Meet Chris and India Welton of Solcioty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris and India Welton.

Chris and India, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Chris: I’m an Atlanta native, growing up in the North metro area. I went to college at UGA and was fortunate enough to be on the national championship winning team my senior year. I stayed in Athens to get my MBA and law degree before moving back to Atlanta where I practiced with a large law firm. Working 90 hours per week was challenging but rewarding as a corporate and real estate transactional attorney. The thing that ultimately changed my career path was when Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games in 1996. A friend of mine reached out with an opportunity to help run the sponsorship program.

Understanding that it was one of the biggest things to ever happen in this town, I knew I couldn’t turn down the chance to get involved. Through that experience, I learned a lot about the industry and built a number of quality relationships that carried over into a marketing opportunity with the international Olympic Games. Since then, I started and sold a number of businesses, helped reform an equestrian organization and have been investing in real estate. Last spring, India was introduced to Solcioty through mutual friends and we were offered the opportunity to become the brand’s first franchisees. We believe in the concept and think it’s an efficient way for people to work out. This is a fun and exciting opportunity for us and we’re looking forward to introducing this fitness brand to the Atlanta market.

India: I grew up in Buckhead and attended Wesleyan School before heading to Ole Miss, running collegiate-level track for two years. I started my career path pursuing a degree in nutrition but switched to integrated marketing communications – gaining a broad background in health, wellness and business. I knew I wanted to be in the fitness industry after graduation and through mutual friends, was introduced to the owners of Solcioty’s first location in Columbus, GA. As soon as I walked into the studio, I loved everything about the brand and design. It’s not only a community workout facility but the concept combines strength and cardio, so classes are not overly repetitive. It’s a more entertaining way to exercise, shifting from the treadmill to the bike and the rowing machine. It also helps to avoid injury because you’re not doing one repetitive set of motions and overexerting your muscles. After we met with the corporate team for the first time, we knew this was an opportunity we wanted to pursue as a father and daughter team.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Everything takes a little longer than you’d expect. For instance, our landlord has been great and we’ve never had any significant issues, however we’re still trying to negotiate with the design team and the contractors. We would have hoped to be up-and-running faster than we’re now projecting.

Please tell us about Solcioty.
There’s no workout comparable to the one you’ll get at Solcioty. We offer more variety and more equipment, providing alternatives and solutions for those who aren’t familiar with specific exercises, are facing injuries or don’t have the money to pay for a personal trainer. More often than not, when you go to a big box facility with rows and rows of equipment, most of the people aren’t particularly well-educated in how to use the machines and spend a chunk of time finding music, reading texts and not getting the output that they feel like they’re putting in. With our program, you have an instructor and a heart rate monitor, which motivates you to do your best and ensures you’re not going to get injured because you have a guide along your 50-minute journey. Whether fitness is already a part of your lifestyle or has not yet become one –we aim to make it as convenient and as efficient as possible across all experience levels.

How do you, personally, define success?
We not only want to make this brand and this studio successful, but we want to help our customers get in shape and see real results – only considering ourselves successful when we are watching people leave happy by helping them to achieve their goals. From an economic standpoint, Solcioty has a relatively low cost of entry with a smaller facility and less equipment required than most traditional concepts. We understand that the way to grow is by adding locations and by being at the front end. Because we’re trailblazers as the first franchisees in the system, the sky is the limit. Atlanta is a great market for Solcioty and our success will stem from building an established business in the market and expanding outward. We also want to ensure that when we grow, we’re providing unparalleled customer service and creating a social environment that people want to be a part of.

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