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By now, you&#8217;d be hard-pressed to find a fitness enthusiast who isn&#8217;t familiar with <a href="https://www.soul-cycle.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-soulcycle-revolutionized-indoor-cycling-and-sparked-the-boutique-fitness-craze-5479" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SoulCycle</a> and its signature yellow branding. The premium indoor cycling studio started a revolution in the industry back in 2006, and has been growing at impressive rates ever since. The idea for SoulCycle first came about when co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice met at a lunch and instantly bonded over their shared vision to create a new kind of indoor cycling studio. Five months later, SoulCycle&#8217;s first studio officially opened its doors on Manhattan&#8217;s Upper West Side. From that first studio on, it was clear that the brand was changing the game. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/video/business/100000004097143/soul-cycles-dynamic-duo.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-soulcycle-revolutionized-indoor-cycling-and-sparked-the-boutique-fitness-craze-5479" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">In an interview with The New York Times</a>, Rice said, &#8220;When we started the business we always referred to it as a luxury brand. We thought about businesses like Apple&#8212;we never looked at other fitness businesses.&#8221; That decision to model the brand after a luxury retailer is evident in every one of SoulCycle&#8217;s studios. The brand&#8217;s innovation efforts start with the workout itself. Each class is a 45-minute, full-body workout. But SoulCycle&#8217;s mission goes beyond helping customers burn calories&#8212;there&#8217;s also a spiritual and mental component. Each class is held in a dark, candle-lit room, and has a custom playlist blasting through the speakers in order to make every experience unique. But the qualities that make the brand stand out in the increasingly crowded industry don&#8217;t stop there. SoulCycle also takes a unique approach to its employees, ultimately opening the door to an entire new business environment. The brand broke from the norm by making its instructors full-time staff members instead of part-time teachers who work at multiple gyms or health clubs. Rice told <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323342404579081680434969954?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-soulcycle-revolutionized-indoor-cycling-and-sparked-the-boutique-fitness-craze-5479" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Wall Street Journal</a>, &#8220;When we started SoulCycle, fitness instruction wasn't a full-time job, and we believed that if we could create full-time jobs for instructors, they could dedicate so much more time and focus to creating an experience that was unique every time. We run a thorough 12-week training program [for instructors] where we go over everything from how to create the emotional peace that goes along with the workout to music appreciation.&#8221; By implementing that type of full-time employment, SoulCycle gives its instructors the opportunity to become true brand ambassadors. The brand&#8217;s tight knit mentality is evident in staff members, regular cyclists and even the brand&#8217;s clothing line, which sells products encouraging you to &#8220;find your soul.&#8221; SoulCycle is its own distinct community, and boutique fitness concepts across the country are constantly mimicking its technique. The women behind the concept&#8212;Cutler and Rice&#8212;stepped down as SoulCycle&#8217;s co-chief creative officers in order to pursue other projects, according to a statement. But even after their departure, there&#8217;s no doubt that the brand will continue bringing its studios to new communities and consumers across the country. &#8220;It becomes a tribal experience,&#8221; Cutler said to The New York Times. &#8220;There is something you can tap into in that room. Euphoria: that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re really selling.&#8221;

1851 Franchise

Co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice brought innovation to an industry filled with similar concepts and business models.


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