Building entrepreneurs and a socially conscious community in Playa Vista
Story By Nicole Borgenicht | Images courtesy of Maverick Community
The stage is set as fitness and wellness entrepreneurs perform their craft at Maverick Community in Playa Vista. Personal training, physical therapy, masseuse, spinning master, yoga and dance instructors work in the 7,500-square-foot location, which includes 30 spin bikes and a 1,500-square-foot studio for classes and events preset with optional live streaming.
Maverick’s co-founders have been friends for a decade, and together represent leading entrepreneurs of the fitness and nonprofit industries. Michael Fishman recently sold Pure Cycles, his profitable lifestyle bicycle company with worldwide distribution. He is the nonprofit board chair at Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition working toward safe bicycling for all neighborhoods, cultures and kids.
Christian Straka, a former professional tennis player and coach, is also a featured mindfulness coach for companies like Amazon, Facebook and an Adidas Runners Mindset Coach. Steve LePore has 30 years of experience as an executive director of nonprofits and founded three successful nonprofit organizations.
Uniting the co-founders’ nonprofit and fitness journeys and ingenuity, Fishman shared details about their Maverick Community and how it will help create a positive atmosphere for wellness, growth and service.
“We’re the first gym or wellness center to build an equitable workforce model with our creator platform that enables wellness professionals to become thriving entrepreneurs,” Fishman says. “We provide fitness and wellness entrepreneurs with studio space, high-end equipment, team members help for cleaning and check-in, and production equipment for filming and live streaming fitness classes. We are also the first wellness brand to stand for increasing access, equity and inclusivity by creating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that will run in parallel with our for-profit to build at least 20% of our wellness centers in underserved, lower-income communities.”
While coaches pay rent to Maverick, they receive 100% of the proceeds from clientele and build their brands with video, fast internet space and community networking. Maverick Community is a new kind of fitness and wellness space, where instructors and clients have multiple resources to enjoy a safe and effective environment. An integral element in the fitness industry, safety is secured with properly maintained equipment, instructor insurance with current certifications.
Furthermore, in building a fitness and wellness community, Maverick schedules local nonprofits from
various sectors such as Free Arts
for abused children, utilizing art to build self-esteem.
“Additionally, we plan to have free meditation sessions in the early mornings and late evenings,” Fishman says.
Maverick Community has designed new ways to give back with a nonprofit element that relates to the happy lifestyle their company projects.
We’re the first wellness brand to stand for increasing access, equity, and inclusivity by creating a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Maverick Forward, that will run in parallel with our for-profit, Maverick Community, to build at least 20% of our wellness centers in underserved, lower-income communities,” Fishman says. “We believe in ‘partnering forward.’ Poor and underserved communities want partnership and Maverick Forward will provide these community members with the opportunity to be low-risk entrepreneurs (wellness professionals) who do well by helping their neighbors become healthier and happier. Maverick Community and Maverick Forward are social enterprises that will combine the heart of a nonprofit with the scalability and innovation of a for profit.”
In the future, Maverick Community’s founders envision expansion throughout Los Angeles, the country and world. Fishman projects their business as having a “network effect” deriving from the success of each location. Simultaneous with growth, Maverick has devised a “One-Fifth Location Pledge” which asserts one-fifth of its centers will be in underserved communities.
“We plan to make Maverick Community a place for nonprofits to use,” Fishman says. “We want giving back to be a consistent theme with our business.”
As the first and model community, Playa Vista is designated as a 10-plus year course of action. The goal for this location is that entrepreneurial trainers and health specialists signify Maverick Community as an ideal Westside center for industry professionals.
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