Each year the growth of the health and wellness industry accelerates even further and in 2023 the sector is estimated to be worth a staggering $4 trillion. Yet, with so many key players competing for a share of the market, how important is investing in brand in a business’ early years?

We sat down with Heartcore CEO and Founder, Jessie Blum to discover how she has grown her market-leading Pilates method into the international community it is today; all while retaining a well-loved and personal brand.

We speak to Jessie about:

• How long it takes to build an established brand

• The importance of brand values

• How to retain a consistent brand while growing as a business

• Different brand building strategies

• Advice for starting out as an entrepreneur

Heartcore is a well-known brand in the Pilates space, how long does it take to build a brand and what advice can you operators who are looking to become established?

Creating a brand takes time. You need a clear message and to live it every day. A brand is like a feeling that is attached to the product or service that you offer.  It’s a promise you make to your customers. You need to gradually gain their trust by being consistent, listen, show that you genuinely care and remain relevant in what you do. You can’t buy brand status – you earn it.

When it comes to brand, how important are values?

Values are anchors to help define your identity and personality. Not only as a company but also as an individual. They serve as a compass and guide in everything you do and every decision you make.

Heartcore has grown considerably since launch in 2007, how have you ensured you maintained brand consistency throughout the journey?

We are a pretty humble group of humans who all love Heartcore and what we stand for. We like to keep our ears close to the ground, listen and hear what our community needs, wants and expects from us. To maintain brand status, you need to be relevant to your audience and adaptable without losing your way.

Back in 2020, when the Government ordered an indefinite closure of all our physical studios, we didn’t hesitate to move our classes to Zoom. The tricky part was that we didn’t even have a mat based class offering at the time. All we were known for was Pilates on the Coreformer.  Within a week of closure, you could take daily mat-based Pilates classes with us, streamed live from our teachers’ homes.

As a brand, it’s about being human – less about being perfect. You need to have heart and courage.

Why is it important to be continuously investing in your brand? And what types of brand-building strategy have you found effective?

At Heartcore, our daily work is to ensure every class experience we offer is the best it can be. It has proven to be our most successful and most reliable marketing strategy in all these years.

And that work starts within a company – we are committed to looking after our team and are invested in their health and happiness. We take a lot of pride in our ongoing teacher training and the fact a lot of the team have been with us for 8+ years. The moment you get complacent and stop investing, your audience will feel it. It becomes transactional and the feeling is lost. Your brand is jeopardised.

Times are tough for many businesses at the moment with many choosing to focus on direct response marketing over investing in brand.  What is your view on this and what is Heartcore’s approach?

It’s natural to look for quick fixes when times are tough and cash flow is poor. But at the same time, it’s so important to consider a long-term view for your brand and keep the value of your brand alive – especially in the eyes of your customers. At Heartcore we live and breath our brand values and are passionate about delivering transformative results through a deeper mind body connection.

Strengthening your position within your area of expertise is also a great way to position yourself as a leader in your field. Heartcore will be exhibiting at FIBO this year for the first time, leveraging 20+ years of experience and knowledge to help define and grow the international Dynamic Pilates market in B2B and B2C.

We hear Heartcore is developing its expansion plans for later this year. How important is investing in brand when looking to expand a business and what role does it play?

Growth equals demand. Without a loyal, engaged and growing customer base, expansion comes with huge risk.  You need to understand the markets you want to enter and how your brand will fit in.  Who are your competitors and how are you planning to stand out/make yourself heard? How can you engage your existing customer base who may live in those new markets to help drum up awareness and interest? At the end of the day telling your brand story is all about emotion and how you want people to feel. Every time you interact with guests or create content you are telling your story and that never ends. It’s all about emotion and connecting with your community to build a loyal brand following.

What would your words of advice be for those starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?

I’d ask myself questions like How will my offering have an impact in the lives of others? Am I serving a new market? Are my intentions of honest nature and am I prepared to put the work in? The road is long and you can’t be afraid of working hard and making mistakes. But I can promise you, it’s so worth it.

To find out more about Heartcore, visit their website: https://weareheartcore.com