The Bootstrap Journey From a $4K Prototype to Multi-Million Dollar Brand

Natalie Holloway Reveals How She Built Bala Into a Fitness Empire Starting with Just $5,000 (Bootstrap Secrets)

Natalie Holloway cofounded Bala after quitting her advertising job at 72andSunny to travel the world with her husband. What started as a $4,000 prototype funded by Chevy commercial residuals became one of the most recognizable fitness brands in America. From their viral Shark Tank appearance to surviving the fitness industry crash of 2022, Natalie shares the raw truth about building an iconic consumer brand.

In This Episode You'll Learn About–

💪 The yoga class in Indonesia that sparked the Bala idea

💰 Bootstrapping from $5K to a multi-million dollar brand

🦈 Behind the scenes of their Shark Tank experience and COVID boom

🤝 Secrets to landing collaborations with Emilio Pucci, Spanx, and New Balance

📉 Surviving the 2022 fitness crash: from 30 employees down to 3

🎯 Building a lean, profitable business with agency partnerships

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Meeting at 72andSunny: How Natalie Met Her Husband & Co-Founder

3:00 The Gap Year That Changed Everything: Traveling Asia on $5K

6:00 The Indonesia Yoga Class That Sparked Bala's Idea

10:00 From Prototype to Kickstarter: The Bootstrap Journey

15:00 Shark Tank Experience and the COVID Fitness Boom

22:00 Brand Collaboration Secrets: Landing Prada and Spanx

28:00 The 2022 Fitness Crash: From 30 Employees to 3

35:00 Rebuilding with Agencies: The New Lean Business Model

42:00 Competing Against Copycats and Nike

48:00 Launching a Podcast and Writing a Business Book

52:00 Balancing Three Kids Under 4 with Building an Empire

56:00 What's Next: Mentoring the Next Generation

58:00 Julian Gifts Natalie Her Vinyl Record

Connect with Natalie Holloway:

TikTok: @bala

Instagram: @natalieholloway

Website: https://shopbala.com/

Pre-order Natalie’s book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bootstrap-empire-natalie-holloway/1147919680

Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here.

https://www.youtube.com/@OntheRecordwithJulianReis

Comment who you want Julian to interview next!

Connect with Julian on:

Website: ⁠https://superordinary.co/⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianreis⁠