Teaming up with complementary businesses and nonprofits can be a great way for smaller companies to introduce themselves to customers. That’s certainly been true for Fit Formula, a Brookside-based yoga and fitness studio.
The business is marking its anniversary on Saturday morning with a family run on the Trolley Trail, yoga in Brookside Court Park and a celebration at its 6236 Main St. studio. (Details are available at this website.)
Co-owner Sharon Prothe said Fit Formula has gotten off to a strong start partly thanks to its partnerships with groups like the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City (WIN for KC).
Prothe hosts a free yoga class every Sunday afternoon for anyone who enrolls in WIN for KC’s annual triathlon. Because the race tends to attract a lot of first-timers, Prothe’s training is a big help. She shows participants how to train for and recover from the triathlon’s physical demands. It’s the only donation class that Prothe offers, but WIN for KC—which supports sports and fitness opportunities for women and girls—is an important organization worthy of support.
The class consistently attracts 20 to 25 people. And some of them end up becoming customers.
“It’s really scary for people to go try new things and new places,” Prothe said. The WIN for KC partnership allows potential clients to try Fit Formula without risk. WIN for KC benefits because it’s able to offer the class as an additional value to its runners.
Fit Formula has also forged good relationships with Run 816, a running-sports shop in Westport, and Season + Square, a spice and culinary products store. They all serve a clientele that tends to care about health, so whenever there’s an opportunity, they’ll recommend each other.
Prothe, for example, helps write nutrition plans for her clients, many of whom are looking for new, fresh ways to fix a healthy chicken dish. So she’ll recommend they check out Season + Square. If someone comes into Run 816 and expresses interest in yoga, the shop will mention Fit Formula, which will offer a discounted rate to try a class.
Setting up a good partnership doesn’t necessarily require a lot of paperwork, just a willingness to work together. The partners also need to believe in what the other’s doing.
“You have to believe in each other,” Prothe said. “I can’t create a collaboration if I don’t believe in what they stand for.”
(Pictured above: Fit Formula co-owners Melinda French and Sharon Prothe — photo by Anna Petrow Photography)
