When Jenna Fisher walked into NEIGHBORHOOD barre for the first time, she arrived as a 20-year runner and a 10-year barre enthusiast. Beyond her love for fitness, the world of business and entrepreneurship always intrigued her. But beyond the physical workout, she was seeking a sense of belonging. At the time, Fisher was navigating an intensely difficult period, balancing her corporate real estate career while caring for her mother during a long illness and grieving the loss of her father. In the midst of this the NEIGHBORHOOD barre community in Concord became a source of structure and belonging that showed up for her when she needed it most.

Now, after purchasing the existing Concord studio from a previous owner, Fisher works hard to balance her professional career in real estate with her new entrepreneurial venture. In addition to reopening the Concord studio in October 2025, Jenna recently signed franchise rights for a second location in Charlotte. She’s focused on rebuilding Concord, finding the right Charlotte site to expand to and leaning on the NEIGHBORHOOD barre community, strengthening her belief that NEIGHBORHOOD barre shows up for people in more ways than one.

Fisher recently sat down with 1851 Franchise to discuss her path to franchise ownership and how her NEIGHBORHOOD barre studio became a source of structure, purpose and community during one of the most difficult periods of her life. Here’s what she had to say:

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

Jenna Fisher: I’ve always been interested in fitness. I’ve been a runner for probably 20 years, marathon and ultra marathon, and I started to take barre classes about 10 years ago just to complement my running and to strengthen certain muscle groups that you don’t really get through running, or that can deteriorate through running. 

I had always been very curious about entrepreneurship and like, what that could look like. I’d always sort of toy with opening random businesses throughout my adult life and really settled into wanting to own a barre studio. I’d never really thought about franchising until last year and started to do some research on all of the different franchise opportunities when I stumbled upon NEIGHBORHOOD barre. 

I decided to just pop in for a class, and fell in love on day one, first class. The atmosphere was contagious. It was very accepting of all different fitness levels and body types. And I think the name for NEIGHBORHOOD barre is so fitting, because it did feel like a community in a neighborhood right out of the gate. I walked out of the studio after only one class, saying, ‘This is the franchise I want to buy,’ like I knew immediately. I felt right at home from day one.

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

Fisher: I work in corporate real estate for my day job, so I still work a very demanding schedule during the day. I’ve done that for about 17 years, and it’s really my primary work, but the studio is a full time job as well, so I’m very busy. My previous life is still my current life, except now I just have a barre studio to manage. I honestly felt more comfortable going [the] franchise route because I knew it was already sort of fully baked and developed, and there were resources and tools and support that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

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?

Fisher: There was a bit of a stigma with franchising, like you could not be creative. You could not make it your own. You had to work within very strict rules and guidelines. While some of that is still true, obviously the brand integrity is very important, there is a ton of space for creativity and ingenuity and being thoughtful, and just really making it your own — putting your own spin on it, your own personality into it and operating within their guard rails. 

The thing I’ve liked about NEIGHBORHOOD barre is, if you have an idea, you bring it to them and they want to hear from owners regarding what we want and what our needs are. And if we have a creative idea or something that we just want to run by them, they're very open to hearing it and allowing you to continue to sort of have that autonomy and complete ownership over your studio.

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

Fisher: I really wanted it to be barre, that was non-negotiable as a barre enthusiast. When I went into NEIGHBORHOOD barre, immediately people I didn’t even know were talking to me, wanting to get to know me. This was my first class, so they wanted to know what brought me there. [It] was so welcoming and warm. 

Barre is known to have a really hard fitness concept mentality. It is difficult, and I think it scares a lot of people, and potentially keeps people away from trying it just because they’re intimidated by it. What I love about NEIGHBORHOOD barre is that it’s accessible, attainable and is still very challenging, and so when you show up, you do feel like you’ve got a great workout in but you also feel like you’re able to challenge yourself and actually meet your goals and walk away feeling stronger versus defeated. 

The NEIGHBORHOOD barre technique is all about meeting people where they are and helping them reach those goals and feel like they actually can do it without making it too much of a reach. It’s very attainable and doable for every body type and every person.

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

Fisher: I purchased an existing studio location, so it’s been open for about eight years in total. But the goal was always Charlotte, and I purchased those franchise rights first, and then Concord came up for sale, so I purchased it last October. I’m still actively searching for a location in Charlotte and we’ve come close a few times, but haven’t officially nailed anything down yet, but the goal is absolutely to keep growing. I’d love to be a three-studio owner at some point. 

From a studio and business standpoint I’m really focusing on the community and Concord. The focus for me for 2026 is rebuilding. When I took over the studio, they were looking for someone to really come in with new energy and focus and bring the community studio back up to where it was when it first opened. 

It will take me some time to get there, but 2026 is all about the rebuild and the regrowth and rebirth of the studio. Then I really want to transition that energy over to the Charlotte studio and continue to build with the community at large, with Concord and Charlotte together, and just make it successful for this little pocket of North Carolina.

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

Fisher: I actually was entering a very difficult time personally. When I bought the Concord studio, my mom was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer the month I closed on the studio, and my dad just passed away from lung cancer two months ago. So it’s been a lot, and the studio and just having that focus and having something to continue to give me drive and motivation when battling these difficult personal things in my life has been great. The studios have really shown up for me, and the community at large really has, and it’s given me that sense of purpose and fulfillment to just keep going, knowing you have people depending on you. 

With everything I’ve been going through, I feel like not having the community or the studio would have made it a much harder thing for me to deal with. This has kept me very positive. I think NEIGHBORHOOD barre, fitness as a whole, community as a whole, shows up for people in more ways than one. It’s not just about meeting fitness goals or getting physically stronger, but it’s also about having that community for when times are hard or when times are great or you want to celebrate or you need to be sad. It’s about meeting our members where they are and being there for them throughout all their walks of life, and I personally experienced it.

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

Fisher: Have as many conversations with existing owners as you can. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to really interview the brand. I personally feel like NEIGHBORHOOD barre would be a good fit for anyone, but I do think it’s important for any new franchisee to make sure the brand is the fit for them personally, and making sure their values align with the brand values. And I think the best way to really do that is to talk to existing owners, take classes, get out in the community where they’re present and just really experience the brand as the customer first.

About NEIGHBORHOOD barre

Founded in 2011 by Katy Richardson, NEIGHBORHOOD barre delivers a fresh, modern approach to fitness, one that is welcoming, effective, and rooted in community spirit. With studios across the United States, NEIGHBORHOOD barre combines low-impact, high-result training with an inclusive atmosphere that empowers clients of all fitness levels. For more, please visit www.neighborhoodbarre.com.