Today we’d like to introduce you to Judi Shapiro Thiel.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have a love affair with bikes! In fact, I started cycling right out of high school in 1983. For over 30 years, I have been an avid outdoor road cyclist. Through cycling, I found empowerment. I tapped into something that I knew was there, but had never been seen…. The more I cycled, the more confident I became. A once shy, high schooler, I was now racing as both a USCF and USA Cycling licensed racer and competed in sanctioned races and time trials. Hill climbing, specifically, is my challenge and my love. There is a sense of power, both physically and mentally, that one gets when climbing higher and higher to reach the apex of a hill stage. There is nothing like it!
I started Indoor Cycling/Spinning in 1996 when I became pregnant with my first child (and was unable to race outdoors anymore) and I haven’t stopped! It is such a fun, safe and incredibly effective workout. I love to share my passion for cycling, both indoors and out, with others!! I became an instructor in 2010 and have never been happier with what I do!!! My goal is to have others be able to tap into that same power, the power of self-confidence that I found through fitness. I am so passionate about people finding beauty and power in movement and then pursue to get stronger as a way of expressing their gratitude!
As time passed, I realized that we cannot live by cycling alone! I decided to teach “hybrid” style classes, such as Spin/Core, Spin/Lift, etc. So many people loved the fact that it was “some” indoor cycling and “some” strength. but others wanted either one or other. Can’t make everyone happy all the time? Well, I created a studio that actually lets members CHOOSE what their workout is going to be. I created a place where we have 2 simultaneous classes going on that are compliment one another and at the 30-minute mark, sliding doors open and people can switch to the other work out if they wish!
Being an avid cyclist, I picked out the ONLY indoor cycles that made sense to me. They are called RealRyders and they tilt and lean and turn, simulating a real bike ride! I coupled that with rowers that have varying resistance levels, just like an indoor cycling bike and added strength to that equation utilizing TRX, weights and lots of other toys!
Has it been a smooth road?
All of this was a long time in coming! Before I had my 3 children, I was an elementary school teacher and then I was a stay at home mom for 13 years. When the recession hit, I had to go back to work, but, unfortunately, I did keep my teaching credential up properly and could not go back to teaching with out over 1,000 hours of professional growth! Feeling old and kind of lost about what I should do, I took the plunge at age 45 and did something that I always wanted to do, I became certified as a group fitness instructor and started teaching fitness classes. Wow!! Something in me was completely released and I found empowerment and joy at my new job! I really just loved it so much… From feeling so lost and powerLESS, fitness gave me something back and even something more. I LOVED sharing this power with others and that is when I knew I wanted to create something that could help everybody at any fitness level. Baby steps got me to where I am, one step at a time. Years of taking classes, riding, running, coaching beginning cyclists, running boot camps and teaching classes have given me insights into fitness that I hope helped me see both sides of fitness, the exercise side and the business side as well. Through all of that, my main goal is to help people tap into their power, tap into their strengths, through fitness. Changing your fitness level is a metaphor for so much more related to the psyche. Sometimes the only obstacle stopping you is you… that is what I learned and overcame and what I want to pass on to others. EVERYDAY!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I feel like Crank It Up is a playground for all ages. The colors of the studio are bright, organic and energetic. The Crank It Up coaches are hand-picked specifically to not only get members to dig deeper and push harder but to smile why doing it!. So many members tell me that Crank It Up is their “happy” place and THAT is what this is all about!:!
My goal for my studio is to empower people through the pushing of their own body… to find beauty and passion in movement, sweating, pushing, pulling, lifting and kicking, so I decided to offer more than just cycling. I researched and researched and decided to include the addition of rowing and strength, Iincludein order to create an environment with workouts that complimented each other, offering max calorie burn in the shortest amount of time. But I still wanted more! I did some more research and I knew that I wanInclude kickboxing… so I asked a kickboxing powerhouse to create a program as the final addition to our studio. Melanie Neat Smuck was the expert that I wanted involved to help create Crank It Up: Cycle Row Strength Kickbox. Melanie had traveled all over the world training people, including our troops, in Tae Bo(r). Since then, she has broadened her training to include boxing, which has evolved her class into what it is today at Crank It Up.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Starting a business anywhere is really tough. You have to know your market, know your demographic and go after it, not only through hard work and due diligence, but through BELIEF and PASSION for what you are offering. Los Angeles/ Long Beach is a place like no other! The variety of nationalities and cultures is just mind boggling and just so amazing! The opportunities for starting a business in such a vast city is endless.. What a magnificent pool of people to tap into and to bring what you have to offer to them! I do believe, that taxes on small business are what I think can be changed. It’s those extra charges and fees every time you turn around that really make it hard to create a profit in this city.
Pricing:
- Unlimited Classes.Membership…. $89
- 3 Classes Per Week Per Month Membership… $79
- 2 Classes Per Week Per Month Membership….$59
- 1 Class Per Week Per Month Membership.. $39
- Walk In Price… $15
- 15 Class Pass (To Be Used In 4 Months).. $150
- 10 Class Pass (To Be Used in 3 Months).. $110
Contact Info:
- Address:
8195 Wardlow - Website: www.crankitupfitness.com
- Phone: 5623437377
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: crank_it_up_studio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crankitup.fit/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crank-it-up-cycle-row-strength-long-beach-3
