"When we help enough people accomplish their goals, we in turn accomplish ours"
Welcome to this exclusive interview with ValiantCEO Magazine.
We are delighted to introduce Nik Kish, a prominent figure in the fitness industry and the driving force behind the success of Row House, a renowned brand within the Xponential Fitness family.
With over 20 years of experience, Nik is a true visionary dedicated to the world of boutique fitness.
Leading with passion and expertise, he has transformed Row House into a thriving community of fitness enthusiasts. Nik’s commitment to supporting franchisees and fostering a culture of success has set Row House apart.
Under his guidance, the brand has become synonymous with empowerment, wellness, and vibrant communities. Through his innovative leadership, Nik has redefined the fitness landscape, inspiring individuals to achieve their goals and live healthier lives.
With a focus on personalized experiences and holistic well-being, he continues to drive Row House towards new heights, setting the benchmark for excellence in the fitness industry.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Nik Kish: Thank you for the opportunity to share my insights. A little bit about me, I am married and have a daughter in high school that loves sports and school, so when I’m not working you can usually find me at something she is involved in.
My journey in the fitness industry has been over 20 years now, with over 10 years specifically in boutique fitness. I am the President of Row House which is one of the 10 brands under the Xponential Fitness family of brands. I have had the privilege of leading this brand since March of 2022, prior to that I was a Senior Vice President at Xponential supporting sales and operations across all brands.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Nik Kish: Our greatest achievement has been the team we have assembled and how we are able to support our franchisees. We have hired and or promoted in each of our key departments including marketing, sales and experience.
This is the foundation for the support and growth of our network of studios and brand overall. One of our differentiators as a franchisor across our family of brands is the level of support we provide our owners and the playbook, resources and platform we have developed to drive our owners’ success, so focusing on the level of support we can provide is pivotal to our growth and our owners.
What advice do you wish you had received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Nik Kish: I am very fortunate to have nine other brand president’s in our organization as well as the Xponential leadership team, so going into this role I felt very supported and received great advice.
The biggest piece of advice I received was around the importance of communicating and collaborating with our network of franchisees and that has been a focus of mine since day one.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Nik Kish: As much as those areas have continued to surge, people still have the need and desire for human interaction and connection; we are communal in nature. We are also meeting the members where they are and where they want to experience fitness by offering our digital products.
But we are really focused on great conversations with our members and prospective members and encouraging comradery among our members and guests before, during and after class. Fostering comradery is so important to us, it’s one of our core values.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Nik Kish: One challenge is finding, retaining and nurturing great people. Now more than ever people have so many different options when it comes to ways to earn a living.
We need to create opportunities for our employees to not only feel valued and invested in, but to also feel like the work they are doing is meaningful. On top of that, they want to be able to see how the skill set and experience they are gaining will somehow be valuable in their journey towards their ultimate goal.
2020, 2021, and 2022 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2023? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Nik Kish: These past years have highlighted the resiliency of our teams and franchisees as well as the importance of our own health. My advice is to have a life routine that keeps you physically and mentally at your best and stay connected to your purpose and those people that mean the most to you, this way whatever adversity comes, you will have the strength and resiliency to overcome it.
For me, that means starting each day off with a workout and some time for podcasts, audiobooks or music. I then think about the opportunity to expand the number of people benefitting from rowing-based fitness classes and the work it’s going to require. Then it’s about taking and inspiring massive action towards this goal.
To finish my day, it’s time with my wonderful wife and amazing daughter. This time fills me and provides me with the reminder of what is most important.
What does “success” in 2023 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Nik Kish: Success in 2023 is the success of my franchisees, it’s my number one focus. The great thing about being in the fitness industry is that franchisee success comes from helping people succeed in their fitness journey and using lots of great tools and technology to provide a personalized experience.
When we help enough people accomplish their goals, we in turn accomplish ours. It is a true win-win.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Nik Kish for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Nik Kish or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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