Female Founders: Tamara Galinsky of JETSET Pilates On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Doug Noll
Learn how to fund your business. When I started JETSET I did not use outside capital, even though I was able to get an SBA loan. I simply did not know. As a result, I waited too long to start my second studio from the profits of the first, and so on. Use other people’s money and funding sources for exponential growth.
As a part of our series about Women Founders, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tamara Galinsky.
Tamara Galinsky is a fitness entrepreneur and the founder of JETSET Pilates, the musically-inspired Pilates experience founded in Miami in 2010. Galinsky channels her passion for movement, community, and empowerment into an innovative fitness experience that pushes beyond traditional boundaries. Her success and recognition of her brand has been shaped by her life story and determination.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
When I began my journey with JETSET, I never imagined it would evolve into my career. My family and I immigrated from the former Soviet Union during the wave of Jewish Diaspora in 1989, arriving in the US with humble beginnings. I take immense pride in my Jewish heritage today and am deeply grateful for the opportunities America has provided us.
My high school days in Stamford, CT were challenging — I relied on food stamps, worked part-time at a chiropractor’s office, and maintained straight A’s and a 4.0 GPA, even excelling in AP English within a year of arriving in the US. In Russia I graduated from a Music school and continued my passion for music by practicing on the piano my parents had shipped from Russia.
The genesis of JETSET Pilates emerged from a pressing need for an immersive Pilates experience in Miami. Initially following a career path that allowed me to reside in NYC — first in technology, then in commercial real estate — JETSET represents the fusion of my career and my profound passion, culminating in a dream realized.
My journey into Pilates coincided with my time living in London, where I also welcomed my first daughter and gained 60 pounds postpartum. It was through Pilates that I not only shed the weight gained during pregnancy but also transformed my body and found solace for my mind after every session.
Upon relocating to Miami, I searched for Pilates studios that offered more than just classes — an incredible community, curated music, and affordability. Finding none from Miami Beach to Palm Beach, I took the leap. Just six months after moving, I signed my first lease and launched JETSET Pilates in 2010.
Since then, the growth has been remarkable. What started as a single studio has expanded to five corporate locations and 23 franchised ones in development, with plans to extend to over 800 franchised studios. This journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
Coming from a background in commercial real estate, I was really savvy negotiating commercial leases. It was still early days of JETSET and I was opening my third studio. During the lease negotiations, I insisted on a no-relocation provision. This meant that if a large tenant came to the center, and wanted my space, the landlord couldn’t force us to move. It’s quite unusual to secure this, but I did using my commercial real estate negotiating knowledge.
Around a year after signing the lease, a significant anchor tenant decided they wanted our space within the center. Fortunately, we only had to relocate next door, but technically, we didn’t have to move at all. As a result, the landlord had to cut a check for $120,000 to JETSET, covering not just the entire cost of the new build-out and our relocation next door but also resulting in a substantial benefit for a Pilates studio that was just starting out.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Unfortunately, the funny mistakes were so small I can no longer recall them, but there were many. The one I can remember, served as a catalyst for JETSET to become the leading Pilates brand not just in Miami but on a national scale. From this I learned that JETSET Pilates possesses a value that extends beyond Pilates, evolving into a fusion of lifestyle, merchandise, and experiences.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Surprisingly it is my ex-husband and the father of my two daughters. Similar to me, he came to the US from Poland. His family’s Jewish roots trace back to his mother, born in Teheran in 1940 as the family escaped the Nazis. He earned his Ph.D. in 4-dimensional topology from Yale University, which is mathematics in 4 dimensions. I can’t even grasp what that means.
While my forte lies in crafting the experiential side of JETSET, he was able to help me with the setup and technology, as he was a spectacular computer programmer. This really helped me scale.
He was also the one who helped me settle on the name JETSET Pilates as we brainstormed together.
According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
As a woman balancing the roles of CEO/Founder both at home and in my company, the initial weight of these responsibilities can be overwhelming. It’s a reality I’ve experienced firsthand.
There are two significant challenges at play. Firstly, our society lacks the infrastructure to provide accessible and affordable childcare for women. This, I believe, underlies a lot of the apprehension many women face. The fear of excelling in one area while faltering in another creates a daunting question: Can we effectively manage both spheres?
The second issue lies in the gap within our educational system. Early entrepreneurship education, starting as early as high school, is crucial. It’s time for a significant shift in education to empower the younger generation with practical and applicable skills to start a business.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
As individuals, it is up to us to find our path, to ask questions, to embrace risks. As a society, we must stand up to what no longer works and find our voices to drive change. As far as the government, I believe more public education and more affordable education must happen. Additionally, providing affordable childcare for women is crucial.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
I personally think being a Founder is incredibly rewarding, but demands preparation for the very rocky path to get there. Women, I think, inherently possess Grit. We’re the ones who give birth, who go through pregnancy, and breastfeeding–experiences that take a toll on the body. I think nothing is harder than being a parent, yet is it the most rewarding. I see parallels between nurturing a company and raising a child.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
To me a definition of a founder is a person who at some point did everything for the company before they were able to hire. A founder is also not necessarily a CEO. As a Founder, you can start with doing it all, but to succeed, you need to trust and delegate to people who know more, and who can do certain things better than you.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
If I had to pinpoint the single most crucial trait for a founder, it’s grit or perseverance — it’s one of my strengths. Many individuals have brilliant ideas, but many give up when faced with obstacles. Successful founders persistently overcome challenges and build lasting companies despite repeated setbacks. One of my favorite books, “Grit” by Angela Duckworth, resonates with this idea.
For instance, arriving in the USA ignited that dormant grit within me. I had to rely on it to progress swiftly and excel in a new environment.
The second vital trait is adaptability. Without it, as problems arise, one might not be able to find creative solutions. Flexibility is key to navigating through challenges effectively.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1 . Learn how to fund your business. When I started JETSET I did not use outside capital, even though I was able to get an SBA loan. I simply did not know. As a result, I waited too long to start my second studio from the profits of the first, and so on. Use other people’s money and funding sources for exponential growth.
2 . Build the best team. Today we have the best team in fitness and franchising. It took me 10 years to build the brand in Miami before I felt I was ready to expand to over 800 locations. When I knew I was ready, I started to build the best team. Instead of ‘hiring’ them — I decided to start a new company, JETSET Franchising and those individuals became my partners, which in the long term I felt was best for the business. However, I had to give up some control. And given where we are today — just over a year after the launch of JETSET Franchising with 23 units sold — it was the right decision to scale.
3 . Create systems. As I grew from a single unit to multiple locations, I had to create the systems and processes that would save time and money as we launched a new studio.
4. Evolve: As popular culture and technology evolves, be able to adapt.
5. Human experience first: We are a community. We will never replace that feeling of belonging as clients enter our studios — there will always be a live instructor, and live staff member to be there with our clients.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
JETSET Pilates is an amazing community of like-minded people. Firstly, it is franchising to over 800 locations, that means hundreds of entrepreneurs are able to make their dreams come true as I did. Franchising is delivering knowledge so that others can re-create your success. Secondly, as it grows, it delivers this experience to tens of thousands of people.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would buy land, and create new universities — from scratch. I think the opportunity is there to create something magnificent for future generations.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square (https://twitter.com/billackman?lang=en)
If I could have a private breakfast or lunch with someone, it would be Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square. I deeply admire his efforts in spotlighting critical issues at Harvard and likely other universities in the US. He wrote a letter, which he posted on X, to the President of Harvard before the The Congressional Hearing on December 5th “ Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Anti Semitism”, featuring University Presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT. The letter is spectacular and focuses on “ Free Speech, Anti Semitism, and the impact of the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Harvard.”
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
