Live Cycle Delight: An Urban Fitness Boutique Fights to Stay Alive

Abstract

Live Cycle Delight (LCD) and Live Cycle Delight Hot (LCD Hot) is a boutique fitness studio founded in 2017 in Detroit, Michigan, by owner, Amina Daniels. The studios are nestled in a quaint up and coming historic multicultural neighborhood just outside of Downtown Detroit. After winning two start-up contests in 2015, Amina’s business started turning a profit in year two. LCD had a loyal client following and Amina was hopeful that LCD would continue growing and expanding. In March 2020, all of that changed when LCD, like all other gyms in Michigan, had to close their doors. In addition to the pandemic, there was social unrest across many states in the country and Amina’s outward support for Black Lives Matter (BLM) did not sit well with some of her customers. Now 9 months later, Amina is wondering how to survive. Many customers have become accustomed to virtual and online fitness classes and some have invested in at-home gyms and fitness equipment. Amina has considered adding on-demand classes, offering more virtual offerings and developing partnerships with other gyms across the country. In the meantime, she has lost 80% of her customers and must figure out how to rebuild.