The club offers a synergistic blend of high-intensity training and advanced recovery services. The variety of fitness offerings ranges from group Body Pump, semi-private training, and boxing, to corporate, private, and semi-private yoga sessions, and recovery modalities include cold plunge, infrared sauna, and red light therapy. Soelberg is proud of the facility’s ability to cater to their clients’ needs, explaining, “What sets us apart is our commitment to creating a community that empowers individuals to achieve sustainable health and wellness.” To share this fitness philosophy with a global audience, Soelberg coauthored the “Get The Edge” series with Tony Figueroa. The three books in the series are “Fitness & Recovery Strategies for Peak Performance”, “Hormone Health for Women”, and “Fitness & Recovery Strategies for Teens”, all available on Amazon.
While Soelberg didn’t come from a traditional fitness background, her personal journey in overcoming injuries coupled with a passion for holistic health led her to this venture. What she lacked in formal fitness industry experience, she made up for with vision and drive, but as a first-time entrepreneur, launching a business from the ground up came with real challenges. Soelberg particularly needed guidance with navigating the complexities of financial projections and operations to bring her vision to fruition.
Soelberg worked with two advisors at the Illinois SBDC at Harper College, Margaret Johnsson and Kevin McVearry. Each played a pivotal role at different stages of her entrepreneurial journey.
Before Empowered Fitness & Recovery opened its doors, Johnsson supported Soelberg with promotional strategies for her book. As the focus shifted fully to launching the wellness club, their conversations turned to legal structure and ownership arrangements. Financial concerns such as compensation and commission structures were reviewed. Johnsson used LivePlan to model profitability based on different facility layouts. Together, they developed a comprehensive business plan tailored to the unique blend of fitness and recovery services Soelberg envisioned. While many entrepreneurs find the process of writing a business plan intimidating or tedious, Karlin embraced it as an essential step in bringing clarity and structure to her ideas. Beyond internal planning, the plan was submitted to potential landlords to secure a commercial lease for the space. Interestingly, Empowered opened in a different location than originally planned, proof of the importance of flexibility, foresight, and a solid planning process.
McVearry helped Soelberg fine-tune financial projections, evaluate service offerings, and calculate realistic startup and operational costs. They analyzed staffing requirements, considered pricing structures, and mapped out workflow logistics. McVearry reviewed her business plan and leases as she considered two different locations. He also conducted in-person walk-throughs of potential spaces alongside Soelberg, providing feedback on floor plan options, customer flow, and layout configurations. His advice helped translate vision into functionality, ensuring that the physical space would support both the day-to-day operations and long-term business goals.
Both Johnsson and McVearry continue their role as advisors as the business transitions from launch to growth phase.
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