Kettlebells! .... Sounds like something you should ring for dinner time. Sarah Lurie gave up stockbroking to become a pioneer in using kettlebells for health and fitness. Read how Sarah made this transition and created a successful niche
Sarah Lurie - Kettlebells - Fitness
Hi, I'm Sarah Lurie, I am a former Wall Street Stock Broker who made the ultimate career swap to pursue my passion in fitness. As an entrepreneur who took a risk, I’d like to share my story with anyone looking to make a massive transition in their career.
I was a Stock Broker on Wall Street when I decided to create a "Women & Investing" seminar series. I recognized that women want to be taught and not cold called when it came to money matters. It was the late 80's and my boss laughed in my face when I told him my plan. He claimed that "women don't care about investing!" My biggest challenge with my first career was that there was no place for me to express my entrepreneurial endeavors. I decided to leave Wall Street to pursue my business instincts in conjunction another passion in my life—fitness.
After graduating from a masters program I was certain I didn’t want to go back to corporate America and work for somebody else. I prepared for the ultimate career swap. I took my hard earned Manhattan savings account and searched for a way to combine my love for fitness with a strategic plan for business success. I knew I wasn’t guaranteed an income but I took a chance and remained true to myself and my instincts.
Instead of creating another boring aerobics DVD or exploring a passing fitness fad, I knew the best opportunity to succeed was to find a specialized niche in the fitness industry that was untapped, but had potential for long term growth. I soon discovered Russian Kettlebells, which are unique weights that look like cannonballs with a handle. Used in Russia for over a century already, these fitness tools were just starting to emerge in the US as a dynamic method for an all-encompassing fitness experience. I loved the results that I got from kettlebells and I knew America needed to be exposed to this phenomenal workout method. I thought, "If I don't do this, someone else will." I took a risk in 2004, and invested my savings into a small fitness studio in San Diego, California. My studio was the first in the country to exclusively focus on the kettlebell training.
My first major challenge was that no one had heard of kettlebells at that point in time. I knew I needed to find a solution, and find it fast. The first two years involved a lot of “edu-selling” to educate potential clients on the benefits of the kettlebell workout. The response was underwhelming, and clients were unwilling to try something they weren't familiar with. I called everyone who had visited my studio to see why they decided not to return. The feedback I received was that my initial branding efforts were "brutal, harsh" and "extremely intimidating". At times I would wake up in the morning and think, “What have I gotten myself into?” I decided I needed to re-vamp my entire brand by re-writing the copy, and undertake a massive makeover for the website and collateral to emphasize the effectiveness of the workout in a much "lighter" and consumer friendly approach.
The result?........ Immediate success! Undeterred by initial bumps in the road I tripled my sales and my client base within two years. The tremendous growth in demand for our unique services became extremely sought after due to the fact that there were VERY FEW places in the entire country who offered it. People now call me to join my studio, not to ask what kettlebells are. People from all over the nation were searching for a way to train with kettlebells, but they were unable to travel to my studio in California to do so. As a solution, I created my first instructional DVD called "Kettlebells The Iron Core Way," and also launched a series of ON DEMAND classes that could be purchased on my website, so people all over the world could train with me in the comfort of their own home. The DVD's quickly sold several thousand copies and became distributed internationally in the United Kingdom, now representing a substantial portion of my business revenue, and an important step in my overall growth.
GoFit, the country's leading handheld fitness manufacturer picked up on the buzz that we were creating and quickly approached me. When I received the call from GoFit it felt like winning the lottery. In 2007, we announced a major business partnership to launch the “IRON CORE POWERED BY GOFIT” line of kettlebells and DVD’s, bringing kettlebells to the retail market for the very first time. The product produced multi-million dollar success, and is now carried on the shelves of TARGET, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sport Chalet, Big 5 and many more. Up until this point, kettlebells were ONLY available through internet--and were extremely expensive ($80 minimum) because they were so pricey to ship due to the weight of the bell. GoFit utilized its power as a fitness manufacturer to bring the consumer kettlebells with my instructional DVD at a very affordable price, starting at $29.99. It has been truly wonderful to work with GoFit. The exposure I have received from them has enabled me to grow my business and grow as an individual.
Back in California we opened a massive 6,000 square foot facility in San Diego because we had quickly outgrown the small studio I had opened in 2004. It soon became the largest kettlebell-specific facility in the entire country. In October 2007, the facility opened its doors, and my DVD "Kettlebells the Iron Core Way" reached the #1 spot in Amazon.com's best-selling fitness category. When I first opened my studio and asked my clients to swing a kettlebell they looked at me like I was crazy. Now in 2008, kettlebells have reached mainstream success and continue to grow popular with host of celebrity fans that have helped to propel the unique fitness tool into the media.
It has been so exciting to see the celebrities who use kettlebells. Stars who use kettlebells include: Grey’s Anatomy star: Katherine Heigl, Sex in the City Star: Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Lance Armstrong, Mariska Hargitay, Sylvester Stallone, Claire Danes, Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey and the stars of the hit movie "300". The workout was named "The New It Workout" in Shape Magazine in 2007.
I have recently had the honor of being featured in various credible news publications as one of the top kettlebell trainers in the country. I have been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Women’s Health, Entrepreneur Small Business Success, OK! Magazine, Fitness Magazine, and on NBC, ABC, KTLA, E! Entertainment Television, The Home Shopping Network, TV GUIDE, and was recently a featured guest on CNBC's hit show “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” I love being on TV and in print. I hope to inspire trainers across the country to help their clients accomplish their fitness goals.
I am a fully certified RKC, or Russian Kettlebell Certified instructor. I obtained my accreditation in June 2004 after acing a grueling three-day physical challenge with Pavel Tsatsouline, a former conditioning coach for the Soviet Special Forces and one of the world’s foremost authorities in kettlebell training. I have competed in the Girevoy Sport Competition, the highest level of kettlebell tournament challenges, and I currently hold the American record in the Women’s Snatch Competition, completing 162 consecutive repetitions of the exercise using a 36-pound kettlebell. I reside in San Diego, California with my husband Jesse and recently gave birth to my first child.
