Ep 54 - Frame Fitness Founders Melissa Bentivoglio + Lee Belzberg: Startup Stories Series

Frame Fitness was co-founded by Melissa Bentivoglio, a leading Pilates and fitness instructor and proprietary Reformer inventor, and her business-savvy husband Lee Belzberg. Frame was put into motion after Melissa noted the shift in the digital fitness world, with group classes like cycling and rowing moving into homes with well-designed, lightweight equipment and a virtually interactive solution. Melissa was inspired to create a digitally-connected reformer that could fit into any space and connect users with a complete community online. She founded the brand with her husband, Lee Belzberg, who comes from a long line of successful entrepreneurs and creatives. Lee is excited to draw upon his deep expertise in real estate and wealth and private equity management to tackle new frontiers in the digital fitness industry by combining his strategic vision with Melissa’s passion for health and wellness.

Here’s What We Discussed

• [00:30] From Pirouettes to Pilates – How Melissa became a Pilates instructor
• [06:26] Frame’s early founder journey and the keys to success in business, fitness, and innovation amidst a global pandemic
• [16:05] How Frame revolutionized Pilates with its multi-channel approach and disruption of traditional practices
• [26:00]  Leveraging B2B marketing opened up the at-home Pilates industry market
• [31:07] How consumer perspective on health and wellness has shifted in recent years

About Our Speakers

Melissa Bentivoglio is a classically trained ballet dancer and a renowned Pilates and fitness instructor. Melissa credits her dedication to Pilates as having changed her life after years of elite-level performance. In 2018, she designed her own proprietary Reformer for use in her own studio. By launching Frame, she hopes to make Pilates more widely available and accessible so that everyone has a chance to improve their quality of life.

Following in the footsteps of his family, Lee Belzberg continues the Belzberg legacy with Frame. He seeks to combine his deep expertise of wealth management, real-estate banking, and private equity with his passion for health and wellness. Lee is excited to venture into new frontiers and take his strategic vision and entrepreneurial spirit to the digital-fitness startup space.

Quotes

“By offering the different variations and the different styles with the different instructors who have the various certifications, we're able to consolidate really efficiently… Why not offer all the different types of instruction with one very, very simplistic machine? So we really just simplified everything. There was innovation to be had, and we did it.” –  Melissa Bentivoglio

“We actually knew our first 500 pre-orders were Pilates enthusiasts. We didn't have to convert anybody. There was no barrier to entry… People who are buying a pre-order product without seeing it in real life are crazy enthusiasts.” – Melissa Bentivoglio

“We're adding, not replacing. When you already have a product, you already paid for it, and you're not going to replace it. But if you [introduce] a new product in there, it will bring a new offering to them.” – Lee Belzberg

“In the initial months of the pandemic, we kind of lived like we were invincible, and then all of a sudden, there was this unprecedented virus with so many unknowns. And I think that shifted the wellness world in a way where now all of a sudden, every single person was thinking about their health; How they can achieve greater health.” – Melissa Bentivoglio

“One of the most important parts of working in a startup is trust. And when you have ultimate trust with your partner, it allows the business to move efficiently.” – Lee Belzberg

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