Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carrie Kepple, owner, and CEO of Styles Fitness and Wellness LLC - DBA Styles Studios Fitness, located in Peoria, IL, USA.

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

We are a brand new style of fitness experience! Our inviting club boasts four highly unique boutique studios ranging from a hot yoga experience to strength and conditioning to immersive cycling and more. We have a full-service fitness floor with brand new equipment as well. We have a recovery spa complete with a HydroMassage bed and compression therapy muscle recovery for your legs. We have a Health Coach and Dexa body composition scanning along with other fitness tests to use science to get you on the right path and get you results. We also offer meal plans with recipe books and grocery shopping lists, along with Personal Training options. You get unlimited access to all of our four studios and classes, gym floor, towel service, and more as a member at Styles. Non-members can always drop in for $10 anytime as well. Members have an app to reserve class spots and more. Non-members can call ahead for a class booking with their $10 drop-in. Never be bored again at Styles! We are for all ages and fitness levels. #AllStylesWelcome

Tell us about yourself

My wife Amy and I have been working in the fitness industry for over 20 years, both here in the US as well as internationally in New Zealand. We have traveled the world, training instructors and presenting fitness both at live events and on video masterclasses distributed globally. This is our first site of Styles Studios Fitness, but we are setting up to franchise this model elsewhere and are excited about the progress we are making there too. But what gets us up in the morning is the opportunity to help people learn to love fitness and live their healthiest lives. We are passionate about creating fitter bodies and creating fitter brains and minds. We are very passionate about the entire health spectrum and how we can positively impact that for people.

Our main goal is to create a safe space you love coming to as part of your daily or weekly routine. A place you are excited to come to for your self-care. We want to help you fall in love with fitness so that it no longer feels like a chore but instead now feels like something you get to do and love to do. I also serve on the Board of Directors for IHRSA, which is the trade association for the fitness industry. We are based in Boston but are global. I was the Chair of that Board in 2020/2021. I am in my final year of service this year as Ex Officio. We are focused on advocacy at the federal and state levels for the fitness industry as well as education and research.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Navigating the pandemic and growing through it, and staying open. We opened our doors on January 18th, 2020, and we were forced to close with the pandemic on March 18th, 2020. We had grown fast to 500 members in that first eight weeks, and we're on a great trajectory to hit the black operationally in our first 12+ months, but then COVID shut us down for two months, and the damage of mitigations that followed for two years stunted growth and progress. We are proud that our brand new business made it through those incredibly tough times. We are still in the wake of the recovery but pulling through.

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

Probably starting up is the hardest period for a business owner. You have to be working both on the business and in the business while also working hard to get your name out there to drive leads in the door but with a very limited budget. Other than the massive effort it takes to pull a business off the ground; another ongoing challenge is keeping it fresh to keep your staff and customers interested and retained. Keeping the energy high and flowing.

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

  1. Everyday, take small actions that keep you progressing. Those accumulate, and before you know it, you get there. But if you focus on the enormous size of the path to the end result, it can be so daunting it causes doubt and paralyzes you from progress. So just take it in small steps and keep the faith alive.
  2. Have a solid, well-thought-out plan. Know your potential customers and ensure there are enough of them in the area you are going to sustain your business for the long term. Have a well-thought-out financial plan, and don't start undercapitalized.
  3. Understand what kind of leadership style you have and if you are what it takes to inspire others to follow your vision. Autocratic leadership styles will struggle. Have a growth mindset and empower your people to be a part of the process and solutions.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you're in Peoria and would like to experience the Disney World of fitness, come check us out at 4100 W Willow Knolls Drive next to Office Depot. We'd love to meet you!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.stylesstudiosfitness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stylesstudiosfitness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylesstudiosfitness_peoria/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-kepple-414a555a/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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