Flywheel was acquired. They can either affirm or deny if that might be the right answer. But we put so much pressure on ourselves in thinking that we should know the answer, and we dont. I discovered at an early age that fitness and exercise is so key to keeping ourselves calm, controlling our moods, and allowing us to approach our stresses in a much healthier way. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Customer service in general was huge and is huge in this field and in this industry. Ruth Zukerman: This type of business is honestly so word-of-mouth. And is that okay for a brand to fill that void? For the entire time I was at SoulCycle and Flywheel, we never advertised once. It sounds like you learned a lot about yourself first. I got out there, and here I was now a single mom of two girls in high school, not in a very strong position financially. Ruth Zukerman, Co-founder of indoor cycling businesses SoulCycle and Flywheel Sports and author of the book "Riding High: How I Kissed SoulCycle Goodbye, Co-Founded Flywheel, and Built the Life I Always Wanted", joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and . But what I learned was it really helps to know yourself when it comes to picking partners. Mike: Yeah, exactly. Despite my career and successes, and how incredibly fulfilling they were, as far as Im concerned, theres nothing more fulfilling than raising children and bringing incredible people into this world. And if I could do that, and if I could go back, the message would be to relax, that we just are not going to have the answers when were 16. Mike: I appreciate the vulnerability because thats not often a takeaway that people would want to share. But theres also a business nugget where they felt that you could actually grow the business by attracting folks who otherwise wouldnt be cyclers or spin-goers. I think for everyones sake, in terms of how we interact with others, as well as how we handle our own day-to-day stresses, we cant burn out. Stanford GSBs View From The Top is the deans premier speaker series. But there was like a prestige about going to SoulCycle. A certified indoor cycling instructor, Ruth has taught indoor cycling at both full-service fitness centers and dedicated cycling studios. Thats only when the reinvention can happen. But now, there are so many choices; I call it exercise snacking. Ruth Zukerman: No, because that question brought this to mind. This is a BETA experience. Mike: That type of learning I think in a school like the GSB where theres a very touchy-feely mentality to approaching business, that resonates, Im sure, with us in the audience. And very quickly I realized everybody has trauma. And I dont have the answers actually. Mike: Okay. You can find that, and thats amazing, or you can find the opposite. Her stuff works huh! Ruth Zukerman: You like to do this in person? But thats not the case either. In 2006, the fitness instructor co-founded the first exclusive indoor cycling studio in New York City, and later teamed up with Jay Galluzzo in 2010 to co-found Flywheel Sports. "We decided to take a look at our national footprint and close studios that were under-performing," a Flywheel spokesperson previously told Bloomberg of its 2019 studio closures. It was kind of a floor-to-ceiling glass room, dark, room was full, the sound of the wheels, club music blaring. And so thats why I think this type of business is so important and here to stay. And really, to a certain extent, what I did was I just transferred that experience onto a bike. Give a guess. Town Sports has . Ruth pioneered the boutique fitness industry by creating the "studio" with a specific, highly curated offering and a pay per class structure, modeling them after the dance studios she would frequent when she was pursuing her dance career. So, if I hadnt been there, I guess that never would have happened. Contents. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Your email address will not be published. She divorced in 1989 according to an article from the nypost in 2011. And its very amusing to me because John modeled the Peloton bike after the Flywheel bike. So you made it a cool, have-to-know-someone thing to walk through a gym and get to the back near the exit to find the SoulCycle gym. She said I was getting a belly. Zukerman, who first founded SoulCycle in 2006 and Flywheel in 2010, is one of these trailblazers. We were actually having this conversation before I came out here. And when youre going through a trauma, one thing I learned thats really important is to take care of yourself and stay healthy and strong. And its this beautiful full-service gym that offered every kind of group fitness you can imagine swimming pool, basketball court, really incredible place. But also, we have a lot of business school students in the audience now. And they didnt know what happened, and that helped a little bit. Mike: If its okay, Id love to end with a personal question that I think you touch on a little bit or at least led me to want to ask in your book. Right now, he is the most trending person in social media. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. And I remember probably a year ago the dissolution happened in 2007. There wasnt much room for me, wasnt much room for my voice. They didnt have to wait in line to get shoes. And through dance classes, I learned so much about music and different genres of music. Mike: Plato? Mike: When I wrote these down, I actually couldnt remember who said what, so I had to go back. It's easy to look at successful entrepreneurs like Ruth Zukerman, cofounder of immensely popular spin studios SoulCycle and Flywheel, and assume their paths unfolded effortlessly before them.. Flywheel has filed for bankruptcy. Would you believe she is in her 50's but looks 30-ish! But it worked. In fact, we get to the growth part later. The instructor puts a lot into it, especially when youre going into a boutique experience. Mike: To zoom out a little bit, you look at the brands that you successfully built and live. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about some of the leadership principles or lessons that you took from being an instructor on the podium and you carried into the boardroom as a CEO. Student Question: Hi. A question I have is around something you mentioned earlier. I think the power of storytelling is that there might be a nugget you can share that maybe tomorrow, maybe in five years or 10 years you look back on and think, That was actually really helpful. It's a balance. Ruth Zukerman: So, its a good question because its thinking about the future of all of this. Im addicted to them. So Im curious how you think accessibility can be incorporated into the wellness industry and boutique fitness particularly. Ruth Zukerman is the co-founder of Soul Cycle and Flywheel, both wildly successful companies that innovated the studio cycling movement. Ruth Zukerman is the Co-Founder of SoulCycle and Flywheel. They dont think that you were actually behind both. What role did dance play in your childhood? Weve all had a lot of challenges growing up and in our adult life. I thought I was talented, but the truth was, I wasnt good enough especially if I wanted to stay in New York. Ruth Zukerman Co-Founder SoulCycle and FlywheelSports, Author, Riding High released October/18 www.fountainofruth.info Student Question: My name is Laura, also an MBA-1. It wasnt simple to get the best person in the world. You described some of them. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And what I ended up doing is I ended up with two partners who were very much like my mother. Where is there space for innovation if at all? So, again, customer service is huge. And Ive heard a lot of complaints about that from riders at both SoulCycle and Flywheel that the miss the way it used to be, and they miss the community and the attention that was given to the individual because its been lost. What I saw very early on was that there was this very strong mental component that kicked in during the 45 minutes in class. That way, I didnt even have to push myself and could take the easy way out. I found that despite what a difficult time that was for me, I would finish class and oddly feel empowered. I started the life of a dancer which meant going to auditions, working part-time jobs, and constant rejection. I became addicted to it. Because Ill top that offer, and we really want you to be here as just an instructor. And I dont even think I turned around, and I left. flywheel ruth zukerman net worthhorse heaven hills road conditionshorse heaven hills road conditions Work Out! Exercise And Pain: Whats Normal? Exercise Tips For Every Age 10 Ways To Stay Motivated To Work Out The Truth About Indoor Cycling. June 26, 2020 | by Jenny Luna At 51, she founded a new business, the highly successful Flywheel, and built the life she'd always dreamed of. And we might get to that later. Mike: So we have one last thing to do, which is somewhat of a tradition here called the Lightning Round. At 51, she co-founded a new business, the highly successful Flywheel, and built the life she'd always dreamed of. "A mutual friend spotted Ruth with Marc and called Elizabeth," the insider said. He used to be a big Flywheeler and SoulCycle. What would be your advice for folks looking to reinvent themselves personally or professionally? And Elizabeth, one of my cofounders, came up with the idea of just putting this rickshaw outside, painting it yellow and putting the name of our business on it to attract attention. And I went out there to see what I was going to do next. I needed a salary. My partnership fell apart at SoulCycle very unfortunately, and that was a huge push for me to figure out what was going to be next. And so she put me in dance class. After failing at a professional dancing career, she picked herself up and reinvented herself as a force in the fitness industry. At 48 years old, Zukerman followed her entrepreneurial spirit and co-founded spin studio chain SoulCycle. Ruth Zukerman is the original co-founder of SoulCycle and Flywheel, both wildly successful companies that innovated the studio cycling movement . Ruth Zukerman is the cofounder of SoulCycle and Flywheel and the author of Riding High: How I Kissed SoulCycle Goodbye, Founded Flywheel, and Built the Life I Always Wanted. So I really didnt have a clue. Ruth Zukerman: You know, it was about making people feel comfortable in every way. The CEO of Bonobos shares stories of the companys creation at the GSB and his journey through a mental health diagnosis. Since then, Ive been doing speaking engagements around my book, Riding High, and figuring out whats next for me. It was a horrible, horrible thing. That was incredibly helpful to me. Im curious about other elements you wanted to bring into both of these brands as you were thinking about the concepts and how you brought them to life in the brands that you did create. There was a reason why I was there. Mike: That Peloton story just fascinates me.
