Music, Sweat, Connection - RISE CYCLE

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andy Lin, founder of RISE CYCLE, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

If you have 10 seconds, I would tell you that we are in the business of fitness, specifically indoor cycling/spin. If you have 5 minutes, I would tell you that we are in the business of helping people through music and movement. Many think that indoor cycling is a great way to get fit (and it is!). However, our clients would describe it as 'exhilarating, proud, and energizing' more than anything else.

We create fun, challenging, yet achievable music-driven spin classes so that people can come together, sweat, shut their minds off, and socialize. We curate programs that utilize music not only to create our fundamental program but to create drama (think of a concert), and when we do, a 50-minute class is over before you do it! Moving together is something that is so powerful and so rare. Yet, it is in our DNA as humans to be together, to move together. These days, the only other forms of this are really concerts, church, and dancing.

Tell us about yourself

I have been teaching spin for the last ten years. I started in 2012 when a friend Dave dragged me to class. I would teach before and after work (I was working a corporate job in commercial real estate). Spin changed my life when a guest told me that I was helping her through her divorce. That's when it clicked. I realized that I was helping others in a way that was far beyond fitness.

Clients would come up to me and tell how it has impacted their everyday lives, that it had helped them through difficult times, or they took away something we did or said in class that they implemented into their everyday lives. The fact that I get to put a smile on people's faces or even help them a little bit by shutting their minds down for 50 minutes makes what I do so enjoyable.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Being able to see it come to life was the most incredible feeling - when ideas start to take shape. Most ideas don't make it further than a piece of paper. If you have taken action beyond that, you are already doing it!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Time. Time becomes increasingly scarce. Learning to balance work, life, and family is truly a challenge. Learning to delegate. Choosing what NOT to do rather than what to do because we are limited by time.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Find a partner who believes and is passionate about you and your idea. It can be a co-founder, a spouse, a mentor, or a close friend. No matter your journey, there are days when you will feel like you are doing the impossible. Find someone who is as passionate as you are and can help lift you up on the days you are down.
2. PPP - Persistence, Perserverance, Patience. In that order. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Keeping at it and pushing through when you get knocked down is really important. Lastly, the timing bit is largely out of your control, so as hard as it is (trust me...), learning to be patient is a skill I have had to learn.
3. Learn to be able to do a bit of everything. I was always taught to specialize (in finance) so that I could be a master of one thing. As a business owner, I don't believe you need to be a master in anything particularly. However, you do need to learn to have a basic understanding of all things related to your business. Then, you will find people who are better than you in each area to help you out. So go out and learn, in class, online, and grab coffee with people who have done it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.risecycle.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risecycle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/risecycle/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rise-cycle/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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