About The Pilates Center of the North Shore:
Company Size: 1+ employee
Where: Highland Park, Illinois
Client Industry: Fitness and recreation
Joined OnPay: August 2021
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Building community through intentional movement
Owner and founder of The Pilates Center of the North Shore, Debra LaMantia, discovered the benefits of Pilates through dance in 1996. After a lifetime of professional dancing and teaching, the increasingly competitive landscape had her looking to make a career change. This search brought her to the healing power of physical fitness through Joseph Hubertus Pilates teachings — and soon she had sights set on opening her own business.
After becoming a certified instructor, Debra opened her own studio to share the life-changing benefits of Pilates in her community. Her practice flourished, growing to five instructors with a loyal client base. But when the COVID-19 pandemic put the economy in flux, Debra faced an impossible choice: close her doors or completely reinvent her practice. What she discovered was unexpected.
With the headcount going from five employees to just herself and two part-time instructors, her North Shore studio didn’t just survive — it thrived. Today, the studio’s morning slots from 6 AM to noon are completely booked, with new names being added to the waitlist each month. From uncertainty emerged a success story and the center continues bringing people together. Now, 90-year-olds practice alongside teenagers, each finding their path to what Joseph H. Pilates called ‘physical and mental conditioning.’
THE CHALLENGE
Finding an affordable payroll provider that delivers results
Debra was paying hundreds of dollars a month for payroll software and an accountant — which was taking a toll on the business’s bottom line. She was also doing everything on her own: running payroll, managing the studio, and taking on every back-office task. Something had to change and she started searching for a payroll provider that could ease her workload. Pricing mattered, but more than anything, she wanted a reliable, long-term partner that she and her new accountant could trust.
She was looking for:
- A way to automate tax filings, calculations, and payments
- An affordable, easy-to-use payroll system with accounting integrations
- The ability to pay and manage both full-time and contract staff from one platform
THE SOLUTION
In the search for better payroll, OnPay stood out
When Debra started reading reviews and researching options, she quickly felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of payroll providers available to solo studio owners. But one name kept coming up through conversations with clients and her own research: OnPay.
So she decided to reach out and see what made OnPay different, and that became clear from the first phone call, from the warmth in their approach to the support team that genuinely took the time to understand her unique needs. What could have been a stressful transition turned out to be uneventful — no hiccups, no hidden fees — just a seamless switch. Debra said:
“The setup process and the support I got was incredible, because at that point, I was about to throw in the towel. But your team guided me through everything, and afterward, all I could say was thank you.”
Even better, when her accountant saw how OnPay worked, he was immediately impressed with how well it met their needs without breaking the bank.
STUDIO REVIEW
“OnPay saves me time. It’s easy, and customer support is helpful. I don’t have to do much.”
— Debra L, Owner, The Pilates Center of the North Shore
THE RESULTS
OnPay provides peace of mind (and time)
Since making the switch, running payroll has become a simple 10-minute task twice a month. With OnPay, tax filings are now worry-free, Debra seamlessly manages payments for both full-time and part-time staff, and it connects with QuickBooks at no extra cost.
The best part? She gets time back for the things that truly matter. Instead of extra admin work, mornings start with peaceful walks along Lake Michigan. These quiet moments by the water fuel days filled with instruction, movement, and the attention required to guide her students. With the weight of payroll complexity lifted, Debra finally has the breathing room to nurture both herself and what drew her to running a studio in the first place.
