GARY: Next on Start Up, we head to Detroit, Michigan to meet up with Keith Walker, the founder of Sarovyn, a unique business model that melds fun, fitness, and community to provide a unique experience that celebrates culture.

All of this and more is next on Start Up.

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From finding employees to accessing state-wide resources and partnership opportunities.

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CONNIE: I truly thought "I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life."

I realized I can try so many different things.

I can make anything happen.

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Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.

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♪ GARY: My name is Gary Bredow.

I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

As the country faces significant challenges, small business owners are navigating their way through a changing global marketplace with strength and perseverance while continuing to push the economy forward.

We've set out for our 13th consecutive season talking to a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they learn to adapt, innovate, and even completely reinvent themselves.

This is Start Up.

♪ As the world grapples with the importance of wellness and community connection, businesses that encourage social interaction while promoting health are becoming invaluable.

Inspired by culture and community, many entrepreneurs are reinventing fitness and wellness-based experiences.

Today, I'm heading to Detroit, Michigan to meet up with Keith Walker, the founder of Sarovyn, a unique business model that melds fun, fitness, and community to provide experiences that celebrate culture.

From what I know, one of Sarovyn's signature events is pop-up roller-skating in different locations around the city of Detroit.

I'm excited to meet up with Keith, learn more about Sarovyn, and maybe even try on a pair of skates myself.

♪ ♪ Talk about skating.

What do you love so much about skating?

KEITH: The freedom.

GARY: The freedom.

KEITH: The freedom of skating.

Skating is a space- it's such a safe space.

It's such a neutralizer.

Everybody has fun.

It's- Detroit skating is a little different than everywhere else.

It becomes one with the music.

It's a rhythm.

It's a pulse that you can't escape.

It's almost like you walk into the space, your body's already started moving.

The community is amazing.

It's just a space where you can be who you want to be.

There's no judgment.

And that's what we've taken into Sarovyn, is that same thing, all those great pieces, and we just grew it up.

GARY: What is Sarovyn?

KEITH: Sarovyn is a wellness space.

We have taken all of the good parts of things that you're normally used to, such as gyms, social spaces, as recreation centers, community centers, venues such as this space, entertainment.

And we've wrapped it into one space.

GARY: How did this idea come up?

And is there anything even remotely close to like this?

KEITH: It started way back when I was a kid.

My mom, she was my inspiration.

She took me roller- skating, and I realized that roller-skating was a really fun space.

It was a space where I could be free.

But when I would look at my mom, I would always say, "Well, where did my mom go?

What does my mom have?"

Being a woman, she was always taking care of everybody else.

And so that was the start of this- that was the seed.

And then you fast-forward, I get married, and my wife is a powerhouse in corporate America.

And she's not seen.

She's not heard.

The things- the stresses that she deal with, and I said, "There has to be a space."

And I said, "Well, let me make that space.

"Let me make a space where women can come in "and just be themselves, a space that they "can feel safe in, grow and have fun and just be seen."

I knew roller-skating.

I was in the industry for 41 years, being from a skater to working in it, DJing, and then owning my own space.

So I started with what I knew.

GARY: What kind of really- got you into this path?

KEITH: What really pushed me over the edge was one day I got laid off.

GARY: Hmm.

KEITH: And it was during the pandemic.

There was so much control and power that I didn't have at that time.

And I felt powerless and I said, "Well, I don't ever want to feel that way again."

And from there, I took my last $2,000 and invested in me.

And took all of these skill sets that I've used to help others build their businesses to build my own.

And that's what we did.

We went outdoors, started with one session, one skate session outdoors, and it evolved into this.

GARY: How did that first event go?

KEITH: So the first event we did at a space here, off of 75 and Mack, a really cool space, great company.

And we went there and had fun.

And so I did all the marketing and promotion myself.

Again, with my background being graphic design and software engineering, I was able to create the marketing strategy, the graphic design, all those pieces, and get it out there to the people.

We had great music, we had movies going, so we had some of the greatest classic Detroit movies that you see, such as the Beverly Hills Cops.

So it was very Detroit-focused, and that's always kind of been my goal, is to always promote Detroit in a positive light in what we do.

So we didn't make a lot of money, but the objective was to make sure that we covered the cost.

GARY: Didn't lose money.

KEITH: We did not lose money.

GARY: Good.

KEITH: And we gained, and what we also too, we actually gained some data as well.

So we started having a newsletter and that's when we started getting the same people coming back over again.

GARY: Ah, here comes the membership.

KEITH: Yep, and now we have a membership listing over, or a newsletter listing of over 2,000 people.

GARY: Incredible, so now you know when you throw an event, that's your target market that you can count on, at least a percentage of those folks to come.

KEITH: Yes.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: What is this community like for somebody who's never taken part in anything like this?

DARLENE: It's a welcoming community.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous at first.

GARY: Okay.

DARLENE: And I took the skates out of the box and put them back in three, four, five times.

GARY: Yeah, right.

DARLENE: And when I went to the first skating session, and he made me feel very relaxed.

GARY: What are the benefits of roller-skating now that you're doing it?

DARLENE: It makes you stronger.

GARY: Okay.

DARLENE: Balanced, especially after the brain surgery.

So I was looking for something to help me with the balance and the strength.

And it just helps you mentally.

You're like in your own space.

When you're roller skating, you feel good.

And especially at my age, I mean, to get on roller skates, it's either these wheels or wheelchair wheels, so.

GARY: Yeah, and what would you say to somebody who's just too nervous, doesn't wanna take any risks, that's getting a little bit older, but has a desire?

DARLENE: Wear as much gear as you want.

I came in with a helmet on.

I had a helmet on.

GARY: And that's okay.

DARLENE: Wrist guards, I had knee pads, hip pads.

So to make you feel comfortable, wear as much gear as you need to wear.

GARY: So take the risk, but just calculated risk.

DARLENE: Yeah, that's true.

♪ GARY: How long were you using that space, and then what happened?

KEITH: So we were using that space for about six months.

And so we were throwing skating parties there, as well as we were doing trainings.

So about three months into it, the Lexus Velodrome collapsed.

GARY: What?

KEITH: Yes.

GARY: The roof?

KEITH: The roof, the whole building collapsed.

GARY: Oh, wow.

What now?

KEITH: What now?

That was the thing.

We were out of business.

And so with us being out of business, I- I took a week off.

I said, "Okay, now let's figure out what we're going to do."

And I ended up finding a small 4,500 square foot warehouse that was just really horrible.

It was gutted.

It was bad.

And I saw everything in there.

I saw the vision.

I ended up purchasing flooring from a company that was downriver.

A skating rink went out of business.

And that building was blood.

There was sweat.

There was tears.

Everything you could think of, I put into that building.

But I built this space out knowing that the people would come.

And this was for us to start building something great and bigger.

And this got us into Sarovyn.

GARY: You laid the floor.

You opened.

KEITH: I opened.

We had open skate nights.

We had trainings there.

We even shot movies there.

GARY: Wow.

KEITH: We've had celebrity skate private parties.

GARY: Yeah.

KEITH: We've done everything in that space.

And so we saw that there was a need for it.

There was a space.

And everybody who came enjoyed the space and said, "This was something that we've been needing."

And it was just really a space for adults to go and have fun and to relax.

Then we're no longer in that space.

GARY: What happened to the space?

KEITH: The overhead.

The space, because again, the space was a rush space.

We had to find a space to keep staying alive.

GARY: And it was a rental.

KEITH: It was a rental.

GARY: It was a lease.

KEITH: It was a lease.

And it was just the numbers were just getting out of whack.

GARY: It didn't work.

KEITH: It didn't work.

And spending so much time trying to create.

I was working on just learning how to do the business still.

And so figured out marketing strategies, not having a team, still doing father duties, husband duties.

Life was still calling, and it was just so hard.

So I said, you know what?

The landlord gave us the ability to leave a little early, and we made that.

I said, this would be the best decision for us to regroup.

And so those were the things, just saying that, okay, if we keep going on this route, we will be out of business.

And I did not want that to happen.

GARY: The real value is in the failures.

That's the gut punch.

That's where we learn.

That's where we grow.

What did you take from that?

KEITH: I agree with you 100%.

Success just tells you, confirms what you know.

Every step that Rollerskate Detroit did, going into Sarovyn, every growth came from a failure or something that did not work.

We were able to evolve.

And I think that's been the best thing for me is all the failures.

I don't lose.

I had lessons or wins.

And so all the lessons have gotten me here, to be- to have a staff of people.

I started by myself.

Now I have a staff of five that works under me.

Those all came from my failures of this didn't work.

That didn't work.

This ended here.

This is something that comes from.

The good thing about it is we outgrew the space.

And we want to go into our bigger vision.

Once again, that space was just for roller-skating.

That was our testing to see if this really would work on the level that we were doing.

That's where we're now getting ready to move into our permanent space.

Hopefully by the end of this year, first part of 2026.

♪ GARY: Tell me about your first experience when you met Keith.

LANISHA: So I met Keith through skating.

GARY: Okay.

LANISHA: And one thing for sure, two things for certain, if Keith is on the ones and twos, you're gonna have a good night, 'cause the music is gonna be excellent.

GARY: Gotcha.

LANISHA: And so, in his roller-skating rink, at Roller Skate Detroit, the music was always outstanding.

GARY: So he was DJing?

LANISHA: He was DJing, the music was always outstanding.

Fast forward, I'm also a realtor and an investor here in Detroit, an emerging developer.

GARY: Okay.

LANISHA: And so, I became Keith's realtor when it was time for him to find a new space.

And then within that space, he showed me his vision of, you know, pretty much standing in the shell of a building.

And he gave me his full vision of what he planned to do.

And I said, well, we're gonna develop this space.

This is not just gonna be a move-in space.

This is gonna be, we're gonna develop every single entity of what you're trying to do.

And so that's how we became more involved and how I became more involved in Sarovyn.

He has an entertainment hub is what he's gonna be doing.

GARY: Yes, multi-core.

LANISHA: Yes, it's gonna be a cultural entertainment, basically wellness space.

GARY: What made you keep coming back and coming back?

Were you just having a great time every time you were skating?

LANISHA: It's a great time and it was great exercise.

And I found that it was a stress relief for me.

GARY: Yeah, what would you say to somebody else who is scared of taking that risk, maybe scared of getting injured, but has a desire to do something like skating?

LANISHA: Just do it.

GARY: Just do it.

LANISHA: Yes, I'm over 50, and if I can do it, you can do it.

And there are a lot of people out there who are much older than me and who skate very well.

♪ GARY: Tell me about the permanent space.

Where is it?

What kind of building is it?

Like, everything.

KEITH: So we're looking to go ahead and close that deal pretty soon.

And we're going to build it right out.

We're going to have two floors.

We're going to have wellness spaces.

We're going to have staging.

This is going to be the ultimate space for us to come and have fun and be adults and also have a great space for your health, your mental, and your emotional.

GARY: Are you still doing pop-up events in the meantime?

KEITH: Yes, we're still doing pop-ups.

GARY: Does it continue to be profitable even with the pop-ups?

KEITH: Yes, it still continues to be profitable with the pop-ups.

We're actually more profitable.

That was one of the reasons of moving out of the space that we were in.

Yeah.

The overhead has gone down tremendously.

And so one of the things that we've come to see is our path is not straight.

Our path is not linear.

GARY: Who's is?

KEITH: Yes.

And I think, I think that's the most transparent part about me and this company because every time we get started, something throws a monkey wrench.

GARY: Yeah.

KEITH: We have to figure it out.

And going back into the pop-up space was the best move that I thought financially for us to move into the final space.

GARY: Is this open to pretty much anybody, or is it sort of a membership community, like a list of people that you have?

KEITH: Good question.

It's open to everybody, but you have to be a member.

GARY: Painting a picture, if I were a member, what are some of the activities that I could count on in my membership?

KEITH: Sure.

You can roller- skate with us, you can get trainings with us, and that can be roller- skate training, but that can also be trainings in other things such as yoga, any aerobics, not cardio.

So we have all of those things there for you, but we also have things such as journaling.

And so you'll have wellness parts.

You can do those things.

Hiking, if you want to go hiking, we actually have hiking clubs that we have.

So you get to have a whole community of people.

And also too is we live in your pocket.

So we have apps that you have access to.

So you have digital journals, you have access to us, you have access to one-on-one trainings.

So as a member, you get a lot of that.

And also you get that network, you get to meet other people.

So we're always doing something, we're always having a good time.

And again, that goes from, we can go bowling, 'cause again, in our new facility, we'll have bowling as well.

So you'll have that activity center where you can always come and have a great time.

GARY: Talk about marketing for an event.

So is it mainly social media?

Is it tapping in the newsletter from the people that, you know, or the email list that you have?

Like how do you market an event?

KEITH: We do a lot actually.

We do the online social media marketing.

We also tap our newsletter.

But what we do is we have people who are brand loyalists, who really love the brand.

So we do a lot of word of mouth.

'Cause again, our audience is looking for this.

They're talking to each other.

So we really use them and help- they help us a lot.

They're like, "Hey, we just sent out this "to my whole list.

"You know, I'm on this group and we "just sent this out because this is what we've been looking for."

So it's what we have, we have a lot of buy-in.

And that's one thing I can really say about our audience is they really, truly love the brand and they've bought into trying to help make this brand successful.

GARY: What is Detroit- style skating?

I never knew it existed, by the way.

BARBIE: I always jokingly say like, if you're from Detroit, we'll dance to anything.

So, you know, ice cream truck music's got you feeling good that day, you're going to dance to it.

So it's really just more about rhythm and dance and flow because Detroit-style is your whole body.

It's your arms, it's your legs, it's your body, it's everything.

GARY: What kind of people are signing up for the classes?

Is it older people, younger people?

Is it everybody, men, women?

BARBIE: I would say our class range, age range is probably in mid-20s and up.

I think our oldest student was 82.

GARY: Oh my gosh, wow.

Tell me about the classes themselves.

What goes into it?

Like if I, if I, you know, haven't been on skate since I was a kid and I'm like, hmm, I think I want to try this out.

What can I expect?

BARBIE: I think the one thing that we really focused on with those classes a lot was making sure we curate the class to each person personally.

GARY: Got it.

BARBIE: So if you were to come in and your skill level is, we'll just say out of a one to ten, you're a two and a half.

But then someone else in the class is maybe a seven.

We have more than one instructor teaching, so then we can make sure that everyone gets the most out of each class.

GARY: So you're meeting people where they are in their abilities.

BARBIE: Yes.

GARY: Can anybody skate?

KEITH: Anybody can skate.

GARY: Really?

That's a big statement.

KEITH: I can tell you why.

I have- I have a seven minutes of how not to die on skates.

I can teach anybody how to skate in seven minutes.

GARY: Seven minutes.

KEITH: Seven minutes.

Any adult I can teach how to skate in seven minutes.

GARY: Okay.

KEITH: I'm not gonna say you're gonna be the best.

GARY: We're gonna take you up on that.

KEITH: Please take me up on that.

I'm not gonna say you're gonna be the best skater.

But the key thing is understanding how our brains work as an adult and being able to understand those mental hurdles that are stopping us from skating.

And once you get past those mental hurdles, anybody can skate.

♪ ♪ ♪ GARY: I abandoned the traditional four-wheel skates years ago.

KEITH: Yeah.

GARY: So it's, I'm still pretty shaky, but I'm kind of like a one-trick pony.

Like, I can do a crossover, I can't transition to backward, and that's where the buck stops with me.

So how can you get me up a level?

KEITH: Well, that's where we get ready to go.

We'll get ready to show you how to transition there.

Because, again, a lot of people want to get there.

I'm going to show you how to get there pretty quickly, and it's very simple.

So what we want to do is bend our knees, again, to give us that shock absorber type of feel.

GARY: Okay.

KEITH: Once we do that, that gives us the ability to pick up our feet like this.

So when you put the weight and bend the knee, when you put that foot down, that's the ability to be able to pick your feet up.

That's how you pick your foot up, by bending those knees, just like that.

So now, with that, once we do that, the next step is going to be turning our head.

Over the shoulder, step, step.

And so what we're doing is just taking those steps.

Here we go.

Look over your shoulder, step, step.

Boom.

You have just a successful transition.

Do it over, turn back around.

That's how we do it.

Now I'm gonna make you do that rolling.

GARY: Okay.

KEITH: 'Cause you said you have one-trick pony.

GARY: One-trick pony.

KEITH: I'm about to give you two.

GARY: Okay.

KEITH: All right, here we go.

Can I have your hand please?

There we go.

When I drop this hand, I want you to turn your head and I want you to do the same step we just did.

Bend your knees for me.

GARY: Got it.

KEITH: Here we go.

Turn your head, step, step.

You are now a two-trick pony and you are rolling.

Just as simple.

GARY: Nice.

♪ ♪ Initially, you invested your own $2,000 into it.

Has there been any other major investments?

Is all the skin in the game coming from you?

KEITH: Yeah, so I bootstrapped this with $2,000.

And I have had a couple grants.

I was a Hatch Detroit finalist, and I was able to get $10,000 from that.

And I also was a Pitch Black finalist, and I won the People's Choice Award, which is $300.

So I've only had, outside of my own funds that I've put in and then recycled the money that's come into the business, I've only added under $11,000 outside.

However, for us to get to the next space, we are looking for partners.

We are looking for investors.

We are ready for that.

We have the financial track record.

So we are looking for people, funders and venture capitalists who may be looking to go into the next phase with us.

GARY: What advice would you give to yourself knowing what you know today, back then at the beginning?

KEITH: Don't quit.

Don't change your mind.

There's nothing I would change.

There's nothing that I- that you don't know what you don't know.

And so keep going with the same fervor, the same naivete, the same faith, the same tenacity.

If I say anything, do it harder, go harder.

GARY: What advice would you have for somebody who has a dream, has a vision, maybe has stumbled a little bit, you know, getting it off the ground, what would you say to them?

KEITH: If you have an idea, follow it.

Your passion will open the doors for you.

That was the biggest thing for me.

I did what I loved.

I love roller skating.

I have a love for teaching people.

I have a love for people.

And there is where I found the crossroads.

And again, being so community driven and not about yourself would help you really understand what it is you're trying to do for your business and for the people that are around you.

♪ GARY: Going into this interview, I wasn't really sure what to expect.

What I learned is that Keith is a true visionary.

What started as pop-up roller-skating events has turned into an exclusive wellness-based concept with visions of a dynamic facility that will house everything under one roof.

And while his roller- skating pop-up business is highly successful, he has a much larger plan for the future of Sarovyn.

And this is a story that so many of us entrepreneurs can relate with.

You start with one vision, and then only begin to understand the underlying value and the why behind what you're doing.

Roller-skating is an activity that challenges you physically while feeding your soul.

And as Keith stated, roller-skating is only one of the many exciting aspects behind Sarovyn.

While I was skating under the flashing lights, Keith on the turntables, and smiles on everyone's faces, I got it.

I understood exactly what Keith was going for with this one-of-a-kind concept, and I have no doubt that this will be everything he wants it to be and more.

This is innovation, passion, and a drive to make people feel just a little bit more connected.

And I couldn't think of a better time for that.

For more information, visit our website and search episodes for Sarovyn.

Next time on Start Up, we head to Kent, Washington to meet up with Spring Fassett, the founder of Tiger Tail, an innovative company that focuses on providing relief for muscle aches and pains.

Be sure to join us next time on Start Up.

Do you wanna learn more about the show?

Or maybe nominate a business?

Visit us at StartUp-usa.com and connect with us on social media.

♪ ♪ We've got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ Got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ Before we pay our dues ♪ We've got a long GARY: You're not... ANNOUNCER: Running a business isn't easy.

BambooHR supports your HR strategies by automating operational tasks leaving you with more time to concentrate on what's most important to you and your business.

Learn more at BambooHR.com BambooHR, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: As a business owner, your time is valuable.

Bluehost's AI website builder allows you to type a description for a fully generated website, with managed WordPress hosting and built-in security.

Learn more at Bluehost.com Bluehost is a proud supporter of Start Up.

COLIN: When you get obssessed with an idea, and you can't stop thinking about it, and you dream about it and you wake up thinking about it.

That's when you know you have to start something.

More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Colin at Sheets and Giggles.

Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.

ANNOUNCER: Whether your business is starting up or scaling up, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation can connect you with services and support.

From finding employees to accessing state-wide resources and partnership opportunities.

Michigan, Pure Opportunity.

ANNOUNCER: If your career is on pause, you can earn a business or tech degree from Walsh College, with a flexible schedule for working professionals who want to expand their skills for a changing marketplace.

Learn more at WalshCollege.edu Walsh College is a proud supporter of Start Up.