How a Studio Problem Turned Into a Studio Platform: The Story Behind Pipeline
Running a multi-location studio isn't easy. It's chaotic, high-stakes, and constantly changing. For Tessa Thomas and John Ledbrook, that chaos wasn’t just familiar, it was personal.
Before Pipeline Solutions ever existed, Tessa and John were deep in the trenches. As a coach (Tessa) and owner (John), for a group of high-performing F45 studios, they weren’t just dealing with back-end systems, they were living in them. Weekly performance recaps, daily team management, messy Mindbody reports, and scattered tools... it was a constant hustle to keep things moving.
Then came the breaking point.
After years of building their own spreadsheets and systems just to understand how studios were performing, it became clear: the problem wasn't their team. The problem was the tools.
So they decided to build their own.
The Start of Pipeline
Pipeline didn’t begin with a pitch deck. It started with a dashboard Tessa and John created for their own internal operations - a cleaner, simpler way to track performance that made sense to studio operators, not data analysts.
Word got around. Other studio owners asked if they could use it too. Then came the demo requests. Pipeline evolved from a single-dashboard solution into a platform that now supports everything from lead conversion to client retention, performance tracking, and communication.
Built by Operators, for Operators
That’s not just a tagline. Everything about Pipeline is rooted in the operational reality of running a studio:
- What information do you actually need to make decisions today?
- What needs your attention now, and what can wait?
- How do you keep your team aligned and accountable without micromanaging?
These were questions Tessa and John faced daily. And Pipeline was designed to answer them…clearly, quickly, and without the clutter.
Sync, Labels, and the Power of Simplicity
As the studio landscape evolved, so did the platform. With the launch of Sync, Pipeline became more than a dashboard. It became a full studio operations system.
- Labels allow you to segment clients in seconds, then send emails or texts without exporting lists.
- Lead and member communication tools eliminate the need to jump between apps.
- Dashboards update in real-time, so you know what’s happening across all locations without having to ask.
All of this is built with one goal: making it easier to run a strong, profitable studio without burning out.
What Operators Actually Need
In the episode, Tessa and John reflect on what it’s taken to build something that sticks:
“We didn’t want to build another tool just to say we built something. We wanted to make the thing we wish we had when we were in the thick of it.”
And that mindset hasn’t changed. The product roadmap? Still based on feedback from the field. New features? Only if they solve a real problem.
Because ultimately, Pipeline isn’t trying to be the flashiest tool in the game.
It’s trying to be the one that works.
Catch the full episode for a behind-the-scenes look at Pipeline’s origin story and the lessons Tessa and John learned from building a platform with zero startup experience.
Download the free Studio Operations Toolkit to see how top-performing studios are streamlining systems without adding more to their plate.
