How Pilates by Riya gave Riya the freedom to leave corporate.
After being let down by her previous app platform, Riya decided it was time to build something of her own.
With the right team behind her, she migrated more than 100 classes, launched the Pilates by Riya app and left her corporate career within a year. Today, she earns more than she did before and has greater control over how she spends her time.
The experience that changed how she chose her app partner.
Two months after having her son, Riya discovered that a billing error on her video platform had allowed people to access her classes for free. She only found out when a member contacted her to ask whether the 100% discount was intentional.
The experience changed what she needed from her next app partner. Alongside reliable payments and clear data, she wanted responsive support and a team she could trust with her business.
“Two months postpartum, I found out the platform had been giving people 100% discounts, meaning nobody was paying for the videos I had worked so hard to build. I felt so lonely with that platform. I was constantly being ignored, or emails would come eight days later when something was urgent. With Sudor, I don’t have that problem. I usually get a response the same day.”
- Riya Patel, Founder, Pilates by Riya
She planned to wait. Then it became now or never.
Riya had always imagined building an app, but not until 2027. After what happened with her previous platform, she had two choices: put the business aside or build the app she had always wanted.
She chose to begin, working between feeds and nap times while her son joined calls from his bassinet.
“It was either now or never. Nothing in me wanted to park the business and come back to it a year later. All I wanted to do was build the app I had always wanted and find the courage to do it.”
- Riya Patel, Founder, Pilates by Riya
The build did not become hers to carry alone.
By then, Riya had more than 100 classes, alongside recipe books, meditations, sound baths, pre- and postnatal resources and an Ayurveda section. She knew what she wanted the app to offer, but the thought of organising and migrating it all while caring for a newborn felt overwhelming.
Sudor took that weight off her shoulders. The team handled the migration, tagging and categories, while helping her shape the app into something clear and easy to use. With the build taken care of, Riya could focus on preparing the launch and sharing the journey with her audience.
“I cannot thank Sudor enough for how much they took off my plate. I was more worried about how I was going to launch the app on social media than what was happening with the build. I had complete trust in the team to migrate my videos, add the tagging and build the categories, which meant I could focus on the launch. The fact that we were able to turn this around so quickly was amazing. And the service that Sudor gave in making me feel so at ease.”
- Riya Patel, Founder, Pilates by Riya
The app became income she could rely on.
Riya had expected to spend two years balancing Pilates by Riya with her corporate career. Instead, the app started generating meaningful income much sooner than she expected. It helped cover the mortgage, bills, and family expenses, and eventually gave her the confidence to make Pilates by Riya her full-time business. What had started as something she planned to build slowly on the side had become a business that could support her family.
"My app paid for our mortgage, our bills, taking our son away, feeding him, all these things we gave to him and to ourselves was predominantly down to the app. That's one of the reasons why I took my business full time. If it wasn't for Sudor and the app, I would have no way been able to go full time."
- Riya Patel, Founder, Pilates by Riya
More than a financial decision.
Leaving corporate changed more than Riya's income. She now has more control over what her week looks like, including keeping Fridays free to spend with her son. That freedom has become one of the biggest changes of all.
If you're building an audience or community and wondering what it could look like to turn that into something you own, we'd love to show you what's possible.
"I get Fridays off with my son as an unnegotiable. Having the control of controlling what my week looks like, it's changed so much and I'm the happiest I've been. I have not fallen sick once since I've left the corporate world."
- Riya Patel, Founder, Pilates by Riya
Partners who trust us.
