Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara Fleming.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Barbara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Grew up in a small town in Mississippi, Hattiesburg, a college town. Always been interested in fitness since I was young but always saw it as a group sport, not a solo activity. From aerobics in the 80’s to running in 1/2 marathons, to hot yoga and interval training. Always loved the energy and gained from a good workout but wanted to be around others as it was so motivating to accomplish workout goals with the energy that others created in a class environment. I even thought about one day becoming a fitness instructor of some sort and owning my own fitness studio. But life and responsibilities happened, (marriage, children)) and my career took me in another direction. I began my career in retail becoming retail store manager and women’s sportswear buyer, then moved into Human resources and recruitment. Ultimately, I ended up as a government contract recruiter then decided to move into public service working for the US Dept. of Treasury as an Administrative officer. My husband’s work brought us to South Florida, Fort Lauderdale, in 2013 – Fort Lauderdale being such an active, vibrant community and clearly focused on fitness, things seems to fall in to place and I fell in love with my new community! It seemed the perfect place to finally make a dream and love a reality –what was missing in Fort Lauderdale, the city that was clearly focused on fitness and had just about every type of fitness studio you could imagine, as well as big box gyms. I began my research…….of all the fitness disciplines, I had never done indoor cycling! Realizing this was certainly missing in Fort Lauderdale I began research the idea of an indoor cycling studio and came across a Cyclebar, the only indoor cycling franchise in the country. The concept seemed like an ideal fit and met all the criteria that was important to me.
CycleBar creates intoxicating energetic cycling classes while incorporating a social aspect into the workout. We get people excited about their workout and enjoying it versus feeling like it is work…….and music is at its core. Coming from a very modest family and understanding the importance of giving back and supporting community, CycleBar also focused on supporting community thru a concept call CycleGiving. By where we work with charities to hold Charity rides with the proceeds going to the local charity. We have the resources and can offer these classes at times when we do not have regularly scheduled classes so why not support your local community! We believe in offering excellent customer service and spending time to get to know our riders, they are our family! We know them by name, we know their children, we know their goals, what competitions they are preparing for, when they are getting married, it is truly our riders that are the reason we are there. We build a sense of community and family in our studio – this keeps our riders coming back to us.
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?
Nothing is ever easy! It takes hard work and dedication to be successful and to be the best possible. From the moment I decided to open CycleBar it took dedication, research, long hours, marketing, taking lots of fitness class to find out what made a good instructor. Not as easy as just opening a studio and people will come.
Location – finding the right space in South Florida was difficult, with so much growth in Fort Lauderdale and very little commercial space it was a challenge, but we found a perfect spot after 6 months and then launched construction to build a premium indoor cycling studio that people would love
Staffing – During the audition process for CycleStars (instructors) we received a very large number of interested applicants, approx. 80 requests of which we Auditioned only 35, with only 8 making it successfully thru the audition and training process to become a CycleStar. Staffing was only a piece of this. They had to be the right person, they had to care about the people they would be teaching, it could not be about them but rather inspiring others to be the best they could be.
Being the best — how to set ourselves apart from other big box gyms, what made us different. It was that we truly cared about our riders, for example we provide the shoes, the towels, water bottles, fresh fruit, etc. Basically, everything you need, just walk in and you’re ready for a class. We provide everything you need.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the CycleBar Fort Lauderdale story. Tell us more about the business.
CycleBar offers a pay-per-class model or memberships so there is something that fits everyone’s needs. Concierge style service and luxury amenities including shoes, filtered water, water bottles, and toiletries are all complimentary
Instructors use a proprietary music platform call CycleBeats, which ensures that every playlist is original and never played twice. A digital copy of the playlist is immediately emailed to the guest after class. This way to guest can open it, play it, shuffle it, share it with a friend, and/or archive it. We work with the best possible instructors to become CycleStars, providing education and training through our own proprietary certification
and ongoing education platform
The dynamic classes take place in a state-of-the-art CycleTheatre and are led by CycleStar instructors who take participants through a 50-minute high energy ride. The CycleTheatre features tiers for 50 bikes plus LED lighting, wide-screen graphics and state-of-the-art audio with a DJ booth. Riders can also track performance data via CycleStats and can download music used in the class session. After class, riders cool down with fresh fruit and enhanced water, while aromatherapy helps guests relax throughout the facility.
CycleBar also does more than just help people stay in shape, it gives them the opportunity to work out to support a cause through philanthropic CycleGiving events that regularly take place at the studios. I want to raise funds for breast cancer awareness, we partner with local charities as well as national ones like the Human Society of Broward County, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, The November Foundation to raise awareness for men’s health and well-being etc.
CycleBar delivers far beyond a great cardio fitness workout. Our studios and staff are entirely dedicated to creating a fun, dynamic and effective indoor cycling experience for everyone who comes in.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I was lucky that timing played a role in our securing CycleBar in Fort Lauderdale, lucky that Fort Lauderdale territory was still available when we were ready to jump in….other surrounding south Florida territories were already spoken for. When I decided it was time to look into fitness studio opportunities I just happen to run across CycleBar as an option and for the concept to fit what I was looking for and still had the local market available was luck!
Pricing:
- New Rider Packages – discounted packages that offer new riders the opportunity to try different classes and instructors before making a commitment – 5 rides for $79 or new rider monthly unlimited $129 for up to 3 months
- Flex Packages – purchase ride credits in packages of 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 0r 100 rides to be used over a period of times.
- Monthly Auto Renew Memberships – a. Monthly unlimited, b.8 rides a month, c. 4 rides a month
Contact Info:
- Address: Cyclebar Fort Lauderdale
525 N. Federal Hwy, ste. 100
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 - Website: fortlauderdale.cyclebar.com
- Email: fortlauderdale@cyclebar.com
- Instagram: cbftlauderdale
- Facebook: CycleBar Fort Lauderdale
- Twitter: @CBFLL
Image Credit:
Laiacona Photography
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