Harlem Cycle founder took leap of faith to create a neighborhood first | Black Made
Tammeca Rochester, founder and CEO of Harlem Cycle, opens up about her journey as an entrepreneur for theGrio's series "Black Made."
Harlem Cycle is all about community and creating an uplifting and fun environment for clients to reach their fitness goals.
Tammeca Rochester is the founder and CEO of Harlem Cycle in New York City– Harlem’s first and only indoor cycling studio. She opened her first studio in 2016 and a second location in 2022. In this episode of “Black Made,” Rochester talks about what inspired her to take the leap of faith to leave her C-suite position in corporate America and become an entrepreneur.
“I always say to be an entrepreneur, to be a business owner, you gotta be slightly crazy, right? You have to bank on yourself,” Rochester told theGrio. “My son was 4 and I had a very comfortable position. I finally made it into a C-suite position in corporate America but I knew there was more for us.”
“I knew for me to be the best mom that I needed to be to him, I needed to make sure that I found something that would be a little bit more flexible, but something that I knew he would be proud of,” Rochester added. “As an entrepreneur, it was crazy to leave that comfort but it was well worth it.”
Rochester didn’t have a background in fitness and wellness, but it was “something I loved to do on my personal time.” She decided to focus on cycling because she believes it’s an accessible workout.
“We all grew up riding our bikes and even if we didn’t, we can still definitely ride a stationary bike,” Rochester explained. “Cycling is low impact, but it’s also super fun.”
“Imagine being in a dark room where everyone’s having a good time vibing to music, and everyone has a common goal of having a great experience.” Rochester continues. “To me, that is what cycling is all about and so I wanted to open up a studio focused on getting us back to being our best selves, but also having a great time.”
Check out the full video, and click here for more episodes of “Black Made.”
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