“I was Just a Terrible Employee” with Aaron Smith
Our guest for this episode says he’d probably be a full time ‘ski bum’ if he wasn’t doing what he’s doing today. Aaron Smith was the typical 20 something traveller – holidaying and working – in London when he came across the idea he would eventually turn into a multi-million dollar franchise. Dynamic Pilates was a growing trend in London, and when Aaron returned to Australia he knew that was what he wanted to do. However, he also returned home $20k in debt. He convinced his father to act as guarantor on a business loan, and the first KX Pilates studio opened in 2010.
That first year of business was the very definition of hustle and grind, but KX is now Australia’s biggest Pilates franchise, boasting 67 studios across the country and one in Jakarta, Indonesia. Since those humble beginnings, Aaron has become one of Australia’s most popular fitness entrepreneurs and won a host of awards including the 2019 Young Fitness Entrepreneur of the Year and coming in at number three on the top 30 Australian Franchise Executives in 2020. With KX Pilates recently celebrating its 10th birthday, Aaron and I sat down for a chat about his transition from personal trainer to business success story, what’s it like to let someone else take the reins, and why he would make a terrible employee.
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Producer: Andrew Menczel
