My goal was to invest in where fitness is going, not where it’s already been

How did you come to be at the helm of Stride Fitness?

I was president of Club Pilates back in 2015 and ran that brand until 2021, when we acquired the Rumble boxing brand and I transitioned to be president of Rumble.

Two years ago the Xponential management said they were going to divest Stride Fitness and asked me if I’d like to take it on. My plan had always been to do my own thing at some point so I took the opportunity.

We have the brand's founder, Katie Ownbey, on board with our vision and she’s a great partner for us.

What changes have you made?

It took 18 months to develop the concept I wanted. We had 17 franchise partners and I went to them first and shared my vision and gave them the choice of either coming with me and converting their studios, or working with me so they could exit the system and either become an independent boutique studio, or close.

We completed that phase in October year and then started rolling out the new concept and franchising again. We just opened our first brand new studio under the new concept in February in Huntington Beach, California, along with our new corporate office.

We just became a Hyrox affiliate studio operator. There aren’t a lot of studios out there that can help you train on the running side of Hyrox

What was the response from the franchisees?

It was mixed. The Stride concept under Xponential Fitness didn't thrive for a number of reasons. Firstly, because it opened during COVID. Secondly, it just didn't get the resources, time or attention some of the other brands received. So there was some scepticism from the franchise partners when I came in.

A few came with us and are driving their businesses forward under the new concept and others have left.

Tell us about the new concept

When I looked at going out and doing this on my own, I felt there was a gap in the market that was completely underserved. My goal was to invest in where fitness is going, not where it’s already been, so that was the guiding vision.

I took out half the treadmills and added custom-made weight benches to create a dual-modality workout. We now have 12 treadmills and 12 benches, so 24-person capacity in each class, with cardio training and full body strength training combined in every single class. The two modalities work well together – the stronger your body becomes, the longer and better you can run.

We just became a Hyrox affiliate studio operator, so we have Hyrox classes as well, which I think has helped to differentiate us. There aren't a lot of studios out there that can help you train on the running side of Hyrox.

The other part of my vision was to add a recovery component within this small footprint, so we have anti-gravity chairs with massage and heating, Hyperice, air compression therapy, red light therapy and a motion plate.

We’re creating a holistic boutique fitness approach: a multi-modality approach combined with an intentional recovery piece. We’re very excited about what we've created.

Who is your ideal customer?

I'd say our target demographic is 25- to 50-year-olds. It's an environment where, regardless of your fitness level, you can get a great workout. The programming is tailored in a way that gives you the opportunity to elevate your performance based on where you are.

We have some people that are just walkers, and others that sprint the entire time. We use Woodway treadmills, which are really state of the art and give the opportunity to increase elevation and speed in a way that mimics outdoor running. It allows people to work out at their own level.

A newly-revamped Stride concept just opened its first studio, in California / Stride Fitness

What are the membership options?

We have three different tiers of membership. Ignite, which is a starter membership with four classes a month (US$89/month). Core offers eight classes per month (US$149/month) and Elite is an unlimited membership with full access to the recovery room (US$179/month).

What’s the portfolio?

We have five open today, another three in development – in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Albuquerque – that should open in the summer, a handful of others moving forward and the franchise pipeline starting to grow.

The studios are typically 2,000 to 2,800 square feet, which should be enough for franchisees to recover their ROI in a year or two.

What do you see as the challenges and the opportunities?

There’s a ton of opportunities and a lot of upside. We're getting a chance to start over with Stride Fitness and this modality. We have white space across the country. There are lots of opportunities on the franchise sales side and to create this movement. It's exciting and it's fun.

The challenges are the same as any other boutique fitness business – the saturated market in the US. We have new boutique fitness modalities popping up all the time. So it’s all about staying relevant and ahead of the curve.

We’re confident – I've been in boutique fitness franchising for almost 20 years. What we have here is a modality that's tried and tested, it's not a trend, it's incredibly impactful and I think it's something that will last for a long time.

Each Stride Fitness group class has a 24-person capacity / Stride Fitness

Tell us about your roadmap

Right now, I just want to get the new studios open and make them successful. I've taken two years to redesign this concept and get it to where I feel comfortable going up to market and selling it to franchise partners. So the next step is to get some of these open and then continue to grow that footprint.

Typically when we sell a franchise territory, our protected territories are 50,000 people or two miles, whichever comes first. I wouldn't like to go into a market with a population of less than 300,000. We're being cognisant of where we're selling territories – I want to ensure that each one of our franchise partners is successful and satisfied, with a thriving studio.

While focusing on quality sites rather than quantity, I’d love to have 150 studios open in the next couple of years and then continue to grow the brand, the movement and the footprint.

I've got a huge network of fitness franchise owners, many of whom are international at this point, who are asking when we’re coming to the UK and Spain. So an international move will be the next evolution.

Coach-led Stride classes combine strength, cardio and recovery / Stride Fitness

The Stride studios now also have a Hyrox affiliation, which has helped to differentiate the brand / Stride Fitness

/ Stride Fitness

The target demographic is 25- to 50-year-olds of all fitness levels / Stride Fitness