HALO Talks: Elevating Wellness

FlextIt allows users to work out at thousands of fitness clubs across the US at affordable, by-the-minute rates. They're now in 20 states and recently hit their 1000th club to join the platform.  "We're not a discounting service. We're not the cheapest option on the market, and everything we do is owner or operator-centric. Everything is up to their discretion," states CEO Austin Cohen. Listen now...

 "We have a baby. . . and its name is Brrrn," laughs Co-Founders Jimmy and Johnny. The initial idea started back in 2013 and, after many iterations and "hundreds" of no's, they ended up testing their cold weather workout idea at the SixPoint Brewery in Brooklyn.  After some tweaks, the (now 50 degree) workout landed (with incredible press!) in the Flatiron district in NYC-the epicenter for all thi...

With a recent raise of $300 million, Gympass has been making big waves in the HALO sector since they've entered the US market just a few years ago. Simply put, their goal is to, "Help get people active who weren't active before," states CEO of the US Market, Marco Crespo. And with partners like CVS on the corporate side and marquee names like Lifetime Fitness and Soul Cycle on the provider side, t...

GymWisely is a game changing new platform that maximizes the number of visits someone can make to [more than one] gym, at their convenience, makes it economical for them to expand the amount of time they can devote to a club, and from a business owners standpoint, provides incremental revenue. "These members are serious about their health, fitness, and trying new things. They're the kind of people...

"We didn't spend any money on marketing or advertising in the beginning, it was all word of mouth initially," says Sarah Levy, CEO & Founder of Y7 Studio.  With 14 locations and a strong financial & advisory partner in KarpReilly, Y7 is thriving. Yet? Interestingly, it's also "very polarizing" states, Director of Marketing Lauren Roxborough . . . and that's the way they want it! Y7 is not focused...

 "Some of the best sports-ish businesses are putting data over existing sports. . .just look at Top Golf for example," states Founder Alex Patterson. Alex began in corporate law, but quickly moved to the (then newly founded) Tough Mudder. After 5 years working with them in various positions, he struck out to form, from the ground up, a different type of escape room. He took the physical element pr...

"A leader's job is to put a really buttoned up, solid, strategic plan in place to execute on [the company] vision, and after that. . .it's ALL about people," states Brian Anderson--a highly seasoned C-Level executive in the HALO sector. With 15+ years in early stage/consumer focused brands, the first company he helped take from $1m - $45m in 5 years, the second from $35m - $100m in 5 years and the...

"Being the OG is always a good thing! . . There's a real proof of concept there!" laughs Marius Morariu. Marius holds 3 patents in skin care and discusses the impressive, 20 year history of the company. What they did and how they did it put them way ahead of the curve, and they have tons of high profile clients & a fantastic reputation to show for it! Marius chats about everything from being the f...

In his wide-ranging career beginning at in film & TV at the WWE, to starting a rehab staffing business, to becoming the Red Cord North America distributor, and presently an owner of 2 Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu dojos in NJ, Mike has seen a great deal. Listen now to this wide- ranging discussion on everything from the challenges of entering the US market, getting CEC's, long sales cycles, the place in...

"I think people don't realize what feeling good feels like because they're fed so much crap and not moving enough," states Joe Hawley, former 8 year veteran of the NFL. After retiring in 2017, he bought a van, rescued a dog, and hit the road! Along the way he started Live Simpl, (livesimpl.com) sold nearly 70% of his belongings, changed his diet, his thoughts around money, nutrition, exercise, and...

"The one foundational element of Comvest that goes back to the beginning is our our owner's belief in good management teams," states Dan Lee. What are some factors debt providers look at when evaluating a deal? What are the differences between firms like Comvest as opposed to banks and SBIC funds? What are sponsored and non-sponsored deals? Covenant and non-covenant deals? Listen now to learn more...

"I'm a big believer in the experience economy. If you can provide someone with a feeling that you can't get somewhere else. . .you're going to be successful. There's nothing that's going to replace the energy people feel when they're together," states Bradley. A 20+ year finance veteran, Chris has been on both sides of the fence. Listen to learn more about what a SPAC is, ROIC, how an investment c...

"Action prevents anxiety. If I have this gut instinct and I feel like the risk is worth taking, I'll go all in," states Remorca. Dennis began his career at Equinox, then moved over to Definitions. He eventually started his own business on 75th and Park with $19K of financing. 3 locations later (with more in development) Dennis chats about the challenges and questions all entrepreneurs face at one...

"People are recognizing the more they do things like massage, the more they can prevent injury, the more stress and tension they can reduce. . . and as the health care plans and employers start to subsidize, people will buy it more," states Samer Hamadeh, CEO. As a highly successful entrepreneur, ZEEL's massage on demand service has already has done over 1 million massages, 3/4 of which are medica...

"Fitness was a minor part of NYC landscape. It was always looked at little bit negatively. Fast forward to today and now it's one of the bright lights in our industry. It's an incredibly growing field!" states 30+ year real estate veteran, Jeff Roseman. In this wide ranging discussion, Jeff chats about landlords changing attitudes around the HALO sector, leases, why "branding opportunities" in rea...

"The passion for the business came first, the passion for fitness actually came later," states Scott Lutwak. Scott is a seasoned entrepreneur having started Restaurant.com many years ago. His first facility was 33,000 sq feet and he fully admits, "I knew absolutely nothing about gyms!" Listen to learn his incredible story about how he grew to 6 locations, how he got over his worst month ever, the...

"I think people are looking for the quick fix, but there is no quick fix. It's lifestyle changes. It's changing your diet, eating habits, recovery, exercise routines, changing your mindset. . and it takes time, but what I love about Wim's method is that it doesn't take long to feel the difference," states Avi Greenberg, one of only three Wim Hof Instructors in NY. Listen now to this wide ranging d...

"People don't know the power of nutrition. They're given lies. . . It should be reading, writing, arithmetic, and nutrition taught in grade schools. It is one of the most critical factors that control our life, our longevity, our happiness and our health and the ignorance and confusion in the American population is barbaric and needs to be changed," states Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Furhman is a former...

Sean entered the entrepreneurial world after launching a company around a concussion detection sensor. "You need to have a big vision and fully understand where you want to be in 5-10 years. . .but also know you're never going to know that!" he jokes. Holisticly is a fantastic product that's long overdue. It fills a gap in the market to help growing companies support employees on a day-to-day basi...

"Muay Thai should be popularized and become more commercial and available to a larger scale of people," states Tyler Scott, a 12 year veteran of Muay Thai and creator of the patented Bishop heavy bag. Along with his wife, they began Hit House in 2017 after being inspired by the type of community they saw at a SoulCycle. Listen now to this wide ranging discussion on everything from the pros and con...

"The gym was full every day, even when the economy tanked. I always remembered that," states Alex Zaltsman. Alex now owns 3 Row Houses and 1 Pure Barre studio all under the Xponential family of brands. Originally from the technology, software & mobile application worlds, Alex discusses his entry into the HALO sector, what some of the similarities & differences are, and much more. There's great inf...

"What do you mean boxing and yoga? That makes no sense!" said basically everyone when Olivia floated the idea of this particular combination during her research. She went ahead, bootstrapped it all anyway (for all the right reasons!) and was immediately profitable. She had no outside capital and is now opening a second studio. " I created a business, the basis of which is resistance and ease. When...

"You can and must make time for yourself, even if you think there's no time at all," states Rebbecca Schonfeld. Rebecca has battled mental health issues since she was young and has started sharing her story & experiences to help others on their own journey. Listen now to this important discussion around the changing attitudes & treatments of mental illness, her (extremely positive) experiences wit...

"Stay true to who your customers are. You also have to be ok not being appealable to everyone out there," states Andrew Hirsekorn, Principal & Founding Member of Eagle Merchant Partners. Eagle is a private equity firm and one of the owners of the largest Planet Fitness franchisees. Listen now to this wide ranging discussion touching on ideas around Planet's place in the sector, thoughts about memb...

"We wanted to find a way for health and wellness professionals to sell something that they were more confident in," states CEO Brett Maloley. Their team interviewed approximately 22,000 members, 11,000 trainers, and 1,000 physicians in the research phase. Ladder has ~65,00 users nearly 10,000 of whom are coaches and the rest are clients. "We need to not start with the technology, but rather what w...