Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh Abnet.
Hi Ashleigh, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Ashleigh Abnet and I am the co-founder/owner of Drip Pilates in SWFL, specifically Cape Coral. I grew up in a really small town in South Michigan and I was the quintessential small-town kid who was willing to do anything and everything to get out and I did. I moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University Chicago when I was 18 years old on a scholarship and a student loan that I convinced my dad to take out for me. But, it only took one semester for the small town kid to absolutely flop in the big city. So I moved back with my parents briefly and continued my undergrad at Western Michigan University close to home. A few months later, I got a one bedroom apartment and told myself again that I was going to do whatever it took to get out of here. I bartended and waitressed my way through college and graduated with a Finance and Spanish degree in 2017. I applied for what felt like a billion jobs and only ONE even called me for an interview. At 22 years old, I ended up taking a full time job in Detroit for 39k a year at a relatively small mortgage company and lived in a studio apartment downtown (my bed was literally in a closet). I hustled at this company, literally worked myself to the bone. There were times when I would go weeks without a day off, working 12-15 hour days to try make more money and get ahead or to get my bosses to notice me. I was promoted twice with that company and by the time I was 24, I was making six figures. I was able to buy my first house at 25. This job set me up for the rest of my career and the company is now publicly traded. Then the pandemic hit and everyone was working from home. My husband and I both went remote and decided we were going to do something crazy and relocate. We decided to move to Florida and bought a house sight unseen that we found online. I am very Type B like that. I convinced my sister to join us 5 months later. We have been here for 3 years now. I have always struggled with my weight in my adult life and before moving to Florida, I had gotten into Solidcore and had really been enjoying going and doing something that felt like a serious workout and the vibes were right. When we moved though, I realized there was nothing even remotely close to that type of thing where I lived. So, two years passed and we ended up getting a lagree studio in town. My sister and I became members and we absolutely loved going. I knew there was a huge gap in the market in SWFL though for boutique fitness. My sister and I would have conversations about what kind of studio we do if we could. I have always been interested in consumerism, and we were the ideal target market for the studio. We know exactly what we would want to become members at a studio. Heated Pilates is very popular in Miami, LA, NY but there is nothing like that here in Cape Coral. Infrared heat has incredible health benefits, paired with pilates/sculpt movements and you have an absolutely killer workout. One day we left a lagree class together and in the car, I decided we were doing it and I didn’t care what it took but we could do it and I knew we could do it WELL. We know what women want when it comes to a studio. I do not take it lightly that someone is taking an hour out of their day to come to our studio. Time is the most expensive commodity. What would make you want to crawl out of bed at 6am to work out? A beautiful studio, with incredible equipment, curated playlists with killer music, instructors that make you feel like you still have one last squat left in you even if maybe you don’t. So, one week later, we had a lease signed, an LLC, and a name. Drip Pilates was born genuinely out of a car yap with my with my sister and a little delusional courage on my end. We are cofounding the studio together and it has been incredible to get to do something so impactful to my life with her and the support of our family and friends. I am the business brain and she is absolutely the vibe curator! Now we have a full staff, are halfway through renovating an old hair salon and opening just in time for new year’s resolutions. I am so incredibly confident in my ability to persevere and do whatever it takes to make this business successful and build a community worth being a part of. If you are in your 20s, 30s, 40s in SWFL it can be incredibly difficult to meet people and make friends, and I am looking forward to seeing all of the friendships form from the community that Drip is going to create. I have genuinely been at the bottom and I have been higher than I ever thought I could possibly be. This is my chance to see if I can seriously take it to the next level and take my hustle and drive to deliver something to the community that we have been missing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Managing a very demanding 9-5, while pursuing my masters in accounting and building the studio has definitely had it’s challenges! My sister, Alaina Abnet (24 yo), the cofounder also works full time in speech pathology and is in a masters program as well! Multi-tasking queens!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Drip Pilates is an infrared heated mat pilates studio located in Cape Coral Florida. Every single detail was thoroughly thought through in the eyes of the consumer. We offer three class formats, a classical, fusion, and sculpt class heated up to 104 degrees. We have the highest quality equipment provided to the member with Stakt Pro Mats and the full line of Bala equipment. I am most proud of the fact that we did not cut a single corner. If it wasn’t going to be perfect, we didn’t want it at all. Opening these studios is not for the faint of heart and it comes with a large financial expense. I wanted our members to have the best of the best. The best equipment, the best aesthetic, a location with it’s own parking lot so there wouldn’t be too far of a distance if members had to walk by themselves to their cars or be worried about getting a ticket, OR having to pay to park. etc This is a truly curated brand, an edgy change of scenery from the clean girl pilates studios we are all used to seeing. A studio where the music makes you feel like you are at the club with your friends, where the F bomb in the song is shouted in unison by a group of 20 girls trying to make it through the same 50 minutes of difficult heated exercise.
What are your plans for the future?
My first plan is to get this studio open, but I have aspirations to open more throughout Florida or even nationally if I am given the opportunity!
Pricing:
- Founding Memberships and pricing launching first week of December 2025!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drippilatesstudio.com
- Instagram: drip.pilates.studio
- TikTok: @drippilates
Image Credits:
Rita Reels
