Tina Sprinkle, the owner of Pilates 1901, could tell something was wrong.

She had undergone a hip replacement less than three years ago, but the pain in that joint never completely went away. The staff at her exercise studio even gave her the nickname of the Pilates Pirate because of the way she walked, as if she had a peg leg. It became increasingly difficult for her to lead classes.

Late last year, a doctor confirmed the bad news: She needed another hip surgery—and she would be off work six to eight weeks as a result.

Entrepreneurs are used to eating, sleeping and breathing their small businesses. So when something forces them to be away from the company for an extended period of time, it can be a major shock.

“There’s always that moment when you fear that, oh my God, is my business going to go to hell because I’m not there?” Sprinkle recalled.

The System Survives

But that didn’t happen for Sprinkle, a longtime fitness pro who has owned several exercise companies over the years. In fact, Pilates 1901’s business has increased 10 percent over the past year.

The studio, located at 1901 W. 43rd Ave., offers exercise classes, fat-loss programs and personal training to an ever-increasing customer base. Gross revenues are up 80 percent over the past five years as Sprinkle has moved to increasingly larger spaces to accommodate growth.

So what made the difference for Pilates 1901 when Sprinkle had to go on leave?

For one thing, she said, she already had an excellent manager, Lisa Looy, who could handle the day-to-day operations. Plus, the entire team of 17 employees had been correctly trained and understood how to uphold Pilates 1901’s standards. And the company’s operations and procedures—covering how customers sign up for classes, for example—were already in place.

The bottom line: Sprinkle had built a business that, if necessary, could run without her. The time off just helped to validate that work. (Not that she completely unplugged. Once she was out of the hospital, she continued to work on the company’s website and handled other marketing responsibilities.)

Leaving Your Ego Out

Though she’s got a fair amount of physical therapy ahead of her, Sprinkle is back to work and teaching classes. In some ways, her hip troubles have helped her become a better instructor. When she couldn’t physically show a student how to do something, Sprinkle was forced to describe how to do an exercise, which gave her more insight into various movements and sharpened her communication skills.

Best of all, she has proof that she’s built a company capable of surviving on its own.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Sprinkle said. “It kind of takes your ego out of it. It’s a good thing, right? Your business is supposed to be able to run without you.”