170. Anne Mahlum, Founder of [solidcore] & Ambition

Today, I’m joined by Anne Mahlum, founder of boutique fitness
concepts [solidcore] and Ambition.


A 3x founder, Anne Mahlum launched Back on My Feet, a nonprofit
combatting homelessness through running and fitness before
scaling Pilates-style boutique studio [solidcore] to 95+
locations nationwide. Since stepping down as CEO, Anne created
Ambition, a multimodality fitness brand based in NYC.


In this episode, we discuss building a successful boutique brand
from scratch, Anne’s advice for fitness entrepreneurs, and how
her most recent venture Ambition is targeting holistic wellness.


In this episode, you’ll learn:


• Anne’s learnings from founding three fitness-based
companies
• How Anne continues to scale [solidcore] as executive
chair 
• How Ambition addresses the mental and physical of today’s
exerciser


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Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(01:27) Anne’s Background
(03:24) Founding Back on My Feet
(04:49) Getting the idea for [solidcore]
(07:37) Anne’s founder journey
(12:14) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
(15:21) Running [solidcore] through Covid
(18:02) Passion for fitness and running a business are very
different
(22:21) [solidcore] before Covid
(24:24) Are in-person fitness classes dead?
(26:58) Retail strategy for fitness studio businesses
(28:43) Background on Ambition
(30:05) Anne’s views on alcohol and wellness
(36:03) Ambition’s programming and strategy
(37:54) Ambition’s roadmap
(38:42) Conclusion