Small Business Saturday Mom Heather
Meet our new Small Business Saturday Mom Heather Queiroz of Westchester. She is a mom to two boys, 9 and 13, from Mt. Kisco and owns a NextBarre which she started in January 2015 here in Westchester.
How did the idea come about?
I was a passionate and dedicated NextBarre client in California. Having tried just about every type of workout program available – including other barre classes – NextBarre was the first one where I experienced meaningful changes to my body. In a relatively short period of time, my muscles became leaner and my body was stronger with the kind of definition and sculpting I had been seeking for years. I knew that if I was seeing those kinds of changes, other women could also benefit and became committed to working with Diana Pecci (NextBarre Founder) to expand the business.”
What is special about your business?
NextBarre is a safe and responsive workout that gives people meaningful change from the inside out. NextBarre was created to take barre training to the next level by making it safer and more responsive. Clients can gain core strength, longer, leaner muscles without having to do injury-prone, military-style training programs. People who haven’t worked out because of injuries are finding themselves being able to not only exercise safely but they are receiving dramatic results that they never imagined before.
The NextBarre ab series is unique from other methods because the low back and neck are completely supported. On a daily basis clients are reporting weight loss, uplifted mood, more defined muscles, etc.
How do you manage having your own business and motherhood?
NextBarre allows me flexibility in the afternoon since most classes are in the morning’s and evenings. The schedule allows me to spend time with my kids after school before their activities. However, being a business owner is a 7-day a week job so it’s about finding time between family responsibilities to fit it all in. It’s definitely not a 9-5 job but I can get work done at home or on the run with all my mobile devices.
Walk us through a typical day:
Mornings: My husband leaves for work in the city very early so the mornings are a busy rush of getting myself ready and the kids out the door to school and on the bus. I usually teach 1-2 classes in the morning’s at the studio, occasionally stay to take a class from one of the other instructors after I teach.
Afternoon: Manage office tasks for running the business such as marketing, accounting, instructor feedback and training, ordering supplies and retail, etc.
Late Afternoon: pick up my kids from school and help them with snack and homework or drop them off at their sports activities.
Evening: Teach class 2-3 evenings a week and then race home to grab dinner out of the slow cooker. On the evenings that I teach, the slow cooker is the only way the family gets any food. Otherwise, it’s a take-out night.
If you had to give one piece of advice to a mom wanting to start her own business, what would it be?
Starting your own business is very rewarding and will be the hardest you have ever worked. However, if you can afford to do it and your business will integrate well into your family’s lifestyle it’s worth it. Evaluating how the business will impact your family financially and emotionally in advance is important because there will be a lot compromises that will have to be made by everyone in the family. However, as a mom, there’s nothing better than being your own boss and your kids will admire you for that.
Share info about your business:
You can visit NextBarre at 293 Lexington Ave (between Elm and Moore Avenues) in Mt. Kisco; phone is 914.210.0587. Classes are offered daily and the first class is always free. Website is www.nextbarre.com
FB – www.facebook.com/NextBarreEast
Instagram: nxb_mountkisco
