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FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

features

HCM People: Emily BartelsSenior VP Payments, Mindbody

If the business doesn’t see a positive impact within 90 days of implementing Classpass, Mindbody will write that customer a cheque for two-times the difference

Published in Health Club Management 2023 issue 7
Bartels says approved operators can receive funds within two days / photo: MINDBODY
Bartels says approved operators can receive funds within two days / photo: MINDBODY
Customers who’ve accepted and paid off advances are realising 12 per cent greater revenue after 12 months than those who did not accept capital

How does Mindbody Capital work?
As a result of Mindbody’s relationship with its customers, businesses that qualify can receive fast, easy financing with a one-time capital fee, making it an offering unlike any other on the market.

Our customers in the US can log into their Mindbody software to see if they have an active offer on their dashboard and accept it in as little as one click. Offers are customisable, so they have the option to accept only what they need.

Offers are pre-approved and updated in real-time. There’s no application process and no upfront cost or collateral required and owners have full discretion when it comes to how they use the funds for their business.

It’s super easy, operators can receive funds in as little as two business days. This allows them to be agile with cashflow to cover payroll or take swift action in regards to a business opportunity.

How are repayments made?
Mindbody Capital loans are repaid as a percentage of daily sales until they’re paid off. Our customers really like this feature, as they don’t need to worry about making a fixed monthly payment, and payment amounts fluctuate with business performance.

How does this support inclusion?
Since offers are based solely on business performance, Mindbody Capital is an alternative source of loans for businesses that have historically been excluded from financing, such as women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Is there a ceiling on how much you can invest?
No, Mindbody Capital leverages our data and technology to generate and update offers in real-time based on business performance and need.
Who backs Mindbody Capital?

Mindbody is partnered with Parafin, a fintech company that provides the underlying technology and capital.

What kinds of things is the money being used for?
Owners can use the funds however they need, as long as it’s for a business purpose. This allows complete flexibility for operators to invest where they need in their business.

The most common uses of Mindbody Capital are payroll and hiring to rebuild staffing levels following the pandemic disruption, fuelling new marketing campaigns to win back former clients and acquire new ones, investing in new equipment and refreshing offerings, paying rent and fuelling expansion and growth.

Are you able to see the value investment is delivering for businesses?
We’ve reached the point now where our first cohorts of capital customers have paid off their advances, and over 50 per cent have already taken a second advance.

We’re seeing really encouraging early data showing that customers who’ve accepted and paid off advances are realising a 12 per cent greater revenue after 12 months over those who did not accept capital.

Anecdotally, we continue to hear positive feedback from customers about the value Mindbody Capital is bringing to their business and how it’s enabled them to finally make the investments they’ve been wanting to undertake – whether it’s hiring more staff, adding services, opening new spaces, or doing brand refreshes for their clubs.

How important is this initiative in growing the market?
The goal has always been to support the industry after we saw firsthand the impact of the pandemic on the wellness industry.

Additionally, Mindbody Capital was created to help our customers with one of the most common challenges a business owner faces: access to capital. This challenge is more acute today than ever, given the ways the pandemic has forced our industry to evolve.

Our goal is to help business owners access capital in an efficient and inclusive way – allowing our customers to focus their energies and resources where they’re needed most: growing their businesses.

Where does Mindbody Capital sit within the overall company ecosystem?
Mindbody Capital is available for eligible US Mindbody customers, including those who are on Classpass. Bringing the brands together, there are offers businesses take up by being both Mindbody and Classpass customers. Mindbody Capital is just one of them.

We also rolled out the Classpass Guarantee, which is exclusive to Mindbody customers. This provides a money-backed guarantee that Classpass will drive incremental revenue growth and if the business doesn’t see a positive impact within 90 days of implementation, the customer gets a cheque for twice the difference.

Mindbody customers can watch their client base grow in their software where they can access metrics on how Classpass adds clients to their business.

With access to Mindbody Capital and the Classpass Guarantee, we’re able to show how Mindbody and Classpass work better together.

More: www.mindbodyonline.com/business/capital

Get the new Mindbody/Classpass 2024 Predictions Report at www.HCMmag.com/mindbodyClasspass24

Fast facts
Appetite for expansion

34% Of fitness businesses plan to apply for financing in the next six months

88% Have expanded their services to invest in integrative health offerings

44% Of business owners say they’re ready to start growing again

Yoga London
Favad Malik

Favad Malik moved from London to the US five years ago with an investor visa and a dream to develop a network of wellness businesses, which eventually led him to open Yoga London.

Inspired by a career in wealth management, he says he knows how interconnected the dimensions of wellness are – financial wellness included – and through this lens, saw an opportunity to bring a modern workout to a rural community.

Yoga London became the first hot yoga studio in Idaho Falls and Malik made it Yoga London’s mission to provide a safe community for ‘every body’.

Opening only five months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoga London experienced challenges from the beginning and from months of shutdowns and quick pivots to online classes, Malik says growth hasn’t always been easy.

One challenge he faced was securing capital. As a UK passport holder, he’s often ineligible to apply to American lenders, however, he was able to borrow from Mindbody Capital. Because Yoga London was viewed as a growing business and he quickly received flexible funding that he says empowered him to be nimble in executing creative ideas. “You’re having to make decisions, but sometimes you could miss the boat because you’re waiting on someone to help finance or fund it. Mindbody Capital helps facilitate those ideas and creativity,” he says.

“The speed of the process is great. I applied on a Thursday evening and it arrived on Friday afternoon. It’s almost like dipping into an existing bank account.”

Repayment was also straightforward, with a percentage of daily deposit deducted each day. Weekly reports show a summary of the repayments and a timeline of when the funds will be paid off.

Growth is Yoga London’s top priority. Mindbody Capital has enabled Malik to market to a wider audience, increase recruitment efforts and bring in more staff. With Mindbody as a partner, he plans to open additional locations and continue growing his community.

More: www.hcmmag.com/malik

Favad Malik saw an opportunity to bring a modern workout to a rural community
Capital has enabled Yoga London to continue to grow in a challenging market / photo: Shutterstock / 2020 fizkes
Female- and minority-owned businesses are often disadvantaged when applying for finance / photo: Shutterstock / Studio Romantic
Female- and minority-owned businesses are often disadvantaged when applying for finance / photo: Shutterstock / Studio Romantic
With the backing of Mindbody capital, operators in the US are exploring new horizons / photo: Shutterstock / Martina Strihova
With the backing of Mindbody capital, operators in the US are exploring new horizons / photo: Shutterstock / Martina Strihova
Finance can be used to boost marketing to new clients / photo: Shutterstock / Africa Studio
Finance can be used to boost marketing to new clients / photo: Shutterstock / Africa Studio
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/2023/323622_704646.jpg
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features

HCM People: Emily BartelsSenior VP Payments, Mindbody

If the business doesn’t see a positive impact within 90 days of implementing Classpass, Mindbody will write that customer a cheque for two-times the difference

Published in Health Club Management 2023 issue 7
Bartels says approved operators can receive funds within two days / photo: MINDBODY
Bartels says approved operators can receive funds within two days / photo: MINDBODY
Customers who’ve accepted and paid off advances are realising 12 per cent greater revenue after 12 months than those who did not accept capital

How does Mindbody Capital work?
As a result of Mindbody’s relationship with its customers, businesses that qualify can receive fast, easy financing with a one-time capital fee, making it an offering unlike any other on the market.

Our customers in the US can log into their Mindbody software to see if they have an active offer on their dashboard and accept it in as little as one click. Offers are customisable, so they have the option to accept only what they need.

Offers are pre-approved and updated in real-time. There’s no application process and no upfront cost or collateral required and owners have full discretion when it comes to how they use the funds for their business.

It’s super easy, operators can receive funds in as little as two business days. This allows them to be agile with cashflow to cover payroll or take swift action in regards to a business opportunity.

How are repayments made?
Mindbody Capital loans are repaid as a percentage of daily sales until they’re paid off. Our customers really like this feature, as they don’t need to worry about making a fixed monthly payment, and payment amounts fluctuate with business performance.

How does this support inclusion?
Since offers are based solely on business performance, Mindbody Capital is an alternative source of loans for businesses that have historically been excluded from financing, such as women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Is there a ceiling on how much you can invest?
No, Mindbody Capital leverages our data and technology to generate and update offers in real-time based on business performance and need.
Who backs Mindbody Capital?

Mindbody is partnered with Parafin, a fintech company that provides the underlying technology and capital.

What kinds of things is the money being used for?
Owners can use the funds however they need, as long as it’s for a business purpose. This allows complete flexibility for operators to invest where they need in their business.

The most common uses of Mindbody Capital are payroll and hiring to rebuild staffing levels following the pandemic disruption, fuelling new marketing campaigns to win back former clients and acquire new ones, investing in new equipment and refreshing offerings, paying rent and fuelling expansion and growth.

Are you able to see the value investment is delivering for businesses?
We’ve reached the point now where our first cohorts of capital customers have paid off their advances, and over 50 per cent have already taken a second advance.

We’re seeing really encouraging early data showing that customers who’ve accepted and paid off advances are realising a 12 per cent greater revenue after 12 months over those who did not accept capital.

Anecdotally, we continue to hear positive feedback from customers about the value Mindbody Capital is bringing to their business and how it’s enabled them to finally make the investments they’ve been wanting to undertake – whether it’s hiring more staff, adding services, opening new spaces, or doing brand refreshes for their clubs.

How important is this initiative in growing the market?
The goal has always been to support the industry after we saw firsthand the impact of the pandemic on the wellness industry.

Additionally, Mindbody Capital was created to help our customers with one of the most common challenges a business owner faces: access to capital. This challenge is more acute today than ever, given the ways the pandemic has forced our industry to evolve.

Our goal is to help business owners access capital in an efficient and inclusive way – allowing our customers to focus their energies and resources where they’re needed most: growing their businesses.

Where does Mindbody Capital sit within the overall company ecosystem?
Mindbody Capital is available for eligible US Mindbody customers, including those who are on Classpass. Bringing the brands together, there are offers businesses take up by being both Mindbody and Classpass customers. Mindbody Capital is just one of them.

We also rolled out the Classpass Guarantee, which is exclusive to Mindbody customers. This provides a money-backed guarantee that Classpass will drive incremental revenue growth and if the business doesn’t see a positive impact within 90 days of implementation, the customer gets a cheque for twice the difference.

Mindbody customers can watch their client base grow in their software where they can access metrics on how Classpass adds clients to their business.

With access to Mindbody Capital and the Classpass Guarantee, we’re able to show how Mindbody and Classpass work better together.

More: www.mindbodyonline.com/business/capital

Get the new Mindbody/Classpass 2024 Predictions Report at www.HCMmag.com/mindbodyClasspass24

Fast facts
Appetite for expansion

34% Of fitness businesses plan to apply for financing in the next six months

88% Have expanded their services to invest in integrative health offerings

44% Of business owners say they’re ready to start growing again

Yoga London
Favad Malik

Favad Malik moved from London to the US five years ago with an investor visa and a dream to develop a network of wellness businesses, which eventually led him to open Yoga London.

Inspired by a career in wealth management, he says he knows how interconnected the dimensions of wellness are – financial wellness included – and through this lens, saw an opportunity to bring a modern workout to a rural community.

Yoga London became the first hot yoga studio in Idaho Falls and Malik made it Yoga London’s mission to provide a safe community for ‘every body’.

Opening only five months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoga London experienced challenges from the beginning and from months of shutdowns and quick pivots to online classes, Malik says growth hasn’t always been easy.

One challenge he faced was securing capital. As a UK passport holder, he’s often ineligible to apply to American lenders, however, he was able to borrow from Mindbody Capital. Because Yoga London was viewed as a growing business and he quickly received flexible funding that he says empowered him to be nimble in executing creative ideas. “You’re having to make decisions, but sometimes you could miss the boat because you’re waiting on someone to help finance or fund it. Mindbody Capital helps facilitate those ideas and creativity,” he says.

“The speed of the process is great. I applied on a Thursday evening and it arrived on Friday afternoon. It’s almost like dipping into an existing bank account.”

Repayment was also straightforward, with a percentage of daily deposit deducted each day. Weekly reports show a summary of the repayments and a timeline of when the funds will be paid off.

Growth is Yoga London’s top priority. Mindbody Capital has enabled Malik to market to a wider audience, increase recruitment efforts and bring in more staff. With Mindbody as a partner, he plans to open additional locations and continue growing his community.

More: www.hcmmag.com/malik

Favad Malik saw an opportunity to bring a modern workout to a rural community
Capital has enabled Yoga London to continue to grow in a challenging market / photo: Shutterstock / 2020 fizkes
Female- and minority-owned businesses are often disadvantaged when applying for finance / photo: Shutterstock / Studio Romantic
Female- and minority-owned businesses are often disadvantaged when applying for finance / photo: Shutterstock / Studio Romantic
With the backing of Mindbody capital, operators in the US are exploring new horizons / photo: Shutterstock / Martina Strihova
With the backing of Mindbody capital, operators in the US are exploring new horizons / photo: Shutterstock / Martina Strihova
Finance can be used to boost marketing to new clients / photo: Shutterstock / Africa Studio
Finance can be used to boost marketing to new clients / photo: Shutterstock / Africa Studio
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/2023/323622_704646.jpg
US health clubs and studios can quickly grow their business with better access to capital. Mindbody’s senior VP of payments tells us more
Latest News
Australia’s fast-growing fitness network, Viva Leisure, is adding a low-cost gym brand to its already ...
Latest News
Speedflex has launched a strength training programme for 10 to 16-year-olds, to make it safer, ...
Latest News
Tewinbury Farm Hotel in Hertfordshire, UK is expanding its premium leisure proposition with the launch ...
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Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, ...

Latest News
PureGym is encouraging people to step away from their screens and go for a walk, ...
Latest News
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promotion
Strength training has moved from the margins to the mainstream.
Opinion: Building smarter strength spaces for today’s operators
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Reaching the people most gyms miss: Bedford Gym & Swim Campaign delivers 410 new members
One of the biggest mistakes the fitness industry still makes is advertising almost exclusively to people who already look and live like gym members.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Elevate 2026 to mark 10-year anniversary with biggest ever waterfront drinks reception
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Company profile: Serco Leisure
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Company profile: Orbit4
Orbit4 is a digital operations platform designed to help fitness and leisure operators manage assets, ...
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Supplier Showcase - Future-proofing
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
ukactive press release: Are they Fit for Office? UK Active and Technogym throw down the gauntlet to MPs
Hundreds of staff, MPs and Peers from across Westminster have signed up for the Fit for Office parliamentary physical activity challenge, which takes place throughout June and is hosted by ukactive and Technogym.
Featured press releases
Innerva press release: Lex Leisure’s power-assisted exercise suite smashes targets in record time
Crook Log Leisure Centre has more than doubled the membership target for its new power- assisted exercise suite in less than six months.
Directory
Spa and beauty equipment
Oakworks Inc: Spa and beauty equipment
Industrial washing machines
Miele Company Limited: Industrial washing machines
Lockers
Crown Sports Lockers: Lockers
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MSpa International Ltd: Hot tubs
Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Aquaform s.r.l.: Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Fitness tracking platform
SpiviTech: Fitness tracking platform
Property & Tenders
Stratford, East London.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Property & Tenders
Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Newmark
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
13-13 Jun 2026
Worldwide, Various,
Diary dates
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
Diary dates
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London,
Diary dates
26-29 Oct 2027
Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
Diary dates
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