Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
FlyFit, a Daleville-based bungee fitness studio, is currently celebrating its first six weeks in business. The business is owned and operated by Ashley Wiley.
A Botetourt transplant, Wiley moved to the Roanoke Valley from West Virginia in 2007 when her husband got a job in Roanoke. She followed suit and started working as a public school teacher in the city. The birth of her daughters caused her to decide to transition into the role of a stay-at-home mom.
An entrepreneurial spirit is shared between Wiley and her husband, who is an architect but decided that office work wasn’t for him, so he decided to branch out and start his own business.
Following her youngest daughter’s enrollment in kindergarten this year, Wiley decided that it was time for her to venture back into the professional world. A bungee fitness class that her sister took her to caused a lightbulb to go off in her head. “I instantly fell in love with it because it’s unique and different, but it also has a lot of options and ways to make your workout as high intensity as you want while still having a low impact on your joints,” she said.
She immediately made friends with the owner of the studio where her sister went. “She told me that if there wasn’t anything like it in my area, I should do it,” Wiley said.
From there, she built up the nerve to pitch the idea of starting a bungee fitness studio to her husband. “He immediately said that I should do it,” she recounted. “He said that it was a great idea and that if I loved it, other people would as well.”
Looking back on her decision to start the studio, Wiley said that doing so was a way for her to have something fun to do, but also a way for her to prioritize her own fitness.
“Exercise is intimidating for people, so I’m trying to meet people where they are and then build from there. I mainly want to help people feel better about themselves,” she said. “I just want people to enjoy themselves.”
Many training sessions were required for the group fitness, bungee, and yoga classes that are currently offered. Including Wiley, the studio has a total of four instructors.
The success that her studio has seen over the past six weeks, Wiley said, has surprised her. “I knew going into it that we would do well, but I didn’t know how quickly it would catch on,” she said, adding that the studio has averaged 100 customers per week. “I didn’t know how fast it would take for people to realize that we’re here. We’ve already exceeded our expectations.”
Speaking to her business’ uniqueness, Wiley said that she isn’t aware of any other bungee fitness studios in Botetourt or Roanoke.
Photo by Aila Boyd
