We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dana Pineda. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dana below.

Dana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The road to opening Cyclebar Sherman Oaks has been long and it hasn’t always been a straight line. This is a business that I grew into, but I have a lot of experience that really helps me in what we are doing here. Before the pandemic, I worked for a clothing company as a sales rep, with my primary focus on the live event space, including concerts and festivals. In my free time, I worked as an indoor cycle instructor, initially as a side hustle, but with aspirations of making it my full-time job.
In 2020, I lost my sales rep job due to the pandemic. With no live events, my customers weren’t buying, and the studio where I taught also closed down. Despite the challenges, I continued teaching cycle classes via Zoom to stay engaged with the community.
During this period, I decided to develop a business plan to open my own indoor cycling studio. I wanted to understand what it would take to turn my dream into reality. In late 2020, I explored the possibility of buying into a franchise, seeking their support to navigate the challenges of post-pandemic life.
It took nearly two years to open Cyclebar Sherman Oaks, encountering more challenges than anticipated. Fortunately, I had kept the community together during the pandemic with online classes. This allowed us to open our doors in late 2022 with a solid core group of founding members. Now, a year into operation, we are thriving.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My story is proof that nothing comes easy, and you can’t accept “no” as the final answer. I had been a cycling enthusiast for years, riding multiple times a week. One day, an instructor asked if I had considered teaching. While I had thought about it, I never admitted it until then. She encouraged me to try out, and although I failed the audition, the experience gave me the strength to continue and try again. I pursued instructor certification shortly before becoming pregnant with my second child. Again, I had to wait. Once my body allowed, I resumed working and seized an opportunity to audition for a heated indoor cycling studio nearby. I taught there for a year, laying the foundation for my career and building a local following that carried over to Cyclebar Sherman Oaks.
What I am most proud of about our studio is the sense of community. Our studio serves as a sanctuary for our members, a place where they can escape from their daily lives, work, and external pressures. Cyclebar Sherman Oaks provides a space for people to prioritize self-care and challenge their emotional and physical limits. I’ve witnessed our members achieve incredible feats, from weight loss and habit changes to overall health improvement. Amazingly, we even have members who, post-chemo, regain their endurance and strength. Everyday someone amazes me and validates why I kept fighting for this studio to open.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Growing up, I had two younger siblings and a working mom, so I had to assume the role of a caregiver for my sisters at a young age. This experience taught me discipline and hustle. I worked multiple jobs and paid my way through college, learning not to take “no” for an answer. When opening a business, you encounter numerous “no’s,” and various obstacles stand in your way. To be honest, there were many times when I thought I would never open.
Whether it was finding the right retail space, dealing with construction, navigating permitting, or securing funding—every day brought its own challenges. I was afraid that my dream would remain just that. However, my husband (and business partner) kept pushing me and helped me understand that we just needed to keep pushing through. We joke that this business is now our third kid, and just like a child, it requires constant attention and love.
I think about this a lot when helping people at Cyclebar Sherman Oaks improve their fitness routine. It’s all about pushing through. Getting yourself to class, following through and then doing it again. It’s never easy, but if you commit yourself, the benefits are all that hard work’s own rewards.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Because Cyclebar Sherman Oaks is my 3rd child, and needs lots of attention, I am present in the studio on a daily basis. I know every single person who walks through our doors. And if it’s your first time in our studio, I will get to know you. This is more than just a workout that you come in and leave right after. I learn about who each and every person is in our studio, my staff is invested in our riders as well. Because we are so invested in each person that enters our doors, they become invested in us and their neighbor who they may not know yet, but will soon becomes friends with. We have seen so many friendships and accountability partners develop in our studio. It’s the best feeling to see the community that my staff and myself have created!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cyclebar.com/location/sherman-oaks
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclebarshermanoaks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyclebarshermanoaks
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cyclebar-sherman-oaks-2