How Blogilates’ founder constructed two eight-figure empires

Popflex CEO Cassey Ho was on the salon getting her hair finished. Her telephone was tucked away, on Do Not Disturb. By the point she checked it once more, she’d missed over 10 calls and dozens of messages.

Inside moments, Ho was watching Taylor Swift’s new YouTube Brief selling her newest album, The Tortured Poets Division. There she noticed Swift sporting Popflex’s patented lavender pirouette skourt. And in mere minutes, the lavender skourt offered out—after which the pirouette skourt offered out in each single coloration. 

“When [Taylor Swift] is sporting one thing, even when she’s sporting one thing for 0.3 seconds, folks need that as a result of they need to be a part of her journey and her life, too,” Ho informed Fortune. 

It was Popflex’s greatest gross sales day of 2024—and its second-best day of gross sales ever.

However the journey that introduced Ho’s two companies to Swift’s consideration wasn’t a straightforward one. Popflex and Blogilates, a YouTube channel Ho launched over a decade in the past,  are each eight-figure companies, but when it wasn’t for following her coronary heart and going towards her father’s needs, that lavender skort could have by no means made its strategy to the enduring pop star.

Forward of the fifteenth anniversary of Blogilates’ launch, Ho spoke with Fortune about how one 10-minute YouTube video and a ardour for vogue, health, and creativity sparked two, six-figure empires—with none have to go after outdoors traders.

This interview has been flippantly condensed and edited for readability.

What’s Blogilates?

Blogilates began as a YouTube channel in 2009, the place I actually was simply importing free exercise movies for my college students in actual life. [It] got here from my love of Pilates and running a blog.

I used to be transferring from L.A. to the East Coast for my first job in vogue, and all my college students at my native 24 Hour Health had been like, “Properly, who’s going to show us POP Pilates?” In order that was the format I used to be educating on the time, my very own format, which was Pilates to pop music. So I recorded a 10-minute video, simply in my boyfriend’s mother and father’ front room. He’s now my husband. I uploaded it to an internet site known as YouTube and I believed nothing extra of it.

Little did I do know that I used to be getting greater than the views of the scholars in that class. I obtained 1000’s of views and tons of of feedback from folks from everywhere in the world asking for extra.

I actually was simply importing free exercise movies for my college students in actual life. I may have by no means imagined that having the ability to construct a group and create such a trusting relationship with a bunch of ladies from everywhere in the world trying to get wholesome and get robust, by means of movies on the web, would in the future result in a model that’s now present in all Goal shops nationwide.

Blogilates

How did you get into Pilates?

I used to be 16 years outdated, in highschool. I keep in mind prepping for a pageant and making an attempt to determine “how can I get match for this factor?” And I used to be watching Mari Winsor DVD infomercials. I used to be like, “Oh my gosh, this seems a lot enjoyable.” 

So finally I obtained [my parents] to purchase me one DVD, and I did it religiously in my bed room each single night time. [I] simply actually fell in love with how I didn’t should compete with anybody else. 

Quick ahead to school, I used to be nonetheless doing Pilates presently in my dorm room and the opposite women had been like, “What’s that? Are you able to present me?” which then led me to assume, “Oh, possibly I may educate this.” I went on Craigslist, and I noticed that there was a gap for a Pilates teacher down the road on the native fitness center. 

I went forward to the audition–the fitness center proprietor cherished me–and he or she’s like, “Cool, let me see your certification.” And naturally, I’m not even licensed. However then she’s like, “You realize what, I’ll pay in your certification. We’ll do that collectively.” And that basically was the start of my Pilates profession. I used to be a freshman in school. I used to be not being paid rather a lot in any respect, however it introduced me a lot pleasure. This was filling that gap in my coronary heart and was actually giving me one thing to sit up for after all of the schoolwork. 

What did you research in school?

I went to Whittier Faculty in Southern California. I received a full-ride scholarship there. And I went to check biology in preparation for medical faculty. I didn’t need to go to medical faculty; I didn’t need to be a health care provider. However my father mentioned that basically was the one selection that I had. It was both going to be a lawyer, physician, or failure. And I had informed him I wished to be a designer—that is one thing I knew in my bones that I all the time wished to do—however once I informed him I wished to be a designer, he was like, “Completely not,” and just about crushed my desires.

I didn’t insurgent till I used to be midway by means of school and realized that is really not what I need to do with the remainder of my life. I’m somebody who actually lives by following my coronary heart and my coronary heart simply began feeling so hole. So it was then that I made a decision to drop out of natural chemistry, which was the final class I wanted to take the MCAT, and actually simply ruined my whole timeline. 

My mother and father weren’t listening to me. I used to be speaking about eager to switch faculties and do one thing else, and so they had been like, “Completely not, you’ll not try this.” And so once I did that, it actually ruined our relationship. 

My mother and father are each immigrants who came visiting from Vietnam within the mid 70s. My mother was a ship refugee. Each of them actually needed to work laborious to create some stability for us over right here. I used to be born over right here, however being raised by Asian immigrant mother and father actually instilled this sense of working actually laborious, tirelessly, and being resilient it doesn’t matter what occurs to you. I feel simply because my mother and father got here from a war-torn nation, you simply don’t know when every thing’s going to be taken away from you. 

It was my first large rebel. And it was me following my coronary heart. Thank goodness I did, as a result of if I had not made that step, if I had not began educating Pilates on the aspect after faculty throughout school, I might not be the place I’m now. 

Cassey Ho.

When did you understand Blogilates was greater than only a display screen identify?

It wasn’t till round 2010 [or] 2011 once I was making a Fb publish, as a result of you understand on the time Fb was the one social media the place you would join with followers. They had been asking, “Hey, can we get some Blogilates T-shirts,” and I used to be like, “Why would you need a T-shirt with my display screen identify on it? That’s a bit bit bizarre.” They usually had been like, “No, that’s what we would like.” So we had a design contest and as a group, we selected the profitable design. Then I purchased some clean shirts from Eternally 21, display screen printed them regionally, and put them up on Fb. They usually offered out inside minutes. It was at that second once I realized, “Oh, okay, Blogilates will not be a display screen identify, it’s a model, it’s one thing individuals are proud to put on, and a journey that they need to be part of.”

It was simply to remain linked with my college students, which is basically attention-grabbing, as a result of that ethos of wanting to remain linked and simply actually reply to folks’s suggestions is precisely why Popflex and Blogilates have grown a lot through the years, with my product design and every thing, as a result of I’m all the time listening. I actually do have this sincere relationship with my group.

Health is a giant a part of my life, not only for the muscle and power constructing, however simply mentally, it makes me really feel actually good. It’s how I begin each morning. Part of any wellness journey and health journey is the vitamin half. And so I used to be writing about what I used to be consuming and what I used to be discovering, as a result of not solely did it assist me determine what was working and what wasn’t, I feel it additionally helped plenty of different folks. Whether or not it’s health, meals, feelings, profession, I’ll use my weblog as my diary to speak about this stuff in a really open method. I feel every thing that occurs with the companies begins with what I’m feeling like we have to get into. I’m simply very intuitive with the fields.

What’s Popflex and the way did it begin?

Popflex is my efficiency activewear model.

As I used to be educating these POP Pilates courses, I seen that I used to be fumbling with all of my stuff: my water bottle, my footwear, my mat, my keys, my CDs, every thing in a bit tote bag. It wasn’t working. So I attempted in search of a cute yoga bag and every thing was simply heavy baggage, ugly colours, simply not my model. 

I went to the downtown L.A. vogue district and acquired some leftover materials, put collectively a brilliant glamorous-looking yoga bag such as you’ve by no means seen earlier than made out of vegan leather-based with this enormous bow, gold chains… I imply, it was glamorous, and it match all my stuff. I introduced it into class and my college students had been like, “What’s that? I need one.” And that was the start of fixing an issue for myself—that simply so occurred to resolve issues for different folks, too. That actually is the idea of what I do with each Blogilates and Popflex. 

The rationale why ladies actually love Popflex is as a result of it’s garments that make sense. There’s no seam within the entrance of your leggings, as a result of I’m not about that camel toe life. There’s pockets in every thing as a result of how excited can we all get when there are pockets in our attire? I’m fixing issues by means of cute attire and equipment and [it] simply brings me a lot pleasure. It additionally fulfills that authentic childhood dream of eager to develop into a designer.

What’s your secret to success?

My secret to success is really following my coronary heart. I do know that sounds so cliché, however I don’t assume it has ever led me within the mistaken path. When I’m doing extra of what I like, and stepping away from issues that don’t convey me that pleasure, it has solely introduced me within the appropriate path for myself. I can even say that  not being afraid of issues can be one other secret to my success. I invite it: Give me the criticism, give me the issues, let me get inventive, and let me clear up it. I feel that basically has made me stronger and extra versatile. You’ve gotten to have the ability to bend within the wind otherwise you’re gonna break.

How did you fundraise for Blogilates and Popflex?

From the very starting, Blogilates and Popflex, it’s all been bootstrapped, all my very own cash. No traders. 

At first, I didn’t even ask, so I didn’t get traders. However nowadays, I don’t need that as a result of I don’t need to serve the mistaken viewers. I don’t need to serve the people who find themselves throwing cash at me in order that they’ll get a reimbursement. I need to serve the ladies who’re buying the garments and the equipment, who’re funding the enterprise by means of their perception within the designs and the creations. 

Each Blogilates and Popflex, as their very own manufacturers, are their very own eight-figure companies. We now have 26 full-time staff proper now and we work with round 40 or so contractors on the every day.

So keep in mind how we talked about in school once I was feeling that gap, that vacancy? That’s absolutely stuffed with flowers rising out of the outlet. I simply really feel so glad to be doing what I’m doing proper now. I’m so fortunate that I get to do what I do each single day.