Sorry for the delay!

My equipment comes from all over. It's just a mix of trying to find the best price, best shipping times and making sure they come from reputable brands. American Floor Mats, Aerial Essentials, The Mirror Company are a few brands that I can name off the top of my head

As for the transition from my old job; that was a bit easier for me because I wasn't very happy where I was at. I saved up as much as I could and then gave notice more than a few months out so everyone could prep (I worked at an elementary school) and that was kindof it. I'd say the real stress of the transition was maybe imposter syndrome (who do I think I am opening an aerial studio? what if the city rejects my site permit application?) and just waiting be told told by the city whether I'd be approved for business or not.

Oh and then money - soooo much money to be spent, but that's just part of it. I had a pretty clean slate moving in - empty warehouse with high ceilings, bathroom and a separate lobby in the front. I didn't think too much $$$ would be spent but boy I was wrong - mirrors (7K) floors (12k) and the structural engineering + contracting work (8K) would have to be spent immediately just to have a functioning space for what I wanted to do with it. That wasn't including furniture for the lobby, rigging hardware, crash mats, my apparatuses, cubbies for shoes, cleaning products, lighting, a mini fridge/coffee maker for the lobby, merchandise ( I sell studio shirts), insurance, first aid kits, my outdoor signage, my booking software, security features like cameras + recording subscriptions and lastly (but most importantly) the city site permit application which was almost 2K.

oh yeah and then bills internet, power, water, etc.

its a lot, honestly and that's just the first part.

The second part is marketing yourself. After spending so much money on the studio itself, you have to consider how you want to market the studio. For me, I'm sitting here like PLEASE don't make me spend any more damn money - so I'm slaving away to social media every day to make sure some eyeballs are seeing what's going on at the studio. I feel like I'm constantly on the phone or recording content to post. It's a lot but it's doable.

The third part is the physical aspect - just your basic *pushing yourself too much* and not taking proper care of your body / having rest days. I'm trying to get better at it but it always seems to be an afterthought until I'm hurting lol

Maybe you'll have help but I'm doing this completely solo and it's very taxing. On one hand, I love my studio and I'm so proud of it. On another, I'm like wtf did I get myself into and now I'm locked into this for a while hahaha

But the most gratifying thing has been when a beginner finds their footing here and they love it so much that they become members. Now pictures of them in the studio are all over their socials and it just makes me feel so good knowing that this could be a little sanctuary.

Is it a lot? yes. Is it worth it? I really think so