"Half of small businesses fail before reaching five years. 70% won't see ten."
That was the statistic that rang inside my head as a young twenty-something, signing on dotted line after dotted line as I started on my business ownership journey. How uplifting.
When my business partner Janelle and I began our venture as fitness studio owners, we were wide eyed and filled with fresh energy. Without yet the responsibilities of family that would come our way in the years ahead, we hit the ground running with pure ambition and passion to create the "something" that we were missing. Growing up inside of a dance studio, we were both keenly aware of the empowering feeling felt when a group of individuals moved together, and deeply missed the close relationships made within that community. We set out to build what we were seeking within our own lives, wanting to spread that same joy of connection and camaraderie for others.
We celebrated 11 years since opening our first studio in Birmingham this year. 10 years in Rochester Hills. 8 years in Royal Oak. 5 years in Northville. I wish I could go back and hug our former selves as we took those first steps - terrified and courageous all at the same time - and tell us how the adventure was going to be even better, even harder, even more rewarding than we ever imagined.
If you know our studio's history - our product has seen great evolution over the years. Which, in a lot of ways makes so much sense. The science and research of wellness is constantly evolving (one of the many reasons why I love this industry!) and I'm proud to say that we have never rested on our laurels when it comes to what we provide for our clients. We have also experienced changes within our brand to remain aligned with the most premium level of experience for our community.
However... when I look back at so much of the change has happened since we first opened in 2013, I also see an evident, overarching constant. The people within our walls. We like to use an anecdote that people "come for the class, but stay for the community," but in reality - that's exactly what has happened. Something that is unique about being in a fitness studio, is that the "fitness" of it all is often a very small fraction of the "why" behind everyone truly being there. We use exercise as the vehicle to get where we are going, but everyone's starting reason and ending goal are vastly different. It's a beautiful fact that we get to take that middle journey together.
We celebrate with clients on their best days - commemorating a birthday, a promotion, the morning of their wedding, their 100th class with us. We also support them on their hardest - as they navigate a breakup, the foggy months of postpartum, losing loved ones, or on a day where they come in and just need to see someone smile. It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of the full spectrum of life for others, and a constant reminder to me that we are never, ever meant to do life alone.
No matter what the sign on the door has said, or the movements in class have dictated, it has always (and will forever be) the people within our community that make our business special. It is also because of those people that we can proudly stand here and say that we made it to the other side of those alarming start-up statistics after all.