Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Mora and Melissa Real.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We (Melanie & Melissa) met in early 2014 while working for our previous employer. We both were working as Business Analysts in the Healthcare industry when our two separate teams decided to merge together. Melissa and I shared not only a workload but an office together and as our professional relationship built, so did our friendship. We realized that we both shared many common interests and one was that we loved indoor cycling/spinning and had both been doing it for years. To release some of the stresses after work, we started attending cycling classes together. We both lived in 2 different cities so would find new cycling studios to try out together. Quickly cycling became an obsession for both of us.
In 2015, we found out our company that we were working at was being sold (for the third time in two years). Changes in teams and roles quickly took effect and “work” became learning to adapt to new leadership changes. Then, In February of 2016, Melissa was diagnosed with breast cancer. Having to undergo chemotherapy and several intensive surgical procedures, Melissa was out on medical leave and I (Melanie) remained working on what projects was left to do. In between Melissa’s chemo treatments, we continued to take cycling classes every chance we got. Her oncologist advised that lower body workouts was good for her mentally and physically. Our friendship grew as cycling was our escape from the work world, Melissa’s battle and pretty much life in that moment.
Melissa beat cancer and was able to return to work in November 2016. While Melissa was out on leave, major changes within our team were still happening. Slowly but surely, our workload was decreasing and before we knew it, we had nothing but time on our hands. As work was slow, the idea of starting our own business came up. We thought about many different things to do but the one that made the most sense was a cycle/spin studio! We both grew up very close to the city of San Fernando (where our current studio is currently located) and thought why not open one there? There wasn’t anything like the ones we had been to in our town and most definitely not a HEATED one. We began researching on what it would take to start this business and before we both realized it, we were creating a business plan for Get Sweat Studio.
In addition, we are not your typical cycle/spin class that you would get at a gym. We added HEAT to our cycle/HOT room, so our riders are guaranteed to SWEAT. Our room is dark, so our riders are not afraid to be themselves and ride at their own pace. We have DJ lights that move the beat of the music and a top of the line sound system, so our music is loud, and the room is ALWAYS upbeat. We make sure all rides are guaranteed a full-body workout and even provide weights to utilize during each class.
We have frequent theme rides weekly that our riders absolutely love. Anything from a Spin & Salsa to a Spinchella, to a XXX rated ride gets our riders that much more excited about class. At Get Sweat studio, it’s not just about cycling for us. We are bringing our community together as this city has never seen/been to anything like this before. Heck, most of our clients have never even taken a cycling class before.
What do customers say is their favorite thing about your business/service?
Our customers love that they can get to reserve their bikes beforehand. With our spot scheduling feature, riders can see the class layout, open/taken bikes and get to choose where they sit in the class. Our riders also like the fact that they pay as they go, and you are not forced to join a membership to be a frequent rider. Riders have the option to pay for classes individually as they go or purchase series packages. Lastly, above everything else, we are a customer service-based company and pry ourselves on the outstanding service our employers deliver to our clientele.
Link to our city newspaper that we were featured in upon grand opening
http://www.sanfernandosun.com/news/article_cea1aec6-61f7-11e7-ba8a-2701bf48f6d5.html
Link to “This Is LA” episode where we were featured on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBEt6K0ZzP0
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has not always been a smooth road for us. This being our FIRST business, we learned so many things the hard way. Some of the struggles in the beginning were finding good staff and experienced instructors.
With us on a tight budget (as we used our own money to start our business) we did most of the labor ourselves from building bikes, building office equipment, our website, everything riders do not see on the back-end all by ourselves. We made a lot of mistakes on during the way, but those mistakes only made us stronger and smarter.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Get Sweat Studio – what should we know?
Our entire Get Sweat team is what makes Get Sweat unique. Every other studio we have been to, there is a similarity in how the instructors teach. While keeping a safe and great workout structure, we give our instructors 100% freedom on the music they play and their instructing creativeness. We have been told that all our instructors are awesome but very different and it gives our riders the opportunity and the will to try different instructors that each provides a different type of workout.
In addition, we are not your typical cycle/spin class that you would get at a gym. We added HEAT to our cycle/HOT room, so our riders are guaranteed to SWEAT. Our room is dark, so our riders are not afraid to be themselves and ride at their own pace. We have DJ lights that move the beat of the music and a top of the line sound system, so our music is loud, and the room is ALWAYS upbeat. We make sure all rides are guaranteed a full-body workout and even provide weights to utilize during each class.
We have frequent theme rides weekly that our riders absolutely love. Anything from a Spin & Salsa to a Spinchella, to a XXX rated ride gets our riders that much more excited about class. At Get Sweat studio, it’s not just about cycling for us. We are bringing our community together as this city has never seen/been to anything like this before. Heck, most of our clients have never even taken a cycling class before.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our entire staff, husbands and families deserve credit on how successful we are today. Without any/all of them, we wouldn’t be a “community” we would just be a gym.
Contact Info:
- Address: 226 N. Maclay Ave.
San Fernando CA. 91340 - Website: https://www.getsweatstudio.com
- Phone: 818.928.7211
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: get sweat studio
- Facebook: get sweat studio
Image Credit:
Mark Jaime
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