Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Skudder.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Becca, and I was training for a half marathon five winters ago, and dreading my treadmill workout all day. Instead of doing my interval workout on the treadmill, I opted for a cycling class at the gym due to lack of motivation. After the class ended, it dawned on me… why the heck was I on a bike? I was supposed to be running.
How do I get motivated? Wouldn’t it be great if they offered a cycling class, but for running? I got home and jumped on my computer to do some research, but found nothing. There was no equivalent of spinning for runners. I was only 23 years old, but I wanted to create a spin class, for running.
It took me a long time to figure out how I was going to do this. I would go through phases of being inspired and feeling like it was impossible. I did a lot of research on starting a business, but the thing that kept me going was a quote from Steve Jobs ” Everything in this world… was created by people no smarter than you”. I would walk by the business after business and think to myself that someone started it. Someone started every restaurant, gym, store, etc. And if they could figure it out, I could.
The biggest hurdle was a) the funding and b) how to quit my job. It was terrifying, but after about 20 “no’s” from banks, I finally got a yes. That was the step that made the concept of MYSTRYDE a reality. From there, I would go to my job in the morning, and work late hours in the evening on my business. It took a very long time, but I was able to open Boston’s First Running Studio by 27 years old, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
Great, 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?
There have been a number of struggles along the way. It’s not easy starting a business, but I’ve learned from each one of them.
We play very loud music at our studio, and we ran into a lot of sound issues at the beginning, but were able to work through them, but the cost of adding more soundproofing drained the business of operating capital at the very beginning, so the first 6 months were a rough start!
I also didn’t realize how difficult, and important, managing your employees is. It’s not as easy as it seems and I’m lucky to have a loyal and hardworking group of people that work for me.
MYSTRYDE – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
MYSTRYDE is a unique fitness concept that brings running to boutique fitness. Our studio includes a dim lit room with blue neon lights and 14 treadmills. We play music and sync the music to running intervals, for a fun, motivating, and highly efficient workout. When we opened, we were the fourth running studio to open in the country.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I think the 1-year mark was the proudest moment for me. I was shocked that it had been a year and that I had created a place where people are waitlisted to get into classes, and so excited to come to. I couldn’t believe that so many people wanted to come to our 1 year anniversary event. That was the day it really hit me, that this was my business, my idea, and was going to be something significant.
Pricing:
- First 3 classes $39
Contact Info:
- Address: 456 Hanover Street, Boston MA 02113
- Website: www.mystryde.com
- Phone: 518-423-7441
- Email: info@mystryde.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mystryde
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mystrydeboston
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
