Shayla Cornick is the founder of CYCLED!, a unique cycling studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. Cornick noticed something missing in the average cycling studios throughout the D.M.V. and she wanted to do something about it. Read on to learn more about this weeks, fabulous woman Shayla Cornick!
Was opening a cycling studio always something you always wanted to do? How was CYCLED! born?
I was in college and I was bigger than what I was used too. I started running and biking to lose the weight and really enjoyed it. Over a few year span I traveled a lot for work. I’d go to a variety of places like New York City, Atlanta and LA. While there, I started taking classes at places like Soul cycle and KTX in Atlanta, then I’d come back here and I couldn’t find the same experience. The cycling classes I’d find were boring and traditional and I wanted something here that I enjoyed. That was my motivation for starting it, wanting what I liked in the community and inviting other people to do it.
Starting a business is no easy feat, how’d you do it?
I talked to lots of people, instructors, business owners and others to see what kind of experiences they enjoyed with their cycling. I got my certification and again talking to business owners in general was very helpful. I worked on a detailed plan for about 3-4 months. Logistically where would it be? Who would my audience be? Everything. I would say that was really the most time consuming part of it. I initially started by just going to different places and learning from other people what the process of having your own studio and business was like.
One of the hardest parts of starting a business is financing, what steps did you take?
I have not gotten a single small business loan. I used my own resources with my savings, so Cycle owes me back actually!
There are quite a few cycling studios now, what makes yours unique?
I’d say the fact that it’s a boutique studio and our instructors. We have one that plays dirty south trap music, another who’s from the Caribbean and plays reggae and another whose always-playing great artists I’m not familiar with. The classes are energetic and we incorporate dance moves into our routines. It’s really a full body workout, we even do squats and push-ups on the bikes. It’s quite the experience.
What do you say to all the girls who think cycling is too much of a challenge?
Consistency is key. You’re not going to see results if it’s a one time thing. If you just do it once a year or once every two months, it won’t work, be consistent.
What’s your ultimate vision for CYCLED?
I really love the boutique aspect of the studio. It allows me to support customers on their personal journeys. I’m not looking to make it bigger but I am looking to make more of them. I’d like to really expand them.
What advice do you have for women out there want to start their own business?
Just go for it. As women sometimes we doubt ourselves and our ability to start a business or to go after what our goals are. There’s no such thing as failure, even if you don’t have the outcome you initially expected. You’ve still learned and grown from the process. I’ve been my accountant, my website developer, I’ve lay floors. I’ve done everything. Regardless how this goes, the skills and knowledge that I’ve learned about starting a business I don’t think I would have ever gotten if I hadn’t tried.
Check out a class and tell them we sent you! http://www.cycledmd.com/