Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzy Hastedt.
Suzy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Exercise and fitness have always been a massive part of my life. As a child, I moved away from home to train to be an Olympic gymnast. But after a couple of years of intense training and some homesickness, I decided to move back and switch to springboard diving. I was recruited to dive at The University of Nebraska, where I graduated with a degree in Business Administration. I love to workout, and I have continued to make exercising a priority in my life.
When I left college, my entrepreneurial spirit and business degree prepared me for a successful career in sales and marketing. I worked for Ford Motor Company, Autotrader.com, and eventually worked my way into selling Medical Devices for several major companies. Working for these large organizations challenged me, but also left me yearning to break out on my own and develop my own business.
At the beginning of 2019, I had an idea for a unique group fitness studio. In my free time, I started researching equipment, platforms, and studio spaces to see if I could make my dream a reality. Without notice, the medical device company I worked for announced they were being bought out. I had to face the reality that my job wasn’t as secure as I thought. Suddenly, all of the moving pieces I had been working on with my fitness studio started coming together, and I was at a turning point.
At 40 years old, I was still trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up – and I was now standing on the precipice of that decision. Should I create this studio? Is this the direction I want to go?
It wasn’t until I walked into the space that would become the future NAMA Fitness that the pieces finally fit. I just knew. It felt right. The size, the light, the location. I knew my passion for exercise and my years in corporate life had prepared me for this moment. So, I dove right in, leaving corporate life on my own terms and started NAMA Fitness.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth road at all. In fact, it has been kind of a terrifying one. I went from being a full-time employee with benefits and a regular paycheck to an unpaid single mom starting a new business. I knew it would be challenging to turn my concept into a working studio, but there were also some unanticipated stumbling blocks along the way.
Creating a culture and finding the right mix of instructors was a hurdle I did not anticipate. When I began hiring instructors, I had definite ideas of how I wanted NAMA to be viewed by our members. I can’t tell you how many times I was stood up for an interview, or how many people were not the right fit for our brand. While I ended up with a fantastic group of instructors to run the classes, it was a process that I will never forget!
Also, another challenge specific to NAMA is that some people are hesitant to come in for a class when they hear that we record and offer the classes online. Some people don’t like to be on camera, and others are quite the opposite. Once students do come in and see that the cameras are small and non-intrusive, they actually forget that they are being recorded. The focus of the videos is mainly on the instructor, and the students are like “extras” on a TV show. Some of our members like to be next to the instructor to get on camera, and others want to stick to the back of the room to be out of the shot.
What should we know about Nama Fitness? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
NAMA Fitness is a boutique group exercise studio where we record and uploaded our classes to an online platform. Our NAMA members can take any prerecorded class at home, in a hotel room, in a park – anywhere and anytime they want! Our instructors love it because our online platform helps them develop a brand and a following.
I came up with the concept of NAMA Fitness for several reasons:
1. I was intimidated by yoga studios, even though I regularly exercised and stretched. I was so terrified of going to a class that I practiced yoga at home for two years before I got up enough courage to attend a live class. When I took my first class, I was shocked at the variety of skill levels and body types. I assumed that everyone would know every pose and have perfectly toned bodies. I was so wrong! My first class was filled with people of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels.
Online classes at NAMA Fitness, open the doors to the studio. You will see people taking modifications, sweating, falling out of poses. Our instructors will fumble words and rewear the same outfits. It’s not “perfect,” but it is real…and I like that.
2. I found it very difficult to make it to classes consistently. Between balancing a full-time career and a child, I didn’t exactly have a set time every day (let alone every week!) where I knew I could make it to a class. I also traveled quite a bit for work, and I know drop-in studio rates tend to be pricey. With the NAMA model, our members still get fresh content from the instructors they know and love but don’t necessarily need to come into our studio. We also have very reasonably priced drop-in rates.
3. There have been several times I walked out of a yoga or Pilates class and thought that was the best workout I have ever had in my life, and I wanted to repeat it. However, even if it is the same teacher and the same format, classes change. There was no way to recreate that awesome class. With NAMA, our classes are recorded, so you can easily take that perfect class again on our online platform.
4. I wanted to find a way to attract great instructors and reward them for the work they do. Our online platform allows this to happen through continued branding and growth.
I am really excited about our Social Good initiative which is starting in April 2020. We will be donating the proceeds of select online workouts to different charities in our community.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I have always worked in very male-dominated industries with very little female leadership. In all of the companies I have worked for, I never wanted a leadership role. In my experience, several women in leadership roles have had to be extra aggressive to try and prove themselves to their male counterparts. This is not my leadership style, and I believe that this expectation is detrimental to women. Not everyone responds to aggressive leadership, and I wish companies would embrace diverse attitudes and personalities within their management teams.
When I began hiring at NAMA, I took a hard look at barriers and built my team up conscientiously. My instructors were not hired based on their gender, but on their skills, personality, and compatibility within the NAMA culture. While working in the corporate world, I learned what I do not want to bring into NAMA. I have worked hard to build a business that fosters gender equality, offering both female and male employees a place where they feel encouraged, supported, and have the space to grow.
Pricing:
- Unlimited Monthly Membership (includes in-studio and online classes) – $120/mo
- Mini Membership (includes one in-studio class weekly and 10% off Class Packs & Drop-In Rates – $60/mo
- Online Memberships- $14.99/mo
Contact Info:
- Address: 5619 Dyer Street #105
Dallas, TX 75206 - Website: www.NAMAFitness.com
- Email: hello@namafitness.com
- Instagram: nama_fitness
- Facebook: NAMAFitnessDallas
- Twitter: FitnessNama
Image Credit:
RC Photography
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