Anne MahlumFounder & CEO

It felt earned. Honestly, it didn’t feel like an overnight success. It was the culmination of years of hard work, and it was part of my plan from day one to build an empire, not just one studio.

Growing up with a father who struggled with addiction deeply affected me. I saw how powerful self-respect and self worth were in changing lives, and that’s what I tried to instill in the homeless men I worked with through the running club.

Everyone wants to be seen, respected, and celebrated. This is what kept people coming back to the shelters for the running club and later to Solid Core. It’s about making people feel good about themselves and giving them a sense of belonging.

It was scary, but I knew I had to trust myself and go all in. I wanted to do something bigger, and I saw fitness as a way to build that empire. It wasn’t just a hobby for me, it was a vision.

It was all in. I didn’t have a backup plan. I put all my savings into the business and worked tirelessly to make it succeed. It was a constant hustle passing out flyers, doing guerrilla marketing, and making sure every detail was perfect.

I made sure the environment felt welcoming and celebratory. It was important that people felt valued and seen. We fostered a sense of community by making sure every client felt like they belonged and were appreciated.

Once the momentum started, it was easy to keep it going. We had a clear plan and stayed ahead of everyone. By focusing on operations, real estate, marketing, and training, we were able to expand rapidly, opening 32 studios in just one year.

Training was everything. I sent our corporate team to train coaches at new locations, making sure they understood the brand’s values and how to deliver the experience we promised. Quality control was about consistency in training and upholding our standards.

We hired for personality first. Coaches had to be likable, funny, and good with people. That’s what made the community work. We were hiring from within our client base, people who already believed in the brand and could embody our values.

It was about creating a presence in a market. We wouldn’t open a studio unless we could open five within a 15 20 mile radius. This created brand equity, so every new location was instantly profitable, with a waitlist from day one.

Plan for succession from the start. Your team needs to be able to run the business without you. When it came time for my exit, it was crucial that I had the right people in place and the business was ready for growth with or without me.

It wasn’t a decision I had to make quickly. I knew the business was profitable, but partnering with Wix allowed for faster scaling. The chemistry with their team felt right, and I saw it as the best way to grow the brand even further.

Speed and focus. Once you have momentum, you can’t slow down. Keep pushing, keep optimizing your operations, and ensure your team is aligned with your vision.

We used Render.com for hosting, MongoDB for data storage, and Python for backend development. I kept the tech stack simple to keep it manageable, especially as we scaled rapidly.

I hired a technical product person who could handle everything from analytics to scripts. The first person I hired was key to getting growth off the ground and taking ownership of critical functions.

The best advice was to focus on what you’re really good at and delegate the rest. Don’t waste time on areas where you’re not naturally strong. It’s important to build a team that complements your skills.

I want to be remembered as someone who made people’s lives better, healthier, and happier. Building businesses that improve lives, build communities, and empower individuals that’s the ultimate goal.