Building a fitness brand and working with Jen Aniston! With Pvolve President Julie Cartwright

0:00You are listening to and watching the Builders podcast where I interview CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leaders about building their business and career. So wouldn't it be cool if someone like Jen Aniston loved your company so much she asked to be a part of it? My guest, Julie Cartwright, who is the president of P-Volv, tells that story and much more about her company, which is focused on functional movement. Thanks for listening.

0:28Hi, Julie. How are you? Good to see you. Good. Thanks so much for having me on. Yeah, I'm really thrilled you're on. We're going to talk about your company, P-Volve, and it's a wellness brand. It's focused on functional movement as a way to build strength and fitness. For listeners that aren't familiar with the lingo, maybe could you explain the concept of your services, your role, and what functional movement is? Sure, sure. First of all, P-Volv is functional movement. So basically, moving your body in the way that you function every day, moving in three planes of motion. It's got a lot of stretching exercises.

1:03It's got a lot of flexibility and mobility involved and strength training. But the important part is that we combine functional movement with resistance-based equipment. We've got about four pieces of patented, small pieces of resistance equipment that enhance the results that we really promise. The results that you get from this particular method are pretty profound, and they're clinically backed. We've done multiple clinical studies. You get everything from looking great, so a lifted butt and really toned core and defined arms, but more importantly, you get better balance, pain relief. So chronic lower back pain can be reduced.

1:44You have more flexibility, more stability, more balance. So you can avoid falls and or injuries, more energy. And so these things have been in, you know, gold standard clinical studies. So we're really proud of what we promise because we know we can deliver it. So that's the, that that's the actual like method itself we deliver it um in a really awesome business model so we've got a global digital subscription so you you are a member you know monthly and you get access to 1500 at home workouts anywhere from 10 minutes all the way up to two hours and we've got live classes so it's two ways where you can actually see the trainer the trainer can see you And we've got about 40 to 50 of those a week that happen at various times.

2:35So that's great. And usually you become a member through a digital subscription, but you also are owning some, if not all of our resistance-based equipment because the two of them together achieve these results. But we also have studios. So we have three owned and operated studios, but then we started franchising. And that's a huge part of our growth. We have awarded around 72 locations and we just opened our 22nd location just last Friday. So that is going to be a hybrid membership. So if you're an in-studio member, you get full access to the digital membership, too, which allows you to have no disruption in your practice.

3:15So those were those two things. And I'm the president. I started the company with the founder back in 2017 and have been the president ever since and have really seen the most unbelievable growth. And here we are. Did you know that Builders is sponsored by Business.com? I'd love to tell you about a new free membership from Business.com for small business decision makers. It's called Business.com Plus, and it's designed to address the pain in selecting new products and services. What is the pain, you might ask? It's things like knowing which vendor is best for your specific business, negotiating pricing, having access to someone who can answer questions for you.

3:55The new membership, Business.com Plus, handles all of that with a dedicated advisor, pre-negotiated pricing, and solutions tested and reviewed by experts. Check it out at business.com slash plus. That's business.com slash P-L-U-S. That's amazing. And congrats on the growth in such a short amount of time. I'm curious as to like, what's the origin story? Was it something personal? Was it maybe a response to what I kind of recollect as the hottest things about it 10 years ago? CrossFit, high intensity training, et cetera. Am I thinking about it right? I'd love to hear why you all started the company.

4:38John, that is so personal to me, what you just said, because I'll tell you, it was a very personal story. Rachel Katzman, who's our founder, she was very young. She was 23 years old living in New York and she was going from boutique fitness to boutique fitness. So picture boxing and Pilates and, um, and hit exercises, really seeking a particular aesthetic. She wanted to look great. And she was 23 years old and she was kind of like powering through pain. She had really a lot of back pain and she got introduced to functional movement. So moving your body the way that you move it in every day. And she started to reduce her chronic lower back pain.

5:15She was diagnosed with scoliosis. And so, and she felt great. She's like, oh my gosh, like not only do I look great because she got the body she was looking for, but she's like, wow, there's something to feeling great. Like not it being in aches and pains in the morning and like not dreading your workout. And she's the daughter of a super successful entrepreneur. And she's like, I'm 23 years old. I don't know what to do. I need to find somebody to help me build this. And she had lots of great ideas and a vision that you just can. And so I, at the time was 40 years old. And that's really important because I knew the importance of looking good.

5:52I mean, I'm sorry, of feeling good. I can't believe I just said that I want to look good too. But I knew it was really important to feel good as I was getting older. And I said, No, no, no, no, no, I'm totally happy. I had an 18 year career, I like loved it, which we'll talk about later. And I'm like, no, thank you. Anyways, I don't, I'm not looking for a job. And she wouldn't take no for an answer. So she sat across from me, she told me her story. And the first thing I thought of John is I'm just like, oh my God, she's on to something because it was right at the, at the time when CrossFit was coming out with a bunch of like injuries.

6:27And you were just like hearing about the injury of, you know, based on, you know, working out that way. And I'm just like, wow, this is really needed in the market. I'm like, I'll help you. I'll help you do this for a year and I'll introduce you to all the right people. And then, you know, I'll go back to my day job. So that's, that's what I did in January of 2017. I'll never go get that day. That's awesome. And, and three, three years later, you know, there, there was COVID and I'm curious how that intersected with your story. like did you always intend to launch as an in-home product or did you start with you know an owned and operated studio and then what kind of what kind of curve did you have as the together part of the fitness industry was totally disrupted for a few years yeah so we're we're somewhat lucky and maybe it was you know really smart decisions but i'll tell you a little bit of its luck So we had a very, very small lab.

7:25It was probably the size of my office right now, which is microscopic in in like Chinatown in Manhattan. So there was a room where we did see in-person clients. But really, Rachel's vision was we need to give access to this type of movement globally. And the way to do that was by starting a digital subscription. And literally we had like no money. So like she was filming the video, she was editing the video, she was never sleeping. I was trying to find somebody that could host them on the side of my day job, you know, like, and we just put this thing together. It was like so amazing. So we really started like a little bit hybrid where we had a studio, but like we probably could have closed that studio down.

8:10It was like a room. And then we were starting to build this digital community and we launched the company officially in November of 2017. It was very shortly thereafter, we saw everything that we needed to see in terms of that first day that we turned on the Shopify and our subscription service. We were like, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, like these borders, you know, that were coming through. We're like, oh, my gosh, we're actually on to something. It was like awesome. And so we decided to start the company officially. I left my company at the end of 2017, Lionsgate I was working for, and I became the president on January 1st of 2018.

8:46So here we were, we were building this digital subscriber base globally. It was awesome. We were listening to these members. We're selling a lot on our Shopify site. And then Rachel and I looked at each other and we're just like, nope, we're not doing this digital only. That's not what we're doing. We are real members too and customers and we need to show up in real life. And so I said, you know what? I really, I think we need to like open up some studios and, and then I think we should franchise. You know, I'd come from 18 years in the fitness space. So like, I sort of knew what I wanted. I knew that we were building a new to market modality that was going to take all of our hard work and that we could really scale brick and mortar while we're building a digital business.

9:30And we will do that through entrepreneurs, you know, and that's like these, these owners. So we had an investor at the time. And like, as you can imagine, digital membership is very high margin, very. And he's just like, are you nuts? Like, are you nuts? And I was like, you know, basically like, trust me. Like, let's go do this. And so the reason I say we're lucky is COVID came. How awful, right? And we only had one studio open and a growing digital. So we were already sort of like maturing as a digital subscription. So we didn't have to like spin that up, which is harder to spin up than physical locations.

10:07But we also didn't have, we opened two more studios in COVID, but it was our company ones. And so we didn't have the stress of like 100 units open that had to be closed down and all these owners and stuff like that. So we were more digitally native and now we're really building a hybrid model. I love that. And let me let me ask another question about kind of the beginning where where you're lightening it up and it's going ding, ding, ding. And so it it feels to me like you're sort of a category creator in this space. And so companies that are creating categories, how do you get someone to find out about it in the first place?

10:44Because people aren't necessarily searching for functional movement, digital subscription on Google or something like that. I'm curious, it's sort of like your initial marketing breakthroughs. We did have a couple of trainers at the time. And again, we did have that small lab. And New York's an interesting place. So we had some actually Victoria's Secret models that were training with us. But the biggest thing that we had was we were saying something slightly different and we had an amazing publicist. So she got us into a lot of including like ET. So including like broadcast. And we had something really relevant to say.

11:25And that's really how we started to grow is by having really amazing press to start. That's really the only thing that we had was press. We weren't running digital ads. We weren't doing anything. We just had this press. And I guess it just said the right thing to be disruptive. And that's how we just started to grow. That makes a lot of sense to me, especially focusing in a community like New York. I remember, I think kind of like around when the soul cycle era, when that was really going, when that was like really good. I think that's the name. Yeah. And I just heard that from from word of mouth when I was a friend from a friend when I was out there on on business.

12:07And so, like, it's something you want to talk to your friends about if there's if there's something that you really you really like. I'm curious. So so there was sort of a plan to be digital and also and also have an in-person component to it. And when you think about the last few years, which maybe have been more hyper growth or expansion, is there any big change that you've had to make to the business or any curveball that's come your way that you didn't expect? I think the audience would be interested to hear about some type of obstacle while you're not like in zero to one, you're more of an expansion mode.

12:40So it's actually the opposite for us. So we've always been super, I would call it progressive in what it is that we were building because we're hyper-focused on listening to the customer. Everyone says that, but we are literally insane about listening to the customer. I'm reaching out to customers basically daily. I'm reading all the NPS that comes in through Slack, hundreds of NPS scores, and comments back and reaching out to them. And then we interview a member every Wednesday in front of the entire company. We know what our member wants. We know who she is. And from very early stage, we're like, oh, my gosh, this functional movement can reduce pain.

13:19We could use functional movement to help pelvic floor dysfunction. Our members are really suffering with their menstrual cycles and like functional movement can serve them through the four phases of their of their menstrual cycle, like each each month. So like, we were so progressive because we were like listening to the customer. We knew that this functional movement, because we started to like have doctors on our board and we were getting into clinical studies, we knew we could do all this stuff. And John, like that was the hardest part of our business because before 2020, nobody really cared, you know?

13:55And so like, we knew we were building something that could totally help, but like, yeah, you, you have like five people that are going and doing this thing because you're telling them so much that you're telling them like nothing. But we stayed really true to who we were. And so like, those were the times. And like, I think that what we could have done is we could have been like, you know what, we can sell a lifted butt. We can sell like an amazing arms. We could do that. And we decided not to shift gears. We decided to stay. And it's really paid off because post 2020, I think everyone reassessed their own advocacy for their own health.

14:35And people care a lot more about what they need to be doing in order to stay healthy longer or live younger longer. And all of a sudden, our message started to really break out and become extremely relevant. I would argue it becomes more relevant almost every day, you know, like what it is that we're doing. And our distinct nature allows us to have like a real moat of defense around us, too. It's not easy to catch up to like what we are. You know, hopefully we'll be the Kleenex of tissues of functional movement. So, you know, like that's that's I think like the reverse, you know, of of what it is that we're doing.

15:19And because we put so much efficacy into the method, doctors on our board, clinical studies, and these clinical studies are MRIs and muscle biopsies, we attracted Jennifer Aniston. She asked to join the company. She asked us to join the company. And I'm just like, what? Like, we needed to break through the clutter. We needed to be on a platform. We need a megaphone. We need credibility. We need a proof behind it is what we're doing. And she did all that and then some. That's a testament to the product, no doubt. A testament to the service. And I was wondering because you spoke about your career in entertainment prior to P-Volve.

16:02And I'm curious about a couple of things. What are the sort of the similarities between entertainment, marketing, sales ops, and wellness? And then I would have thought that you recruited her. but um but you're you have a different you have a different story so what it's what has it been like having her being a an ambassador part of the part of the company whatever her role is it is a dream it's a complete dream and i and the founder and i want to pinch ourselves like we we keep saying like we must have done something so amazing in our past lives like to to be able to have this i mean it was it was like june of 2022 you know and um and and she had been she had been like asking for some private training, which we also thought we were getting pumped for.

16:44But we knew that she was a growing fan, but we were keeping that super quiet. We were like, okay, we're training her once a month or whatever. And then all of a sudden in August of 22, her team DM'd us and said, hey, we're Jennifer Aniston's management team. And this was a Thursday. Do you want to talk about, you know, Jen on Monday. And I'm like, what? Like I was on a golf course with my family. Like we're all calling each other. We're just like, there's no way that this is true. That's not going to happen. Like, you know, and then on Monday we took the call and they're like, we don't even know who you are.

17:21We have no idea who you are, but she's obsessed. And have you ever thought about having her join the company? And I'm like, um, well, I mean, I don't think we've ever dreamed that big. And then we publicly, we went through a lot, you know, to kind of like seal that up. And then we publicly announced her in June of 2023. And she's obsessed with, she works out with us four times a week now. So, and she looks better than ever. And she's more obsessed than she's ever been. And this is like several years later. And she's just like, I want to use my platform and I want to put a megaphone to this. Everyone should be moving this way.

17:59You can't sit on the sidelines. You can't be working out your body and damaging it. You have to do stuff that's like really good for your long-term, you know, movement and health. So that's a really cool story. I want to go back and ask you about something that you said, because I put a little pin in it for myself. You mentioned Slack. Is that something you're using internally or something that your members use in a community type way? We only use it internally, but I think that why that was like a little confusing is we've got a lot of, you know, bot integrations, like all of our NPS, which is like, you know, how we're checking the temperature of our new members, all of those feeds come directly to the company so that we are, we're able to like see everything in real time.

18:44Okay. Yeah, that's really cool. WhatsApp, you know, for our member base. Yeah. Okay. I can, yeah, look, we've got communities that converse with each other. That's cool. So I was going to shift gears away from people for a sec. You're an active member of Chief, which is an executive network for women. I'm curious, how has that experience helped you? And also, what would you recommend to say mid-career women who have one or two steps they believe to make their way into an executive role? Chief has been amazing. I've been a member since 2000, but cheap is only what you make it. It really is. You got to put the work in.

19:26So what I mean by that is that, first of all, I'm lucky. I live in Chicago and I use the clubhouse a lot, which is a gorgeous clubhouse that I can run board meetings in. And, you know, so it's great for founders and for, you know, startups, like in that regard. I'll tell you that having a accessible, large group of C-level women who are sort of at your disposal and like they are, they really show up for each other, has not only brought tons of business my way, has allowed me to find perhaps the right person when I'm recruiting someone for a new role. we've done business like ventures, like business partnerships together with a number of chief members.

20:17So you, you have to sort of like show up and like put yourself out there, listen, give back as much as you're, you're asking for. So I think that that is part of my success in, in life, you know, is having like real relationships. If you need me, I'm going to show up for you. And if I need you, you're going to show up for me. So when I think about mid level women, that's the, the, the most easiest advice that I can give is, is that, you know, open your network, like, and have real authentic relationships and give them and, and, and, and ask back. I think that that's been incredibly valuable. Now I have a lot of male mentors too.

21:03And so like, I love, But like the chief gives you sort of like that access to these women that you wouldn't typically have access to. But I mean, other than that, like, you know, work your butt off and be like be somebody who people want to work with. I think that's something that women don't don't think about enough. You know, it's just like you want to be somebody that somebody wants to show up for you, you know, for. And that takes being kind and real in moments. So, but, you know, certainly lean on your network and have an authentic relationship with them. I put fitness or the category that P evolves in, in maybe like a larger category of wellness or a larger category of longevity or something like that.

21:51And there are a lot of companies now focused on, you know, other parts of that, like testing your biomarkers in a more robust way, et cetera. Do you see this as an opportunity for people? You said earlier in the conversation, you're sort of like staying in your lane. And but do you see your growth coming in new ways in the next few years and beyond? Oh, my gosh. First of all, I do all those things. I'm 49 years old. I've got young kids. I'm just like, I want to do like everything I could possibly do. So so like when you think about our consumer, our consumer is consuming all of those things. I think right now where you'll see us participate the most is in partnerships.

22:32So we're working with Tally Health and that's a biomarker, you know, like doing, like exposing their services to our member base and vice versa, because their member base, who's like really checking their real age and like, you know, taking supplements and doing all that kind of stuff really needs our smart workout too. So you're seeing a lot of partnerships go back and forth, restore like where you're getting your IV and you're doing your infrared, you know, like having partnerships with them so that our member base can easily, you know, sort of go back and forth. We're actually even, you know, thinking about where we're putting our studios so that it's very convenient for her to go back and forth to those places.

23:13I think some of the things that we're trying in our studios right now is a little bit like lower lift, but still huge value. And that's like Norma Tech, like Hyperice's Normatec boots. Have you ever tried their boots before? Their compression boots? No, I haven't. You would love it. But like, we'll have those in the studio. You can book that add on. It really complements our workout, you know, because it's compression, like therapy, recovery. We're looking at red light because that's really easy to install. It's not overly cumbersome, but it can absolutely enhance the results that we're promising.

23:48So it's between partnerships and like trying out a couple of additional services, you know, in studio. That's really where we're focused at the moment. Yeah, and letting your customers tell you what they like and that's sort of where you invest. If I could close out by asking kind of like a self-serving question, do you, is there, are men a growth market for you? Yeah, so what, how I say this is absolutely. Men are definitely in growth. Like, and we've got a number of trainers that are men, a number of studio like members that are men, obviously a digital footprint that we have men, but we are definitely trying to super serve and take a women's first lens.

24:29And the reason being is not to be exclusive because John, I'm telling you, if you do this method, your golf game is going to be better. You're going to have less aches and pains in the morning. Like we know this, we're clinically proven to do all those things, but what works for a woman will work for a man, but what was built for a man doesn't always work for a woman. And that's because of our hormones. And so we do all of our clinical research on women. And, you know, it's just, we're, we're just like, we're really focused on super serving her. We're not curves for women. We, we absolutely, but we want to, we want to like almost earn the right to like super serve her.

25:03And then, you know what I mean? And then we're like athletes. Okay. And then like men, you know, it's just like, not just blanketing being for everyone right now, but that's, I mean, that's, that's how I answer it. I get that question all the time from franchisee candidates. They're like, why are you cutting off men? I'm like, I'm not cutting off men. I'm just taking a women's first approach, just like fitness has always taken a men's first approach. I'm just taking the opposite approach. I love the phrase super serve. I think that makes a ton of sense. Julie, thanks so much for joining me today.

25:37I really enjoyed the conversation. Thanks so much for having me on.

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