Meet Allison Collinsworth | Owner & Master Instructor – The Bar Method White Rock Lake

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Collinsworth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was a commercial producer for years before I stopped and became a Bar Method instructor . After teaching for 5 years I was craving more of a challenge. I missed the days of dealing with budgets, managing people, problem solving and creating something. After some in depth conversations with friends and family I felt the timing was right. Also, I lived on the East side of 75 in Lake Highlands and at the time there was only one boutique fitness studio in the area. You had to travel to Park Cities, Uptown or North to get to a boutique fitness studio. So I saw an opportunity to bring The Bar Method to East Dallas. It didn’t take long to land on Lakewood as I had moved there, several of my friends lived there and I knew it had a very cool, loyal vibe to it. Much like the beach communities I had lived in while in California. So with the right location and a fire under my butt I knew it was time to be my own boss and create my own path!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets us apart: (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN PRINT!) For over two decades, The Bar Method has been building stronger, leaner more sculpted bodies. We are the original Barre! Each exercise is meticulously designed to transform your body through high-repetition, low-impact so you will experience unthinkable flexibility, total-body definition, and metabolism-boosting endurance that lasts long after class.
– First, our method is different than other barre studios because it is rooted in science and we utilize Physical Therapists to help us create exercises that are healthy for your body but give you the most results in the shortest amount of time.
– Second, our Instructor training is very intense and spans over 3-6 months with continuing education well past certification which includes anatomy and physiology.
– Third, we offer modifications for everything ranging from a simple injury, to surgery, to limitations due to disease/illness, and we are highly trained in working with prenatal and postnatal modifications! It;’s amazing to be a part of a group but still get that 1-on-1 attention.
– Lastly, what I love the most is we make it a point to get to know EVERYONE and know their names. It is that personal relationship that we build with our clients that makes this not a job but an honor. I love when people walk in and we call them by name and ask how their mom is doing post surgery, or how their new baby is doing and is she sleeping through the night yet. Or holding a client while they cry because they have lost a loved one. Those are the moments that give my studio a heart and soul.

Challenges:
I was previously married when I decided to open my studio. About 2 weeks before signing the lease, my husband left. I’ve never felt a pain like that before, my world came crashing down. Everything was put on hold. It was all in limbo and I was not sure if my dream was going to come true. For months I was unsure what my future held in terms of a career:. Would I have to go back to the corporate world of Advertising or would I still be able to live out my goal of being my own boss and having my own studio. Luckily, with the help of a dear friend and her family I was able to get the last bit of funding to open the studio. And from that moment, I vowed that my studio would be a place of JOY! That whatever a client was going through, when they walked in that door, I wanted them to feel confident, seen/heard, worthy and appreciated. I wanted them to be greeted with a smile as they heard their name. I wanted them to have a safe place they could come, regardless of what was happening in their lives, where they felt supported, energized and loved.

Small business during Covid- Where are you business wise?
Never in a million years when I was creating my business plan, forecasting budgets and creating business goals did I think I needed a plan for a Global Pandemic! Of course I worried “what if no one shows up” but I was not prepared for Covid. I remember that Monday when they told us we had to shut down, I walked to El Vecino next door, ordered a margarita, put my head on the table and cried. I was so worried that my “baby studio” that had only been open a little over 2 years would not make it through a shut down. Immediately we lost some clients but the amazing thing was the amount of clients who stayed. I thought for sure everyone would leave us. But I was wrong, and that is a testament to the true connections my staff and myself have built with our community. The fitness industry took a massive hit during the pandemic. We were the FIRST thing that people canceled and we have been the LAST thing they have come back to. It has taken us until now, almost 3 years later, to build our memberships and community back to what it was pre-covid. It was a slow and steady process but I truly believed that we would come out of it and now I know we will continue to grow in the community of East Dallas.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am the Queso Queen, it is my kryptonite! I would take a friend to several Tex Mex restaurants to try quesos! (Mexican Sugar, Mesero, Dos Arroyos)

And of course I would take them to a sporting event. Cowboys, Mavericks or Stars. We have the best crowds and amazing teams and their game are full of energy!

I love to wake surf so top on my list would be taking them to the lake for a day or two so we could surf and hang out on the boat with friends.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Bar Method Plano community and its previous Owner, Marin Haggard. It was where I started teaching when she opened in 2011 and it was where I learned everything that Is Bar Method: the amazing science behind what we do (thus why it is called a Method), the value of a community and building personal relationships with clients, the ability to transform people’s bodies but more importantly their self confidence. We had an amazing team of all women who truly showed me what females supporting females was. This was huge coming from a male dominated industry like Advertising! Marin became my good friend as well as my boss so I was able to watch how she managed her studio with grace and respect. She was very mindful to make sure we all felt supported and appreciated. I watched in the areas that were challenging and I got to celebrate with her when there were victories. Overall, being exposed to Marin and her studio gave me the confidence and knowledge to understand what I would be getting into opening my own studio. When I get compliments about how I am as a boss and how I run my studio, I know it is because of what I learned while working for her and being a part of her community that she built from scratch over 12 years ago!

Website: https://barmethod.com/locations/dallas-white-rock-lake/

Instagram: @barmethodwhiterocklake

Facebook: @Barmethodwhiterocklake

Image Credits
Oakwoods Photography