Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Zolli.
Hi Kaitlyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I had my first baby, I became a stay at home mom. I was thrilled to have the time with my little one but, being the first of all my friends to have a baby, I had no idea how moms met other moms or what to do to fill my days. I quickly searched for a way to give me and my little one the interaction and schedule we needed. . . Enter FIT4MOM Austin.
I began FIT4MOM when my first daughter was three months old and it immediately gave me everything I didn’t even know I was missing. I had a community of moms in the same stage of motherhood as myself, a way to get fresh air and movement in every day without worrying about childcare, and the first little friends for my daughter. Coming from a fitness background, it wasn’t long before I went from client to instructor. And then in November of 2019, the (then) owner of FIT4MOM Austin let us know that she would be stepping down and was looking to sell the business.
When I was fresh out of college, I found a passion in fitness. I was deep in the Crossfit world at the time, and my father constantly brought up the idea of me one day owning my own gym. He saw the spark that fitness lit within me. I always told people my dad liked to joke about that; never imagining that owning a fitness business would actually become my reality. The moment I heard her news, I knew this was meant to be my journey. My daughter had just turned one and the only thing I loved (almost) as much as my family was FIT4MOM.
I currently have two daughters; three years old and seven months old. Both of my girls stay home with me full time. I teach multiple of our classes a week, manage an amazing all mom team of instructors, and run a growing business on my own. My days are beyond full, but I wouldn’t change that for a second.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road to be where I am today. Just speaking business-wise, the last year and a half have felt like a century. I officially took over as the owner of FIT4MOM Austin less than two weeks before we went into lockdown in March 2020. Unfortunately, we all know how March of 2020 played out. It has been an extremely long year and a half. I have had to change business plans a multitude of times, take on things I didn’t ever expect, and push through some extremely difficult financial times.
I had only two weeks of normal, of what I thought business would be, before I had to divert completely. I had to very quickly create a business plan that had never existed before in the FIT4MOM world. Our classes that were usually held outdoors at local parks, with kids in strollers, became online ZOOM classes. Our crafts and playdates where kids could interact became experiments, recipes, and storytimes that moms could do with their kids over ZOOM. And when we realized this would last much longer than two weeks, our monthly mom’s nights out became ZOOM couples game nights. We added brand new class formats never offered before in order to expand the services for our moms and began recording classes to have an on demand access platform.
I was so happy that I could continue to provide this community in a time when moms needed it most but as happy as I was, it was equally as exhausting. I was all of a sudden adding 10x more to my plate than I expected and it didn’t slow down from there. Around the end of June 2020, we received the go ahead to return in person to one of our two parks. But due to the strict limits on in person gatherings and the varying comfort levels of our clients and members, our new online operations had to continue. This meant I was essentially operating TWO businesses – our outdoor, in person classes and our virtual classes.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, as much as I gave of myself and did for the business we – like many other businesses – lost more than half of our revenue. Our revenue dropped over 60% from March 2020 to June 2020. And it would be quite some time before it started to balance again.
It was discouraging, defeating, and overwhelming. I credit the deep-seeded passion that I have, not for only for fitness but FIT4MOM specifically, for why we are still around – and now thriving. I knew these moms needed FIT4MOM, and quite frankly I needed FIT4MOM. I made a lot of sacrifices to keep it going and have worked tirelessly to build business back up to a point where we can function without strain. There are still constant challenges but having survived the last year, I feel more proud and confident than ever before.
We’ve been impressed with FIT4MOM Austin, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
FIT4MOM Austin provides fitness classes and community for mothers in all stages of motherhood.
We host workout classes specifically designed by moms, for moms. Our trainers are all certified in pre and postnatal fitness and specifically trained for workouts appropriate for moms.
We offer two different class types. Our most popular is our stroller-friendly fitness classes. These classes meet outdoors at local parks and allow moms to bring their kids; helping them get a workout in without worrying about childcare. The kids in attendance mostly range from 2/3 months to four years. Kids remain in their strollers during class and are engaged with activities like songs, dance, tickles, bubbles, peek – a – boo, etc. while the moms workout. What makes these classes so special is that it’s a way to still get the interaction and engagement with your little one while also prioritizing in your own health and fitness. You don’t have to leave them in a gym daycare and choose between exercise and time with your kids.
Our other class is a moms only high-intensity interval training (HIIT) style class. These meet on nights and weekends and are a great balance to our other classes, allowing mom to get that alone time workout she sometimes craves.
While we offer amazing workout programs, FIT4MOM is so much more than a workout. It is a community of moms supporting each other, loving on one another, and going through this whole motherhood thing together. In addition to our workout classes, we host a playdate or craft once a week at each of our parks; allowing the kids in our community to get some structured and age-appropriate interaction with other littles. We also organize holiday events for our community, mom’s nights out (to give mom that scheduled me time she deserves), and family gathering days. We truly want to help cultivate a positive community that the entire family can rely on.
FIT4MOM provides such an incredibly important community to a population of people who need it most. We value inclusivity, positivity, and kindness. We accept all moms exactly as they are. Motherhood can be so difficult at times. To be unsure if you will be supported or shamed by a mom group, when you are already struggling, just makes it that much harder. At FIT4MOM, we strive to provide the kind of environment where you will never question that. You will always be supported.
THAT is why continuing this business and working so hard to keep it alive is so important to me.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me means challenging yourself, pursuing a dream, and doing something you really want to do even if you’re unsure how it will go. To me, success doesn’t have a financial link and doesn’t necessarily mean doing things big. It doesn’t even have to mean that things work out in the long term. It simply means being proud of something you’ve accomplished. If you take a risk on something, do something difficult, and it brings you joy (for even just a small period of time) that to me is a success.
Pricing:
- First Class is FREE!
Contact Info:
- Email: kaitlynzolli@fit4mom.com
- Website: austin.fit4mom.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/fit4mom.austin
- Facebook: Facebook.com/f4maustin
