New Venture Lab’s Impact on Alicia Newman’s Rebranding of The Union
Journey to Ownership
Alicia Newman was inspired to buy The Union spin and yoga studio in February 2023. Prior to her ownership, the previous owners were signed up to work with New Venture Lab for the semester. Alicia shared that during her first week of ownership, she had her first meeting with the NVL students and felt very “thrown in” to the program, but ultimately was excited about an opportunity that would impact her management and overall business.
A Passion for Spin and Building Community
Alicia felt inspired to buy the business through her love of spin and her involvement with Method Juice (located inside The Union). She shared that her love for spin classes was formed during a time postpartum. Attending classes and joining a community guided her out of that period, directing her to give further to that community.
The Union’s Impact on Spokane’s Community
When asked how The Union’s placement has impacted Spokane, she says, “Anyone who walks in our doors feels and is a part of the community. It literally has changed lives. I have story after story of individuals that were searching for something and found it in our classes.” She continued to emphasize the community-driven values that The Union has through reaching every Spokane community and demographic.
Defining the Scope
With her unique initial involvement in NVL, Alicia and the previous owners originally came to the program with a marketing-based scope. She shared that she felt her business would have benefited from any targeted scope (operations, financials, marketing). She ultimately chose the marketing route, as she felt there were public misconceptions around the business. This was mainly due to the timing of the post-pandemic world and how that impacted workout/gym industries.
Alicia’s Goal to Reintroduce The Union
Alicia’s first goal as the new owner was to market The Union to show “that we are back and we are ready.” When asked if that goal/problem was solved with NVL, Alicia said, “Oh yeah! We had a blast! They (the students) had so many great ideas of how we can market and use social media. This is also how we found a marketing intern that formed into a position with us. There have been so many things that have positively progressed and helped the business after working with NVL. I just could not have asked for a better way to start.” Specifically, Alicia’s scope focused on social media marketing and “gave us the framework that we still use today.”
The Positive Impact
In feedback to student interactions (consultants, project managers, and program directors), Alicia said that the overall experience with every student was “absolutely fantastic.” She shared that after working with NVL, most of the consultants in the group began attending classes at The Union and still attend today, including two students who have now secured positions at The Union.
Advice for New Entrepreneurs and Collaborators
For questioning entrepreneurs, Alicia shared that her best advice would be to “Just do it! I literally got thrown into it, and I was scared since I had no idea what the program would look like. But everyone was so nice and so accommodating.” Alicia emphasizes, “You get back what you put in.”
A Success Story for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Alicia's experience with NVL serves as an excellent example for aspiring entrepreneurs and businesses. She started the semester unsure of what she would gain, and by the end, she saw the tangible ways in which it would benefit her business in multiple ways.
Alicia Newman was inspired to buy The Union spin and yoga studio in February 2023. Prior to her ownership, the previous owners were signed up to work with New Venture Lab for the semester. Alicia shared that during her first week of ownership, she had her first meeting with the NVL students and felt very “thrown in” to the program, but ultimately was excited about an opportunity that would impact her management and overall business.
A Passion for Spin and Building Community
Alicia felt inspired to buy the business through her love of spin and her involvement with Method Juice (located inside The Union). She shared that her love for spin classes was formed during a time postpartum. Attending classes and joining a community guided her out of that period, directing her to give further to that community.
The Union’s Impact on Spokane’s Community
When asked how The Union’s placement has impacted Spokane, she says, “Anyone who walks in our doors feels and is a part of the community. It literally has changed lives. I have story after story of individuals that were searching for something and found it in our classes.” She continued to emphasize the community-driven values that The Union has through reaching every Spokane community and demographic.
Defining the Scope
With her unique initial involvement in NVL, Alicia and the previous owners originally came to the program with a marketing-based scope. She shared that she felt her business would have benefited from any targeted scope (operations, financials, marketing). She ultimately chose the marketing route, as she felt there were public misconceptions around the business. This was mainly due to the timing of the post-pandemic world and how that impacted workout/gym industries.
Alicia’s Goal to Reintroduce The Union
Alicia’s first goal as the new owner was to market The Union to show “that we are back and we are ready.” When asked if that goal/problem was solved with NVL, Alicia said, “Oh yeah! We had a blast! They (the students) had so many great ideas of how we can market and use social media. This is also how we found a marketing intern that formed into a position with us. There have been so many things that have positively progressed and helped the business after working with NVL. I just could not have asked for a better way to start.” Specifically, Alicia’s scope focused on social media marketing and “gave us the framework that we still use today.”
The Positive Impact
In feedback to student interactions (consultants, project managers, and program directors), Alicia said that the overall experience with every student was “absolutely fantastic.” She shared that after working with NVL, most of the consultants in the group began attending classes at The Union and still attend today, including two students who have now secured positions at The Union.
Advice for New Entrepreneurs and Collaborators
For questioning entrepreneurs, Alicia shared that her best advice would be to “Just do it! I literally got thrown into it, and I was scared since I had no idea what the program would look like. But everyone was so nice and so accommodating.” Alicia emphasizes, “You get back what you put in.”
A Success Story for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Alicia's experience with NVL serves as an excellent example for aspiring entrepreneurs and businesses. She started the semester unsure of what she would gain, and by the end, she saw the tangible ways in which it would benefit her business in multiple ways.
