Ep 180 - ROW HOUSE, How we built Global Boutique Fitness Brand.
Today, we’re speaking with Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo, the husband-and-wife team who founded Row House, the highly successful indoor boutique rowing franchise and Xponential brand. Through blood, sweat, and tears, they’ve discovered a way to do the work they love while also empowering people through community. In this episode, they share how they manage to balance family and business, carve out time for wellness to achieve optimal health and performance, and how Row House continues to stand out in a crowded boutique studio landscape. As entrepreneurs, they’ve had to be extremely committed to their vision and make intentional sacrifices to turn their dreams into a reality, but the plan was always to scale and sell Row House. Please welcome Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo to the Escape Your Limits podcast. For more information visit https://escapefitness.com/podcast Video Version - https://youtu.be/W2ENJROerWs Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo are the husband-and-wife team who founded Row House, the highly successful indoor boutique rowing franchise and Xponential brand. They met teaching on the NYC fitness scene. They followed their passion for fitness and grew two brands with their own pennies and a lot of blood, sweat and tears — creating security for their family of 5 and jobs that they love. Row House has revolutionized the way people not only view the experience of rowing but also solved a problem and created a low-impact, cardio enhancing, full-body strength workout for the 70% of the population not working out. Today, the franchise has plans to expand to over 250 locations throughout the US and Canada. Row House was born in the Columbus Circle Neighborhood of NYC in 2014. Co-founders and husband/wife team, Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo took the rowing machine out of the corner, and put it front in center. Born of the couple’s search for a workout that two individuals with varying fitness levels could do together, they created a workout that gives people of all different shapes, sizes, and abilities an efficient and effective workout. Row House’s values are: Inclusivity, Rewarding, Camaraderie, and Authenticity. About Debra Strougo Debra left a life behind the desk to bridge her business acumen with her passion for fitness. She teamed up with her husband, Eric, and started to build the dream. Together, they balance their work and family — and have found a way to do the work they love and bring their vision for fitness communities far and wide. Debra is the Founder of Row House and EVF Performance. She owns and operates 5 NYC studios with her husband and business partner, Eric. Debra is a Goldman Sachs 10KSB scholar; in 2016 Row House was chosen as a company likely to have exponential growth. She has over 15 years’ experience teaching at NYC’s premiere gyms including Equinox, Crunch, SCLA and NYSC, and has consulted for numerous national fitness brands, including SELF. About Eric Von Frohlich Eric is a seasoned fitness pioneer, National Brand Founder, and national spokesman in the fields of health, exercise, and wellness. He is an expert on trends and techniques in fitness and wellness, as well as on what it takes to create a strong community. He owns and operates five NYC studios with his wife and business partner, while keeping his finger on the pulse of all things fitness, sport, and wellness to continue to help people. An avid 20+ year trainer and athlete. Episode highlights Why it’s crucial to stick to your vision. Secrets to running a business with your partner and leveraging each other’s strengths. The story behind creating a very inclusive, scalable brand that was designed to go global. How to make intentional sacrifices for your business. Regardless of how successful you are, there’s always more work to be done. How they targeted 70% of the population that doesn’t work out. The importance of approaching every problem and every solution with gratitude. Accomplishing big things without sacrificing family, their values, or their core beliefs. Celebrating the small victories. Coming up with real solutions when you have limited resources, time, and money. Being an entrepreneur is not all fun and games. Join Matthew Januszek in powerful conversation with Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo.