Exploring Life & Business with Brandon Presley of Sweatheory KC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Presley.

Hi Brandon, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have owned a variety of small businesses since I was in high school: snake breeding, automotive detailing, car audio product sales, glass art & pipe e-commerce store, glass display manufacturing & sales, drone photography company – didn’t really make it off the ground, contact lens case product again that I never got off the ground, and finally Sweatheory KC. I have a degree in business management, but I owe my experience to the variety of industries that I explored. I was in Los Angeles in 2017, working with a product designer for my contact lens case product, and I followed the Sweatheory Instagram account. Since I was there, I thought I would enjoy a sauna and fell in love. It was a small shop, very rustic, and after my sauna, I sat in the lobby, had a healthy snack, and just observed. I returned the next day and had another sauna and the same great experience. About 2 months later, I was back in Los Angeles and then went back and paid closer attention to how they operated. The concept could do well in Kansas and bring easy health & wellness to the community. After that, I returned home and started researching all the yoga/sauna studios, brainstorming locations, sketching designs, and reaching out to potential yoga instructors to see if they were interested in working with me – to which every person I asked said yes. This began the process, and in 2018, I signed a lease in the Crossroads. We opened in June 2019 and have been sweating it out ever since.

Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. It takes a lot longer for your business to reach adequate revenue and be self-sustaining than most people think. The saying “it takes 5 years to make a profit” is very true, especially when you have overhead with rent, employees, utilities, supplies, etc. As the owner, I have worked at the front desk an average of 6 days/week since we opened until January 2024, when our revenue levels have been high enough to afford full coverage for the front desk. I’ve worked many 13-hour days on the journey to get here. Our biggest struggle by far was the period of March-May 2020 when we were closed due to not being an “essential business” and having to comply with Kansas City’s ordinances. We lost all the steam that we had built in the 8 months prior, and it took over 12 months to get back close to those original attendance levels. Being a hot yoga studio wasn’t the best climate for clients to be forced to wear masks during class. However, we survived – and are grateful for our members and clients who came back to support us when we re-opened. Other struggles are mainly learning to manage a team of 15-20 individual personalities, dealing with supply/vendor issues, and operating a business open 11 hours/day, 7 days/week.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Sweatheory KC is located at 19th x Grand in the Crossroads Arts District. We opened in June 2019 and have served over 20,000 yoga class attendees and 5,000 infrared sauna sessions. We specialize in infrared heat in our yoga/fitness studio and saunas. Our beautiful, handcrafted, cedar-lined yoga studio always makes an impression. We offer a variety of infrared-heated yoga classes, fitness classes, and private infrared sauna sessions with plenty of amenities. We have 5-star-rated instructors, extremely clean saunas, and an energy and atmosphere that cannot be beaten – just read our Google reviews! A smaller part of our service offering is our vitamin injections – administered by two of our sweet & friendly registered nurses. Full members receive a free Vitamin B12 shot 1x per month – and everyone is always excited to see Nurse Kennedy or Courtney when they are in the studio. We also offer a variety of healthy treats & beverages to help bounce you back after a sweaty class or sauna session.

Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
From 2016 to 2019, I did most of my office work out of WeWork Corrigan Station. The community there was so helpful and open, and many times, I walked up to random strangers and started chatting, asking about their work, or getting unbiased feedback on something I worked on. When we had our grand opening, many of our guests were people I had met there. Putting yourself in an environment with our entrepreneurs is a great way to network and find a mentor. I have also had good luck reaching out via DM or email to different business owners who I felt had strengths that I was trying to improve. In my experience, I have never asked if someone would be my mentor – but instead started a conversation with easy, direct questions that could be answered quickly, and the relationship grew from there. I also recommend joining a coaching group with like-minded individuals. Be careful when joining – you only want to be part of something with someone with a proven track record of what you’re trying to do, not only a coach. I am part of the Lion’s Not Sheep Den, and the owner/coach has a variety of successful businesses. We have weekly live calls that provide insight, motivation, and networking opportunities with all the other members.

Pricing:

• Infrared Sauna Session – $35
• Infrared Sauna Session for Two – $65
• Infrared Yoga/Fitness Class – $25
• Infrared Yoga/Fitness Class Intro Month – $99
• Vitamin B12 Injection – $20

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweatheory.com
• Instagram: @sweatheorykc
• Facebook: @sweatheorykc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonpresley/
• Twitter: @sweatheorykc

Image Credits
Moss Marketing Group