By Belinda Cleary For Daily Mail Australia
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Rebekah Strachan, 29, from Brisbane started her own fitness business at 22
The fitness fanatic behind the world’s first HIIT to the beat classes has revealed how her love of passion lead her to build a million-dollar company at 22.
Rebekah Strachan, now 29, from Brisbane loves moving her body to music and as a young personal trainer became obsessed with the incredible results achieved by high-intensity interval training as well as the power of group fitness.
So she searched high and low for a program which combined HIIT with great beats – before realising if that’s how she wanted to workout she would have to create one on her own. Months later Raw By Bek was born.
‘The emotional and physical response to working out to music is huge, the same goes for group fitness but when I started out there were so few options. People either did their own thing at a commercial gym or took a Les Mills class,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘So I developed my own program, which has since become accredited and recognised globally, to make the most of this.’
The young woman combined music with HIIT workouts – to create a world-first routine
Now she sits at the head of a million-dollar fitness company – and is ready to expand her dream across Australia
The program looked a lot different in the early days when Bek rented a room from a large commercial gym to run her classes.
But within 12 months her class had become so popular she ‘out grew’ the gym.
So she subleased a warehouse and continued to bring in new clients before realising her business had grown so much she needed a place of her own.
‘I was so scared when I signed my first real contract, the idea of coming up with so much rent every month was horrifying,’ she said.
‘I had managed to save about $75,000 at that point, pouring that into the company to fit out the first real studio was also terrifying.
‘I was 23 or 24 at that point, my dad took me aside and told me to go for it – he said if I lost all the money then I was young enough to rebuild. And I am glad I took his advice because now I have a business valued at over a million dollars, with endless potential to expand.’
When Bek first started her HIIT classes the gym culture was much different to what it is today.
Bek believes HIIT training combined with working out with music and group training yields the best results
She searched for a program which combined her favourite fitness components before deciding to make one herself
‘There were no such thing as boutique gyms in Australia, people weren’t attached to a fitness identity or brand and didn’t understand the benefit of investing in a $60 membership if they could have a $10,’ she said.
‘Then F45 came to Australia and the landscape started to change.’
Bek went to NY and LA to research the boutique fitness industry after deciding she would have to develop her own program.
Bek is now ready to open her second studio and has created a blueprint of her business model to offer to franchisees.
‘I am opening the second one as if I am a franchisee, so I know how much it all costs to set up, what that looks like and how long it takes,’ she said.
Her first gym is ‘almost at capacity’ for a boutique establishment – with 200 members and 30 classes per week.
She also offers live classes for people out of the area – after investing in technology to get through lockdown.
She now has 200 clients at her first gym – and more online. She will open her second gym as if it were a franchise location – paving the way for RBB going forward
Bek had completed a business degree at university before becoming a personal trainer but admits when she started up she felt she ‘knew nothing’.
‘When you go into a corporate gig you are either in marketing, customer relations, human resources.. when you first start your own business you have to do it all.
‘I remember sitting in my office completely overwhelmed thinking I could never pull this off.
‘Imposter syndrome is a real thing. I still have moments where I become anxious about where I am – I tick off one goal and immediately have another one.
‘I would love to have 50 studios running around Australia – or even globally,’ she said.
‘I would love to have 50 studios running around Australia – or even globally,’ she said
The biggest lesson Bek has learned in business is to delegate tasks – especially those she finds difficult.
‘If you don’t like accounting or doing the books then you should delegate it,’ she said.
‘The same thing goes for social media or advertising, you can’t do everything,’ she added.
For the first two years Bek was alone in her business, now she has a team of personal trainers, group instructors and a gym manager to help her.
For the first two years Bek was alone in her business, now she has a team of personal trainers, group instructors and a gym manager to help her.
She also keeps upskilling as much as possible – so she can be the best industry leader possible
‘I think a huge lesson I have learned is the importance of training, not only my staff – so they can perform at their best but me. I have to continually upskill in order to be the business leader i want to be. This could be in the physical space or it could be taking courses on marketing or social media,’ she said.
She wants other people to chase their dreams and open their own businesses, just like she did but warns them to get ready for the reality of being an entrepreneur.
‘The thing about going into business is that when you start you have to work harder than you ever have before for less money than you have ever earned before but it is worth it,’ she said.
Bek has been nominated in Queensland’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for 2022.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
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