We recently connected with Shantel Reitz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shantel, thanks for joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

I started off my business with employees. Having spent plenty of time in the corporate world, I learned that one of the most important (if not THE most important) things was a strong company culture. It was imperative to me that not only my clients feel safe and supported, but also my staff. This became my checks and balances system for the internal pulse of the company.

During the recruiting and hiring phase, I was very specific on the expectations we hold. There is a zero tolerance policy for negative attitude, gossip, or unkind behavior directed to any other employees or clients. We honor open communication and support for each other.

Over the years, I have held fast and protected our culture fiercely. I have let go of only a small handful of employees and a couple of clients that did not fit well with our vibe. Everyone takes ownership and goes out of their way to help others feel welcomed, loved, and supported. As a result, we have created many long lasting relationships and a flourishing community.

Shantel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We opened the doors of Core 7 in fall of 2013. Our focus is to create a safe and uplifting space for women to come move their bodies. A place where they could heal through connection and rebuilding their self-worth. We want you to come as you are. No judgment or cliques. We have created a space that is just PURE LIGHT. When you walk in the doors, you suddenly feel warm inside, like a great, big hug. When someone sees you and they smile with the warmest light in their eyes… and you just love them. You know with every part of you that they have your back, and you have theirs.

We have created a place where you can move your body in a safe and effective way to improve mobility and function, while toning and sculpting. Here, fitness is not about being better than your neighbor, it’s about pushing yourself to be better than you were before. At Core 7, we believe in seeing the whole picture. The key to success in the journey to the optimal you is maintaining a balanced focus on these key fundamentals, while doing what you love and having fun! If you don’t enjoy your workouts, it makes it a lot harder to maintain consistency. We encourage lots of smiles and laughter.

We hold a variety of classes including barre, yoga, sound healings, meditations, and more. It is important to us to offer modalities that are not only safe, but highly effective. Our classes are low to no impact and focus on our Core 7 Fundamentals of fitness:
Clarity
Balance
Endurance
Fuel
Strength
Flexibility
Agility

We encourage full spectrum healing and mindfulness through social connection. Moving your body is one of the very few things that you can do for yourself, that really benefits no one but you. It is raw, real, and emotional. Come experience the magic of Core 7. Come find yourself.

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

I believe any of us that have businesses these last 3 years would undoubtedly exude qualities of resilience. Especially, in the fitness industry when there were so many elements beyond our control.

I know that for myself, it was a time of pivoting, and constant evaluation and restructuring to meet the ongoing demands of what we were all experiencing globally. I spent a lot of time focused on my own creativity and ingenuity. The traditional rules of business had to be thrown out the window. I had to be willing to let go of certain aspects that I had grown to love, that were no longer viable or feasible. My staff was amazing at coming together and focusing on solutions. We leaned on each other and made things work the best we could.

This ended up being a beautiful time to refocus on the things that were important and it was a great reminder that you can never become complacent in business. Constant innovation is key no matter what the circumstances are around you.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first opened up my studio, I was part of a franchise. I learned very quickly that this was not a good situation for us. After a short two years, I had to make the very difficult decision to break away and go out on my own.

This was a scary, fun, exciting, and nerve wracking time. I created my own brand, I was able to pick new modalities and formats and really create something that was more of a reflection of the culture and message I wanted to share. I developed my own systems and processes and fine tuned what I wanted my business to look like.

It ended up being one of the hardest seasons of my life, but one that ultimately created the biggest rewards. I learned so much about myself and experienced more growth than I ever could have imagined.

Contact Info:

• Website: core7fitness.com
• Instagram: @Core7Fitness
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Core7FitnessSandy