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

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

Covid drastically changed my business model as a roller skating instructor. With outdoor spaces providing the only safe place to skate the time, I had to pivot from teaching in enclosed skating rinks. I started holding lessons on basketball and tennis courts, and started teaching more trail skating lessons. I even started teaching quad skating in skate parks. This worked in my favor as roller skating exploded during the pandemic. It was becoming something that people wanted to do outdoors, and I was ready. Now that we are starting to gather indoors more, I offer both indoor and outdoor skating lessons. This allows me to work with a broader spectrum of skaters. Whether you want to learn how to skate outdoors or indoors, I can provide a custom skating lesson tailored to your needs.

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

I started roller skating when I was 25. I had just celebrated a birthday and was not feeling settled where I was after finishing college and starting my career. A friend invited me to a roller derby game, and by the time recruitment for my local derby league came around a month later I was ready to join.

I received a lot of pushback from friends and family about the time that was getting sucked up into my new hobby. I had coworkers that were both curious and horrified about how I was spending time after work hours. I’m not a natural athlete and I was overweight when joining derby. I refused to wear and tank top to practice because of how I felt about my body. I needed to put in extra work outside of practice time so that I could work on my basic skills. I will forever be grateful to the coaches and skaters that took the time to work with me until I was able to pass and eventually be drafted to my first team.

12 years later, I’ve never felt so confident in my own skin. I’ve had a chance to skate in several states, make friends from around the world, and still am in awe that I’ve come so far. And yes, I’m still “overweight” – but I’ve also never been so strong, or so happy. This the the feeling that I want to share with others.

I initially got started as a coach when there was a need for someone to help with the local junior derby league in Daytona Beach. I have been told that I have natural inclination to teach and that I work well with children, so it gave me the confidence to take space even though I had only been skating around 4 years at that point. I moved to Tampa to further my skating, and put coaching on the back burner while I focused on myself.

Once the pandemic happened, there was a massive resurgence in roller skating. Many new skaters were eagerly posting content for skate challenges on social media, which quickly resulted in posts about how they were getting injured or couldn’t find resources to help them learn. Knowing that I had the background to help fill this need in my local community gave me the idea to turn it into a business that serves people of all ages start on their roller skating journey.

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

The most effective strategy for building my clientele has been getting out into my community and making meaningful connections. While there are plenty of skaters that are looking to grow their social media presence, I’m committed to staying local to the greater Tampa Bay area. This means that it is very reasonable that I will stay under 10,000 followers and I’m more than OK with that.

Instead, I have built relationships with some of the best skating coaches in the region as well as my local roller skating shop, and we work as part of the business ecosystem of roller skating. Social media has given us access to the entire world, and we often forget that we have small businesses right here in our local community that need our support. They are more than happy to support you in return!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Creating a strong team with high morale requires them to feel included and heard. Being a leader that is known for being honest when necessary, supportive when needed, and objectively neutral. When team members feel included, they buy into the team mentality.

It still blows my mind that I’ve gained a reputation as a teacher that is incredibly patient. I think I rely so much on remembering what it feels like to be brand new, or to feel as the odd person out. When you stay in touch with that part of you that is still a beginner, you connect with those newer skaters that can become frustrated with the learning process. Don’t hold back when sharing your own struggles. In this world that focuses so much on filters and algorithms, choose authenticity.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rollerskatinglessonstampa.com
• Instagram: @derbygirleats