For 26 years, David Houten worked as a high school psychologist while his wife built her career as an art teacher. But after years of managing a back issue, David found something that finally helped him stay active without pain: Row House, a boutique fitness concept built around rowing-based group workouts. After two years as dedicated members of their local Row House in California, the couple experienced the workout’s impact firsthand and decided to bring the concept with them when they moved to Nevada. Taking a leap into entrepreneurship, they opened the first Row House studio in Henderson. Now, going into their second year of operation, David is using his background in psychology to build a strong studio culture around the same benefits that drew him to the brand.
Houten sat down with 1851 Franchise to discuss how rowing changed his life and why he and his wife decided to leave education behind to open Nevada’s first Row House. Here’s what he had to say:
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
David Houten: My wife and I are going on two years with Row House Henderson. This wasn't our career prior to two years ago; I was a high school psychologist for 26 years and my wife was an art teacher. We were members of the Row House at Foothill Ranch in California for two years. We loved the workouts, the community, and everything about it. When we decided to move to Nevada, one of the first things we did was look for a Row House that we could work out at. When we didn't find one in Nevada, we decided to do something crazy and just change our careers and open up the first one in town.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Houten: It was definitely a learning curve because I spent 26 years working for an employer, a school district, where I didn't have to have any understanding of business, permits, licenses, HR, sales, or marketing. We knew we had the passion for the product, but we just had to learn everything else. I've had a bad back since my teens, but I found that I was able to get great workouts and stay in great shape with Row House. I could be really consistent because my body was feeling good and my back wasn't hurting. We saw such big benefits to our bodies from the studio that we decided to look into what is involved in becoming a franchisee.
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?
Houten: I had never thought about franchising prior to this idea that we should open a Row House. I really didn't know a whole lot about franchising, but the experience was positive because I felt like we got a lot of support in the start-up that we needed. They gave us support in terms of finding a location, construction, design, sales, and marketing. I felt like having a franchise was valuable because I wouldn't have known where to start with all of those things I would have had to do. They walked me through it and were always available when I had questions.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Houten: We found that the classes were a lot of fun. We enjoyed the coaches, the music, and the community of people. They were very positive and motivating, and we loved it. I don't see it as a business for myself; I see it as a passion. My wife and I are at the studio doing the classes with the members, and they see how much we love it. They know we're not doing this just to make money. When the members see that, it makes a big impression on them.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Houten: Our goals at the beginning were just to do it right, to hire great people who care about the members and care about the studio, and to start from there to provide a great experience for the members. Right now, we wanted to make sure we did the first one right before we bit off more than we could chew. We don't really have any ideas for expansion right now, but we're open to it in the future.
1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?
Houten: One of the most rewarding parts of doing this process has just been seeing the success stories of our members. Within our first year, we had at least 50 or 60 members that lost 40-plus pounds. Hearing about people that are off their heart medication now or who were pre-diabetic and are no longer on that track has been amazing. They've seen such health benefits, and that's the most rewarding part for us. Also, finding our staff was so important. I didn't have experience on the business side, but as a school psychologist, I knew a lot about people. We have a good culture at our studio where people are happy, from members to staff.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
Houten: My advice is to just educate yourself about all the facets of the business first. There's a lot behind the scenes that you don't see on the surface level of what you have to do to run a business. Make sure you understand those facets when you're getting into it to make sure it is what you want to do. If you want to do it right, I think you need to invest your time and passion into it. It can't just be something you're doing 5 to 10 hours a week and hiring people to do the rest. You really have to be invested if you want it to be as successful as you want it to be.
ABOUT ROW HOUSE
Row House is a boutique fitness brand that focuses on rowing-based group workouts, offering a unique and inclusive exercise experience. The training program combines rowing intervals with floor-based strength exercises, offering a full-body workout that is scalable to all fitness levels. For more information about Row House, visit: https://www.therowhouse.com/.
ABOUT EXTRAORDINARY BRANDS
Founded by Paul Flick in 2022, Extraordinary Brands is a multi-brand franchisor platform specializing in boutique fitness and wellness concepts. The company empowers entrepreneurs to launch, scale, and grow standout studio brands through a shared services model and operational consistency. Its expanding portfolio now includes CycleBar (indoor cycling), Rumble (boxing-inspired group fitness), Row House (rowing-based HIIT), and NEIGHBORHOOD barre (barre). Extraordinary Brands continues to pursue growth across Pilates, spin, HIIT, barre, and recovery verticals, with a focus on franchisee success and long-term brand revitalization. Visit www.extraordinarybrands.com to learn more.
Extraordinary Brands
SPONSORED
Now heading into their second year as franchisees, David Houten and his wife are building a studio culture in Henderson around the same life-changing benefits that drew them to Row House.
For 26 years, David Houten worked as a high school psychologist while his wife built her career as an art teacher. But after years of managing a back issue, David found something that finally helped him stay active without pain: Row House, a boutique fitness concept built around rowing-based group workouts. After two years as dedicated members of their local Row House in California, the couple experienced the workout’s impact firsthand and decided to bring the concept with them when they moved to Nevada. Taking a leap into entrepreneurship, they opened the first Row House studio in Henderson. Now, going into their second year of operation, David is using his background in psychology to build a strong studio culture around the same benefits that drew him to the brand.
Houten sat down with 1851 Franchise to discuss how rowing changed his life and why he and his wife decided to leave education behind to open Nevada’s first Row House. Here’s what he had to say:
1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?
David Houten: My wife and I are going on two years with Row House Henderson. This wasn't our career prior to two years ago; I was a high school psychologist for 26 years and my wife was an art teacher. We were members of the Row House at Foothill Ranch in California for two years. We loved the workouts, the community, and everything about it. When we decided to move to Nevada, one of the first things we did was look for a Row House that we could work out at. When we didn't find one in Nevada, we decided to do something crazy and just change our careers and open up the first one in town.
1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?
Houten: It was definitely a learning curve because I spent 26 years working for an employer, a school district, where I didn't have to have any understanding of business, permits, licenses, HR, sales, or marketing. We knew we had the passion for the product, but we just had to learn everything else. I've had a bad back since my teens, but I found that I was able to get great workouts and stay in great shape with Row House. I could be really consistent because my body was feeling good and my back wasn't hurting. We saw such big benefits to our bodies from the studio that we decided to look into what is involved in becoming a franchisee.
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?
Houten: I had never thought about franchising prior to this idea that we should open a Row House. I really didn't know a whole lot about franchising, but the experience was positive because I felt like we got a lot of support in the start-up that we needed. They gave us support in terms of finding a location, construction, design, sales, and marketing. I felt like having a franchise was valuable because I wouldn't have known where to start with all of those things I would have had to do. They walked me through it and were always available when I had questions.
1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?
Houten: We found that the classes were a lot of fun. We enjoyed the coaches, the music, and the community of people. They were very positive and motivating, and we loved it. I don't see it as a business for myself; I see it as a passion. My wife and I are at the studio doing the classes with the members, and they see how much we love it. They know we're not doing this just to make money. When the members see that, it makes a big impression on them.
1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?
Houten: Our goals at the beginning were just to do it right, to hire great people who care about the members and care about the studio, and to start from there to provide a great experience for the members. Right now, we wanted to make sure we did the first one right before we bit off more than we could chew. We don't really have any ideas for expansion right now, but we're open to it in the future.
1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?
Houten: One of the most rewarding parts of doing this process has just been seeing the success stories of our members. Within our first year, we had at least 50 or 60 members that lost 40-plus pounds. Hearing about people that are off their heart medication now or who were pre-diabetic and are no longer on that track has been amazing. They've seen such health benefits, and that's the most rewarding part for us. Also, finding our staff was so important. I didn't have experience on the business side, but as a school psychologist, I knew a lot about people. We have a good culture at our studio where people are happy, from members to staff.
1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?
Houten: My advice is to just educate yourself about all the facets of the business first. There's a lot behind the scenes that you don't see on the surface level of what you have to do to run a business. Make sure you understand those facets when you're getting into it to make sure it is what you want to do. If you want to do it right, I think you need to invest your time and passion into it. It can't just be something you're doing 5 to 10 hours a week and hiring people to do the rest. You really have to be invested if you want it to be as successful as you want it to be.
ABOUT ROW HOUSE
Row House is a boutique fitness brand that focuses on rowing-based group workouts, offering a unique and inclusive exercise experience. The training program combines rowing intervals with floor-based strength exercises, offering a full-body workout that is scalable to all fitness levels. For more information about Row House, visit: https://www.therowhouse.com/.
ABOUT EXTRAORDINARY BRANDS
Founded by Paul Flick in 2022, Extraordinary Brands is a multi-brand franchisor platform specializing in boutique fitness and wellness concepts. The company empowers entrepreneurs to launch, scale, and grow standout studio brands through a shared services model and operational consistency. Its expanding portfolio now includes CycleBar (indoor cycling), Rumble (boxing-inspired group fitness), Row House (rowing-based HIIT), and NEIGHBORHOOD barre (barre). Extraordinary Brands continues to pursue growth across Pilates, spin, HIIT, barre, and recovery verticals, with a focus on franchisee success and long-term brand revitalization. Visit www.extraordinarybrands.com to learn more.
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
