Meet Micki Krimmel of Superfit Hero

Today we’d like to introduce you to Micki Krimmel.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I got my first taste of social entrepreneurship when I moved to LA after finishing film school in Boston. In 2004, I was hired as the third employee at a fledgling film production company called Participant Media, now one of the most active film studios in Hollywood.

Our mission was to make films that would make a difference in the world. As the Director of Internet Outreach, it was my job to devise a plan for our films to have a bigger impact online. The project I am most proud of during my time at Participant is Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and the social action campaign we created around the film.

In this role, I had the opportunity to work with many talented people at the forefront of digital technology. I fell in love with startup culture and the contagious optimism of technology founders. I made the jump from Hollywood to Tech in 2006 and founded my first startup in 2009.

NeighborGoods was a pioneer of the Sharing Economy, an award-winning community that connected neighbors to share goods and services. Our work was featured in The New York Times, NPR, and NBC Nightly News. NeighborGoods was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Most Brilliant Companies of 2011 and acquired in 2013.

I also co-founded the LA Startup Club, a peer mentorship program for local entrepreneurs, and The Idyllic Nerd Commune, a co-working space in downtown Los Angeles.

As I came into my own as an entrepreneur, I was also discovering my inner athlete. I began playing roller derby around the same time I started my company. What I thought was going to be a fun hobby quickly became much more than that. Roller derby became the most central part of my identity. For the first time in my life, I was an athlete.

This transformation proved nothing short of revolutionary. My entire relationship to my body changed and my confidence soared as a result. Like most people, I had a rocky relationship with my body and with fitness over the years. I tried every diet, every fitness program, and I never felt like I was good enough. Once I began to think of myself as an athlete, my mindset completely shifted. Fitness became about performance instead of appearance.

I replaced shame and judgment with progress and self-assurance. I freed up so much mental energy I had been wasting on judging myself! I applied this newfound confidence to every aspect of my life, including my business. As an athlete, I became increasingly frustrated with how fitness was being marketed to women. We are bombarded with constant messages that remind us of our inadequacy.

Women are supposed to look a certain way, act a certain way, and fitness is a tool we use to conform to those ideals and as a punishment for not doing so. I was frustrated that the real benefits of fitness were hidden behind these traditional marketing messages of the fitness industry. We all have the capacity for joy in movement. We all have the right to feel at home in our bodies. You don’t have to look a certain way to participate in fitness and enjoy the benefits. All you need is a body. Anybody.

I created Superfit Hero to support athletes of all sizes on their fitness journeys. We make fashionable, functional performance wear in size XS-5XL, making us the most size inclusive premium active brand on the planet. We sponsor plus size and non-traditional athletes, and we feature diverse models across our entire size range on our website.

We also recently launched our Body Positive Fitness Finder. Now anyone can find a Body Positive trainer or fitness community near them simply by searching our directory!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t even know what a smooth road looks like! I started a fashion company with zero fashion experience, and it has been bumpy as hell!

From my experience building technology products, I know how to interview customers and deliver a great product based on their needs. So that’s what I did. I interviewed hundreds of athletes in person and via an online survey to figure out which product to tackle first. I found a local factory to help me with samples and fit-testing, and once I had the fit I wanted, I got to work on the Kickstarter to raise the funds for production.

But that was just the beginning of my struggles. LA is the fashion capital of the world, and we have tons of manufacturing resources here. But most of the high-quality factories are optimized for working with much larger businesses. I definitely underestimated how challenging it would be to find reliable manufacturing partners when I first started.

I ended up jumping between factories six times in our first two years! This meant we were out of stock of our most popular styles for much of that time and we missed out on a lot of sales. As we grew, I was able to manage those relationships better, and now we have a solid manufacturing partner, so we are better able to keep on schedule with new releases and restocks.

I’ve also built a network in the industry that I was lacking at the start. So I’m in a much more secure place in that I now have more options and a bit of leverage that comes with larger order sizes.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Superfit Hero – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Superfit Hero is a body positive activewear brand with a mission to make fitness more inclusive.

We make confidence-inspiring activewear in sizes XS – 5XL, making Superfit Hero the most inclusive premium active brand on the planet. We feature models with diverse body types across our entire size range on our website so customers can see themselves in the clothing and shop more confidently with us.

We also connect athletes with fitness activities near them via our new Body Positive Fitness Finder. We believe fitness is for Every Body and we’re working to create more ways to welcome more people.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The thing I’m most excited about right now is our new Body Positive Fitness Finder. With this unique tool, you can search for Body Positive fitness trainers, coaches, and activities near you by using the map function or searching for an activity. We have over 100 trainers and gyms listed right now offering everything from yoga to hiking to CrossFit.

We have been sponsoring body positive trainers for a while now, and I realized we had built relationships with so many people doing this important work. At the same time, we have thousands of customers who would be interested in working with them. So it was a no-brainer to connect them to each other.

We’re just getting started with this project, but I see it as a huge part of our business moving forward. It helps us grow within the community and really serve our mission at the same time. We hope to make it a vital part of building the marketplace for body positive fitness, for trainers and for fitness enthusiasts alike.

Pricing:

• Superfit Pocket Capris $84
• Superfit Pocket Leggings $89
• Superfit Pocket Shorts $58
• Sport Crop Bra $55
• Superfit Set – Buy and bottom plus a bra and save $20

Contact Info:

• Website: http://superfithero.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superfithero/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superfithero
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/superfitheroes/

Image Credit:
Quartermoon Co

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