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

Alright, Krissy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

“If you got a chance, take it, take it while you got a chance If you got a dream, chase it, ’cause a dream won’t chase you back
If you’re gonna love somebody, hold ’em as long and as strong and as close as you can
‘Till You Can’t” by Cody Johnson

This song and these words summarize pretty perfectly my path to owning a barre studio. 2021, a rollercoaster of a year for many; I was no exception. It was the year my son was born and the year I lost my mom. One night, I was up late on the couch working; the stress of my current job was hitting an all time high, I just lost my mom, was worried about my dad, had a colicky newborn and toddler. It was in that moment that I realized something needed to change and that there is no perfect time to chase a dream.

As Cody Johnson says; “if you got a chance, take it” so I looked at my husband and asked what he thought about opening my own barre studio. Was it risky? Absolutely! Could it backfire? Absolutely! Could it give my family a brighter and happier future together? Absolutely! Could I positively impact other women? I could only hope so! It was a BIG risk, but it was something I had quietly dreamed of for years!

I attended my first barre class in 2012 after just moving to Knoxville, TN ; not knowing anyone and terrified to try something new. I played tennis through college and love running, so exercise has always been part of my life, but boutique group fitness was NEW. After multiple surgeries and years of PT for a shoulder injury, it had sidelined me too long. I was ready to consistently work out again, even if that meant finding a new form of exercise. It wasn’t until after a couple months of barre that I finally felt like I had regained my pre-injury strength and flexibility. Needless to say, I knew barre was for me, and I never looked back.

Fast-forward 10 years to that night on the couch, I was no stranger to barre, but very much a rookie at owning a business. I did my research and quickly knew NEIGHBORHOOD barre was the community I wanted to bring to Fuquay. There are plenty of barre studios in the Triangle but not a single one in Fuquay- Varina. I submitted an application and scheduled a consult call with NEIGHBORHOOD barre to discuss the process of becoming a Franchisee. The next 5 months were an absolute whirlwind: securing a location, impatiently waiting through new construction setbacks, going through an intensive onboarding, attending trainings to be an owner and instructor, hiring and training my opening team, and completing the build out. We’ll save those stories for another time, but this ultimately led to opening the doors to NEIGHBORHOOD barre Fuquay Varina in October. We’re one month in and I’d be lying if I said it was easy, but was it worth it? YES!

I can’t wait to build this community full of strong women ready to support, motivate, and encourage one another. I am grateful to every person you believed in me and every person who has walked through our doors. It is an honor and privilege to be part of other women’s health and fitness journey. I’m so excited to watch this community grow and help these ladies achieve and exceed their goals. Together we are stronger!

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

My name is Krissy- wife, mom to two kids, and one fur baby (pug dog)! I am the owner of Neighborhood barre Fuquay Varina, Fuquay’s first barre fitness studio. Barre class is a low impact, full body workout. So although it has the ballet barre, it’s not a dance class (trust me, I’m not a dancer ). We use small isometric moves to target those deep, often forgotten muscles. We focus on lengthening and strengthening muscles and core stability. Our goal for every set is to get you in the working zone, where you feel the muscles contract and fire up and then stay there moving in one-inch increments to really burn out the targeted muscle group. Your muscles might start to shake, but that is OK- it’s actually great! That is where the magic happens, that is your muscles changing and you getting stronger!

We offer progressions throughout the entire class, so it is truly designed to meet you where you’re at and suitable for every BODY! We have a variety of class formats, all rooted in the foundational barre technique. One of the great things about barre is although we follow the same format- warm up, thighs, seat, core fusion, abs, cool down you will never take the same class 2 days in a row. We have a vast library of choreography to pull from so class is sure to be different. For this reason, you could take class every day without overworking any particular muscle group. It is also a musically driven workout, so you’re sure to hear some great music which is also always changing.

We also have a retail boutique carrying a variety of athleisure wear. Many items provide the perfect barre to street combo depending how you style it. You will come for the workout, obviously that’s our primary service. Our hope and goal is that you end up staying for the community. It is so much more than just a workout. It is a community of strong women (men are always welcome) ready to support, motivate and encourage one another. You will not be a number, you are a person and we will know your name. We want to know your goals, we want to lift you up on your tough days and celebrate your accomplishments and achievements in and out of the studio.

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a team is not always easy. There can be conflicting personalities, emotions, different work ethics and, as the owner, it is your job to balance the scale. It is a business and each team member plays an important role in making sure the business is successful. At the end of the day, we are all women and deserve to be treated with respect. I feel it is very important to get to know your team, learn their strengths, weaknesses, anxieties, and motivators. There is not a single cookie cutter way to manage each team member and learning which shape fits which team member is very critical so you can best guide them to be their best self and do their job to their highest potential. I think it is imperative for the owner to be present and available to their team. In order to be respected, you must respect and value your employees. If you create an environment where your employees know they can come to you with concerns and where they feel valued and appreciated, they will naturally do a better job in their position and want the company to succeed because it is a place they enjoy spending time.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Being so new, this is still a work in progress! I try to focus on building real relationships. Just like at the studio with our members, I don’t want you to just be a number. I want to know and engage with my followers. I want to learn about you, your goals, and what you want to gain from our page. If you’re not a member, I want to learn what is keeping you from coming into the studio and how can we make you feel comfortable to come try a class!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://neighborhoodbarre.com/location/fuquay-varina/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neighborhoodbarrefuquay/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodbarrefuquay
• Other: [email protected]
  Phone number: 984-600-1333

Image Credits
Lusuriello Photography