Flutter Fitness Studio

Small business ownership is rarely a straight path. It comes with twists and turns—some energizing, others daunting. For Jocelyn Fillalan, the biggest challenges arrived all at once: transitioning from co‑owner to sole owner and rebranding her entire business. Both felt like major leaps, and both stirred real anxiety, but she refused to face them alone. Instead, she turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) for guidance.

Today, Fillalan is the proud sole owner and operator of Flutter Fitness Studio in downtown Orlando. “We are an aerial and pole inclusive studio,” she explains. “We offer pole dancing classes, aerial classes, Lyra/aerial hoop classes, yoga classes, and flexibility classes right here in downtown.” Beyond its wide range of specialty fitness offerings, Flutter Fitness Studio stands out as one of the few fully inclusive studios in Orlando, welcoming co‑ed classes and emphasizing a supportive, judgment‑free environment. Members also enjoy open studio hours, seven‑day‑a‑week access, and both morning and evening class options. Most of all, Fillalan credits her “one of the most talented and experienced staffs around” for helping create a uniquely empowering space.

However, Flutter Fitness Studio didn’t start this way. Before the rebrand, the business had a different name—and Fillalan wasn’t yet the sole owner. “I was a co‑owner before Flutter Fitness Studio came to be. I was getting ready to rebrand and own the studio all by myself and I needed help. I didn’t know what I was doing and my accountant told me about the FSBDC. I reached out and it was probably one of the best decisions that I made.”

“Finding out about the FSBDC and their no-cost services was absolutely amazing,” she recalls. “I got paired with my consultant Sharon Smith, which was also amazing. I like to call her my mentor. We worked together for about six months and she helped me with my business plan, with a marketing analysis, with finding out what competition is around—things that I had no idea I needed. When Sharon helped me with all these resources, it made everything just so much easier and everything just started to flow for me.”

The results speak for themselves. “When I first rebranded, we were at 79 members and I am so happy to say I am at 130 members currently and we just celebrated our third year,” remarks Fillalan. “I really do think that Sharon’s tips were very helpful and that’s why we have grown so much. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be where I am as a business owner, let alone be thinking about a second location, but there we are.”

For Fillalan, the FSBDC made all the difference. “If I had to use one word to describe the FSBDC, for me personally it would be ‘motivation.’ All the motivation I got from Sharon just made me so happy and excited to work on the business. That’s not something that came easily for me at the very beginning because I was scared. But motivation was all I needed, and a little push. I have definitely seen a change, and I just don’t see being where I am without you guys, so thank you!”

For information about Flutter Fitness Studio, please visit flutterfitnessstudio.com.