amazing. I felt like it really helped squash my imposter syndrome, and made me realise I could do anything by putting my mind to it. Even now if I feel like I am doubting myself I read a few chapters and instantly feel better!
Jenna Kutcher who has a podcast called The Goal Digger. She has over 500 podcasts and I have listened to them all over the years. Great advice for digital marketing, and I have learnt so much from her and continue to do so.
What are your favourite inspirational /motivational quotes?
My favourite quote, which I sadly don’t know who it came from, is “if you rise, you might as well shine” and that’s our brand ethos. I absolutely love it!
What are your Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn social handles and also website links so our readers can connect with you?
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bondirise/
Website – https://bondirise.com
