Nairi Petrosian – Rev Cycle
We believe that a women can be a Successgirl at any age, whether she’s 6 years old or a grandmother of a 6-year-old. We love Nairi Petrosian’s story for this very reason – as a young girl, Nairi passed her time growing into her passion by playing her favorite game: creating businesses. She didn’t realize it at the time, but the hot summers she spent running lemonade stands with her friends and the beaded bracelets she crafted and sold in front of her house in the lemonade off-season (what children do you know that are aware of seasonal business strategies?!) were all a precursor to Nairi’s present, which finds her running several successful indoor cycling studios in Los Angeles.
Holding an International Business degree from Cal Poly Pomona, Nairi’s schooling had launched her into a Contracts Manager position at Pasadena’s well-known Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a research and development organization that also functions as a crucial NASA field center. While working at JPL, she was simultaneously pursuing her MBA in Business, foregoing her free time to chase her love for business.
Staying physically active was always important to Nairi, but working out didn’t come naturally to her. In an effort to get creative with her exercise routines, she decided to give indoor cycling a try, and was hooked from the very first session. Subsequent years of taking classes inspired Nairi to get her spinning certification, and upon receiving that certificate she began working at a tiny studio in Eagle Rock called Revolutions Cycling Studio in addition to her full-time career.
““Indoor cycling showed me that although I wasn’t an athlete in my regular life, I could feel like one on the bike. It opened up the world of fitness for me and showed me that I can enjoy working out.””
From the time Nairi started indoor cycling, she began to dream about combining her passions of business and fitness. Six months into teaching classes at Revolutions Cycling Studio, the owner of the studio decided to close up shop. Though Nairi wasn’t planning on it happening so quickly, the opportunity of taking over the studio was one she couldn’t resist. She took the leap of faith, took over the existing studio, and rebranded as Rev Cycle.
The studio was in a small office building with only 12 bikes. Nairi knew that in order to make the business successful she would have to relocate to a better location and invest in additional bikes. In the following twelve months she focused on building her client base and raising capital to move into the location that Rev Cycle inhabits today. The new studio has 2 rooms – a cycle room with 35 bikes, and a fitness annex where Pilates, TRX, HIIT and Yoga classes are offered. In the span of a short six years Rev Cycle has grown into a successful full-fitness facility (so much so that Nairi has opened a second studio San Marino), and here at Successgirl we’re honored to have witnessed that transformation take place!
We had the pleasure of catching up with Nairi at her studio in December and are excited to share some of our interview with her here!
SG: What were some obstacles you faced in your early days of entrepreneurship, and how did you overcome those obstacles?
NP: My biggest obstacle was that I had never run or managed any sort of business before taking over Rev Cycle. I had to be resourceful and learn as much as possible; which I continue to do so till this day. I found different online groups and websites, reached out to other local small business owners, and read books on management.
SG: Do you see yourself as part of a entrepreneurial/creative lineage you inherited from your family, or are you the first entrepreneur in your family circle?
NP: Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, when I was growing up I always thought I’d do the opposite. My grandfather owned his own construction business and both my parents were doing the same. I watched how hard they worked and how they never had any days off and thought to myself that I would never do that. It looked exhausting! Then I tried the 9-5 job and realized it just wasn’t for me. I craved creating something of my own and having a hand in the outcome of a company. I guess I just couldn’t fight what was inherently in me.
SG: Can you share any fun anecdotes about young Nairi?
NP: My favorite game by far was to play “store” with my younger brother where I would take all of his toys and books and sell it back to him for his allowance money. He wasn’t too happy about it back then, but we laugh about it now!
SG: What do you enjoy most about running Rev Cycle?
NP: I enjoy creating. I love the feeling of seeing what I work hard for flourish. It makes me feel like a proud mama. I also love the people. Meeting new people, interacting with them, and having a positive impact on their lives.
SG: What differentiates Rev Cycle from other studios in the area?
NP: Rev combines quality fitness classes with a welcoming and inclusive environment. I work hard to bring the best people that fit in with Rev’s culture into the studio. This includes our front desk staff and the instructors. Our mission is to have everyone who walks into the studio feel welcomed and accomplished when they leave.
SG: You and your staff interact weekly with a lot of people that call Rev Cycle their fitness home. Who are some of your customers that you’ve felt inspired by lately?
NP: The customers that inspire us most are the ones that have truly changed their lives around because of the studio. One example is of a gentleman who was suffering from pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. After a year of consistent exercise he lost about 40 pounds. When I told him how good he looked, he said the weight didn’t even matter because he was completely off all of his medication and was no longer showing signs of diabetes. He thanked the instructors he regularly took classes with for changing his life around, because he never saw himself as an athlete and now he’s going running and hiking on the weekends.
SG: Tell me about the work Rev Cycles does with organizations like Mutt Scouts.
NP: Our mission is to not only have a positive impact on the lives of our clients but also on our community. We do fundraising events for different charities at least once a quarter. Our largest one is our annual Ride for the Rescues event. Our classes on that day are all donation-based. We are fortunate enough to get massive support from local businesses by way of donations of products and services. With that we hold a large silent auction and raffle. In the past years we’ve been able to raise thousands of dollars for the rescue and this past year all 5 dogs that came to the event were adopted!
SG: What do you think are the most important facets of being a successful entrepreneur, and on the flipside, what are the most pervasive business distractions that you think today’s entrepreneurs face?
NP: I think the most important facet of being a successful entrepreneur is grit. Owning your business takes a lot of physical, mental, and emotional work, and is non-stop. There are always going to be times you want to give up but that’s when that grit comes into play. No matter what, you just have to keep going!
One of the most pervasive distractions is getting caught up in the day-to-day tasks of the business and forgetting to focus on the big picture. You always have to find time to work on your business.
SG: What advice would you have for teenage/college-aged Nairi? What advice would you give to a young female entrepreneur?
NP: To myself and other young entrepreneurs I would say to not let fear stop you from doing something you’re passionate about. Failure is not a negative thing; it means you tried!
SG: What is something you are excited about in Rev Cycling’s future?
NP: I’m excited to see the continued growth of the studio! I’d love to expand our class offerings and hopefully bring in more clientele to our amazing community.
We owe a big thanks to Nairi for inviting us into her incredible studio and chatting with us. If you’d like to check out Rev Cycle and see what all the hype is about, hop on over to Rev Cycle’s website at www.revcyclingla.com.
