Kelly Porter—who owns Fort Myers-based studio Barre Roots—admits that her leap into entrepreneurship was anything but graceful. “I don’t think many entrepreneurs have a graceful story,” she says.
Ten years ago, Porter was in her early 20s, living alone in suburban Philadelphia, working in marketing and communications for a senior living facility … and wracked with anxiety. That’s when she discovered her first barre studio, which was right next to her therapist’s office. At first, Porter worried she wouldn’t fit the barre mold. “I’m not a former dancer,” she says. “I’m not built like a bobby pin. I don’t have perfectly straight hair.” But these classes were approachable, and soon she was swapping out her therapy sessions for a steady barre practice.
Fast forward a few years, and she had become a certified barre instructor, married and living in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s when Porter decided to open her own barre business and make the leap into becoming an entrepreneur. She had a very specific dream: “My own brick-and-mortar studio with cool signage and retail in the front.” But before she could even begin drawing up plans, the pandemic hit. “All of a sudden, the world shut down,” Porter says.
Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Porter was forced to think outside the box during the shutdown months. She realized quickly that her dream of owning a brick-and-mortar studio would have to wait. Instead, she focused her energies on innovative ways of offering barre classes, and soon she had a thriving online business. She also cultivated relationships with other entrepreneurs and offered her classes in nontraditional spaces, including the front lawn of her veterinarian’s office and local breweries. “Entrepreneurs who were new to having their own business in 2020, we’re a different breed,” Porter says.
Buckle Up
One of the most important lessons Porter has learned on her road to running a successful business is that the optimal conditions rarely arrive. But get-it-done entrepreneurs don’t let that deter them. “If you wait for the perfect scenario to happen, you’re going to miss the boat,” Porter says. “It doesn’t have to be perfect. If things are chaotic, then just buckle up.”
Growth Is Not Linear
“Before jumping into this, I thought I would progress steadily to the next level: rent my own space, then rent a bigger space, hire more instructors. But that’s not what happened at all,” Porter says.
Instead, she was met with plenty of setbacks along the way. She had to return to square one more than once. But she quickly learned this pattern was simply part of the process.
“I think life itself is not linear,” she says. “But being a business owner, especially, you’ve got to let go of your preconceived notions of how things are going to go. You have to welcome the direction it’s flowing. Fighting that is the worst thing you can do.”
Brick-and-Mortar Not Required
Porter and her family moved to Southwest Florida in 2021, and since then she’s focused on hosting classes throughout the area. She holds a monthly class at Fort Myers Brewing and a regular Wednesday night class at Ritual Yoga Space in Fort Myers, plus popups at places such as Backyard Social and Bell Tower. She also has an online library of classes that she adds to each week. “If I told the me from four years ago that I still wasn’t in a brick-and-mortar studio, she’d have a cow,” Porter says. “But I like the space I’m in. It feels really good.”
