Michelle August has been a devoted athlete since she was a child. At three years old, she began water and snow skiing. She played soccer throughout her childhood. And she followed this up with basketball in high school and university. Then, in 2014, she turned her passion for fitness into a fully-fledged business idea and launched SPINCO, a cycling studio in her hometown of Kelowna B.C. At the time, she was only 22 years old.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to today, and SPINCO is the largest and only national indoor cycling studio, spread across the country in 12 different locations, all thriving on a high dose of team spirit, motivation, and positive attitudes. As a fitness guru and business owner, Michelle has tons of insight on launching your own company, achieving your own goals, and how to give back to the community. Read on as we chat about all things fitness, business, and spin.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start from the beginning. What is SPINCO and what inspired you to launch it?<\/strong> From there I built SPINCO, where the goal of each spin class is to work together as one team in unison to the beat of the music. It\u2019s designed to take riders on a transformative and empowering journey. I\u2019m so proud to share that since our first location in Kelowna, we\u2019ve grown to over 12 locations across the country.<\/p>\n Walk us through your career path. Have you always been\/wanted to be an entrepreneur?<\/strong> So, you started your business at 22 years old, which is super impressive. What tips can you offer for millennial women looking to launch their businesses?<\/strong> What are some challenges that you faced while developing your business<\/strong>? What drew you to spinning?<\/strong> Why do you think boutique fitness studios (such as spin, barre, pilates), as opposed to more generalist gyms, are so popular right now?<\/strong> What sort of lifestyle does SPINCO promote?<\/strong> Tell me about your slogan \u201cONE TEAM. ONE BIKE.\u201d What does this mean?<\/strong> What can people expect from a SPINCO class?<\/strong> We ride to the beat of the music and the instructors tailor their choreography to their playlists to keep riders engaged. You can expect to work your butt, core, and arms in a SPINCO class.<\/p>\n Tell me about your various philanthropic ventures. Which causes are you particularly passionate about helping?<\/strong> At SPINCO, we also host our weekly Spin-It-Forward classes that raise money every month for a variety of national charities, including Canadian Mental Health Association<\/a>, The Canadian Breast Cancer Society,<\/a> Canadian Feed the Children<\/a>, and Movember<\/a>. Studios also have the freedom to select local charities and initiatives in their neighbourhoods to support and raise funds for.<\/p>\n What some new fitness\/wellness trends that should be on our radar right now?<\/strong> What are some unhealthy approaches to fitness and health that you wish people would stay away from?<\/strong> Can you share your top three fitness tips with our readers?<\/strong> You\u2019ve collaborated with some great athleisure brands like Lululemon and Champion. What was this experience like?<\/strong> What are some other fitness clothing brands that you love?<\/strong> Tell us about your daily routine, in terms of fitness, health, food, etc.<\/strong> Who do you look to for fitness inspiration?<\/strong> What\u2019s on your workout playlist?<\/strong> Where do you see yourself in five years?<\/strong> Michelle August has been a devoted athlete since she was a child. At three years old, she began water and snow skiing. She played soccer throughout her childhood. And she followed this up with basketball in high school and university. Then, in 2014, she turned her passion for fitness into a fully-fledged business idea and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84368,"featured_media":116445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64591],"tags":[65363,83543,83292,81720,81103],"class_list":["post-116441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellness","tag-interview","tag-spinco","tag-top-story","tag-topstory","tag-whats-her-secret"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nWhen I came back to Kelowna after playing varsity basketball in California, I lost the drive to work out and missed the team atmosphere. I struggled to find something similar back home, so I decided I wanted to build a workout space\u00a0focused on teamwork so that other people could have the same strong community feeling that I did with my team.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ve always been an athlete and participated in team sports growing up, and I enjoyed playing in a team setting. What truly inspired me to create my own business was the idea behind creating a welcoming and supportive team atmosphere.\u00a0I think my constant participation in sports throughout my life has helped me excel in other areas, such as business.<\/p>\n
\nFind your passion. All the uncertainties along the way are worth it! There is no better feeling than creating something that you can watch thousands of people enjoy.<\/p>\n
\nThe most challenging but also fulfilling part of developing SPINCO has been seeing us grow so quickly and seeing it\u00a0become the largest spin studio in Canada. In four years, we have opened 12 locations across Canada, with more expansion plans underway and new exciting milestones to achieve.\u00a0That\u2019s obviously been a quick pace to grow at, but the team atmosphere and the brand being my passion has kept me going.<\/p>\n
\nI always enjoyed outdoor cycling in Kelowna, where I grew up, but\u00a0I knew\u00a0that\u00a0I wanted to build a workout and experience that people could look forward to doing\u00a0throughout\u00a0their day. Mostly,\u00a0I wanted to create a\u00a0community<\/em>, and I knew spinning could do that\u00a0because it\u2019s designed to uplift and inspire the class as one team.<\/p>\n
\nBoutique gyms cater\u00a0to\u00a0specific workouts, and\u00a0often\u00a0the consumers who are drawn to these studios are attracted to that particular type of exercise.\u00a0They also help build stronger communities because the majority of the people that go to these boutique gyms know that they share the same interest and passion with the other people\u00a0there.<\/p>\n
\nSPINCO promotes a community that is kind, respectful, supportive, welcoming, and genuine. We look for ways\u00a0to bring people together and create connections, so our classes that are designed to uplift riders, no matter their fitness level.<\/p>\n
\nAt SPINCO, our mission is to build a\u00a0community-like\u00a0atmosphere. So, in other words “one team.one bike\u201d means: as we move in unison to the beat of the music, we are stronger together.<\/p>\n
\nThe SPINCO journey is transformative and empowering. It’s a 50-minute exercise designed to challenge riders mentally and physically.\u00a0It is different\u00a0from many\u00a0other workouts\u00a0because it is not just about physical fitness, but also wellness as a whole.<\/p>\n
\nMy brother and I launched a family foundation that supports Ronald McDonald House Charities<\/a>, which provides accommodation for families with sick children and this has been an incredible passion\u00a0project for\u00a0both of us.<\/p>\n
\nAt SPINCO, we believe in the \u201cbeats high, lights low\u201d\u00a0kind of mentality. This\u00a0style\u00a0of riding to the beat has\u00a0piqued the interest of people, specifically the younger demographic\u00a0and could definitely considered a trend in fitness right now.\u00a0“Beats high, lights low” is designed to engage people from start to finish and challenge them to work hard and find the motivation within.<\/p>\n
\nI don\u2019t believe I’m here to tell people what is\u00a0unhealthy vs. healthy for their body.\u00a0Everyone creates their own\u00a0path to wellness and health,\u00a0and we all have different interests, passions\u00a0and sources of motivation. My advice would be to follow a fitness path that will motivate you to be the best version of\u00a0yourself both mentally\u00a0and physically.<\/p>\n
\nOne, as mentioned before,\u00a0is find a fitness routine that supports you to be\u00a0the best version of yourself mentally and physically. Two, work out in a space that motivates you and challenges you\u00a0every time you go. And three, this is both a fitness tip and life mantra:\u00a0\u201cYou are as strong as the people you surround yourself with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIt is always great\u00a0working along brands that support your business and that are always looking for ways to get innovative and engage with our brand and community. Athleisure is also such a relevant category to our riders who are busy and need clothes to toss on from the studio to their next activity of the day.<\/p>\n
\nIn terms of athletic wear, I’ve\u00a0always been a huge Nike<\/a> fan, but some of the newer brands I’m loving are; Reigning Champ\u00a0<\/a> (I love that they are Canadian-based!),\u00a0Alala<\/a>, Girlfriend\u00a0Collective<\/a>, and Years\u00a0of Ours<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nAs we are expanding SPINCO so quickly, so I currently have anything but a daily routine! I\u2019m always eating on the fly and going from coast to coast to support our studios. Making it to a spin class keeps me grounded and feeling like myself when I\u2019m on the go all the time.<\/p>\n
\nSPINCO’s\u00a0instructors. They all truly amaze me and embody\u00a0both SPINCO\u2019s lifestyle and\u00a0never quit\u00a0<\/em>work ethic. Knowing the busy lives\u00a0that they live outside of the studio,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0inspiring to watch them put so much into their classes and playlists to pay it forward to motivate their class of riders.<\/p>\n
\nA little bit of everything, it totally depends on my mood and the type of workout.<\/p>\n
\nMy dream is to continue to grow SPINCO and bring its vibrant community to many more cities across the country.\u00a0And personally, to fill my life\u00a0with amazing friends, family and\u00a0colleagues. I’m so content in my life and the amazing things SPINCO\u00a0brings\u00a0to my life, I’m focusing more on the present than the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"