Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabrielle Mazar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Gabrielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have always had a passion for being an entrepreneur, but when I started my first gym in 2011 it wasn’t quite right. I found myself fitting into a mold that I didn’t want to be in and also a market that was already so saturated. After a year and a half I decided to part with that business and continue on my own, which I did for more than 7 years. It wasn’t until I joined a Pilates studio, Pilates Tempe, which I now own, that I realized there was a need for a few things. First, there was a need for a place with smaller classes and more attention. A place that felt like home, a community. I also realized that the health and fitness industry was growing and travel was becoming a big thing, so adding the two together but in a different way than a retreat or weight loss camp was a no brainer for me. That is when I created Destination Fitcations. What makes it unique is that it’s a luxury, all-inclusive vacation that is planned for you that includes active excursions, workouts, and still gives you enough free time to really enjoy your time wherever we go.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Fitness has always been a part of my life since I was a child. It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized that my passion would become my career. I graduated from ASU with a degree in Exercise and Wellness and Small Business. I have multiple certifications and now own Pilates Tempe, a Pilates and fitness studio. Before working in my first gym, I was an intern at a smaller studio learning meal plans,exercise programs, and many different programs from bodybuilding to circuit training. I loved it. Less than two years working at a club, I knew it wasn’t for me and opened my own studio. I thought boot camps was the direction I should go but I was never truly passionate about it. I love one-on-one and small groups because I love to be able to give people the attention they need. I also felt like building that relationship and creating consistency with clients was more important than a 6 or 8 week challenge to bring people in that you will never see again. Your health is a long game, not something you can work on for 6, 8, 12 weeks, and then give up on until the next challenge. It was after a trip abroad that I realized that these two things needed to be met! Why should you throw out all of your healthy habits just because you are on vacation, but why should you feel guilty for letting loose a little? You don’t have to. Your lifestyle should reflect both of those things. I believe that you should be able to do all the things you love within reason and consistency is what makes the difference. You don’t have to live your life in extremes. When I created Destination Fitcations I saw a need to bring a little fitness into the world of travel. We travel to escape, to explore, to destress. Exercise helps you destress, clear your head, improve your mood, and give you more energy. Adding a little movement to your travel is a great way to either keep your already existing lifestyle going or help jumpstart you to living healthy! The added benefit is that you won’t need a vacation from your vacation or feel yuck when you come home. If you have ever felt like you need to get back to it and lose weight after your vacation, you won’t after a fitcation but will also have the time of your life.

Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?

In 2015 I started as a client at Pilates Tempe. I was already a trainer and stretch therapist, but I wanted to add Pilates to my workout routine for myself. In November of 2019, I took over ownership of the business. Having already started a business from scratch and having had partners before, I knew that I did not want to do that again. I will say that I learned alot from having started a business and from having partners and it was a great learning experience but not one I want to do again.

The process for buying the business was long. I actually wanted to play the long game for a few reasons. First, I got my Pilates certification and became a teacher at the studio. I wanted the teachers and clients to know, like and trust me. I worked at the studio for 2 years. The negotiation process actually took that long because I needed to assess the business. It was important for me to see how the business ran, the classes, the clients, the culture from the side of a teacher, etc. I then looked at bank statements, P&Ls, and balance sheets for 3 years. I had those assessed by 2 business coaches, an accountant, a lawyer, and a business broker. This is a very important step. You want to make sure that the business has potential, the correct income, and that it is priced correctly. You can negotiate from there, which I did. I also had to negotiate the lease. Always have a broker or lawyer look over your lease.

Overall, this process was pretty easy but it was work and ended up being worth it for me. As we know, COVID shut everyone down and business dropped by 60% as of April of 2020, however, I knew the potential was there and I got to work.

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

In 2019, not only did I purchase Pilates Tempe, but I also started Destination Fitcations. 6 months later I had to cancel all planned vacations and close the business. I was devastated and I shed alot of tears! However, I knew that I had to pivot and figure it out. I had risked everything to buy this business and I wasn’t going to let this take me down. The first thing we did was take our classes online. We still lost money, but it kept us going. I took this time to catch up on things I didn’t have time to do when I had taken over. Remodeling and updating the studio, improving and getting new equipment, updating our website, etc. I also worked to find any assistance I could. I was very lucky, however I worked very very hard.

I think what makes this story even crazier is during this time we lost our car to a deer in an area where normally are no deer, we had someone accidentally drive through our storefront and it took months to replace, within days of getting the storefront fixed we were broken into, although I didn’t get COVID I suffered a terrible case of pneumonia and while I was sick we were broken into again and I had to spend hours cleaning up glass and with the police when I could hardly stand. Our studio is in a very nice and low crime neighborhood and also both times nothing was taken but a few dollars. Our studio has also been in this neighborhood for 15 years.

Through all of this the past few years, we have continued to grow, continue to improve, and continue to keep all of our teachers who are dedicated to our studio and community. I am proud of how we made it through and finally seeing our hard work as this year we are 25% over January of 2020 before we were shut down. Just because there are obstacles and things get hard doesn’t mean giving up is the answer and sometimes things may not go the way you planned but if you can go with it and pivot, the results may be better than you expected.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.destinationfitcations.com
• Instagram: @gabriellemazar
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PilatesTempe/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-mazar-33187617/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0SM5sIdqM77s3lvQDT9eg

Image Credits
Casey Olsen Jayme Kelter