How Maricris built her own fitness business with the right team behind her.
After years of coaching for other brands, Maricris Lapaix was ready to put her own brand first. She'd thought about building an app for years, and after becoming a mum, she saw an opportunity to create something she could grow on her own terms, with recurring income and a community of her own.
A new chapter, on her own terms
Maricris had built a career in fitness through personal training, brand partnerships and three years coaching on the Centr app. But after becoming a mum, several of her contracts came to an end, giving her the space to think about what she wanted next.
She wanted to move beyond relying on the next project or brand partnership and create a business where her own brand came first. An app offered the opportunity to bring her coaching and community together, while building a more consistent source of income.
“I’d done all these wonderful things working with brands, but I reached a point where I wanted to put my own brand first and build something of my own. After becoming a mum, it felt like a clean slate and an opportunity to figure out what I wanted to do next.”
- Maricris Lapaix, founder of Move with Maricris
Starting before everything was perfect.
Maricris had considered building an app before, but she knew this was something she wanted to grow over years, not just launch for a few months.
She took her time comparing platforms, looking for one that offered the flexibility to build at her own pace, without feeling restricted by the investment or business model.
After months of consideration, she committed to Sudor on Halloween, determined to launch in time for the new year.
Her first onboarding meeting happened while she was travelling in Morocco. Between early morning calls, uploading content and preparing her workouts, she worked with the Sudor team to bring everything together.
"I'd go to sleep, things were getting done and I was uploading stuff. The team support from the jump was what helped get things started. Sudor helped start the next chapter for me going online."
- Maricris Lapaix, founder of Move with Maricris
A business that could evolve with her.
Maricris started with on-demand workouts, subscriptions and challenges, but she didn't expect to have everything figured out from day one.
She made community feedback part of the process, using surveys to understand what members enjoyed and what they wanted next.
As she learnt more about her audience, she saw an opportunity to introduce high-ticket coaching alongside her existing membership.
After spending three weeks developing the offer and gathering feedback, she worked with Odette from Sudor to get it set up in just one week. She'd even sold her first place before the programme was ready.
"Sudor gave me the space and platform to do my high-ticket offer. I surveyed for three weeks, Odette helped me get it up in a week, and I sold a place before it was even ready. To know the team has my back like that is absolutely insane."
- Maricris Lapaix, founder of Move with Maricris
The high-ticket offer helped her recover her initial app investment, while subscriptions gave her another source of recurring income.
Subscriber growth hasn't always been easy, and she's still experimenting with different ways to bring people into her app. But having the flexibility to introduce new offers has allowed her to adapt her business as she learns what works.
Owning your business doesn't mean doing it alone.
Today, Maricris is continuing to develop her coaching programmes, explore new challenges and find ways to grow her subscription community.
She's learnt that building an independent business doesn't mean having every answer from the beginning. It means being willing to listen, try new things and surround yourself with people who can help you move forward.
For creators considering their own app, her advice comes back to one thing: choosing the right people to build with.
"If someone wants to build an app, I would definitely say do your due diligence. You should not feel pressured to do anything. It should feel like a team is supporting you. When you're with the right people, they're going to lift you up the right way."
- Maricris Lapaix, founder of Move with Maricris
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