Today we’d like to introduce you to Shahil Patel.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shahil. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started BollyX back in 2013… but my journey really began back in 2005 when I started dancing for the first time in college. I grew up with two left feet and used to be crazily scared of dancing. I joined my school’s intercollegiate competitive Bollywood dance team mostly because they didn’t even have enough guys to audition. I remember walking out of my first team practice feeling super embarrassed and uncoordinated. So, I set up shop in my dorm room with three things: a video camera, a mirror, and YouTube! I taught myself how to dance, one Bollywood step at a time and started to build a lot of confidence. Four years later, I had dropped way out of pre-med and led the first-ever Bollywood dance team to the Semi-finals of America’s Got Talent! Fast forward another four years and I dropped out of my business school program at MIT to launch BollyX. It’s now 2019, we just aired on Shark Tank, sales are exploding and I finally had a chance to go back to MIT and graduate! The trip has been surreal.
Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely NOT. We’ve faced so many challenges to get where we are today. Starting a company is full of uncertainty and sacrifice, and the early stages are toughest. A few of the biggest challenges include figuring out roles and responsibilities, identifying the right business model and generating enough cash to consistently support payroll. Companies are mega strapped for resources early on, and it’s not always clear how food is going to reach the table. It certainly wears down on people over time to be working at sub-market salaries and stay focused on the mission through the hard times. And when everyone cares deeply about that mission, you get a lot of opinions along with significant fear of making the wrong decisions or going in the wrong direction as a company. It took us some time to figure out how to structure our team and get everyone in the right roles, and also for us to figure out how to connect the dots with our model. Now, we’ve been cash flow positive for over a year with salaries growing across the board and a much stronger sense of what the “right” direction is.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
BollyX is a Bollywood-inspired dance-fitness program that combines dynamic choreography with the hottest music from around the world. It’s 50-minute cardio workout cycles between higher and lower-intensity dance sequences to get you moving, sweating, and smiling. At the very core of a BollyX workout is the inspiration it draws from the music and dance of Bollywood, the film industry of India. We embody the infectious energy, expression, and movement of Bollywood and aim to expand the reach of fitness to more people worldwide.
Our fitness curriculum has been created by world-class choreographers and certified fitness professionals to ensure a safe and effective total body dance workout for all. The BollyX fitness program and instructor training is endorsed by the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), canfitpro (FIS) and the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA) in Canada as an approved provider for continuing education units/credits (CEUs/CECs).
I’ve always been proudest of the diversity that exists within the BollyX family. We have over 3000 certified instructors including both men and women across a wide range of ages and ethnicities. Having been born and raised in the US as both a proud American and Indian, it always warms my heart to see people embracing other cultures, especially in the context of something as fun as Bollywood dancing! All of it makes BollyX really approachable and accessible to the masses, which is what I believe most sets our program and community apart.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
100%! Dallas is actually one of the biggest markets in the world for BollyX. It’s a really diverse city with a ton of fitness centers as well as a large South Asian population. Anyone can do BollyX, regardless of your background in dance or fitness level, but it certainly helps spread the word when there’s a sizable population that has a huge awareness of Bollywood. This also makes Dallas a great market for fitness instructors who want to expand their brand and fitness following with an accredited certification from BollyX. Plus, thanks to Shark Tank, Mark Cuban now knows about BollyX and it’s really only a matter of time before he gets Bollywood fever again…
Pricing:
- Workout at Home: $49 – Get LIFETIME membership to BollyX on Demand, with over 500 Bollywood workouts to choose from!
- Become an Instructor: $149 – Get trained and certified by BollyX to join our 3000+ Instructor community!
- Find a Class: Simply search your zip code on BollyX.com for classes in your area (we’re at select locations like 24 Hour, Texas Family Fitness and more). Pricing varies by location (classes are usually included with your gym membership or available for purchase per-class at studios). Feel free to reach out to our local community mentor Nisha Ala for support 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bollyx.com
- Email: contact@bollyx.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/bollyxfitness
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/bollyxfitness
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bollyxfitness
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
