Coworking, or flexspace, is all the rage in the era of remote work. After all, what better way to build professional relationships than by sharing a workspace?
But, what if there was a flexspace designed specifically for coaches and therapists? And, what if that coworking space had a full team who could provide mental and physical health services? To make it even better, what if it had a full time administrative assistant who managed all referrals, appointments, insurance, and billing?
The more Stacy Reuille-Dupont thought about this idea, the more she wanted to make it a reality. Sure, it was something that had never been done before—at least not in Durango. But why should that stop her? After all, she was a professional psychologist with her own private practice. Her background in exercise management and physical fitness had opened her eyes to the power of integrative care. She had seen excellent results from combining nutrition, massage, acupuncture, and behavioral health, and she wanted to be able to provide all of these services under one umbrella.
Stacy decided to take her idea to the SBDC, where she met Carl Malmberg. Together, they began to flesh out how this concept would work. He spent time reviewing the business plan and asked all of the hard questions, which helped her articulate the business model in a way that could eventually be marketed. They also used the SBDC’s fiscal spreadsheet to get an overview of various financial scenarios.
Stacy says, “Carl was super instrumental in picking apart this concept. He helped me create a foundation of how it would work from a business point of view. We completed tons of different predictions, walked through scenarios, and got a robust look at the overall concept. It helped me develop a foundation for communicating who we are and what we do.”
Through this process, Stacy decided to call the facility Studio B because it is a place where you can be whoever you want to be—or where you can just be. It incorporates body and behavior as well as methods for living a balanced life. The word studio was incorporated because people come to create the life they want.
From a practitioner point of view, Studio B has it all—an office space, a private gym, a shared administrative assistant, and an opportunity to cowork alongside other outstanding coaches and therapists.
After months of planning, Studio B launched in July 2020—right in the heart of the pandemic. Initially, they had trouble acquiring the equipment they needed, and throughout the past year, have had to open and close to comply with local health directives. The practitioners have utilized Telehealth extensively, but they miss the in-person sense of community.
As the Studio approaches its one year anniversary, Stacy and the team are looking forward to fully opening the studio and can’t wait to start hosting events such as social skills coffee houses, wellness intensives, sober curious happy hours, and more. “It’s a place where everyone loves to be,” she says.
Stacy hopes that other entrepreneurs will see Studio B and be inspired to launch their businesses too. “Develop that passion and do it—then get help,” she says. “Launching this business was so much better than my previous experiences because, thanks to Carl Malmberg, I knew the resources that I needed to have in place before agreeing to start it.”
