How TRILLFIT Makes Fitness Accessible, Inclusive, and Fun

Heather White knows what she wants: to make boutique fitness accessible, inclusive, and fun. And TRILLFIT, her studio in Boston, MA, embodies those three principles.

Heather’s journey to being a studio owner started when she worked in marketing and going to local gyms to work out. “I realized that there was a huge lack of diversity and inclusion, especially where I live in Boston,” Heather said. “I was the only person who looks like me. I didn’t have teachers that I felt like I could really share my personal story with.”

Instead of ignoring her observation, Heather decided to face it head on and developed TRILLFIT®, a hip-hop-infused workout party.

Before she opened her flagship location in Mission Hill in Boston, Heather tested the TRILLFIT concept at pop-up and community events. These events were successful—they quickly hit sold-out capacity with a waitlist. “That’s how we realized we were building up a brand—and we’re building up advocacy in these communities that really matter to us in Boston,” Heather said.

Three years passed between the first TRILLFIT pop-up and when Heather opened in Mission Hill, but some of the people who came to the first event are members at the studio. Heather credits that to knowing who her customers are and how to approach them. “It’s so easy to get tapped out of your fitness journey as instructors and business owners, but when we can offer people that solace, that home, that space of ‘OK, I belong, and this is my tribe,’ it pays dividends for the rest of their lives.

To make this feeling a possibility, Heather and her team focus on the 30 minutes before class—that’s when the magic happens, according to Heather. “That’s when we’re learning people’s names and talking to them. We want everyone who walks in that door to feel welcome, to feel excited, just as if it was our first customer ever.”

But all of that focus on customer experience and satisfaction doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t helping Heather meet the business goals she laid out in her business plan. To do that, Heather uses Mindbody’s fitness software, which she’s been using since she started her brand. “The reporting functionality is really incredible. We’re learning so much about our clients because of this, and it’s simple things that enable us to give our customers that extra level of service that I haven’t seen with other products,” Heather said.

Do you need to take a deep-dive into your business plan? Download our guide.