Today we’d like to introduce you to Steph Sklar-Mulcahy.
Steph, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I worked on the logistical and budgeting side of the TV & Film industry for 20 years, which took me from New York to Los Angeles, and many places in between. About 18 years ago, I got involved in the AIDS LifeCycle ride where I participated in the 550+ mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles in an effort to raise money for HIV and AIDS research.
It is an incredible event because you have all of these people from all over the world pedaling towards one goal, to end the AIDS epidemic. With so many volunteers looking after you, so much kindness, positivity and support, it is a perfect world for 7 days. We call it “the love bubble.” You don’t have to spend money, you don’t have to buy food, your gear is carried for you…. and you get to the finish and think, “How do I go back into the world after I just lived in this utopia for seven days?”
I was hooked from the first ride and participated year after year, and soon set a goal to find a place where I could make the love bubble happen every day and spread it throughout my community. As I got more and more into fitness, health and wellness, I realized I wanted to make this my job.
After several Google searches, I stumbled upon the franchise, CycleBar. It was the perfect place where I could create this community where people from all different backgrounds and levels of fitness could come together and work out. I opened CycleBar Culver City in 2017, and we were ready to rock our rides.
There’s something about riding a bike–it’s one of our earliest and fondest childhood memories that stays with us throughout our entire lives. It doesn’t matter your age, when you start pedaling, you can’t help but be happy. Cycling releases chemicals in the brain that release powerful mood-enhancing endorphins–let’s be honest, it is a darn good workout.
I love being in the studio after a class is let out–the joy and smiles on people’s faces, high fives, hugs, fist bumps all around–you can feel the good energy! We like to say that no one leaves a CycleBar class in a bad mood!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning and operating a small business takes a LOT of work. At first, I thought, “If I build it they will come,” but quickly realized there was so much more to it. I had an incredibly challenging first year–we made a big splash on the scene, but our corporate office was on the verge of being sold (unbeknownst to the franchisees), and the support wasn’t there. After our now parent company, Xponential Fitness took over, a sales plan was put into place, and I was finally pointed in the right direction.
My team and I finally cracked the code in 2019, and I was awarded “franchisee of the year” in Culver City. I was flying high and added a second studio to my portfolio, opening Santa Monica in January 2020. And then…COVID happened. It has been a struggle every day since. We were closed for three very long months. I rented out all of my bikes to my riders and tried to film online classes for them. When we finally were able to reopen, we were told within days that we had to close again, and that’s when I pivoted the business and took it outdoors. I had actually been speaking with my landlords about it even before we were allowed to reopen. We were trying to come up with a way for the business to survive and how to safely gather together to work out. We operated outdoors for 10 months at 50% capacity–and eventually were able to go back inside with face coverings and vaccine checks. It has only been a few months since we dropped the vaccine mandate inside the studio. I’m looking forward to 2023, where we will be fully open and operating “normally”. We are currently at about 70% back from where we were when we closed in 2020 in Culver and 30% in Santa Monica. But you know what they say, they only way out of something is to go through it, which has been my motivation to stay open at all costs–that and my commitment to my community. We are so much more than an indoor cycling studio. We’ve been called many things, my favorites are: “my church”, “my happy place”, and “my support system.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about CycleBar?
We are a boutique indoor cycling studio specializing in high intense interval training (HIIT) on a bike. We are an inclusive and supportive community that welcomes riders of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. No matter who you are or where you came from, we have a bike for you! We have the best instructors in the industry and are lucky enough to also have Senior Master Instructors and Master Instructors who work for our corporate office and help train instructors all over the country.
We are committed to help our riders reach their goals inside the studio and out. Our staff is there to welcome everyone by name with a smile and assist with any of their needs. Our instructors spend a lot of time curating their playlists and programming their classes, ensuring that our clients get their 45 minutes of “me” time to unwind, disconnect, and focus on their health and fitness.
I’m most proud of how committed our franchisees are to the CycleBar Brand, as well as our riders. I’m also proud of how we were able to persevere during the pandemic and the support and trust we received from our clients. It was a very uncertain and troubling time, and there was a lot of trust put on us to keep everyone safe.
Different from our competitors, at CycleBar, we take care of everything, so all you have to do is show up, clip in, and ride. Once you get in our doors everything is included with no additional charges. We provide complimentary filtered water, reusable water bottles, lockers, showers, and amenities such as hair ties, GoodWipes body wipes, wet clothing bags, and other toiletries for you to use.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I see every opportunity as a risk and every risk as an opportunity to grow and learn.
Several years ago I decided I was going to make a change in my rather sedentary lifestyle. I decided I was going to do this by training and running a marathon (I had been inspired by a friend who had done the same thing). Had I never taken this risk, I don’t know if I would have ever gotten to where I am today. Crossing that finish line, and many more after that has taught me so many valuable lessons in commitment, discipline and has shown me what I am capable of when I believe in myself.
Leaving a career of 20 years to take a leap of faith on opening CycleBar was a risk. Hiring friends who I trusted to help manage the business was a risk. Reopening the studio in a time of uncertainty during the pandemic was a risk.
Owning a business in itself is a big risk. There’s a risk in every decision you make, every dollar you spend, every staff member you hire. I don’t think it is possible to be an entrepreneur without taking risks–it’s part of the definition.
Risks make me stronger, braver and give me the confidence to achieve my goals and create the life that I want.
Pricing:
- LA Locals, your first ride is FREE
- Unlimited Rides Monthly Membership – $199
- 8 Rides Monthly Membership – $149
- 4 Rides Monthly Membership – $99
- Single Drop-In Class – $29
Contact Info:
- Website: culvercity.cyclebar.com and santamonica.cyclebar.com
- Instagram: @cyclebarculvercity and @cyclebarsamo
- Facebook: @cyclebarculvercity and @cyclebarsantamonica
- Twitter: @cyclebarculver and @cyclebarsantamonica
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cyclebar-culver-city-5 and https://www.yelp.com/biz/cyclebar-santa-monica-2
