We were lucky to catch up with Debbie Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Debbie, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

The best part about being a business owner is that I am my own boss. The worst part about being a business owner is that I am my own boss! It’s not that I’m a bad boss; it’s that the buck stops with me. There is no one else to blame when things don’t work out as planned. And yet when things go exactly as planned (or better), there isn’t a lot of time to celebrate. A quick pat on the back and we keep it moving! This is not an occasional thought – it’s a regular part of doing business. As the owner and manager, there are constant decisions about staffing, scheduling, pricing and there is no corporate entity to point to, e.g. “Corporate said we have to raise prices.”. Additionally, there is a sense of security in having a corporate job and in knowing that there is a system in place around you. My professional evolution started as an employee, then I became a consultant (self-employed), so there was a natural pathway to small business ownership and I have no regrets!

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 husband and I started FLO in 2018. We relocated from Calgary, Canada after building our business plan and figuring out all the details around starting a new business. Our original plan was to offer two boutique fitness experiences (Yoga and Indoor Cycling) under one roof. As we narrowed down spaces to lease, our plan evolved to include strength training (we call them Flex classes). Today we offer three different modalities in three different rooms. Each room is outfitted with top of the line equipment, lighting, and audio. We believe that moving our bodies is the key to longevity and health, but repetitive movement can cause us to plateau or lose interest. At FLO our members have access to a wide variety of movement and exercises under one roof, ensuring that they stay motivated and energized. As business owners, we are very present and involved, and this has set the tone with our team and members. There is a sense of community and camaraderie that is hard to capture in words.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

After years of trying multiple strategies, our most successful growth comes from members bringing their friends. These clients are the most committed and consistent because they already have a community and an accountability partner in place. There are a lot of unrealistic expectations promoted by advertisers and social media and this makes many fitness studios seem intimidating. We have developed a referral program to encourage members to bring friends, by offering them free guest passes and incentives if their guest signs up for a membership.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

This is something that we learned the hard way. Heading into 2020 our business was at its peak. Everything was going great. When we had to close with very little notice and essentially no information, all revenue dried up because we had all our eggs in one basket: in-person group fitness. Since then we started branching out to online fitness platforms (although it takes a tremendous amount of time and effort for this to become profitable) and online merchandise sales. We have also added more revenue streams like rented shoes and mats, towels for purchase, and paid parking for non-customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.floyogacycle.com
• Instagram: @floyogacycle
• Facebook: @floyogacycle
• Youtube: @floyogacycle
• Other: @floyogacycle on TikTok