HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness

"I always joke that every start up needs a crazy Israeli," laughs Kenny about his Co-Founder, Nadav. Currently approaching its sixth month, these two former attorneys discuss everything nearly any entrepreneur can relate to! From having to share a small studio apartment, to the need to to pivot due to manufacturing & hardware issues, to waking up at 4:30am, to ClassPass, to dealing with operations in a brick & mortar studio, and much more. This is a must listen for anyone who has ever considered branching out on your own.

"The next thing I know, we have a pretty full gym, but I also didn't know what the heck I was doing," laughs Jared Stein. Currently at 5 CrossFit gyms plus a 30,000 sq ft big box space (all branded WILLYB) Jared shares his experiences from starting in the trenches, searching for space, opening the first two stores, how they expanded, what was involved with their first acquisition, and much more. A must listen for anyone thinking about opening their own facility one day!

"A lot of these technologies and apps have yet to find a mainstream value proposition. I'd look at retention and engagement much more than purchase and initial transaction," states 25+ year consumer services veteran Gunjan Bhow. With the technology now available, opportunities are massive and Walgreen's is going far beyond just retail and pharmacy, as they are currently examining digital health and other connected services. Listen now to this wide ranging discussion on the (hopeful!) future collaboration and convergence of the two major verticals that absolutely need to be working together.

"If I owned a fitness facility and needed trainers, sales or membership staff, what better person would you want than a college (or former college) athlete?" states CEO & Founder, Ryan Drummond. One year later, progress has been phenomenal! With Crunch currently on a pilot program, The Athlete Book has Amazon, Tesla, Yelp, JP Morgan, Mass Mutual, and others on the platform. Hiring for fitness facilities has always been a pain point, and TAB solves it through virtual hiring events, highly detailed employee profiles & personality assessments, and much more. Join their early beta for $199 per month, per location. Click here for more info. See you at IHRSA 2020!

25 years after working incredibly hard to attempt to dance professionally in NYC, Ruth stepped into her first indoor cycling class at the Reebok Sports Club on the Upper West Side in NYC. Not long after that, an entire movement (and arguably a new sector of the fitness industry) was born. Industry icon Ruth Zuckerman discusses everything from the instructor training, the initial hurdles of expansion, maintaining authenticity, the history of the early days of Soul Cycle and Flywheel, and provides her two top pieces of advice for all entrepreneurs in the HALO sector. This is a must for everyone in the HALO space!