Sarah DeGray
REV Indoor Cycling
Sarah, a once aspiring academic, turned her passion for music and sports into a career as a boutique fitness professional and trainer. Sarah took her first indoor cycling class in 2005 and was hooked on the endorphins and the idea that music could be paired with a pedal stroke to equal an engaging, accessible, and fun workout. In 2012, she would leave her career at the Federal Public Defender Office to start "REV", Burlington's only dedicated indoor cycling studio.
What began as a 20 bike studio on Pine Street turned into a fitness juggernaut over the next 7 years, winning Seven Daysies for Best Cycling Studio, and Best Boutique Fitness Studio and then with Sarah winning Woman Business Owner of the Year in 2020 from the Small Business Administration. By March 2020, REV had served nearly 10,000 patrons and was serving 300 daily customers for indoor cycling classes and strength training classes.
Then the world shut down and REV closed the doors of its 8,000 square foot studio in South Burlington to in-person fitness for 18 months. Immediately following a State-wide lockdown, Sarah began offering free online classes on Youtube and quickly developed a "REV On Demand" fitness subscription platform with over 300 workouts on and off the bike. Sarah and her staff continued socially distanced group fitness classes outdoors during the height of the pandemic to provide wellness to a community in search of connection and a safe way to sweat. In January 2021, Sarah said goodbye to her studio, but not to REV. Sarah and REV continued to offer virtual fitness throughout the winter of 2021 and outdoor fitness in the summer, culminating with the reopening of an in-person studio, ironically, back on Pine Street.
Sarah believes that movement is for everybody and every body, and she chooses to run her studio free of metrics, competition and toxic diet culture. It's never too late to reclaim or begin a healthy relationship to movement that is joyful and fun. After changing locations and reinventing four times in nine years, Sarah still finds joy in what she does and purpose in every pedal stroke.
Sarah will be a panelist on the Build, Adapt, Iterate, Grow panel on November 2nd.
How can you help other womenpreneurs with your expertise?
If anyone is struggling with "rebuilding" or "restarting" I feel as though I have had several experiences with reinvention while maintaining a community and brand loyalty. Closing down, or moving locations does not have to mean the end for your business. Let's talk strategy.
