Dallas is a rapidly growing city and its fitness options are plentiful, but entrepreneur Jessie Cleveland believed something was missing in the market.
Cleveland, who enjoys trying different wellness concepts, said the Dallas metro area has several high-impact workout spots, but not enough low-impact exercise businesses. That’s where Pvolve entered the picture, with Cleveland learning about the concept from a podcast featuring founder Rachel Katzman.
“As I was listening, my back was also hurting from high-impact workouts my husband and I had been doing,” Cleveland said. “I thought, this sounds really good. When I looked it up, I saw they had just one in Fort Worth, which is about an hour away. I drove out there, tried it, and absolutely loved it.”
Seeing Dallas had potential for more Pvolve studios, Cleveland reached out to the franchisor about developing the market. After a period of due diligence, Cleveland signed a deal to open three locations in Dallas, marking her first foray into franchising.
The Pvolve venture isn’t Cleveland’s first experience in business ownership. She operated a sporting goods store for nearly a decade before selling. Also carrying a degree in accounting and business administration, Cleveland followed her time as an entrepreneur by going into education in 2016, teaching accounting and business at the college level.
Cleveland said what inspired her to get back into business ownership was Pvolve meeting a market need and its ability to generate sales.
“I really feel like Dallas is a great place for a high-end, low-impact studio like Pvolve, which still offers strength and cardio,” Cleveland said. “It’s also a multi-revenue type of business, which is really attractive. They have their monthly memberships and class passes, as well as corporate partnerships. They also sell equipment that people can bring home or bring back to the studio, on top of apparel.”
The brand, founded in 2017, has 20 locations open with another 24 set to open this year. The Fort Worth studio marked Pvolve’s first Texas unit, opening in spring 2024. Alex Puccillo, Pvolve director of franchise development, said the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Texas as a whole are prime places for ongoing expansion.
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“It’s a large DMA with a lot of targeted households and hundreds of boutique fitness studios,” Puccillo said as he referenced the designated market area. “It’s a market where we can put multiple locations in. This year we plan to open seven to 10 locations in Texas, with units in Dallas, as well as Austin, Houston and San Antonio.”
Cleveland’s agreement calls for the development of three locations over four years; the first is expected to open in October or November. For site selection, she chose the suburbs of Lakewood, North Dallas and Park City.
“Those are high-end neighborhoods that can support a luxury boutique brand,” Cleveland said. “My hope is to build a team that can manage all the studios and work well together, and eventually, we might add more, with potential locations a little north of Dallas as well.”
Initially, Cleveland said she intended to open just one location, but after meeting with Pvolve leadership, when was convinced to move forward with three.
“I was really impressed with their knowledge and dedication,” Cleveland said. “I got the impression that they would also be dedicated to helping me build these studios, and that has proven to be true. They’ve been with me along the way for each step of development with constant feedback and solutions offered.”
Along with Texas, Puccillo said Pvolve is looking to develop in units in the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, though markets nationwide are under consideration. As part of that growth, Puccillo said the goal is to find more franchisees like Cleveland as well.
“She’s a former business owner, a fitness enthusiast and very well networked,” Puccillo said. “We’re looking for those types of individuals, who are passionate about health and wellness while having that drive to work hard. It’s great when we can find franchise owners from our current membership base, too, because they’re also brand advocates.”
The initial investment range to open a Pvolve studio is between $392,00 and $892,000.