Podcasts about helaine knapp

The narrative around startups is often glamorized, focusing on success stories, but the true journey of entrepreneurship is much more complex. The rise of connected fitness, followed by its decline, brought unexpected challenges for many companies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Helaine Knapp, the founder of CITYROW, navigated this tumultuous landscape, ultimately selling her company to WaterRower in early 2024. But what does it really take to build a business from scratch, and what happens when the journey doesn't end with fairy-tale success?How do entrepreneurs cope with the emotional and practical challenges of winding down a business?Welcome to Tuesdays with Morrisey. In this episode, host Adam Morrisey sits down with Helaine Knapp, founder of CITYROW and author of Making Waves. They explore the highs and lows of Helaine's entrepreneurial journey, from founding CITYROW to the tough decisions leading to its sale, and the lessons learned along the way.Key Points:– The Realities of Entrepreneurship: Helaine shares the often untold, gritty aspects of the startup journey, emphasizing that success isn't always a fairy tale.– Founding and Growing CITYROW: Helaine discusses how a personal injury led her to create CITYROW, a fitness brand that became an early adopter in the digital at-home fitness space.– Winding Down and Moving On: The emotional and strategic challenges of navigating the end of CITYROW's journey and why asking for help is crucial for founders.Helaine Knapp is the founder and former CEO of CITYROW, a nationwide fitness brand that she led for over a decade before its acquisition by WaterRower in 2024. With extensive experience in early-stage SaaS companies and a strong background in business strategy, she now focuses on coaching, advising, and consulting for growth-stage companies and executives. Helaine is also an author, with her first book, Making Waves, detailing her entrepreneurial journey and offering insights to other founders.

In this episode - we cover: Helaine's professional journey from tech & marketing to founding CITYROW When she got bit by the rowing bugHow she built the company from one studio in NYC into a national fitness brand with over 65 franchisesHer exit and selling the business to WaterRowerFrom her thrilling memoir, Making Waves, we discuss how "the beauty is, always has been, and always will be, not in the preparation or the dreaming but in the rebuild, the pivots, and the rising from the ashes".Please enjoy this episode with the incredible Helaine. To learn more, you can visit: https://www.helaineknapp.com/

Episode 422 features Helaine Knapp, the successful founder & CEO of CITYROW who spends her time coaching, advising, and consulting founders and growth companies. Her new book, Making Waves, is out now. Find it here - https://www.helaineknapp.com/making-wavesFind Helaine Online:Website: https://www.helaineknapp.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helaine-knapp/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helaineknappTwitter: https://twitter.com/helaineknappConnect with the host, Brian OndrakoWebsite: https://brianondrako.com/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brianondrakoTwitter: https://twitter.com/brianondrakoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianondrako/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianondrako/Newsletter/Blog: https://brianondrako.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helaine Knapp, a self-professed "tech junkie" with a Big Ten education and a penchant for healthy living, risks it all to launch a boutique fitness empire, only to discover the water is colder and the monsters more fierce than she ever imagined. City Row is over 10 years old and they were one of the first to "make rowing sexy" and bring it to the forefront.  She is now an expert in connected fitness, having built a best-in-class software platform and content production.  Helaine was always a fitness enthusiast, but she had to learn the hard way to take it slow. After college, Helaine was working in tech startups when her love for fitness kicked in again. She was a "Spinning junkie," trying to out-work everyone else, but it led to her herniating three disks in her lower back. After this, she developed a concept for a boutique fitness studio, and recruited her old college friend Annie Mulgrew to help. Together, they built City Row from the ground up, and in the process, created an empire. Despite the challenges they faced, Helaine learned that the best way to succeed was to go together, not alone. As someone who never started a business prior to jumping in with both feet, she states "As I tell young entrepreneurs all the time . . . I knew that it was going to be pretty hard, but I also knew that I wanted to bet on myself. And I would say, jump in if you really want to do it, but go in wise, with eyes wide open. This is not rainbows and butterflies. The water is cold, and there are fucking monsters lurking below. And if that sounds appealing to you, then you should definitely have some fun and jump in. But the water is cold and there are sharks!" In this episode, she and Pete discuss:  1. How Helaine used her tech skills to create a successful boutique fitness business. 2. What strategies she used to build a strong team culture and successful franchise. 3. The challenges entrepreneurs faced during the pandemic (and now post-pandemic climate) and how to overcome them. Click here to download transcript.  Other episodes you'll enjoy around boutique fitness: Julian Barnes: https://www.halotalks.com/episode-326-julian-barnes-ceo-co-founder-boutique-fitness-solutions/ Greco Fitness: https://www.halotalks.com/greco-fitness-jenna-york-and-mike-donnelly/ Sumner Hanna: https://www.halotalks.com/episode-370-sumner-hanna-senior-instructor-at-soulcycle-designer-and-co-founder-sumner-leigh-athletics/ Connect With Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehaloadvisors/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Integritysquare YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@halotalks Twitter: https://twitter.com/thehaloadvisors LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/integrity-square/ Website: https://www.halotalks.com Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here.

Helaine Knapp is Founder & CEO of CITYROW, the fitness phenomenon that focuses on smart fitness for the modern consumer. CITYROW pairs rowing with strength and mobility exercises – creating a workout that works. But a workout only works if you do it, and consumers today need choice, motivation and accountability. CITYROW clients can take classes at any one of our studios nationwide, from the comfort of their own home via on-demand classes, and everything in between. It's top-notch programming combined with giving consumers the ability to participate when, where and how they want – giving CITYROW the ability to reach and impact more consumers. Prior to CITYROW, Knapp, spent a number of years climbing the corporate ladder in media and participated in two SaaS tech exits – Buddy Media (sold to Salesforce.com for $800MM in 2012) and Olapic (which sold to Monotype for $120MM in 2016). During this time, Knapp fell in love with group fitness. But, years of spinning and bootcamp classes left Knapp with lower back pain and minimal results. She set out to find a better and smarter way to maximize results and still enjoy group exercise. Here she uncovered a tried-and-true fitness tool, the rower. Knapp saw the opportunity for a smarter approach to fitness and thus CITYROW was born.   LINKS: https://cityrow.com/en-us/ INSIDETRACKER - Gift cards and clothes are impersonal and expected… so why not get your loved ones a gift that is truly special and unique to them. This Black Friday, save $200 on InsideTracker's Ultimate Plan—the most comprehensive way to get personalized insight into their body's wellbeing. Claim this offer HERE. ​ THE FITTECH CLUB - Brought to you by my good friends at the FitTech Summit, Europe's leading conference devoted to fitness and health technology, The FitTech Club is a unique offering entering North America. For those in fitness & health technology, the FitTech Club brings thought leaders together to inspire them: by making the right contacts at the right time and giving insights to the industry's most relevant and current trends. Equal parts accelerator, mastermind, investor group, and consultancy, I urge you to learn more HERE  

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest today was hustling hard for fast-growing Saas Software companies. She was soon sidelined by a severe lower back injury that led her searching for workouts that were low impact, yet super effective. This concept led her to find the most underused machine in the gym- the rowing machine. With this in mind, Helaine Knapp founded CITYROW. CITYROW is now the trusted and only true omnichannel approach to smart fitness. What started as one studio on the 15th floor of an office building in New York City, is now over 11 studios across the country (with over 60 more in development) and a booming digital fitness business. In this week's episode Knapp covers several topics including: when a business owner should decide to franchise their business & how to find a partner for it, deciding between creating an app versus creating a brick & mortar business, and how to market a digital fitness business. To learn more about CITYROW, click here! https://cityrow.com/en-us/

Back for another recap episode, Clare Solly and LL riff back and forth about the root of fulfillment, shadow work, and the importance of finding people with similar life goals. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Hacks for the best branding photosCreating things based on personal needsWorking out for health and longevityConnecting with people from linking experiences The stories that direct our lifeTripping and falling is a part of the shadow workDigging into the negative feelings to find the positivityEpisode References/Links:Astrology: The Ultimate Guide to the 12 Zodiac Signs, Numerology, and Kundalini Rising + A Comprehensive Guide to Tarot Reading  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:01  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my best friend, Clare Solly and I are going to dig into the phenomenal convo I have with Helaine Knapp in our last episode. If you haven't yet, listen to that interview, feel free to pause this now and go back and listen to that one, then come back and join us. My mom just blew up my phone because she has been watching all of the, all of the episodes in one row. Like she's just doing all of them. And she watches them on our YouTube channel. And she likes to watch the recaps first and then the interview because she says it helps her pay more attention to the interview. That being said everyone, you can do it your own way. I so we are recording this in the past, in the present time of today, which is today is a Pilates day, and you are gonna get it sometime in a couple of weeks. So this is Pilates day was the first Saturday of May, it's International Pilates day. And Brad and I drove out to LA, stayed at my favorite hotel, we took Bayon with us. And then we did Pilates day as a convo. Class two, because May is not only Mental Health Awareness Month, it's also for support Foster Care Awareness Month, foster youth. And so anyways, if you follow along with OPC, we actually donate a percentage of all of our profits to charities that support foster youth. And there's many reasons for doing this. It's so so important. And there's so many kids who age out of the foster care system and they don't have any support. They don't have any parents or family unit to go to. I mean, at 18 I don't know that I should have just been like out in the world, on my own. So so I'm really grateful to those of you who donated, who came. Thank you so much for those who who donated and couldn't come and that's really amazing. We ... we raised several $100 for foster youth and I also got to meet, you know there was different businesses there that were also selling their amazing pieces and donating parts of all their sales. So I'm sure it was thousands of dollars when we combine everyone's efforts. And so just thank you everyone. That was really a lot of fun. Okay, Clare, welcome back. (Clare: Hi. Thank you.) Clare Solly everyone. She's back.Clare Solly 2:53  I'm back. I'm so excited to be here. And if you are watching the YouTube you're you're witnessing my my lioness mane this morning.Lesley Logan 3:01  I know. I don't know the last time I saw down.Clare Solly 3:05  Yeah, I yeah, I don't I don't know either. But I've got a lot of hair. (Clare laughs)Lesley Logan 3:11  I understand, you and me both. It started off like if you're watching on the YouTube, my hair start on the center of my head, but for whatever reason, it must be the shape of my head. It always falls to the left. Or maybe it's the way I twist the hair. Maybe that's what it is. Anyways that this this is a, we could be a hair commercial. Is really, if you are a hair product company would like some models, the two of us have too much hair we can definitely... (Clare: Totally) So Clare's back, Clare is @youwontbesolly on Instagram. She is one of my best friends. We've known each other since 2001. And she ...Clare Solly 3:45  My friend cuz it's old enough to drink we established on our last show.Lesley Logan 3:49  I know ... in happy hour. And you have been doing several recaps with me stepping in for Brad because Brad has a life and also his own pod company. And he runs all the companies and he was in Cambodia for many weeks. And so too many weeks, actually. So you've been helping me out here. So welcome back.Clare Solly 4:08  Thank you so much. It has been a delight. I mean, first of all, I'll sit around and talk to you forever and ever and ever. But it's also been fun as a listener to go back and hear, you know, Brad's versus my opinions and I like I was actually really impressed by the la... the one that dropped this week that we listened to. (Lesley: Oh yeah) But also it like being a guest is fun to come back of being a guest host is fun. So I think we asked originally on our first one, like if anybody wants to come be a guest, recapist, you know, or if anybody is interested in hearing a guest recapist (Lesley: Yeah) like tell us in in the comments.Lesley Logan 4:43  Yeah, let us know if you're liking guest recaps or if you are missing Brad, it's okay. You won't offend anyone we, you know, inquiring minds want to know, but yeah you (Clare: Yeah) were you were originally, you're episode 19?Clare Solly 4:55  19.Lesley Logan 4:57  Yeah, yeah. So I know I think this one is episode 102. So look where we're at.Clare Solly 5:03  Amazing, amazing. And I think I think I was like one of the first couple that you recorded. So it's, it's been such a journey. So exciting.Lesley Logan 5:11  I know. We ... (Clare: Here's too hundred more.) There's to hundred more at least that's what we're in for. Well, we have so much to talk about with Helaine. But before we do that, do we have a question from the audience? Or are you stealing the show?Clare Solly 5:23  I'm gonna steal the show yet again. Because this is, has been one of my exciting things to do. So I know that you said that you get a lot of business questions, but I think this question actually can help anybody, anybody who has their own business and or whatever. How, so you take fantastic photos. (Lesley: Oh thanks.) You are like, and again, you're one of my best friends. So I like I'm always excited to see your shows. I mean, your your photos. But how do you besides just being stunning. Like, how do you, what are your tips on taking a good picture? Because there are some days when it's like you have not you personally but like me, like there's too much chin. There's the wrong angle. Like, what are your and I know you've worked with photographers and things too. So what are like two or three tips that you can share with anybody on how to be a good model in a picture, (Lesley: Yeah) even if you're taking yourself.Lesley Logan 6:21  Oh, this is so fun. So I do take I do have a lot of professional shots. I have been doing that for a long time for someone who's not an actress I like I feel like knowing you, you're like only personally I knew was taking headshots all the time. And I'm like, "Really you need new headshots again, you need new headshots again?" And now we are doing, in LA I did a photo shoot almost monthly, which was not, I mean it was like every few months actually. And and then and then when I'm now that we're in Vegas, my photographer comes out twice a year. So I do I do, but I just do two hours at a time. So I basically do the same amount of shoots, but just pack them in. So tips, first of all, actually find a photographer that you have like a relationship with or you think you can build one. Like you'd want to be friends with them, because if they don't say anything to you, you don't really, really know what you're doing. And so, so that can be a little difficult. And so I love, my photographer is Monica Linda, of Girl Squad Media. And she is she's really good about ...Clare Solly 7:24  Who is also one of a podcast. (Lesley: Yeah) She was like, back in the teens too, I think.Lesley Logan 7:28  She's back in the teens as well. She has a great Be It story. And she is, it's crazy what she's coming up with. It is insane. She just opened a podcast recording studio, which is yeah, really, (Clare: Wow) really cool. Yeah. So you can, instead of having to sit in your closet, you can just like go to her studio, which is really cool. So I would say first, find a photographer that you like, they might be more expensive than you feel like paying. And I promise you paying less money with a photographer who don't jive with getting photos you can't use is like wasting money. So really get on the phone with them, build a relationship that helps. Second thing is laughing out loud makes great pictures. And people who came on my business retreat as like, "Okay, everyone laugh out loud." And they're like, they're no one made sound. I'm like, "No, you actually have to laugh out loud." (Lesley laughs out loud) Right. And when you do that, firstly, you look at your laughing, second you smile, everything looks brighter, lighter, and more fun. And it's better than just smiling all the time. Like no one wants to see a bunch of photos of you just like, no, no offense, like your friends do, your family does, but really, like you can't really use all of those. So you have to do some different things. And then also, you will start to learn your angles, I'm sure Clare as an actress, even you know, you know that there's angles, and there are some angles that I I have to be very careful. If I am sitting, I need to make sure that I get my head forward of my body. Otherwise, it starts to like everything starts to sink down. And then you know, I don't have any like, like there was like more chin there, just like, I lose, I lose the my facial structure when I do that. Which I think is why people think I'm so stunning. I was like, "I gotta get the head in front." The other thing is, when you're taking pictures, don't just sit there and just take like, let them take the same picture 17 times, you didn't change. So you do little tweaks, right like so you like have your head looking at them one way, then you tilt it another way, then you move your hand from your knee to your other hand or to your shoulder or, you know, so you do these little tiny tweaks so that you can get like 20 different photos in the same situation. Natural lighting to me is way better than artificial lighting. You're just gonna it's hard. I have blue eyes and like getting outside in the sun to get the I have to so I close my eyes and she counts to three and then I open them and then we close my eyes we count to three we open them. So those kinds of things. Know your colors. There are some colors that don't look good on you. It's okay. I don't care how in style they are. Let them go, ditch them. And then also this is really huge. Invest in getting your hair and makeup done, and you're going to hate how much makeup you're wearing, you're not going to love it. In fact, when I'm in real life, I'm like, "We better be going out to a boat party, wedding, something because I look way too dumb to stay at home." But when you get the photos back, you actually don't look too done up, you look really like you actually have depth and dimension. So you have to do your makeup very differently for photos because otherwise if you just it's like we're talking bronzer here, people if you're not wearing it, you'd lose your cheeks. So to basically too long, didn't read get hair and makeup artist and get a photographer that can tell you what to do. Play music. I didn't say this. Play some music that makes you feel like alive you don't have to dance, but like just makes you feel like a party. And then and then wear the colors that look good on you. So you know, I hope that helps.Clare Solly 10:52  So many suggestions. I love this. I love it all. So go back and look at Lesley's feed. Look at the @be_it_pod feed. Comment on those photos. And that you can see these tips in ...Lesley Logan 11:02  It's so fun. You know what's really annoying is that Brad just shows up and there's no hair and makeup and (Lesley laughs) he like there's something guys don't, they don't have to do it all. I don't understand. He looks great without it. But anyways, ladies, I got melasma so I gotta you know put some makeup on. (Clare laughs)Clare Solly 11:19  Oh, so yeah, I mean it's it's fantastic. And and I know you as a business owner, you are the face of your business. So you know you have to take ... but even for amateurs who are taking photos, (Lesley: Oh) it's good to have those tips. It's good to know.Lesley Logan 11:35  Everybody you all need at least a headshot. If you are because they're gonna want it, you're gonna need it, you put it on all of your socials anyways, you're gonna want on LinkedIn, you're gonna want on your resume, you're gonna want it for an interview, you're gonna be on a podcast they gonna ask you for your headshot. So at the very least get a headshot. Everyone needs them. But also it is kind of fun to look back and go, "Oh, what a fun day that was." Or "Oh, I remember that haircut." (Clare: Yeah) Yeah, well, thanks for that question. Y'all, so Clare, keep stealing the questions, but you can actually ask whatever questions do you want? Just go to the @be_it_pod, put it in a comment or DM us and we'll answer it all in the show.Clare Solly 12:11  Fantastic. Yeah. And speaking of the show, we should probably recap Helaine Knapp's episode with you from last week. So (Lesley: Let's do it.) a quick bio about Helaine Knapp. She's the founder and CEO of CITYROW. After spending years of climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine left the world of publishing for tech start-up. Group Fitness was her outlet while she was working hard on the hustle and bustle of New York City (I know it will). Months of spin and bootcamp classes left her with lower back injury. However, she began searching for a workout that was low impact but super effective after a friend suggested rowing, Helaine initially rejected it as something her dad did in college but following a few (Lesley laughs) work workouts on a sexy machine pairing with a total body sculpting moves off the machine changed her mind and the concept for CITYROW was born. That and CITYROW has this mission of delivering a fun, smart, effective workout of all to all fitness levels. And it has grown from CITYROW has grown from one studio in New York City to a national omnichannel fitness brand. She's she's amazing.Lesley Logan 13:16  She's amazing. She's so fun.Clare Solly 13:18  ... I this was I think I'd say this every time. But this was one of my favorite episodes that I got to listen to. So I'm so excited I get to talk about this with you. Then, speaking of what was one of your favorite things that you talked about with her?Lesley Logan 13:34  Oh, I'm so excited. And also so as Bayon that's the chain you're hearing in the background. He's just letting us know he's excited too. You know, I heard her another pod as I mentioned on on the podcast's interview and I just really thought what a be it till you see it story like way a just... I mean y'all she's not a fitness instructor and she started a fitness business. And I think that's, I can't stress enough how important that is for you to, to know. And that's what like leads into my thing that I love that she said which like, "Building CITYROW based on a personal need." And so like, I think we often think we have to be the expert at something like some of us have ideas and we think, "Oh, I have to go get that training or this training, that I need this training. And then I need to do these. I need to get all those photos that go along with it." Like we build up the the the opportunity to do something so much that it takes decades to create the thing. And really, she just was like, "I have this idea. Let me find someone who can teach the class that I want to take, and let me build the business of the place I want to go." And so if you have a problem, maybe you can team up with people who can help you solve that problem. And so then you'll love your thing so much. You can't help but sell it. I just think, it's I think it was genius.Yeah, that was that was really great. And she also mentioned like, yeah, well to kind of piggyback on that, surrounding yourself with people and just building on that. Yeah, I mean like building on the idea because yeah, you know, you are, you live in your little pocket of the world. And Lesley you know this very well, because I've seen you do it multiple times, you live in your little pocket of the world. And then you can find people who also have, who also have the drive that have similar or different linking experiences. And so you can can build something (Lesley: Yeah) within that. I love that sense of community that turns into a business.Yeah. And I think like, you know, did you watch WeCrashed? They didn't sponsor the show everyone, so don't go like saying, "Thanks." But did you watch the series?Clare Solly 15:41  I didn't.Lesley Logan 15:42  Okay, let me just tell you. That you can listen to the podcast every one on like one half speed and get the whole gist of it. You don't have to actually watch so but I will say Anne Hathaway did do a frickin amazing job. She really was made for that role. And I don't know that that's a compliment. But it should be. But I mean it to be. But at any rate, the first episode is like about him, like, trying to sell heels that like can turn into flats. And like, almost cut off, like his sister's hand when she's trying to like make the heel because like, you know, like ladies are walking around in New York City, you can walk on your heels. So like, you could like turn the heel, one way, then you can walk on the shoe like a flat, you could pop it out. And then he was creating these like knee pads for babies like so close, it had knee and elbow pads and for babies, but he wasn't passionate about any of those things, he was just thinking, "There's a hole in the market, or there's this thing I can create, I'm going to create, it's gonna make a lot of money." And the reality is, is that you have to actually care about what it is that you're creating, in some way it has to affect your life or someone else that you like, love and trust. Otherwise, you're just going to show up and it's going to be like selling paint on a wall. It's like, Yeah, this is nice, you know, and, and wallpaper is nice, but you don't have to build it. So I really, I think it just goes back to like, create things based on your personal needs, or someone you know, that you really care about. And you're going to feel a lot more unstoppable when the obstacles come your way. So what is something you love, she said?Clare Solly 17:09  I loved like the there's like this is kind of a two parter, like working out for the body's health and longevity. And just do one thing, and just keep doing it. I find it hysterical that you are one of my best friends. And you are so into working out. And I am so into sitting around and not. (Lesley laughs) And and I have a couple of friends who are in the fitness industry who are my closest friends. And I'm like, "No, but really, can we just sit and talk?" (Clare laughs)Lesley Logan 17:44  You got a friend who's a spin instructor or you've got friends who do these things. And like, you're like, and we're like, "Hey, let's go" and you're like, "Yeah, let's just hang here."Clare Solly 17:54  Well, and a couple of years ago, we talked about this a little bit, or you mentioned it before on the pod. We had a blog that's now like defunct, and we had talked about trying to we had this idea where we were we were giving challenges and I was like, "I know I need to make a change in my life. I know I need to work out more" because I like to move. I just like to do it in a way that doesn't feel like I'm working out and sweating and like whatever. So I started doing two sun salutations a day, because I could commit to doing two sun salutations. (Lesley: Yeah) Because I could do them while my coffee pot was like brewing. So I'd get up, have a glass of water, set the coffee to brew, go to the living room and do 10, two sun salutations, which takes like two, three minutes, depending on how deep I'm going and how long ...Lesley Logan 18:40  Yeah, if you're going by breath, or if you're just like going through ...Clare Solly 18:43  And some days, like my body was just like do the movements and be done. And some days I was like, "I want to hold this stretch, and I want to do this." And it I could feel a difference when I was doing it. And when I was not doing it like I would have some days where I'd be like, "Ah, I don't really do need to do it. Doesn't make that much difference." And it does. And (Lesley: It does.) like it was weird because like, I I knew that when I hadn't done them for a couple of days. I was going to hurt myself a couple days later because it's that was the cycle. (Lesley: Oh yeah) And so it's like my body's health was or my body was appreciating just those couple of minutes of care I was giving it. And even though it was only a couple and sometimes, like and again, I would go to a spin class like once a week or I'd go you know do some other seven. I'm live in New York, I walk constantly. (Lesley: Yeah) But those two sun salutations and committing to those has been such a change. And you know ...Lesley Logan 19:43  Are you still doing them this many years later? (Clare: I am.) That's amazing.Clare Solly 19:47  I am. I think it's been four or five years. I get up every morning and and I fallen off the wagon like I (Lesley: Yeah) you know. You know we all know that little little pandemic happened and so you know, depression, whatever, but ...Lesley Logan 20:00  ... that little thing. (Lesley laughs)But it's amazing. And sometimes like, I'll hurt myself or it's my, you know, women's cycle of the month, things like that. So it's like you're not supposed to do inversions when you're on your period. And so like, but I'll, I'll, I won't necessarily do down dog, but I'll still do or no up dog. Well, I can't remember. (Lesley: Yeah) Whatever the one where your butts in there, (Lesley: That's a down dog. Yeah.) Down dog, great. I can't remember. (Clare laughs) But I'll do I'll do the stretches. And I'll do like, I'll find myself like doing plank and some months, I'll challenge myself and like, "Hey, let's see how long we can hold plank for and then hold it for 10 seconds longer tomorrow." And (Lesley: That's ...) I got up to like, three minutes in plank.Are you serious? That's insane. Yeah, I am at a two minute handstand, by the way. (Clare: Oh wow!) Yeah. Yeah. And that's after taking, like, I think I took six months off of yoga and not for any reason. To be honest, I love my teachers, I have two teachers I frickin love and both their classes are at sucky times. So one guy, he's on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which may be now on Tuesdays, I'll get back into because that would be a nice way to end the day. I just happen to have happy hour at that time. So it would just be it just became a little weird Brad and I are doing happy hour, like zoom class, doing yoga. And I'm in a little sip anyways, don't anyone needs no one needs to tell me the how I shouldn't be drinking while I'm doing my yoga. But at any rate, I picked it back up probably six weeks ago. And I you know, it was amazing. I could still do the minute long handstand. And then he was like, "Okay, we're doing two minutes in the second week." I was like, "Two minutes, I just came back to the five, I'm surprising to do one minute." But your body does have this incredible memory. If you're really consistent with something you can get it, you can get back into it pretty well. And I want to just talk about something you mentioned, you're doing 2, and you committed 2 and sometimes you do a plank hold or sometimes you just do a different stretch. All of those little additions are things that BJ Fogg says, "You'll know when you can start to expand that. When you can start to like, make it five sun salutations or two sun salutations and a hip stretch." And it's also okay, if one day you just go to the two sun salutations, because the habit is actually just the two sun salutations. Everything else is extra credit. So,Clare Solly 22:08  Yeah. And it's it's the commitment to it too. Like I actually, I, when I'm on vacation, or things like that, like I'll like I would not do them on vacations originally. And now I just excuse myself, because that two minutes, that five minutes, whatever that is that I give myself is worth it.Lesley Logan 22:34  Well, yeah, it really is. And so, you know, I've been doing morning pages, and I too fell off the wagon with those with the little pandemic. Because I my excuse was, it's so freakin hot in the morning, I have to get outside and walk the dogs, because every minute I'm sitting there, it's just baking the asphalt more. But the reality is, is that I have to do my morning pages. So I'm just going to have to go to bed a little earlier or wake up earlier and make sure make room for a nap later in the day like those are because I, like you I don't get injured, I get pissed off. And it's because I didn't put the things that are pissing me off on a piece of paper and I kept them inside. And so anyways, back to Helaine and your takeaway, I really am glad you picked that one out. Because I do think people think, "Oh my gosh, like, I have to go to a 30 minute class or I have to go to an hour long thing." And you can just pick one thing and like you said, and just do that.Clare Solly 23:28  Yeah, well, and this is and again, not to like do a spot for you. But like, this is one of the reasons I love OPC. Like, I'm an OPC member. And sometimes I'll turn it on for like five minutes. And I just only do five minutes of Pilates. Like is that the right thing to do? Well, I mean ...Lesley Logan 23:45  It's exactly. (clare: I do 5 minutes, 5 minutes is better than nothing.) It's exactly right for you. (Clare: Yeah) And it's also why we say, "Finishing is optional." (Clare laughs)Clare Solly 23:53  Yeah. Sometimes I do the whole thing, and it seems like no time has gone by. Sometimes I'm like, "Nah, I'm good with five minutes."Lesley Logan 24:01  I know I um, I can always tell my energy level when I'm at my workout with my trainer. And if she ends 20 minutes early, and I'm like, "Ah, 20 minutes early." I mean, not that early. Like we did the workout. Right? But if I if I like or the other day I went and I was so grateful it ended after just the one workout that she created. I was like, "Okay, we're stretching. Okay, good. I can do that." I was like, I was like, "Oh, yes." I can always tell like where my body's energy is at and like if I need if I like when she's one of the stretching habits if I wanted more if I had like so grateful that we're stretching. Yeah, finishing is optional everyone, intentional movement is important. And just pick one thing and do that. Okay.Clare Solly 24:41  Yeah. (Lesley: All right, Clare.) We move on to the BE IT action item?Lesley Logan 24:46  Let's do it. Let's recap what's what's your, let's go into the BE IT action items that she gave us.Clare Solly 24:50  Yeah, so um, I the bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action item that I really liked. And I sort of said this before is surround the people or surround yourself with people on the same journey as you. Which I think I mean, yes, definitely surround yourself with people that are similar. But and you've said this several times, like surround yourself with people who are different, but have the same motivation, like the that are going towards the same direction or want the same thing. Like you mentioned, the the, the, the we work thing earlier, and the how the guy was making all these different products. And it's like, well, what's his goal, that those were not aligned with his goal? (Lesley: Yeah) So therefore, they weren't successful? And like, what is your goal? What are you aiming towards it? Even if it seems like something that is totally not connected. And I think we talked about this on my episode of the podcast, like, this is the manifesting piece, right? This is like, what do you want from your life, and how, and then you'll find the map to get there. And you said, you surround yourself with those people, and connect yourself with those people that can help you either motivate you or share in that directional pole pointing to get you to that. (Lesley: Yeah) And she ... people.Lesley Logan 26:15  I, well, I couldn't agree more. And also, like, it's, the other people have had BE IT action items like, like, make sure you're like, you're you have, like, you know, the pre... people, positive people around you. And like, Brad and I work together, and we do a lot of masterminds. But we, that are and we work really great, we can find really great collabs. But very few of those people work with their, with their partner. So we actually have to be intentional about finding other couples working together. Because they get us on a different level. And so there's something about like, I can, for example, I was in LA yesterday, and we were visiting with some people, none of whom worked work work for themselves. So of course, they don't get when I say like, "Oh, we've got a launch coming up that's when we get back." They're like, "Oh, I wish you could stay." It's like, hmm, you clearly have no idea how many parts go into a launch and how much time that isn't much brain space it is. And so but when I say to a friend on a text message, who is an entrepreneur like, "Oh, yeah, we're on our way back, we have a launch kicking off in a few days." She's like, Oh my gosh, get some sleep. Make sure you're drinking lots of water." Like so when you surround yourself with people are on the same journey. There's almost like, you have almost like your own special code of language, and so they can get you on a deeper level. And also keep you up and make you excited about things when you're down. So yeah, I ...A slingshot friend.A slingshot friend like Clare is. Yes, yes. I'm glad you brought that one up. I feel like that one is hard for people to do. They have a hard time because they think they have to let go of other people.Clare Solly 27:52  Yeah, but I mean, you don't and that and again it it doesn't even have to be they don't have to have the same goal again, it's just sort of the same direction. Like, "What do you want out of life?" Like you and I both want fulfillment from our our endeavors. Right? And, and . It's not it's not a house. I mean, yes, those things come along with that. But it's like, we want to continually to be excited and fulfilled by the things that we we do with our lives.Lesley Logan 28:25  Yeah, yeah. No, it's true. It's it doesn't have to be like you don't have to find an, if you're a fitness or more fitness people. You could just it could be someone who also is trying to build something and create community and similar directions in life. I love that.Clare Solly 28:40  What was one for you?Lesley Logan 28:41  I loved get to know yourself. I think we've had similar versions of this come up before and I picked it anyways because I really don't think a lot of people spend enough time getting to know themselves. And there's so many different ways you can get to know yourself for example, yesterday I had an oracle card and tarot card reading. And that was very fascinating and was actually really fascinating how much she like, 'knew about me without knowing me.' I was like, "What is this? How do you know that?" But you don't have to get those kinds of readings to get to know yourself. There's just, you can get know to yourself in different ways. But you have to understand like, why are you getting frustrated about that? Why are you afraid of that? What is this thing that is making you you know, snap or or not believe in yourself or not get out of bed? And you know, like not go 5 4 3 2 1 in action. Like what it like get to know yourself because then only then can you actually build a life, like you said a fulfillment or alignment. You know, if you hate the mornings, why do you hate the mornings? Is it that you're not a morning person? Or is it you're going to bed at 1am and that you're asking yourself to get up at 6am. Like, actually get to know yourself so you can actually take steps in the direction of of creating the life that you want to live or being it till you see it. And so I just I think, I think getting to know yourself is a lifelong journey.Clare Solly 30:08  If you're into the woowoo, like I am, I know Brad is not and Lesley you're like a medium woo. (Clare laughs) A lot of a lot of the woowoo folks are talking about shadow work right now, which is like if you see that shadow work means just what you were saying. Like it means think through the stuff in your past, or the things that you don't like or the triggers for yourself. I actually had one coach that was like, anytime you have an accident, you trip, you run into something, you bump into something that's like to like, have you realign with a whatever that that thought was.Lesley Logan 30:44  Oh, my gosh, so when you fell on the sidewalk, and you like knocked yourself.Clare Solly 30:48  I, yeah, exactly. Well, and I again, I sat around trying to, like, heal for I don't know, why did air quotes, like heal from that not just physically, but like, what was I thinking at the time and what I was saying I was worried about my work and how I like that different. Like, I had just gotten back from vacation. And I was, I still had like two days before I had to go back to work. And I was like, my mind was racing about all these different pieces. And I think it was like, "No, no, you have to let stuff go."Lesley Logan 31:19  Interesting. That's so interesting that you bring that up, I didn't know that tripping and falling can be part of that shadow work or that part of like, getting you back in alignment. That's so fascinating.Clare Solly 31:30  And it doesn't even have to be as anything as big as my fault. Like, I my stationary bikes, it's in my tiny, tiny apartment and I run into the handle all the time. And I know I can go out and around. But I bump into it. I'm like, "Okay, what was I just thinking? I was thinking negative." And a lot of times it's negativity about myself, (Lesley: Oh) like, I'm not good enough. Or I'm like, I'm not, I haven't made the time. Like, I haven't not. Yeah, I haven't made the time for it. And it's like, well, no things come in the time that they're meant to, or things will happen in the time that they're meant to. And and yeah, it's the the more you deal with the icky stuff, like I am not a morning person. And it's, it's because I find more creativity at night. (Lesley: Yeah) And part of it is you know, I'd like I have an acting background, I do theater. Theater is mostly at night in the evenings. (Lesley: Yeah) I'm sort of geared to that. And again, my creative time, I'll get sleepy around like, 8 to 8:30 and then 9 to 11. I am super creative and super focused. And I find so much writing time in that in those.Lesley Logan 32:37  Did you get to a little nap hour in there? Yeah, but so I you know, I just think we, I, I downloaded a book called Astrology and the Kundalini Rising, because apparently, I'm entering my Uranus opposite Uranus time. And so I know I am a medium woo, but I'm going in. Because this is very interesting. There's some interesting stuff that they have, you know, discovered. It's not like a roadmap, but it is a roadmap. And it's again, just about getting to know yourself. If you find yourself complaining about the same thing. Write about it, and (Clare: Yeah) ask yourself. We had a guest Thor, who's like, talk about morning pages as well. He'll write about it. He's like, "Who... I can't do that. Who says I can't do that?" Oh, (Clare: Yeah) "I say I can't." Like get to know yourself because it really is the key to unlocking a lot of things. We tell ourselves some incredible stories. When people (Clare: Yeah) tell me a storyteller, I'm like, "I bet you tell yourself some whoppers." Just ...Clare Solly 33:34  There's an Ashton Kutcher quote that "We all sit around on a pile of collective stories." I think it's Ashtron that like ...Lesley Logan 33:44  I never thought we would quote Ashton Kutcher on this podcast. So, thank you. (Lesley and Clare laughs)Clare Solly 33:49  There's a first. It was it was one of those like, I was reading a book and like it was the top of the chapter and I was like, "Of all people." But yeah, like it's just a pile of collective stories, y'all. Like (Lesley: Yeah) so you can weed out the ones like our memory is selective like there are things about our like, we have a collective past and I don't you'll you'll remember things that I don't like and and I don't remember things that you know, or I remember things that you don't (Lesley: Yeah) And it's again, we can weed anything out. We our brains are wired that way to keep us safe and ...Lesley Logan 34:29  ... and also tell yourself a different story about the thing because (Clare: Yeah) you can also like I could talk about how like, "Oh, I wish like I had a terrible childhood whatever blah blah." And then I can also say, "You know I had the exact childhood though set me up to be this person that I am because I wouldn't be this peer. I didn't have that childhood. So like it kind of benefit the hell out of me. So maybe I can read..." You know what I mean? Like we could actually like you know, you can as you said you can weed it out or you can change it.Clare Solly 34:54  Yeah, see that see the light side of the the see the positivity in something. (Lesley: Yeah) And don't be afraid to go deep into the stuff that that is ne... that feels negative because there's positivity in there too.Lesley Logan 35:06  Oh, for sure that is, that's good that's another BE IT action item and we can put on there go into that, go into the, go in there. Do you remember that? We'll talk about this offline but there was that movie where he had to like Robin Williams had to go into like ...Clare Solly 35:20  A what the ... What Dreams May Come?Lesley Logan 35:22  Yes. And he did like go in there and they had to like weed it out, like a weed it out to get her out of there. (Clare: Yeah) It was ... chills deep. Anyways, everyone. I'm Lesley Logan.Clare Solly 35:33  I'm Clare Solly.Lesley Logan 35:34  Thank you so much for joining us today. We're so grateful you're here. How are you going to use these tips in your life? Let us know by sending a DM to the pod and on Instagram and we'll catch you on the next episode.Clare Solly 35:44  Bye y'all.Lesley Logan 35:47  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others BE IT TILL YOU SEE IT. Have an awesome day!'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Fly Media'. Brad Crowell 36:20  It's written produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.Lesley Logan 36:31  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.Brad Crowell 36:36  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 36:44  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all videos each week so you can.Brad Crowell 36:56  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What problem plagues your daily life? Discover how founder of CITYROW, took some messy action when she realized she needed a sweaty workout that also supported her body and it was nowhere to be found in the market. It's an episode full of jumps, constant learning, and finding the right seat for your success.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co . And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Building CityRow based on a personal needWorking out for the body's health & longevityTaking a step forward, listening to feedback, and learningDetermining what you are good at and finding the right seat  * Self-awareness Surrounding yourself with supportive people Episode References/Links:CityRow websiteIGGuest Bio:HELAINE KNAPPFounder & CEO of CITYROWAfter spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for tech start-up life. Group fitness was her outlet while working hard and taking on the hustle and bustle of New York City. Months of spin and boot camp classes left her with a lower back injury, however, and she began searching for a workout that was low impact, but super effective. After a friend suggested rowing, Helaine initially rejected it as something “my dad did in college,” but following a few workouts on a sexy machine, pairing it with total body sculpting moves off the machine, changed her mind and the concept for CITYROW was born. With a mission of delivering a smart, fun, effective workout to all fitness levels, under Knapp's leadership, CITYROW has grown from one studio in New York City to a national omnichannel fitness brand a top-ranked on-demand global program featuring at-home rowers and a fast-growing digital subscription business alongside 12 open studios and 65 franchises sold nationwide! Knapp has yet to row on the water and has been featured as a business leader and a wellness expert on TODAY, Women's Health, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, Shape, Well + Good, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance and PEOPLE, among many others.In this episode you will learn about:The journey to CEO and recognizing Plan ZHow you raise money as a small businessFinding the need to create a startup Feedback, launching, and the process to get it rightGrowth with sharing and celebration Trust is always key for customer support and serviceVisualization to change the status quo Episode References/Links:WebsiteInstagramGuest Bio:HELAINE KNAPPFounder & CEO of CITYROWAfter spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for tech start-up life. Group fitness was her outlet while working hard and taking on the hustle and bustle of New York City. Months of spin and boot camp classes left her with a lower back injury, however, and she began searching for a workout that was low impact, but super effective. After a friend suggested rowing, Helaine initially rejected it as something “my dad did in college,” but following a few workouts on a sexy machine, pairing it with total body sculpting moves off the machine, changed her mind and the concept for CITYROW was born. With a mission of delivering a smart, fun, effective workout to all fitness levels, under Knapp's leadership, CITYROW has grown from one studio in New York City to a national omnichannel fitness brand a top-ranked on-demand global program featuring at-home rowers and a fast-growing digital subscription business alongside 12 open studios and 65 franchises sold nationwide! Knapp has yet to row on the water and has been featured as a business leader and a wellness expert on TODAY, Women's Health, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, Shape, Well + Good, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance and PEOPLE, among many others.  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.ResourcesWatch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable PilatesSocial MediaInstagramFacebookLinkedInEpisode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  Hey, Be It listener. So I believe so much in paying attention to what strikes your fancy?What gets your attention? What gets your mind thinking? And you know, it's hard for our minds to wander in our our busy lives, like, you know, we have so much to do. And we're always and thank you for listening this podcast on your walk or on your drive. But you know, sometimes we don't even, we don't have a lot of time just to think. And so I was driving with Brad cross country and he was asleep and I was listening to a podcast. And today's guest was on that podcast, and I was obsessed with her. Like, I was like, "Oh, my God, this woman is amazing." Like she is, she is not letting the things that I hear all the time, stop her. So her name is Helaine Knapp. She is the Founder of CITYROW. And she was not a fitness instructor when she started a fitness company. She was also not certified in rowing, which started this fitness company. She was a consumer who was solving her own problem. And I say that because some of you are, are busy working on something trying to make something work. And it's, and it and it might actually not be the thing, the thing might be the other problem that you have that you have to solve. And we get a little hung up sometimes on, I've spent so much time on this thing. I've got to do this thing. This is where, this is where I got my degree in. This is where my resume says I should be. And what if you just followed the thought process of the problem that you have that you've been trying to solve for yourself? Well, I can tell you a little bit because actually Helaine's gonna tell you in this interview, you're gonna hear how she became the Founder of CITYROW, which is not a one boutique shop in New York. It is happening all over the country, in the States, and they have an awesome at Home app. And she's freaking phenomenal and super inspiring. And her Be It action items are useful, unique, probably free, unless you unless you need to go hire someone to discover yourself, but I can't wait for you to hear her voice and get inspired by her and her honesty and what she's doing. And she's eight years in on this business. And it's not easy. It's not easy, but don't stop yourself before you get started. All right, so here she is Helaine Knapp.Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast, where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guests will bring Bold, Executable, Intrinsic and Targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.All right, Be It listeners, I have a very special woman for you, I might say special a lot. But this one, I actually listened to her another podcast while driving through Florida, which is a really long drive. It didn't think it would be that long. But I listened and I was like, immediately DM-ing like going so I'm going past all the things to get a hold of her because I just had to have her on to talk to you about who she is and what she rocks at. So Helaine Knapp, thank you for being here. And taking time to tell everyone what you're doing. So if you don't mind, can you share with them who you are and why you're amazing.Helaine Knapp 3:36  Thank you what an intro. I'm very happy to be here and getting to know you and the entire audience. Yeah, so quick and dirty Helaine Knapp, Founder and CEO of a company called CITYROW. We are rowing based fitness, but really just smart fitness for the average consumer who's trying to try to get it all in, cardio, strength, mobility, flexibility, stretch, you get it. How can we get that for you in 20 minutes? And so I ended up starting a rowing company that I'm excited to tell you a little bit more about.Lesley Logan 4:04  Yeah, so first of all, I love that because my my my Pilates classes online are 30 minutes. And I'm like finishing is optional everyone, like you can just press play. And if you stop before it's over, you still got your full body workout in the day. So I love that you're like how do we do all of that in 20 minutes, because it is so hard to get have time to do all the things. So a way to solve the problem was a problem that you had or ...Helaine Knapp 4:26  Yeah, it was definitely a problem that I had. So I built my career and in the tech world in New York City and so that meant that I was running around like a lunatic, you know, selling, you know, talking to clients. I was, you know, taking in person meetings, I was hustling emails, I was trying to build my network and my career also have time for friends and a social life. And I loved working out. Something I fell in love with after college I was actually much of a bit of a chubbier kid growing up and going out school in the Midwest and did not helped me on my fitness journey. And so it was after college that I just fell in love with leading a healthy lifestyle and lost some of the college weight. And when I started working a lot more and seeing a lot more opportunity to, you know, make a larger career, get some commissioned sales. All of a sudden it was harder for me to leave my desk at the end of the day. And so I became a boutique fitness fanatic. As much as I could afford it. I was taking classes all over New York City, I had a personal trainer, like once or twice a month whenever I could afford it. And it was really kind of through, you know, I unfortunately I got an injury. Taking all these fitness classes and found myself with a really bad lower back injury that forced me to be sidelined.Oh, I feel, I feel like that is kind of the thing like the injury to sidelines all of us, even those of us who are not famous Olympic athletes, like you're your own athlete, and when you get sidelined and the things that you did to make you feel good, get you you have time to think and wonder a little bit. (Lesley laughs)Yeah, I mean, well, we're not all Olympic athletes, yet ...Lesley Logan 5:57  Yet. We're gonna be on that rowing team. (Lesley laughs)Helaine Knapp 6:03  ... I think that I we'd be better off with a couple other sports but we can talk about that offline. Yeah, I was, I would sidelined and it was so frustrating because in my mind, I was doing everything right. I I pride myself on being a conscientious human in the world. You know, constantly trying to do my best and trying to do what's right and ended up with wearing a back brace like full on Romy and Michele high school reunion style. (Lesley: Well ...) And yeah, yeah ... Yeah, three herniated discs at 24, which really pissed me off, because I really thought that I was doing everything right. And working out like so much and taking these classes. But you know, the sidelining really forced me to look at what I was doing. And very quickly realized that not all movement was created equal. I don't need to tell you that. (Lesley: Yeah) But yeah, it was just like, it was an eye opening, right. I think you have to kind of go along your fitness maturity to a certain point, when you realize that there's not all movement is created equal. (Lesley: Yeah) This will get there on nutrition faster, right? Not all calories are created equal. (Lesley: Right) But not all movement is created equal. And I think when you're first entering that fitness journey, all movement is good, ... walk, elliptical, do whatever it's going to take. And then when these are adding a lot of volume, and how do I work out 3 4 5 6 7 8 days a week, right? All of a sudden, you have to be a little bit more intentional with how you move your body. And it's really easy to start breaking it down. And so what I uncovered is I was in my 20s and 30s. And I had an injury, and all my friends were injured too. And I was like, "How are we gonna do this guys? (Lesley: Yeah) You only have one body, like we got to be a little bit smarter."Lesley Logan 7:51  Yeah, I think I mean, like, I love that you bring that up. Because also, when you're in your 20s, you do have this extra energy to do like, I used to take two hot yoga classes back to back. I can't even go out in the heat in Vegas anymore. I'm like, "Oh that's too much." When I hear people doing hot yoga here. I'm like, "Are you kidding?" So I used to do like two or three hours at the gym because I worked there and I injured myself running. And you know, running is kind of like, it's normal. It's like, it's not really that difficult to go out for a run. But of course, I broke my leg doing it, so (Lesley laughs) but I but I hear you like you there's there's there's an element of needing balance and the proper amount of different types of movement. And then also, like, if you don't have the core foundation to do all the things you're doing and you're young, and you're able to do them, you can start to develop things that like three herniated disc girl at 24. That's way too young.Helaine Knapp 8:42  It was it was way too young. And I think it was just, it was so jarring for me because fitness had become a big part of my life. And I was taking all these spin classes and I loved it. I loved it. I loved that heat. I love the energy and then when when the music came on, I think all the discs just flew out of my back because I started aggressively dancing on the bike. And I didn't have the strongest, the strongest core in the world and I was forgoing form, to be able to make sure that I hit every tap back perfectly and combination many other things too. I happen to be really tall, I'm super hyper flexible. You know, everyone's body is different, but it really kind of was eye opening to me and in the notion of like, is there a way that I can get the cardio and the strength training I'm looking for. I always loved personal training, couldn't always afford it that much time but like, loved and understood the power of lifting a weight. (Lesley: Yeah) Not just for weight loss purposes as a former chubby kid that's always goal of mine, but also for his overall health and longevity. Realize how quickly how important it was but for women, especially ...Lesley Logan 9:47  Women, especially. Yes, ladies, if you're listening and you're not doing some weight strengthening like body body weight resistance is great, but you got to add, you got to add some heavy weights in there. I promise you it's going to make like when I heard it makes menopause easier as like, throw me the weights. Where are they? Hold on, I've heard this as hell, where's the weight? (Lesley laughs) (Helaine: Yeah) Let's start now.Helaine Knapp 10:07  I think we're being realistic in that we're not saying go lift 50 pounds, we're saying like use five, use eight, get yourself up to 10 to 12 to 15 (Lesley: Yeah) over body, upper body, find the right, you know, coach through you with that. And that's a huge part of what we do is also introduce people to proper strength training movements that are part of a hit class. And so I wanted the cardio, obviously, who doesn't love cardio. (Lesley: Yeah) Right? Strength training. And then I wanted three other things that I found were traditionally being being really compromised in a lot of these high intensity classes in New York City. I wanted to have a positive impact on my mobility. (Lesley: Yeah) I wanted to have a positive impact on my flexibility in my stretching. And so to me, I went in with this really fucking high bar ...Lesley Logan 10:51  You're like, "I need there has to have all these things." So (Helaine: Yeah) so were you looking, were you like making a list to go look and find that it existed? Or were you thinking, "I'm going to create this is where ..."Helaine Knapp 11:02  So it started by me saying, you know, my doctor was like, "You need a low impact workout." And I quickly learned what how important that was. And I was like, man, everyone needs a low impact workout. We just don't know it. And then I was looking for a low impact workout that was also high intensity. And it was actually, it was right there that I got stopped that there was really nothing out there. That was both high intensity, meaning torching calories, really fun, great music, but that was also low impact on my body and my joints that did not exist. (Lesley: Yeah) And then I obviously wanted to layer on a couple other things. So I'm a bit of an overachiever. And so that was ...Lesley Logan 11:39  I see you. I'm over here. Welcome to the overachiever club. (Lesley laughs) We've been ... recovering here, we're trying to be in recovery.Helaine Knapp 11:45  Yeah, I'm close, Lesley, you might be a couple couple steps ahead of me. But I really it was really that moment where I was like, "Man, there's, there's gotta be some better way." I wonder if I can try and figure it out. Constant problem solver my whole life. And also, I was personally really sidelined. (Lesley: Yeah) I am a person that needs a high intensity workout. It's mental for me as much as it is physical, and walking and doing, you know, light movements on a mat. Like were fantastic and really changed my body and my core. But my mentally like I needed something else. Like (Lesley: Yeah, I understand ...) ... that you're on key. And so I was like, really quickly, I learned that rowing was this high intensity, low impact, not to mention total body thing ...Lesley Logan 12:32  Yeah. And I love this rower coz like, first of all, it's I feel like I own, I feel like only recently and maybe when that maybe two who started it that like people actually got got into the rowing machine, because it's so much fun.Helaine Knapp 12:46  Well, that's generous, Lesely. I don't think it's very fun. If I'm being honest with you ... (Lesley laughs)Lesley Logan 12:51   I've also never done a 20 minute version of it. I'm like, two minutes, 10 calories, boom.Helaine Knapp 12:58  I think that that's really what I saw in it. It wasn't that I loved rowing. I've never rowed a day my whole life. It's that I saw a vision for it to be this kind of anchor within this holistic workout that was gonna give me cardio and strength training and mobility and flexibility all in one. And it could anchor around the rower because it's a power exercise. And so (Lesley: Yeah) CITYROW is actually it's intervals, you're never spending more than a couple of minutes on the rower, we were just using it to very quickly get your heart rate up. And to keep it up throughout all of your strength training and mobility and Pilates style work on the mat (Lesley: Cool) that you're sweating nonstop. And it's very dynamic. So it's that heart pumping cardio that's mixed in with everything else that makes it our secret sauce.Lesley Logan 13:43  Yeah, so that's super fun. So remind me how long ago, so you were injured at 24? How long ago did you come with this idea? How long did it take you to get started?Helaine Knapp 13:53  So I the idea for CITYROW in 2013. And I launched my first studio in January 2014. I was a child.Lesley Logan 14:00  Yeah, this is amazing. So 2013 I feel like was a great year. Everything bad happened to me and all that was so good. So so I love this year. Like just think of all the things that have been born in 2013. So that's really fast. Now, because people always have to know I just went you were not a group, you're not a fitness instructor. You were just a fitness person. You just loved fitness. And you and so you didn't own a fitness studio. You've never owned a fitness studio. So how did you, how did you start something you've never done? (Lesley laughs)Helaine Knapp 14:35  Well, I really, really didn't know what the hell to do. But I was very, very confident in personally not having something out there for me. (Lesley: Yeah) And so it really started with this need in the market that I felt personally and that when I took a step back and looked at macro trends in the space, as well as talking to all my friends and realize that they were all injured in their 20s and 30s ... (Lesley: Yeah) still pushing themselves. I was very early on in the notion of like, you really can't beat your body down. (Lesley: Yeah) Like we take care of our one body. (Lesley: Yeah) And I just, I had that confrontation very early on in life. And so I felt the need. So personally, I saw it manifesting within others, even if they hadn't gotten there yet. And so I just started talking about it. And I started socializing the idea and the concept, I like, quickly did a little bit of math, which in retrospect, was so wrong, but I had enough of an idea of like, how it could work. (Lesley: Yeah) And then I took baby steps, I got a piece of advice very early on from a serial entrepreneur, friend of mine, he's like, "Just keep making one decision at a time that moves the company forward." And so it wasn't like people always asked me was there like,"One moment that you've jumped in," and they're actually, I can pinpoint one that was maybe like, you know, signing our first lease that was very jump in. But up until that point, I couldn't do a lot without having to like, risk it all. (Lesley: Yeah) And I did it all while I was working at another company. And so one step at a time, let's get a website up. Let's assess demand, let's get an article, let's be included in like a Well and Good or Roundup or something like let's just start doing it. Let's take conversations and learn. And then eventually, it was time to sign a lease. And that took me you know, months and months and months and months. But one small decision at a time is really how, how I did it.Lesley Logan 16:33  Thank you for sharing that because I do think that people go , "Okay, now I have to sign the lease." And they don't do the work beforehand. And that work beforehand, really does help you cultivate what it's going to become. And also try out things like it's like dating, you gotta like before you get married and sign the lease, you got to like, date it around and see how people are going to put it out there and see people ask questions, what questions are they asking, you know, like, all of that stuff is really important. So I do, I do love it. And also that I agree, like, I look back at some how the companies we started happened. And there was very little like grand hurrah. (Lesley laughs) (Helaine: Yeah) I think there (Helaine: Yeah) was one grand hurrah when we moved to Vegas, we are like, "This is huge. This is a big leap." But but for us, it was just like doing one thing at a time. And I always had worked a different job and then made my side hustle the thing. And then what became the hustle that I could like, let go of something. So so you've been doing this since 2014. It's almost 10 years or eight years in, and you have one location, two locations. How it has grown out since then?Helaine Knapp 17:37  Oh, yeah. So we took a couple paths. I'll answer that in a couple of different ways. But in 2016 2017, you know, after we launched our first location opened a couple more, we were kind of sitting there punching far above our weight class in terms of brand and who we were in the market. And we're, we're rowing for the general fitness population. That's part of a more holistic workout. So we we happen to hook on the rowing train, but really, we're just a smart fitness (Lesley: Yeah) solution. And our mission has always been how can we go and be available to as many people as humanly possible. We're very, very female focused. So as mentioned, we're three women that started the business, we only bring on female ambassadors and celebrities. (Lesley: Love this) But we're also built for the female body, which is high, wildly different than the male body. (Lesley: Yeah) I think, I think I'm the only female founder in this connected fitness world, which is how we built this, which is insane. But hey, women's bodies, like we need some different stuff. So, we ...Lesley Logan 18:32  Yeah, I agree. I don't and it's like, I was listening to a podcast where a guy was telling women about different things. And I'm like, "Why are we taking advice from a dude?" No offense, he's very smart. But like, "Ladies, we need to know about how to train for our bodies, and we need to be the experts on it, not someone else."Helaine Knapp 18:50  It's, it's crazy. And listen, like I think as as a, as a female founder, entrepreneur, someone who's raised a lot of money. We're constantly navigating in a world that wasn't built for us. But we are making small changes every day, to try and make the world work for us or to try and create a new world. That's how I like to think about it. (Lesley: I love that. Yeah) So we stepped back in 2017. I was like, "Where do I want to grow the business?" There's a lot of cool things happening, I could raise a lot of money and open more corporate locations, I could do a franchise model. Also, this digital thing is really interesting to me. And so when I looked at what I wanted to do with the business, I knew I wanted to grow our retail footprint and open more locations. The plan here was never to do just a couple. I come from the tech startup world. So to me, I was like, we're on the fucking train. And we're gonna go, and I really, really liked what I saw in the early days of digital fitness. And that meant that really numbers of the Peloton and some cool things that I was seeing there. And you also have to take a step back and say, "What are we uniquely positioned to win at? Where do we have an unfair advantage?" And I knew that for us that was going to be technology because my co founder and I met at a tech company. I love building technology. I also love monthly and annual recurring revenue. Not to mention, I knew that our modality of this growing hit class with strength training work was going to translate incredibly well into the ad home setting where the hypothesis was that we're going to have a much shorter attention span. (Lesley: Yeah) And we can jam our Fab Five into a 20 minute workout. This is going to be perfect for the home consumer because nobody wants to go and do an hour long workout at home, at least I don't and I am the consumer. I've never taught a class. I'm just the consumer.Lesley Logan 20:39  But see I, you, I, you keep saying this. And I think it's really important for people to listen to this part, you're solving your problem, like everything you've done is solving your problem. And that is, you know, that is really the key. I think people think they're trying to solve a problem for like, that's what they see out like maybe think about or what they perceive. But it's like, actually, if you to solve your own problem, if you can create that thing. You can there's people out there, you're not the only one. So I think it's really cool and I agree. I do one yoga class a week online at home, and it is live, which is the only reason I could show up because I'm like, "This is an hour. (Lesley laughs) I, hold on, why are we savasana early? When is when is that happening? (Lesley laughs)Helaine Knapp 21:23  I'm with you, we're coming from the same plot. And like, to your point, we are not all that special, right? There's a lot of people just like us that have similar feelings and needs and voids in their life. So that's very much how I built the business. And so while I saw this early trend in digital, and I knew we wanted to get there early, and we did, we launched our first rower. But our secret sauce is really our content in our app. And so at our core, we're a content creator. And so we have, we have on demand and live classes. (Lesley: Cool) Now we have 15 different class types circling around the rower because it's still a vehicle for this perfect tech class, but also complimentary workouts, whether it's yoga, Pilates, Bootcamp, more all rowing classes, because once you get into it, you kind of want to see what you can do on that thing. And it's really really really good hard ...Lesley Logan 22:12  I love putting my hands on the floor feet on the on the seat and just like I there's something about that. I feel like it's gonna help me do a handstand someday, like a gymnast, I'm just going to pop up into it. I know, it's probably not ...Helaine Knapp 22:21  You definitely could. I'm not sure that's how the rubber should be used Lesley. But we can talk about that offline. (Lesley laughs)Lesley Logan 22:26  Good point. Good point. Good point. So ... (Helaine: Im' so excited ...) So that's, so that's really cool. So you did that in 2017. So you're like, well ahead of like, people actually starting to use, you know, at home equipment as a thing like before the pandemic that is what I mean.Helaine Knapp 22:42  Yep, so we were very much ahead of the curve. And so we had our first row, we're in market with our iOS and Android app going into the pandemic. We also though in 2017, knew that we wanted to expand our physical studio footprint, and so partnered with a franchise development company, and we sold about 65 units across the country very quickly. And we had about eight or nine of those open, just open heading into COVID and so (Lesley: Wow) truly getting on this omni channel meet the customer where they are ethos into who we are. And so obviously, past two years have been super up and down in both areas of the business but the whole category is continuing to grow and that's why our team, our investors are all pretty bullish on is that studios are coming back in a meaningful way and people are hungry huge for variances, in a good way.Lesley Logan 23:33  Yeah, it's ... it's insane. Sorry to cut you off. But like, because I coach so many instructors, the... obviously with the pandemic so many teachers went online, and now that things are opening up and like, I promise you, it is so much easier to build a brick and mortar right now. Because people are really, the people who loved in person fitness are hungry for it and they're showing up and they're and because they saw what happened to to in two years of not being able to do it they're like not missing. It is really crazy and insane. So I'm, so have you been able to open up new ones since the pandemic or is it just the ones that you had signed on before? How's that going?Helaine Knapp 24:13  Combination so, you know, some of them didn't make it through and really hard and challenging and I definitely shed a couple tears as these are people that I was really excited to build a business with. We also opened a couple, so for instance our Richmond Virginia franchisee opened her second location, Plainview opened during, Del Mar, California opened during the pandemic. And we're going to continue to open a lot more stores over the coming years. And for us right now it's how do we, how do we continue to build back up those studios in that community and in a meaningful way, and then figure out where we want to go next. All the while really integrating our digital community with that of be in person because a digital community is fantastic. But the second that you can go and touch and feel something in the flesh, you're gonna have a much deeper and real connection to that. (Lesley: Yeah) And I, I'm, I'm the Meta Verse is here ... read for whoever's excited about that as am I in some ways, but there's, there's nothing that's ever going to replicate. Right? Connected at Home Fitness was built because people need to figure out how to get the days 4 or 5 6 7 8 (Lesley: Yeah) into their week, or they physically could not get to the studio. (Lesley: Yeah) Right? But for most of the average consumer, they are not going to motivate themselves and push themselves as hard at home as they will in a room full of other people. Now, different psyches do better, I actually think that men probably do a lot better at home, just the way that their brains work than women. We love being around other people, right? We're motivated by other people. (Lesley: Yeah) And we're a little bit competitive. (Lesley: Yeah) Like, I'm the fucking owner of this company, I have a rower sitting right next to me, and I have never hit a low split time that I could possibly get in the studio. (Lesley laughs) ... we're human in the studio ...Lesley Logan 26:01  I hear you on that. Because, well, you know, I bought weights during the pandemic. And I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna work myself out. I got some programs. I'm doing some online stuff." And I went like, "Oh, the dogs need breakfast. Oh, this," you know, like, all of are so many distractions. So I do much better. It with a, like, they're like I'm showing up at a time for something, even if it's at home, but in person is still one of my favorite ways to work out with group classes. It's just wait, it feels like a group class, because that's what it is. So I have, so your I mean, like, it's crazy, you're 24 are like, "Okay, I'm gonna start this thing. It's amazing." And I love the confidence that a young 20 something has, so I can understand how you could be the CEO of a company, or something you've never done before. But now with there's so many experiences, you've had to work this business through that no one had to, no one had to do a pandemic before. So that's something different. And then also to go from like, one location to like, all these extra locations, all these new locations and an app. How, what is it, how do you like, talk to your, talk to yourself, and like becoming this next thing, running a company of something that you haven't done yet? Do you know what I mean?Helaine Knapp 26:31  So really started in like, before I even opened the first location, or even had the idea. And it all comes back to self awareness, and knowing what you are good at, but more importantly, knowing what you're not good at. And if there's like one superpower that I have that, you know, I was finally starting to realize in my mid 20s, that I'm a really, really, really good problem solver and navigator. And layer that in with an ability to network and find the right person to ask for help. That I just was ready to bet on myself, because I did not know what was going to be around the corner. But I knew that I could probably figure it out. Right. And that came from personal experience. It came from feedback that I got, you know, positive feedback from bosses and mentors throughout the years. And so I was ready to better myself and jump in. Right? You never know how cold the water is going to be or what's going to be lurking below. But I knew that I was going to figure out how to navigate it. And so I kind of always come back to that notion. And now that I've been doing this for eight years, man have I navigated through some crap. And stuff that like is just mind blowing, like all of our credit cards were shut off. We've run out of money many times, like every problem you can possibly imagine from legal to personnel, we've been through it. And so now it's a combination of that early confidence and betting on myself to be able to navigate it. But two, I yeah, I pull rabbits out of the hat. I've done it, I figured it out. Like this is just one more. This is just one more, we have a bigger team and there's more people behind us. And so it's constantly leaning on that. But the one piece of advice I would say would be not to pretend to be who you're not. And to be very, very aware of where your strengths are and make sure that that matches to whatever the initiatives are that you want to embark on. And if you're not then just be real about that. This is not for everyone.Lesley Logan 29:09  Oh, that is so good. That is I love that so much. I it's it's something I think a lot of us don't realize that we can bet on ourselves. I think, do you know what I mean? Like I think it's not an option people actually realize is probably the best bet you can make because another guest on who is like you've survived every bad thing that's ever happened to you if you're listening to this, like you didn't die. (Helaine: Ah) You have access to the internet and you're hearing a podcast like you've survived all of it. And so, so I really thank you for, thank you for saying that because I think anyone who already bet on themselves just being reminded that of that, too is like that is a that is a magic tool. And you're right we all have strengths and some of our strengths are better suited for different roles in our own business you know. Um, I last August, oh, no. Yeah. No, oh my gosh, it's been almost two years. In August of 2020, I hired a coach. She's amazing strategist, she's actually out in your area. And she, she does strategy work for like trillion dollar companies and somehow, like through the network of life, like she loved us. And she's like, "Yeah, let's do a session." And I was like, "Okay, great. I'm not a trillion dollar company yet, but I appreciate you. We're gonna work with you." (Helaine: Yeah) And she this whole thing. And she's like, "I don't know why you're the CEO because you're, you're not." (Lesley laughs) And I said, "I am not. (Helaine: Oh) I'm not the CEO of my company. I am the Visionary Officer of my company." Like, I know where we're going. And I know, I believe I can get us there. I like when you say rabbits, that I'm an ideas machine, problem comes up. I'm like, we just need to like, what out, what do we get what's possible right now. And so my husband became the CEO, because he's a natural at it. He's so good at it. And when you when we switch those roles, and then I hired people around me, who actually had strengths that were my weaknesses, it's, you're unstoppable. And so you then you can just live in your strengths. And it's easier to bet on yourself everyday. Because you're not constantly living in the parts of you that are like, not not good at that. So we're gonna make yourself feel not good.Helaine Knapp 31:16  Yeah, and I think so many of us want to be someone that we're not, or at least we start that way, right, as, as young young women trying to be someone else. But I think the most important thing you can do for yourself and your happiness and your career is to be like, "What am I really good at?" And I learned a great example of this from one of my first bosses when I was working at Conde Nast W magazine, and I was a, you know, $24,000 a year sales assistant. (Lesley: Somebody living in New York) ... and not not well, like, it was like grad school in some ways. But I remember working for this badass badass sales woman. And I remember saying to her, like, "Kim, like, don't you want to be the associate publisher? Like, don't you want to be the publisher and run everything?" And she's like, "No, I am really good at this. I make a great living. And I wouldn't be a good manager." And it was really, really, really eye opening, because I had been going on this notion that you got to keep climbing. But I've seen that play over many times in my career. And people are happier when they're in the right seat. And not everyone's happy, and they don't see it all the time. But make sure you're putting yourself in the right seat.Lesley Logan 32:29  So beautiful. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna listen to that part over and over. Alright, Helaine, where do people find you, row with you, you got CITYROW's sounds like all over and coming up all over. So how can they get more information?Helaine Knapp 32:42  I'm a big Instagram fan. So highly recommend just find us on Instagram, at @cityrow c i ty r o w, get to our website, cityrow.com or go to cityrow.com or find me just Helaine Knapp on, I would say my two favorite social networks are Instagram, Instagram and LinkedIn.Lesley Logan 33:02  Oh, amazing. Good for you on the LinkedIn. I am that's a strength. That's a seat that I'm not in. (Lesley laughs) I have been (Helaine: ... where) out, it's there. And I'm like, "You know, if someone really wants to get a hold of me, I think that they'll go on my website." (Lesley laughs) So okay, you are a wealth of knowledge. Be It Till You See It action item, so bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted things, people can do to, you know, be it till you see it, be in the seat there that is meant for them.Helaine Knapp 33:33  I want to get to know yourself, right. And that means something different for everyone, whether you're going to journal and maybe bring in a mirror coach at some capacity, but get to know yourself a little bit more and surround yourself with people that are on that same journey or maybe a little bit further ahead of you that can help be a support system on that. And then when you're ready, just like jump in, jump in, but be aware that it's not rainbows and butterflies. And so if you can jump in and know that the water is really cold, but also have the confidence that you're going to be able to figure it out. Then you're ready but don't go in thinking this is going to be a breeze at any point you don't even know what's gonna happen yet ...Lesley Logan 34:17  Truer words have never been spoken like in my daily life. (Lesley laughs) (Helaine: Yeah) So oh my gosh, Helaine, I'm so grateful for this time. Thank you for letting me snag you and you're amazingness for our listeners. I hope to be in New York soon and track you down so we can actually meet in person but I just feel like yes, woven from the same cloth and lots more to do in this world. So thank you for being here. Everyone listening how you want to use these tips this information in your life, screenshot this, tag @cityrow, tag @helaineknapp and the @be_it_pod so we can see what your takeaways are. And until next time, Be It Till You See It.That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It a podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review. And follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the @be_it_pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day!'Be It Till You See It' is a production of 'As The Crows Flying Media'.Brad Crowell 35:30  It's written, produced, filmed and recorded by your host Lesley Logan and me, Brad Crowell. Our Associate Producer is Amanda Frattarelli.Lesley Logan 35:41  Kevin Perez at Disenyo handles all of our audio editing.Brad Crowell 35:45  Our theme music is by Ali at APEX Production Music. And our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 35:54  Special thanks to our designer Jaira Mandal for creating all of our visuals (which you can't see because this is a podcast) and our digital producer, Jay Pedroso for editing all video each week so you can.Brad Crowell 36:06  And to Angelina Herico for transcribing each of our episodes so you can find them on our website. And, finally to Meridith Crowell for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Steve starts the New Year talking with Helaine Knapp, the Founder and CEO of CityRow.

Presenter: Burkland Associates helps you build the right systems that can keep up with your growth and can handle all the finance, accounting, tax and hiring services that consumer startups need to scale. For more information head to burklandassociates.com Presenter: Skillful runs online, immersive programs that help people launch and accelerate their careers in business roles in tech - Strategy & Ops, Product, Strategic Finance and Growth. Early bird applications for the Core Sprint are now open - use the exclusive code EARLYBIRD2021 if you apply before Dec 1 Click Here to Apply to the Next Cohort   This is a highlight from my conversation with Helaine Knapp, Founder of CITY ROW.

Today I'm joined by Helaine Knapp, CEO of CITYROW.   In this episode, we discuss the company's origin as a single boutique fitness studio, the decision to launch a connected rower and digital app, and Helaine's plan to scale an omnichannel experience.    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider helps operators stay informed and make better decisions. We produce a weekly newsletter and podcast, curate an industry jobs board, and invest in early-stage companies.   *** Subscribe to our newsletter: https://insider.fitt.co/newsletter/   *** Visit the jobs board: https://jobs.fitt.co/   *** View current investment and get in touch: https://insider.fitt.co/investments/   More from Helaine    After spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for tech start-up life. Group fitness was her outlet while working hard and taking on the hustle and bustle of New York City. Months of spin and boot camp classes left her with a lower back injury, however, and she began searching for a workout that was low impact, but super effective. After a friend suggested rowing, Helaine initially rejected it as something “my dad did in college,” but following a few workouts on a sexy machine, pairing it with total body sculpting moves off the machine, changed her mind and the concept for CITYROW was born.   With a mission of delivering a smart, fun, effective workout to all fitness levels, under Knapp's leadership, CITYROW has grown from one studio in New York City to a national omnichannel fitness brand a top-ranked on-demand global program featuring at-home rowers and a fast-growing digital subscription business alongside 12 open studios and 65 franchises sold nationwide!   Knapp has yet to row on the water and has been featured as a business leader and a wellness expert on TODAY, Women's Health, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, Shape, Well + Good, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance, and PEOPLE, among many others.

Episode 194 features Helaine Knapp, Founder, and CEO of CITYROW, who is on a mission of delivering smart, fun, effective workouts to all fitness levels.Find Helaine Online:Website: www.cityrow.comOnDemand App: go.cityrow.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helaine-knapp/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helaineknappTwitter: https://twitter.com/helaineknappAbout Helaine:After spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for tech start-up life. Group fitness was her outlet while working hard and taking on the hustle and bustle of New York City. Months of spin and boot camp classes left her with a lower back injury, and she began searching for a workout that was low impact, but super effective. After a friend suggested rowing, Helaine initially rejected it as something “my dad did in college,” but following a few workouts on a sexy machine, pairing it with total body sculpting moves off the machine, changed her mind and the concept for CITYROW was born.With a mission of delivering a smart, fun, effective workout to all fitness levels, under Knapp's leadership, CITYROW has grown from one studio in New York City to a national omnichannel fitness brand with 12 open studios and 65 franchises sold nationwide along with a top-ranked on-demand global program featuring at-home rowers and a fast-growing digital subscription business.Knapp has yet to row on the water and has been featured as a business leader and a wellness expert on TODAY, Women's Health, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, Shape, Well + Good, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance, and PEOPLE, among many others.........Thank you for listening! If you wanted to learn more about the host, Brian Ondrako, check out his “Now” Page - https://www.brianondrako.com/now or Sign up for his Weekly Newsletter and 3x a Week Blog - https://brianondrako.com/subscribe/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We Talk About: The benefits of rowing  What it's really like to build a business from scratch Vulnerability and asking for help Scaling business and pivoting during the pandemic What's next for CityRow  Mental health maintenance    Resources: Website: cityrow.com Instagram:@cityrow  Follow Alli: @alliwebb Follow Lori: @loriharder Follow Brittany: @britdrisc   Show Notes: A few years ago, Helaine Knapp was just like any girl in her 20s living it up in New York City, blending a high-powered job in tech with high-intensity group workout sessions. After a back injury brought her to a complete standstill, she found herself scrambling for a low-impact workout. She found rowing, and the seed for her next venture, CityRow Go, was planted.  In this inspiring episode, Helaine connects with Brit on the trials and triumphs of running her own business, and the brutal and beautiful lessons she's learned along the way, from the moment she knew she could make rowing sexy, to the emotionally draining fund-raising process, and why it's so important to surround yourself with badass women who will always have your back. Take our word for it: Helaine's jet-fueled success and boundless energy is going to have you running to the nearest CityRow studio.    Question Highlights: What's your career backstory and how did you start rowing? How did CityRow become CityRow? How do you work through insecurities? How did the last year impact CityRow?     Guest Bio: Founder & CEO of CityRow Go. After spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for tech start-up life. Group fitness was her outlet while working hard and taking on the hustle and bustle of New York City. However, months of spin and boot camp classes left her with a lower back injury, and she began searching for a workout that was low impact, but super effective. After a friend suggested rowing, Helaine initially rejected it as something “my dad did in college,” but following a few workouts on a sexy machine, and pairing it with total body sculpting moves, her mind was changed and the concept for CITYROW was born. With a mission of delivering a smart, fun, effective workout to all fitness levels, under Knapp's leadership, CityRow has grown from one studio in New York City to a national, omnichannel fitness brand with 12 open studios and 65 franchises sold nationwide along with a top-ranked, on-demand, global program featuring at-home rowers and a fast-growing digital subscription business. Knapp has yet to row on the water and has been featured as a business leader and a wellness expert on TODAY, Women's Health, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, Shape, Well + Good, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance, and PEOPLE, among many others.

Helaine is the Founder and CEO of CITYROW. After months of spin and boot camp classes left her with a lower back injury, Helaine began searching for a workout that was low impact, but highly effective, and came across the rowing machine. And so CITYROW was born, delivering at home and in-studio rowing workouts. Under Knapp's leadership, CITYROW has grown from one studio in New York City to 12 studios across the United States, along with an on-demand global program which launched in 2018. She has been featured as a business leader and a wellness expert on TODAY, Women's Health, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, Well + Good, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance and PEOPLE, among many others. In this episode she talks about managing energy levels, working on your own strengths within the team and managing communication during COVID and beyond. She also touches on the right speed for scaling up your company. Listen to more Subject Matter podcasts at http://www.subjectmatterpodcast.com (www.subjectmatterpodcast.com)

Helaine discusses short and long-term post-pandemic marketing strategies, cannabis consumption trends in fitness, and why CITYROW is targeting CBD consumers to grow its customer base.

The Keys to Intrinsic MotivationHow we can stop waiting for external factors to kick us into high gear and find the power within to push us towards our goals.EPISODE QUOTE:“Those that know this is a calling and believe so deeply in what we're doing, and the communities they are building, and the people that they are literally changing are the ones that are going to come out of this. If you survive, you win. But it is not easy to survive.” — Helaine KnappGUEST BIO:Helaine Knapp is the founder of CityRow, an in-studio and at-home rowing experience that is exploding all over the country. An expert in intrinsic motivation, Helaine realized that the only workout that matters is the one you actually complete, so she built the power of choice, motivation and accountability into CityRow— with incredible results.Prior to launching CityRow, Helaine worked in media and participated in two high-profile tech company sales: Buddy Media's $800M sale to Salesforce.com and Olapic's $120M sale to Monotype. A longtime proponent of group fitness, Helaine launched CityRow six years ago and it now operates 20 studios with over 60 planned nationwide while also helping innovate the in-home, on-demand rowing fitness space.Learn more about Helaine & CityRow:CityRowHelaine's LinkedInForbes Profile on HelaineOPENING MONOLOGUE:After spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for startup life. Group fitness was her outlet, and after a major physical setback, Helaine persevered and went on to found CityRow, an in-studio rowing fitness experience that has scaled massively across the United States, both in-studio and in people's homes. Helaine has been featured as a business leader and wellness expert on Today, Women's Health, ABC, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance and People, and she's done it all by unlocking the power of her intrinsic motivation— and helping others unlock their own.CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[8:02] Getting Tactical About InnovationInnovative thinking doesn't just happen. You need to create the space and environment for it.How often do you take time out from the day-to-day emails and to-do lists and reset your priorities? Innovative thinking won't make time for itself. You have to make time for it and dedicate your mind and the resources of your team to fostering that innovation even when it seems like you're drowning in the day-to-day.--[14:39] Ideas Are Hard. Bringing Them to Life is HarderHow do you have the courage to execute on ideas?The idea-generating process is the fun part. But how do you execute on that idea? The key is to move one decision at a time. Don't focus all your energy on your massive, ten-year, multibillion-dollar point on the distant horizon. Focus on what needs to happen today and go from there.--[21:00] How Do You Know You're Doing What You Love?Gauging how you feel about the way you spend your daysEach day take stock of what you're doing and how you feel about what you're doing. Sometimes you can like something that is also draining of your energy. Find out where everything sits in relation to whether you love it, hate it, or tolerate it, then adapt your life and career to add more to the buckets you love and remove things from the buckets you hate or only tolerate.--[26:19] What's Your Why?Helaine explores why she does what she does so wellIf you're going to jump into something vulnerable like entrepreneurship for money, fame, or a title, you're going to lose your way. For Helaine, the goal was to help people move their bodies in a better, smarter way for lifelong health. Your personal ‘why' may be something different, but you have to begin the journey of finding it now— not simply wait for it to show up somewhere along the way.--[37:17] From Job to CareerExploring the most difficult leap in professional lifeWondering how you can find a career that could turn into a calling? Get to know yourself first. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Be real with yourself. Then use that to shape the way you spend your days. Get a sense for who you are, and you'll end up with a sense of what you're meant to do.--[42:31] The Core Tenets of CityRowHelaine talks about why guiding principles are so important in life and businessAt CityRow, Helaine believes in following a set of core tenets that lead her and everyone at the company. They include accessibility, scalability, and a culture that makes people proud to work there. If you're leading a team, an organization, or simply your own personal mission, identify your core tenets. Get clear and explicit about what they are. Then use them to guide you forward.--[50:08] Double Down on Strengths or Correct Weaknesses?There's no right answer, only the right answer for youIt's a time-honored question: is it better to home in on our strengths and help them power us or work on our weaknesses to fill out our capabilities? Helaine believes in a hybrid approach, which involves doubling down on strengths but also surrounding ourselves with people who are strong where we're weak, effectively filling those gaps with the skills of others. But to do this takes awareness. Take the time to identify your own strengths and weaknesses, even if it may be uncomfortable at first.--[53:57] Helaine's Final ThoughtsThe queen of rowing's take on the topic of optimizing for happinessSometimes the simplest answers are the truest. Helaine's advice: do what makes you happy. Discover your strengths, find your intrinsic motivation, and pursue the things you're truly passionate about. Life's too short to do anything else.RESOURCES:[00:28] Purpose Labs[01:10] CityRow[25:21] Inc Magazine Article on Helaine & CityRow[41:15] Good to Great and Built to Last, by Jim Collins[46:05]Brené Brown[56:10] High-Performance Team ScorecardMAKE A PLAY:Let's score where we stand on our purpose, choice, progress, and impact. This scorecard can be downloaded at www.PowerOfPlayingOffense.com. Scroll to Book Resources and click on the High-Performance Team Scorecard. This will serve as your guide for today, the next 30 days, and beyond. You'll be able to pinpoint exactly how effectively you're pursuing your true purpose, sense of choice, personal and professional progress, and the positive impact you're making on the world. It's a great way of taking action on the goals that matter most to you.  Want to keep making the right plays? Subscribe to Playmakers now.Check out more episodes and content on the Playmaker's website.Follow Helaine:LinkedInTwitterInstagramCityRowFollow Paul:Playmakers PodcastThe Power of Playing OffenseLinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramYoutubeSHOW SPONSOR:Audible: Interested in leveling up and lifelong learning? Then what's better than a free audio book and 30-day free trial when you visit audible.playmakerspod.com? With over 200,000 titles to choose from, there's no limit to what you can explore and learn on Audible.TRY AUDIBLE TODAYABOUT PLAYMAKERS: IMPACT UNLEASHED:Playmakers: Impact Unleashed is an all-access pass to the game-changers of today and the history makers of tomorrow. The show looks past the trophy cabinet and features a no-BS, inside look into the world of comeback, transformation, and impact unearthing practical tools and mindsets that we can all leverage to make a play in our own lives and careers.Take a seat at the table with leadership expert, sports industry veteran, personal transformation coach, purpose igniter, and your host Paul Epstein in this inspiring, yet immediately actionable podcast. From stories of total defeat to the thrills of unimaginable achievement to the practices of mastering the inside game, each show will share a high-energy, prescriptive blueprint to unleash impact and drive success, significance, and purpose no matter your starting point.Meet Paul at the 50 and make a play together!Learn more at: PlaymakersPod.comABOUT MOTOWN PODCAST STUDIOS:In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.As a nod to the past, Motown Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown's processes to launch today's most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Motown Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Motown PodcastStudios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits. Here's to making (podcast) history together.Learn more at: MotownPodcastStudios.comABOUT THE HOST:Paul Epstein may not be a hard charging running back on the actual football field, but his list of high-profile wins in the world of sports will have you thinking that he could be.Paul has spent nearly 15 years as a pro sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office. He's transformed numerous NBA teams from the absolute bottom in league revenue to top-two in financial performance. He's broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history as the NFL's sales leader. He's opened a billion-dollar stadium, helped save the New Orleans NBA franchise, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy.He's since installed his leadership and high-performance playbook with Fortune 500 leaders, Founders and CEOs, MBAs, and professional athletes.Now, as Founder of Purpose Labs, keynote speaker and host of the Playmakers: Impact Unleashed podcast, Paul explores how living and working with a focus on leadership, culture, and purpose can transform organizations and individuals anywhere to unleash their full potential.Learn more about Paul at: PaulEpsteinSpeaks.comPre-Order Paul's new book The Power of Playing OffenseCREDITS:Paul Epstein: Host | paul@paulepsteinspeaks.comConnor Trombley: Executive Producer | connor@motownpodcaststudios.com

In this week's episode, we are joined by Helaine Knapp. Helaine is the CEO and Founder of CITYROW, a fast-growing, boutique fitness studio, based in New York, with locations nationwide. With the recent launch of an at-home, rower product, it was interesting to talk to Helaine about the relationship between at-home fitness versus in-gym, boutique fitness. In this episode, Matt and Helaine discussed things like how CITYROW began, the differences between rowing for fitness and rowing for sport, and different workout trends. The two also discussed boutique fitness and how to handle rejection. Find Helaine:CITYROWInstagramTwitterFind Momentous:LiveMomentousInstagramFacebookTwitterYoutube

Helaine Knapp is Founder & CEO of CITYROW, a boutique fitness studio offering a one-of-a-kind workout that combines rowing intervals on sexy, water-based row machines with dynamic sculpting exercises for the perfect balance of cardio and strength training. After a serious back injury, Helaine needed something that would provide a similarly intense workout as her beloved spin classes and CITYROW was born.  Since then, CITYROW has amassed a devoted following and earned raves from Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Details and much more. One fact that surprises most people is that even though she founded an indoor rowing company, Helaine had never rowed on the water.  But, the more she learned about rowing, the more she enjoyed it and saw an opportunity to introduce a new workout to the high end boutique fitness industry. Now in it's sixth year, CITYROW has just introduced a new high end rower that combines the same water technology used in their original machine with a sleek tablet that will guide you through hundreds of unique routines as part of their exclusive subscription service. #cityrowgo #cityrow #indoorrowing #lowimpact #exercise #boutiquefitness #fitness #rower #cardio #strength #letsgorow #cityrow #podcast #listen

This episode was recorded at an exclusive event called PodMAX / Propelify where founders had an opportunity to share their stories and knowledge.  Special guest host Kristen Olsen of Turmeric and Tequila leads the conversation down a path of insights, solutions, and collaboration.  Join the us for our next event at www.podmax.co And grab your virtual seat for the next Propelify Innovation Festival on October 5-9 at http://www.propelify.com (www.propelify.com) Helaine Knapp Helaine Knapp is Founder & CEO of CITYROW, the rowing-based fitness company that focuses on and omni-channel approach to smart fitness for the modern consumer. Prior to CITYROW, Knapp, spent a number of years climbing the corporate ladder in media and participated in two SaaS tech exits - Buddy Media (sold to Salesforce.com for $800MM in 2012) and Olapic (which sold to Monotype for $120MM in 2016). CITYROW at it's core pairs rowing with strength and mobility exercises - creating a workout that works. But a workout only works if you do it, and consumers today need choice, motivation and accountability. CITYROW clients can take classes from the comfort of their own home via Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices (megaphone.fm/adchoices)

Helaine Knapp went from sidelined to startup founder, turning injury into industry advantage! Working for years in tech and working out on the side resulted in an injury, and the subsequent realization that rowing was the low-impact cardio class missing from the NYC boutique fitness roster. Now a nation-wide franchise with an in-home product to boot, CITYROW is much more than a silver lining. This week Helaine shares her journey to grownup and how she's grown her business along the way. 

Hear how Helaine Knapp went from a top-selling early employee at multiple enterprise startups to founder & CEO of a fast-growing rowing empire. After being sidelined with a serious back injury, Helaine went on the hunt for a low impact workout that could fill the boutique fitness studio void the injury left in her life. Her research led her to rowing and that was the start of what would become CITYROW. Fast forward to today, CITYROW has 50+ franchises in the pipeline as well as an in-home experience complete with a custom rowing machine & app: CITYROW GO. Helaine on Instagram CITYROW on Instagram CITYROW.com CITYROW GO

Making lemonade from lemons. It's a phrase that comes to mind when we think of Helaine Knapp—founder and CEO of City Row, which offers water-based rowing workouts and a rowing-based fitness app. After literally breaking her back, Helaine...

Making lemonade from lemons. It’s a phrase that comes to mind when we think of Helaine Knapp—founder and CEO of City Row, which offers water-based rowing workouts and a rowing-based fitness app. After literally breaking her back, Helaine discovered that rowing was an exercise she could manage, and quickly realized it was whitespace with a business opportunity at hand. Helaine joins Socialfly Co-founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studios for a conversation about building her company and her journey to success, along with a surprise and a brainstorm. In this episode: How Helaine  started a lucrative business without actually being in the industry The value of diligently tapping into your network, Why a gut feeling to take a call during Game of Thrones changed her path Opening the door to the world of franchising And how an open mind can lead to tremendous possibilities Taking on one thing at a time helps make big goals feel more real Why clients keep Helaine’s team inspired

Helaine Knapp, Founder of CityRow, steps back on to the New York Launch Pod to discuss the growth of her boutique fitness studio. Since we first spoke to Helaine in 2015 on Episode 5, a lot has changed with CityRow and the boutique fitness world.  CityRow has added a signature studio on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, introduced an at home product called CityRow Go, and is in the midst of a national expansion. There is also more competition in the boutique fitness world.  Today, there are more boutique fitness studios in New York City and around the country, significant investments in the at home market from companies including Peloton and Aaptiv, and companies like ClassPass disrupting the marketplace.  In this episode, Helaine talks about how CityRow has succeeded in the increasingly crowded and cutthroat boutique fitness landscape, how navigating multiple locations in New York led CityRow to partner with Franworth for national expansion, and how she teamed up with WaterRower to launch CityRow Go, an at home experience for people who love rowing but can't get to a studio.  More on CityRow: https://www.cityrow.com/ For a transcript of the episode please visit: https://nylaun.ch/HYDCityRowTr

Helaine discusses launching a start-up fitness boutique, app, and creating a connected community through digital.

Helaine Knapp joins Small Business Edge for the first episode of season 2. Helaine is the CEO and founder of City Row, a boutique fitness studio that combines row intervals on sexy, water machines with dynamic sculpting exercises. City Row has been open since 2014 and has grown immensely since then. Helaine Knapp didn’t always know that she would be the founder of a successful startup in the boutique fitness industry though. Before that, she worked in high fashion, advertising, publishing and eventually the tech start up industry, and she always spent her evenings in the gym.  After getting a back injury at 25 years old, a friend suggested rowing for an amazing workout that is low impact. Helaine wasn’t into it at all! But, Helaine saw an opportunity in the industry for a great low-impact workout, and despite her negative connotations about rowing, she couldn’t get away from it. She found a sexy, water rowing machine and paired it with weight training. She put up a website and with the help of a friend, did a pop up class to see if anyone was interested in the idea. From there, it completely took off. Discussed in this episode: How City Row was developed and why it was so successful right off the get go The challenges of working full-time and building a business on the side  The biggest lessons that Helaine has learned through founding City Row The consistent struggles as a founder of a small business in a competitive industry  Learn more about Ceterus at Ceterus.com  

Founded in 2014 by Helaine Knapp, CITYROW is a boutique fitness studio established in New York City that specializes in a total body, high-intensity, low-impact workout using a water-based rowing machine and strength-training exercises. Each stroke on the row machine utilizes 84 percent of the body's muscles - legs, core and arms. The 50-minute workouts increase aerobic capacity and efficiency and burn calories while exerting less pressure on the body's joints than traditional cardio exercises. By combining rowing with body sculpting exercises, CITYROW members see body transformation quickly.  In Part Two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.  

Helaine Knapp, founder of CityRow, steps on to the New York Launch Pod to discuss one of the newest and hottest boutique fitness studios in Manhattan. It took an injury for Helaine to discover the benefits of rowing and how it was both low impact and worked 84% of her muscles. Once she did, however, Helaine could not get enough!  While there were many boutique fitness classes in New York City at the time, there were none dedicated to rowing. So Helaine decided leave her job at another start-up to open her own studio and bring rowing back in to the "limelight". From "sexy" water based rowers to foam rollers, CityRow is committed to being a forward thinking fitness studio that led to it being ahead of the rowing curve.  Listen to how Helaine first connected with Annie Mulgrew, CityRow's Director of Programming, to develop an interval based class that is suitable for all fitness levels and ages. Now over one year old, find out how CityRow first got its start at its Union Square location, what it learned from being in the Hamptons, and its plan for a signature flagship location on the Upper East Side.  Go inside the boutique fitness world and the challenge of educating consumers about rowing, but why with new fitness studios popping up, Helaine thinks CityRow has a formula for long lasting success. Transcript of the episode available here: http://nylaun.ch/cityrowt More on CityRow: http://www.cityrow.com/

Thank you Katie Shea for introducing me to today's guest Helaine Knapp ( https://twitter.com/HelaineKnapp ) , founder and CEO of CITYROW ( https://www.cityrow.com/ ). CITYROW ( https://www.cityrow.com/ ) is a boutique fitness studio which started in New York City that specializes in a total body, high-intensity, low-impact workout using a water-based rowing machine and strength-training exercises. They have since launched Cityrow go, taking the boutique rowing experience into your home with on demand classes. I highly recommend following her on twitter @HelaineKnapp ( https://twitter.com/HelaineKnapp ) A few books that inspired Helaine: The Four Agreements ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878424319?camp=1789&creativeASIN=1878424319&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by Don Miguel Ruiz Shoe Dog ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501135929?camp=1789&creativeASIN=1501135929&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by Phil Knight Good to Great ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0066620996?camp=1789&creativeASIN=0066620996&ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=theconsumervc-20 ) by Jim Collins Questions I ask Helaine: * Let's begin before you became an entrepreneur. How did your experiences at Olapic and Buddy Media help you as a founder? * What was your attraction to fitness and athletics? * What was the insight the led you to founding CITY ROW? * Why rowers? * What were some of the biggest hurdles when starting out? * Why did you decide on the franchise model? * Since we haven't discussed the franchise model on this show before, could you walk us through some of the innerworkings? * How did you think about growth? * What led you to create CITY ROW Go? * What were some of the biggest challenges when you decided to introduce this product? * What has been some of the challenges with the roll out? * What has been some of the effects of COVID? * How do you think about the future of the in store rowing experience once we all have the vaccines and people are able to work out in studios and gyms? * Walk me through your fundraising process. * What was the biggest hangup from investors? * People invest in what you know * What's one thing you would change about the fundraising process? * Not so much of a dance, wish more of a equality * What's one book that inspired you personally and one book that inspired you professionally? * What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? * What's one piece of advice for founders?