- Story by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

Stepping into SPAR鈥檚 downtown Victoria workout studio for the first time, I feel like I鈥檓 in a night club. And that鈥檚 exactly the point.

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing a 鈥榝ight club meets night club鈥� atmosphere,鈥� explains SPAR co-founder Victoria Courtnall. 鈥淵ou box to the beat of the music.鈥�

鈥淲e want to make it as fun an experience for our clients as possible while still giving them a challenging, badass workout that gets the heart rate up and incorporates core and lower body exercises for a full body workout,鈥� adds SPAR co-founder Hayley Gustavson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also therapy for some people because you can take your aggression out on the bag.鈥�

The boxing-inspired group fitness studio opened in May, after Hayley and Victoria pedalled their way to success with two SPINCO studios. The pair, both Oak Bay High School grads, launched SPINCO Victoria almost three years ago and opened a second studio in Langford in January.

鈥淲e both wanted to get into the fitness world and we both had our own ideas about how that would look but we thought we鈥檇 be stronger together than apart and that鈥檚 definitely been true,鈥� 29-year-old Hayley explains.

Both women played team sports growing up and are clearly passionate about fitness.

鈥淚 love going to the boutique fitness studios, which I think Victoria was definitely lacking. My husband (Bruce Courtnall) and I both do road cycling so I always was into cycling and spin as well,鈥� the 32-year-old Victorian says.

鈥淚 think fitness just brings well-being to everybody鈥檚 life and it鈥檚 so enriching and enhancing and such a journey for everybody 鈥� and it鈥檚 different for everybody,鈥� adds Hayley. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen it be such a positive thing in my life, it鈥檚 hard not to be passionate about it.鈥�

When they first started talking about going into business together, Hayley and Victoria punched out ideas on the boxing concept but say they settled on spin instead because it was the safer bet for their first foray into the fitness business.

鈥淏oxing was somewhat untouched at the time, even in the US, so we thought let鈥檚 get into the market in Victoria with something that鈥檚 a proven concept and learn from that,鈥� Hayley explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be part of a franchise that has such great brand recognition across Canada right now and we got to figure out the nitty-gritty details of what it means to own a fitness studio.鈥�

But even as they built the SPINCO business, they always had a bigger plan in mind.

鈥淚t was really important for Hayley and me, from the beginning, to have our own brand,鈥� Victoria says. 鈥淲e looked at developing spin on our own but I think it worked out really well to have the experience of the franchise and then build on that to branch out on our own.鈥�

For Victoria, who was a mortgage broker, and Hayley, who had her own catering business in Kelowna, the biggest business challenge has been learning how to manage so many people.

鈥淚t was a part of the business we really didn鈥檛 expect to take up so much time,鈥� Hayley explains. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 been so lovely working with all of our trainers and front desk staff and we鈥檝e brought friends onboard. Balancing those relationships has been a learning curve and you want to make sure everyone stays happy.鈥�

鈥淚 think we鈥檝e been able to overcome that by building an incredible team, over time, that embodies our vision and executes it on a daily basis,鈥� Victoria adds, who says they learn something new every day. 鈥淭he biggest thing we鈥檝e learned through all of this is that there is always more to learn because the moment you stop learning, you stop improving and we constantly want to be improving.鈥�

But the entrepreneurs, both young mothers, say by far the greatest challenge is the work-life balance and trying to grow their families while growing their business.

鈥淚n this period of starting the businesses, Hayley鈥檚 had two kids and I鈥檝e had a baby and I鈥檓 pregnant again,鈥� says Victoria, who is due with her second child in October.

鈥淟iterally, one of us has always been pregnant since we started this,鈥� laughs Hayley. 鈥淪o trying to find the balance between having a really amazing opportunity and career in front of us 鈥� being able to do exactly what we love 鈥� and being able to spend time with our families and nurture those relationships as well is a big balancing act.鈥�

For Hayley, who鈥檚 married to business guru Peter Gustavson鈥檚 son, Matthew, having expert advice close at hand has definitely been a big help.

鈥淚 get really, really great business advice from my father-in-law,鈥� she laughs. 鈥淪ometimes I like to think I might know more than I do, and then I realize he鈥檚 always right.鈥�

So what鈥檚 the best advice he鈥檚 given her?

鈥淭o always think about working on the business and not getting tied up working in the business,鈥� Hayley says. 鈥淧eter constantly wants us to grow and the only way to do that is to be working on the business and not in the business.鈥�

For both women, marrying into famous families has been positive when it comes to name recognition, but it can also have its drawbacks.

鈥淭he Courtnall name brings a reputation of being athletic, so that鈥檚 certainly helped us, but people always just assume it鈥檚 our husbands鈥� business,鈥� Victoria says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very supportive husbands but they鈥檙e not involved in the business.鈥�

Giving back to the community is also important for Victoria and Hayley, who grew up here. Both businesses have a weekly charity class, with all the proceeds going to different causes. SPINCO鈥檚 is a 鈥楽pin it Forward鈥� ride and SPAR has 鈥楶unch for a Purpose.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 also a discounted class so people get a chance to try it for half price and they get to feel good about it because they鈥檙e helping a charity,鈥� Victoria explains.

As this dynamic duo muscles their way to even greater success, they plan to take SPAR across the country. But they know it won鈥檛 be easy.

鈥淎 good friend of mine always says: 鈥楪et comfortable with being uncomfortable. It鈥檚 the only way you learn and grow,鈥欌�� Victoria says.

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Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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