An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

I like to think everything we do makes the world a better place.

We teach kids how to use their minds & bodies to feel confident in who they are and what they do. We are teaching them movement and mindfulness tools and techniques so they feel empowered to take on whatever comes their way. We are also providing a safe, inclusive, active environment so kids’ learn how to be kind to one another.

Additionally, we help schools make fun, healthy activities happen for the kids, despite the numerous challenges educators have faced during the pandemic. We also help busy parents who are looking for activities to help their kids see how amaZING they truly are!

As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michele Levy.

Michele Levy is disrupting the $32 billion dollar fitness industry, bringing together 13 years of experience as an acclaimed fitness professional & marketing maven to focus on our future leaders, AKA our kids. Zing! is a new-age youth fitness & wellness movement allowing kids to tap into their physical and mental strengths. Through exercise and affirmations, Michele teaches kids how to feel amazing in their own bodies.

Growing up, Michele was an ambitious, yet painfully shy child who found her voice through exercise. Today, she’s on a mission to help kids feel powerful, confident, healthy, and strong.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

I was a painfully shy kid growing up and struggled to use my voice. I remember one incident in elementary school when I felt a kid was treating me unfairly and I did speak up, which was rare. My teacher came over to me “Michele…that voice you used…I want you to speak up like that more often”, and then he walked away. I will NEVER forget that. I was a shy kid and the teacher’s positivity helped me feel more confident.

Growing up, I also noticed how my younger twin brothers loved being active but didn’t love sports. They had trouble finding activities that provided them a physical outlet but had a warm environment. I became a certified group fitness instructor when my brothers were nine years old. I immediately started bringing them to my fitness classes and they loved it. Seeing my brothers thrive in my fitness classes made me want to create an inclusive, positive fitness program for them and for my younger, shy self.

Fitness helped me find my voice and helped me gain the confidence I needed, which is what Zing! is now doing for this next generation of kids.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Oh, where do I begin? I have several quotes I turn to on a regular basis. However, there’s one from my mom that was a great life lesson for me:

“There will always be people who are hard to work with–teachers, bosses, co-workers, friends. Don’t make that an excuse for why you can’t do something. Do your best and find a solution to the challenge.”

My mom said this to me when I was in third grade, and it stuck. There will always be something to hold you back or you may feel like you can’t do something. Instead of wasting time and energy complaining about what you can’t do, put your energy into what you can do.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I’m going to pick Legally Blonde, an odd choice, but here’s why: While it’s a fictional story, Elle Woods’ determination and ability to go after what she wanted while staying true to herself inspires me. That resonated with me because I’m very ambitious & passionate about what I do, and I like to go after big goals on my own terms. We can all relate in some way to how she unexpectedly found herself and was able to use her work to help people in the community. I always try to channel my inner Elle Woods.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?

I always wanted to go out on my own and I’ve had plenty of business ideas over the years, but none of them stuck. This idea stuck because I was ready for it and the marketplace was ready. I’ve worked in the fitness industry for many years, learned a lot, worked my way up & around different organizations, and felt like I learned everything I needed to know from my formal job setting. Additionally, the industry was ready for disruption; if i didn’t start Zing! now, I’d miss the chance to help people when they need it the most.

This all said, I wouldn’t be here unless I put my idea out there. I started by talking to my husband, friends, and family about it. I called some industry leaders to ask them about my idea. Next, I put a plan together, outlined what the program would be, and listed out ways to monetize my concept. Afterwards, I called parents to see if they liked the idea and asked how much they’d pay for a class. All it takes is one small step every day.

Before investing a significant amount of money & time into your idea, do your research & try new things around your idea. See if it’s something you’d be excited about (even when the going gets tough), learn who your customers are and what they need, and the most effective ways to capitalize on your idea. These things won’t happen overnight, but you need to start somewhere. I’m still learning & tweaking everyday while simultaneously growing at an exponential rate.

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

You should absolutely scope out the marketplace. What exists? What doesn’t exist? How can you create something that will stand out and be different from what’s out there? Is it something people need? Who could you partner with? How will you provide value?

I wouldn’t dismiss something because it might’ve been done in some way before. You have a unique point of view and there’s always someone who will benefit from it. Figure out a way to put your personal spin on an idea.

When it comes to research, go deep.

1. The internet is your best friend. Beyond simply searching your idea on Google, which is important, you can look up certain phrases or words related to your concept. You can also look up who the key players in the industry are and what they do.
2. If you’re looking to do something local or regional, don’t just check out what’s happening in your neighborhood. See what’s out there all over the world. There could be someone doing something similar that could inspire you.
3. Look up community boards that your customers are on. For me, I knew I was targeting parents & school leaders, so I joined Parent Facebook Groups, followed school & camp social media channels, and signed up for parenting magazines. I looked up local community centers to see what kids classes were offered, how they were positioned, and how they were packaged up.
4. If there are industry magazines or forums, what are they talking about? What businesses do they highlight? What are the industry trends forecasting for the year ahead? Is your idea trending with those forecasts?
5. Network. Go on LinkedIn and listen to podcasts to find those who work in the industry you want to get into. See if your idea is viable by asking questions.
6. Call your potential customers and ask them if your idea is something they’d be excited about. They will tell you if the idea can work, if there’s something out there already, and probably offer tips because we all want to see good ideas and good people thrive.

I did all of these things to help me learn how to best position Zing! and make it something extra special.

For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

Here are all of the steps I took that anyone can follow, no matter what industry you’re in.

1. Research — is your idea viable?
2. Can you do this? Do you have the support (financially, socially & emotionally)?
3. Why YOU? You should nail this down so when the going gets tough, you know what YOU bring to the table!
4. Formulate & Test — see what works & what doesn’t — you’ll probably have to do this quite often in the beginning. I started teaching virtual classes, putting my work out there, and collecting feedback. I tweaked my offerings based on that feedback. And even now, I continue to change as I grow so that I can provide my consumer with exactly what they need.
5. Find An Accountability Buddy — I tapped into my friends who are also business coaches and I had them give me weekly assignments to build the Zing! Program while working my full time job. I needed someone to push me since my full-time job at the time was demanding. Their help was instrumental to my success. For you, this could be a friend, mentor, spouse, or potential co-founder/business partner. Find someone who believes in you & your idea and will help you see it through.
6. Dive deep into the details to build, formulate & test your idea/product/service. What will the experience be like if someone walks into your shop? For me, it was getting granular on the programming, pricing, class options, branding, and name.
7. Ask yourself: how will you scale your idea?
8. Test & try different platforms to host virtual live & on-demand classes
9. I didn’t need to hire a manufacturing company, but I did need to work with a partner to host and book our virtual and in person classes. This was a huge challenge for me. I went through 3 or 4 different platform partners. I needed someone who made booking very easy for busy parents, who allowed booking to seamlessly integrate into my website, and lots of other personal features. I finally landed on a great partner, but it doesn’t necessarily happen immediately. For whatever your business idea needs, take the time to figure out what will serve your customers best.
10. File your trademark and form a business — This was one of the first things I did. I knew how important this would be, especially if I wanted to collect money through my business. I recommend you find a lawyer who specializes in your work and can help you file the trademark and form an LLC.
11. Create marketing materials (media kit, deck, info/pricing sheet, etc.) and set up your website. The marketing and branding of your business is very important as to how you stand out. I focused a lot of time on this. It helped me position ourselves, devise our own voice, and speak to new partners in our infancy. If marketing isn’t your strength, I’d consider bringing on a consultant or coach who can help you to best craft your business’ story to stand out in the marketplace. Get ahead of this now so when your product/service is ready to go, you are ready to market and sell it!
12. Do a soft launch. I offered free virtual classes for those who helped me go through the process of going from idea to market. This was our “beta” program. We reached out to people we knew, friends of friends, etc. and invited them to take free virtual classes with us. I learned a lot from this process and today, those folks are Zing!’s biggest champions. I continued to offer those people free & discounted programs with Zing!. They were so happy to support me. I’m sure your followers will feel the same way. If you’re doing a product launch, you can also add these people to an exclusive waitlist, etc.
13. Hit publish on your website — GO TIME! I told myself this was a “soft launch” as we weren’t fully ready. When I went live, the website didn’t feel perfect and there was more content I wanted to create. But instead of waiting, I knew I needed to get my idea out in the world. Ever since that day, March 14, 2021, we’ve been rocking & rolling. My main goal was to get my idea out there so I could help busy families when they needed it the most. Once the website was published, I started pitching my idea to families, promoting on social media, handing out flyers in the community, and Zing! was born.
14. Cultivate Patience. Whether you’re trying to turn an idea into a business while working a full time job or simply working to get an idea off of the ground, you’ll need to find the balance between hustling to bring your vision to life and having the patience to nourish the idea and let it grow.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?

1. Invest in what you need from the start. I wish I brought on a lawyer from the beginning to help me form an LLC, trademark my business & logo, etc. While the websites that do this for you are great, my idea took off within a few months and I had to consult with all sorts of lawyers for help on things. If I had just gone to one in the beginning, I could have eliminated headaches that I dealt with later on.
2. Take time to come up with a good business name.
3. Trust Your Gut.
4. Find a mentor or a group of friends you can turn to for big, important decisions.
5. Build out your team–don’t try to do everything alone.

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

START WORKING ON IT TODAY! Write it down. Figure out how to build it. Call the experts. Call a friend. Tap into your network. Don’t let fear hold you back. Start small with one step forward.

Overall, I think turning an idea into a product starts with the following:

• A strong idea
• A viable market (aka do your research).
• A good manufacturer for hard products.
• Ease of access (especially for service-based businesses).
• An incredible team (it may be only you at first, but once you need/start to hire — those folks need to be INCREDIBLE and you must support them as much as possible).

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

Personally, I wouldn’t hire a consultant, but I would consult with industry experts and potential customers and partners in the field. For example, I connected with fitness industry friends and leaders to see if they thought my idea was viable in the marketplace. I also called and emailed several parents/educators from all over the country to learn what offerings excited them. These two things gave me enough confidence to try and test out my ideas. This experience was valuable for me and the responses I got from these folks were things I turned to for the first few months of launching Zing!. I highly recommend reaching out to folks in your industry to get their point of view. If your invention or idea is something that will require a heavy lift or investment, perhaps a development consultant could be a good strategy before you go “all in”.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

I think this is a personal decision–every person and business is different.

At this point, we’ve bootstrapped everything. I’m really glad we’ve done this because everything is my own. I do not owe anyone anything. We’ve been able to grow organically and learn how to go and grow on our own, especially in our early stages.

That said, I had the opportunity for investment last year and I put the conversation on hold. We were too new and very early in the business. I didn’t feel comfortable to “share” the business with someone else before I even got a grasp on the business. In my gut, I knew it was not the time to get a financial investment, even if I really wanted it to help the business scale faster. When going through this, I reached out to several folks who both bootstrapped their businesses and got VC investment, and had to ask myself some of these questions:

• Why do I need money? What will getting the money do for me now? Can I wait?
• I took a break from “corporate” so I could be on my own. How will I feel reporting to someone else on the business?
• Are these the right partners for me? Does the VC firm/team’s values and goals align with my own?
• If you go the VC route, how much involvement will they have? How much of the business are you willing to potentially give up?
• Where do you see your business headed? Is the goal to do this forever or is it to build it, grow it, sell it, and move on to the next concept?
• If you want to bootstrap your business, what are some ways you can raise money on your own? How can you hustle to get extra business to support your goals?

While I’m grateful that we are 100% bootstrapped, I am looking into grants for specific teaching opportunities in communities who need Zing!. Additionally, once we learn a bit more on how to best scale this year, I’m open to VC conversations down the road. And we are working through strategic partnerships with key folks that I am very excited about, which has been instrumental to our growth these days!

For other types of businesses/industries, I can see investment being the ideal way to scale quickly, especially if you have a product that you can mass produce. For now, we are people-focused and I want to make sure I provide a quality experience as we keep learning and growing organically. Our first year in business has been full of testing and trying new things to create our signature programming that educators, parents, and kids love.

Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

I like to think everything we do makes the world a better place.

We teach kids how to use their minds & bodies to feel confident in who they are and what they do. We are teaching them movement and mindfulness tools and techniques so they feel empowered to take on whatever comes their way. We are also providing a safe, inclusive, active environment so kids’ learn how to be kind to one another.

Additionally, we help schools make fun, healthy activities happen for the kids, despite the numerous challenges educators have faced during the pandemic. We also help busy parents who are looking for activities to help their kids see how amaZING they truly are!

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

3–2–1

Say 3 positive things to yourself every morning & night

Find 2 minutes everyday to sit down, take a few deep breaths, drink some water, and relax.

Do 1 thing everyday that will help you feel and do better, even if it’s uncomfortable or challenging. It could be a workout, creating a monthly budget for yourself, applying for a job, going on a date, reading a book, outlining a business idea — anything!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

There are so many people who I’d love to connect with. I would love a private meal with Beto Perez, the man behind Zumba. I’ve always used Zumba as a model for my work in the fitness industry and at this point in my career and growing Zing!, his insight, advice, and support would be incredibly valuable. I also want to thank him for getting so many to love movement & fitness. Zumba has been a true fitness gateway for those who didn’t love the gym scene and has made movement accessible to everyone.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

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Making Something From Nothing: Michele Levy Of Zing! On How To Go From Idea To Launch was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.