Allana Frisken, business mentoring, real AF
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You may have come across the Muse Pilates studios which are springing up across Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra—most recently in Dickson. Founder Allana Frisken is the name behind the brand.
Allana has made the world of reformer Pilates accessible, friendly, and just a little bit luxe, encouraging newcomers to the low-impact but highly effective form of strength and core training.
Along the way, Allana has forged a new business model, with seven Muse studios being established in just three years and earning a legion of loyal members. Now Allana’s profit margins have risen to the point where she is buying her next commercial property rather than leasing it. She has a team of over 50.
And while Allana may have Bachelor of Business degree, she puts her success down to a combination of things—energy, persistence, a finely-honed bullshit detector and a truly entrepreneurial spirit.
But perhaps, most of all, she is realist.
“It’s not all roses and making money!” she says with a laugh.
In amongst the joys of establishing her Muse Pilates brand, Allana has dealt with all number of setbacks, from arduous leasing negotiations falling through at the last minute, development applications being knocked back, having to hire and fire staff, negotiate bank loans, raise capital, manage crises, deal with insurance, taxes, growth, new markets—oh, and that whole pandemic thing.
It’s got her thinking about broadening her own horizons. While the Muse juggernaut continues, Allana wants to share her knowledge and mentor other women into achieving their own business success. She’s now running a mentoring and coaching service “to empower badass business owners”.
“I feel like I have so much to give. And people are constantly asking me for advice on how to achieve this, or how to avoid that. So this feels like a really natural progression for me.”
Allana has had several brushes with women’s business mentoring programs throughout her career. And she knows she wants to do things differently.
“A lot of what I have experienced is a bit superficial. I’m not like that. I want to get very real very fast and to address any challenges or roadblocks someone may be experiencing. Give me all the problems to troubleshoot, that’s where I shine!”
Allana credits her husband Dan, with helping to keep her focused and grounded. He is, after all, an accountant who specialises in liquidations and, according to Allana, “has seen it all go very wrong for a number of businesses”.
“It actually took a couple of years to even convince Dan on the whole Muse thing. Now he goes five times a week.”
The couple also makes sure that the demands of business life are balanced against the demands of parenting their two kids, Poppy, 5, and Harvey, 4. It’s not always easy to find enough hours in the day but Allana says her children are her number one priority
“My daughter has just started Kindergarten this year and Harvey isn’t far off either, they are still so small. It’s a juggle between carrying out my huge business ambitions and being the best mum I can be, but I want to be there for them—especially while they still think I’m cool, I know that won’t always be the case!”.
Having an accountant on hand to steer Allana through the financial mechanics of growing a start-up has also been invaluable. She has also sought out her own business mentors over time, understanding they bring a level of perspective to her issues and have helped her to develop her leadership potential.
So it’s time for Allana to take the next step with mentees of her own.
She is offering one-on-one coaching for individual and personalised attention, a strategy day to develop a timetable of step-by-step goals and to address any mindset barriers which may be holding a woman back, and finally, a series of small mastermind groups. The mastermind groups are capped at eight women who enjoy half-day meetings once a month for a year.
Allana says the group will work on a number of levels, allowing for sharing of knowledge, experience, wins and challenges. She also says a by-product of the mastermind group is that friendships are formed, and networks are created. “In this group, we are building a team of friends that will mention your name in a room full of opportunities. Business is a lot of what you know, but also a lot of who you know.”
The straight-shooting, Pilates-toned and energised Allana promises a quick cut-through and wants to largely avoid the “ra-ra girl power” side of conventional coaching.
“I love to celebrate female empowerment and success of course! But I’m more focussed on how to get there in the first place.”
