Jamie King is the founder of Flex & Flow, an online fitness studio and inclusive wellness community that empowers people to fall in love with movement. Her goal was to create a culture where every person would feel a sense of belonging, both in their Digital Studio AND their flagship location in Portland OR, and leave classes- feeling empowered through movement and community. Jamie is the creator of the HIIT & Flow workout, a 500-hour E-RYT yoga instructor, RCYT 95-hour kids, teens, and trauma certified instructor, and competitive ultra runner.
After Jamie graduated in 2004 from UC Berkeley, she started a career in tech marketing and public relations where she was bit by the entrepreneur bug. Through her own movement-powered transformation, she quickly realized her purpose in life was to inspire everybody to move and feel more free in their bodies.
Please tell us a little bit about your company – what is Flex & Flow all about?
Flex & Flow is a global community for people that love to move. The Flex & Flow community offers daily, live online and in-person HIIT & Flow and yoga classes, as well as a robust on-demand library of classes that can be accessed whenever from wherever, plus opportunities for the community to connect via events, trainings, and retreats.
Many people describe taking a class with Flex & Flow as the “best part of their day” and that’s because Flex & Flow isn’t just another workout platform. It’s a movement community that brings people together through movement – in a way that lifts them up, inspires them, and connects them with others.
What you’ll find at Flex & Flow isn’t your average yoga or fitness class. Flex & Flow’s yoga and HIIT & Flow workouts have their own secret sauce – it’s yoga for people that hate yoga and workouts for people that hate workouts. And the energy it creates is contagious.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
After graduating from UC Berkeley, I was working at a law firm with the intent of attending law school, but quickly realized (thankfully) that I didn’t really want to be a lawyer. I then found myself thriving in a career in public relations and marketing at a high tech firm in San Francisco, CA. While I was thriving professionally, I was less than thriving personally. I was working long hours, which often included late nights out at events, and networking functions, followed by early mornings at the office, and I didn’t feel good in my mind or body.
And when I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t happy – that I actually felt quite lost in my life and career – I discovered movement and fell head over heels in love. And don’t get me wrong, I was always pretty active – I grew up dancing, swimming, playing tennis, and snowboarding – but it was during this time that my relationship with movement really changed. It became more than a way to have fun, stay active, or get a good workout — it became my way to heal my relationship with myself. I began practicing yoga, doing circuit workouts, and trail running regularly, as a way to tune in to myself, to clear my head, cope with stress in a healthier way, and find my own power. And I’ve never looked back.
I started teaching outdoor bootcamp and yoga classes in San Francisco and as my classes gained popularity, I grew more and more passionate about inspiring others to discover the same empowering relationship that I had with movement.. In 2011, I left my job and focused on building a community that would support all people in their movement journeys as a way to inspire others to take care of themselves – body, mind, and soul – and perhaps find more freedom in their bodies and minds.
And thus, Flex & Flow was born.
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
Our community is our main motivation and we plan to continue to create ways for our community to move together – both online and in-person.
We are constantly launching new products to meet our community’s current needs and are excited right now about the growth of our signature HIIT & Flow workout, as we’ve expanded into online teacher trainings and events that allow us to connect with even more people, all over the globe.
What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
After about a decade in a business, I used to think it was hard to pinpoint, the “biggest” problem as there are always problems to be solved. But at the moment, that question feels rather easy. I honestly can’t think of a bigger problem we have yet faced than the one we are currently living through – a worldwide pandemic.
Like most, in March of 2020, we had to shutter our doors at our flagship studio in Portland, OR and cancel all of our in-person classes, events, retreats, and trainings for the year. And we knew we had to get busy coming up with a solution to help our community stay engaged and moving together – but since we had a powerful community online, we quickly adapted what we were offering in-person to the digital space, with online classes, events, retreats, and even trainings. Now we have people from all over the globe moving with us, inspiring us, and growing with us.
But since we’re still living it, I’m not sure I can responsibly say we’ve overcome it… yet…but I am so proud of how we’ve adapted, and how much we have grown in the past year, despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
Again, when you’ve been around nearly a decade, it’s hard to remember all of the mistakes (or lessons learned, rather) that you’ve made along the way. But I think what I’ve learned in the past year is that there is always more than one way to do things – and that you have to be adaptable, quick on your feet, and able to really listen to what your customers want.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
We’re movers and shakers in an industry (the wellness industry) that quite frankly needs a lot of change. And I don’t think our competitors really know what to do with us – because we’re yoga, but we’re also more than yoga. And we’re fitness, but also, we’re much more than that. But most of all, we’ve cultivated that intangible “thing” that so many marketers and business consultants are grasping for these days: community. By putting people and relationships first, we built (and are continuing to build!) something that nobody else will ever be able to buy or replicate exactly, and at the end of the day it’s what we’re always most grateful for, and most proud of.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
Every single day, I challenge myself to really listen – to my community, employees, family, friends, and sometimes even simply my gut – so that I can remain curious, adaptable, and confident enough to admit that I’m not always right.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
I haven’t read a straight up “business” book in many years, though I have read my fair share. So instead of focusing on books, I’m going to give you a few of my favorite business podcasts:
- How I Built This, with Gay Raz
- Online Marketing Made Easy, by Amy Porterfield
- And if I can give one shameless plug for our podcast, Shiny Objects which is all about working with family, and entrepreneurship.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
I wish I had known how to truly trust my gut, and not waste time chasing things that didn’t truly matter. As a new entrepreneur, I think it’s easy to get caught up in the game – trying to gain legitimacy, seeking validation, and of course, trying to do it all. I’ve since learned that my gut is often a good indicator that something might not be right.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Using super targeted email marketing and social media to communicate directly (and clearly) with our community.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
If I had $1,000 to start a new business now, I think I’d spend it on technology or equipment needed for running classes and events online – I always knew we’d want to offer online classes, virtual events, and training at some point, and didn’t realize how powerful they would become and only wish we had started sooner!
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
I usually tell aspiring and new entrepreneurs to start small, listen to their customers, and then grow from there. It’s easy to want to bite off everything at once (trust me, I’ve tried), but it won’t serve you in the long run. Patience, focus, and a good ear will go a very long way!
What is your favorite quote?
Given I’m the person who can’t even remember a movie one liner (or tell a joke with any accuracy), having a quote at the ready is just not going to happen. So instead, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite mantras – it has helped me get through everything from difficult moments during an ultra marathon to difficult times with my business:
Forward progress, just keep moving.
How can we get in touch with you?
You can find me on my website flexandflow.org connect with me via social media Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.
Entrepreneur Interview: Samantha Parker: Neoteric Movement Systems
