Female Founders: Rachel Katzman on Embracing the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Name: Rachel Katzman
Title: Founder
Company: Pvolve
No. of units: 19
International units: 2 in Canada
Growth plans: We have more than 55 franchise commitments across North America and are actively advancing our growth strategy to scale operations. By prioritizing real-life experiences, we are deepening community engagement and solidifying Pvolve’s presence as a leader in the fitness industry
Public or private? Private
Year company founded: 2017
Year started franchising: 2019
Your years in franchising: 2

After countless fitness classes to get in shape during college, Rachel Katzman wasn’t seeing the results she wanted and felt exhausted. It was during this time that Rachel found out she had scoliosis, which was being exacerbated by intense fitness classes.

Everything changed when Rachel found functional fitness. This type of fitness method uses movements that work with the body’s natural function, not against it. This epiphany gave Rachel a bright idea. She wanted to harness the power of functional fitness to create a method that could help people better understand their bodies and achieve incredible results. And so, Pvolve was born.

Rachel grew up around entrepreneurs and embraced the business world. She recognized that franchising allowed her company to scale quickly while maintaining quality. Over the past two years, Pvolve has expanded in the U.S. and Canada with more studios in the development pipeline.

Beginnings

What inspired you to start your business? After being diagnosed with scoliosis, I discovered the transformative power of functional movement, which left me feeling and looking better than ever. Seeing people of all ages experience similar benefits inspired me to create a method that could help so many others. From there, I developed a product and business model that allows people to experience the Pvolve method in person at studios and from the comfort of their own homes. 

What is your background? I grew up in Michigan surrounded by entrepreneurs who inspired my passion for building and innovating. That environment sparked my drive to create something meaningful, blending creativity with problem-solving to bring new ideas to life. 

How did that prepare you for starting your business? It taught me the value of resilience, creativity, and hard work. It instilled a mindset of seeing challenges as opportunities, and it inspired my passion for innovation, which became the foundation for building a business that breaks the mold and solves real problems.

What’s the best and worst advice you got when starting out? Best advice: “Fail fast.” It’s okay to make mistakes. That’s how we learn and grow as long as you’re willing to pivot and move on quickly. 

Was this your first time in franchising? Yes, and I’m incredibly glad we chose this route with Pvolve. Franchising has allowed us to connect with new and existing franchisees passionate about bringing the Pvolve method to their local markets. It’s also given them the opportunity to take ownership in the business, which has been a powerful motivator.

Why did you choose to franchise? The decision to franchise was driven by our desire to offer franchisees opportunities to own the business. People who are passionate about the Pvolve method can bring it to life in their communities in unique ways and maintain the integrity of our brand. Additionally, we recognized that franchising was the best path to rapidly scale while maintaining the high quality we’re known for. Our goal is for Pvolve to be experienced globally in whatever way people prefer, whether in-person at a studio or through other offerings.

Did you have a partner/co-founder when you started? Since the early days, Julie Cartwright, Pvolve president, has been alongside me. 

How important was that in building your company? Julie has been crucial in building Pvolve from the ground up. With her extensive career and fitness experience, she brought invaluable leadership skills that helped shape our vision and strategy. Her passion for the brand is unmatched, and her work ethic is relentless: She never quits. The solid foundation we’ve built together has gotten us to where we are today and will continue to propel us forward as we grow.

How did you fund your company at the beginning? As you grew? We started nimble and scrappy to prove our concept. Once we started to gain traction with our online platform, our studio, and the press, we reinvested in the business. We are fortunate to have investment from Camelot Venture Group, which has been with us since the beginning and supported our mission as we’ve grown. 

What were the keys to funding your brand? Having a product that is unlike anything else out there and fills a real need in the market was just the beginning. I knew we had something special when we started seeing proof points, like members sharing how transformational the method has been for their lives and how it has opened up new ways for them to move their bodies. Women in their 50s started telling us they’ve never felt better. I knew we had something special. We haven’t stopped growing since.

The Business

What has been the best and the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur? It’s rewarding to see your baby come to life: taking an idea and watching it become real. As the company grows, so does the pressure and accountability you place on yourself and the team members you’re responsible for.

How has your experience in running a franchise business been different from what you expected? I am obsessed with this side of the business. Meeting and working with people who are as passionate as I am has been a dream come true.

How did you grow the brand at first? What changed as you expanded? In the beginning, we focused on building a strong foundation by creating a quality product that resonated. We leveraged social media, word of mouth, and a growing press presence to spread the word. It was about starting small but in a meaningful way. Once we saw success in various areas, we leaned into them with investments in influencer marketing and events. As we grew, we adapted our strategies to further scale while staying true to what made Pvolve special. 

How did you transition from founding a brand to leading a brand? As the company grew, I needed to learn to get out of the weeds and let people do their jobs without micromanaging. In the beginning, you wear all the hats, but as you scale, you hire for those hats, and you need to believe and trust in your team. It’s hard to let go, but it’s necessary for growth.

How would you describe your leadership style? Passionate, collaborative, inspirational.

What is the key to your company’s success? Our team’s relentless work ethic, passion, and dedication drive us forward, and we are fortunate to have the support of a growing community that has experienced transformational results from this method. We will continue to innovate and stay true to our core values while being adaptable to our members’ needs.

Female Founder

Was being female an advantage or disadvantage for you in building your company? How? It has been both an advantage and a challenge in different ways. On one hand, being a woman has allowed me to connect with other women entrepreneurs and customers, creating a sense of community and shared experience. On the other hand, navigating a space historically dominated by men sometimes presents unique challenges. Ultimately, it’s about the work ethic, vision, and passion you bring to the table that I choose to focus on.

Have you found specific advantages or disadvantages to being a woman business owner? A key advantage is that it allows me to relate to, inspire, and be inspired by other female entrepreneurs, including our Pvolve owners. These women are a constant source of inspiration for me.

Why do you think there are fewer start-ups with female founders than male ones? I think one key theme is not feeling like you’re ready or “qualified enough.” There’s this pressure to have everything figured out before taking that leap, but the truth is, you’re never fully ready or perfectly qualified. Taking that first step is often the hardest part, and once you do it, everything else starts to fall into place. It’s about overcoming self-doubt and trusting that the process will teach you what you need to know along the way. That doesn’t mean you won’t stumble or fall down, but it’s about building that confidence and knowledge that you will get up stronger than before.

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace? Echoing from above, confidence is key. It’s also important to stop comparing yourself and focus on your journey. Believe in your abilities and recognize your unique value.

From your perspective, what notable changes have you seen for women in franchising since starting your brand? Growth! I am so lucky to be surrounded by a growing female community of business owners.

Has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life? How? Having mentors to lean on has been a guiding force in my personal and professional success. I am so thankful for them. That support system is critical. 

Looking Ahead

What would you like to achieve in the next five years? In the next five years, I would love to see Pvolve become a household name with studios opening domestically and internationally. I’m excited about the potential for impactful results from our clinical research, and I look forward to transforming lives through our method. Our mission is to make Pvolve accessible to as many people as possible, and I’m eager to see how we continue to grow and inspire positive change worldwide.

What’s coming up that you’re excited about? I’m excited about so many things coming up! First, we’re launching new products and programs that align with our mission to future-proof our members’ bodies and lives. We’re also incredibly bullish on supporting women at every stage of life, and we plan to continue innovating in this space while increasing our focus on clinical research and expertise in the industry. Additionally, we have many new studio locations opening up, allowing us to expand our reach and bring Pvolve to more communities. The future is bright, and we’re eager to see how these initiatives will impact our members.