Ten years ago, Joe Purton traded his two-decade career as a hospital system vice president and controller to pursue his lifelong passion for fitness. Knowing he wanted to own a business, he opened just the sixth CycleBar studio in the country. What started as a leap of faith to escape a desk job has since transformed into a thriving fitness hub in the Cleveland area.

Now, as he prepares to celebrate his studio's 10-year anniversary, Purton is reflecting on the business’ success and the community that’s supported him. Over the last decade, Purton has navigated multiple corporate ownership changes and successfully guided his studio through the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, his CycleBar studio boasts 450-500 active members, some of whom have been riding together since day one. Purton's career pivot a decade ago built much more than a cycling studio. It built lasting friendships and community.

1851 Franchise sat down with Purton to unpack his career pivot and the lessons that have shaped his studio over the past decade. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?

Joe Purton: I come from a finance and accounting background and I was a fitness cycling instructor back in college. It was always something I was passionate about and I took classes throughout my life, even after college. In my career, I was a vice president and controller of a hospital system here in Cleveland, and I was being groomed to be the next CFO of the system. I had worked for the organization for close to 20 years, and this opportunity gave me the opportunity to do some soul-searching. I decided that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life behind a desk. I wanted to do something I enjoyed, something I was passionate about, and I wanted to own my own business.

1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Purton: When I decided to start my own business, I knew I didn't want to start from scratch. I wanted something that was more of a turnkey model. I didn't want to have to create systems and do everything from the bottom up. 1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Purton: I thought I knew a lot more than I actually did about franchising and running a business. I know a lot more now than I did then, and I still learn every day. It's definitely a work in progress. 

I am a hands-on owner/operator, and for me, that is the only way to succeed. It takes a lot of work. You're always trying to fine-tune and improve things as you go.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Purton: When I first found out about CycleBar, everything kind of fell into place. The thing I always tell people is you have to be passionate about what you're doing in order for it to be successful, and I've always been passionate about indoor cycling. It's kind of like a runner's high. I get a “cycling high” after taking a class. The other thing I like about it is that the workout goes by very quickly. It's 45 minutes that you get to unplug and disconnect, and it's an easy thing to get people hooked on because it's fun and healthy . We are also always trying to innovate by creating new formats of classes.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Purton: We always have goals in terms of memberships. We're already around 500 members and we want to surpass that. I think we could easily get to 600 by the end of the year. We also just brought on a new staff member who is going to be taking on more of the community outreach. I'm going to be doing more of the things that most owners do and not maybe working as many hours in the studio, working the front desk. I want to be able to dedicate more of my time to other more strategic initiatives.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Purton: When I first learned about CycleBar, the franchisors really didn't talk a lot about the community that would come out of it. That's one of the most fulfilling aspects of this business. . We have people who are still with us from 10 years ago, and people have formed relationships and friendships that go on to this day. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners? 

Purton: I would say to definitely do your homework and be prepared to roll up your sleeves. Make sure that you know what you're signing up for. I would say don't expect to be a passive owner. You have to be willing to put in the work, and it will be successful if you put effort into it.

About CycleBar

Founded in 2004, CycleBar is the largest indoor cycling brand by number of studios and offers a variety of low-impact, high-intensity indoor cycling workouts, which are inclusive of all fitness levels. CycleBar offers an immersive, multi-sensory experience in state-of-the-art “CycleTheaters,” led by specially trained instructors, enhanced with high-energy “CycleBeats” playlists and tracked using rider-specific “CycleStat” performance metrics. Ranked on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 six years running, Fastest-Growing Franchises in 2021 as well as Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 in 2020, CycleBar is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, and backed by Extraordinary Brands, one of the leading franchisors of boutique health and wellness brands. To learn more about CycleBar, visit www.cyclebar.com.