Today we’d like to introduce you to Amira Polack.
Amira, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I hope that at any point in life, my story can be bookended by these two quotes:
“Now, go and kick some ass.” – Clarie Polack
“Don’t forget to have fun!” – Joshua Polack
Clarie, Josh, and I all share the same last name because, well, they’re my folks! As it happens, the way I start most things and how I got to where I am on any day tends to trace back to them, and how they brought me up right here in LA.
My parents met each other at work, and over the years had my sisters and me. My mom has been a social worker, nonprofit operator, artisan of semiprecious stone jewelry, and home executive who immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines. My dad is a biomedical engineer who has commuted between home in Glendale and work in Valencia most of my life.
I was born and raised in the Valley until the age of six, then spent most of my remaining childhood in Glendale with my last two years of high school in La Cañanda. At every opportunity, Mom and Dad found ways to exemplify the values that sum up how I try to do things – with inventive problem-solving, diligent learning, hard work, and the kind of leadership-by-example that revolves around helping others. It sounds so simple, but in practice, I feel like I’m constantly aspiring to live up to these values. The most abundant resource we had growing up was the collective love of an extended family from all over Cali from the OC to Corona to San Jose.
Of course, my appreciation for creative commerce and an active lifestyle stems in large part from growing up in LA, which makes it the perfect place for Struct Club to do its work.
While this backstory seems low-key compared to the glamorized entrepreneur stereotype, this was really how everything got started for me, and it explains the values and motives I have brought to the key moments that carried me to where I am today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
To be an entrepreneur, you’ve got to buckle up for a bumpy ride – your opportunity is born out of challenges. Starting out sitting at your kitchen table, cranking from a café, or trying to make the next meeting while waiting in standstill traffic that no ‘smart’ map can get right enough for you to plan your life logistics properly can be mentally fatiguing. People ask me who runs the company all the time, and they are shocked to learn it’s me! LOL…but ouch? There is no smooth road to recruiting an all-star team from the ground-up, inventing a category-defining product, then turning it all into a business. Then, there are people you open your heart up to and share your struggles with, who then turn around and snap, “well, you asked for it! This is what you wanted!” Fair — but still kinda rude! The biggest personal challenge I’m still learning to surmount is the struggle to practice self-compassion, especially when the dream of the future is bigger than today’s reality. But, that’s also the fun of it.
Hot tip: I’ve gotten into the habit of “freaking out loud” or sharing my main daily struggle and seeking advice. I’ve found this can help shortcut to a solution, reassure myself that I’m not alone, and sometimes even enable me to help out someone else by sharing a shortcut I’ve already figured out to their struggle.
Struct Club – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Struct Club means structure for instructors of music-inspired fitness classes, and currently, we specialize in providing a tool (now live on the App Store) for spin and cycle instructors to design classes with ease and lead the pack with confidence.
Recently, one of our instructors Aly told us, “You’ve helped me grow my business. My classes are so on-point now, my members feel like they are in a boutique cycle class.” Another named Jenny shared, “You have made life as an instructor so much better.” These moments fill me with pride. I’m proud to get to work with the kind of team that stands behind an important community of instructors – many of whom are female founders of their own fitness businesses – who day in and day out dedicate their sweat in order to make wellness and strength more accessible for everyone. We are able to make this type of impact in a way that sets us apart because our team and community are nonpareil when it comes to bridging the gap between the industry and tech innovation. I believe this uniqueness stems from a serious dedication to authenticity, impact, and inclusion.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
If my daily life can mirror what I value and yield a deep positive impact for someone else – whether it’s making someone’s day, advancing their career, or eliminating a hardship, I consider myself successful. There are numerous measurable proxies and residual indicators that help give this success a more quantifiable scope. Say, I feel successful when a Struct Club member gasps and positively gushes over a new feature we’ve shared with them for the first time when they go on to incorporate our product into their ongoing routine. One might track this success in clicks, engagement metrics, and dollars and cents. It takes a huge set of causally linked variables, though, to bring the same level of color to a transformation the way a story can. I savor these new narratives and am delighted when I can play a meaningful role in making them happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.structclub.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/structclub/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/structclub
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/structclub
Image Credit:
Nicole Tompkins
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