The Power Of Pilates: Anne Mahlum Launches Solidcore With $175K In Savings, Sells It For $88M

Anne Mahlum turned a simple interest in Pilates into a massive fitness empire.

Starting with $175,000 in savings, Mahlum, 42, built her Pilates company — Solidcore — from the ground up. A handful of years and a lot of sweat later, she sold the company for a staggering $88.4 million.

How'd She Do It? In 2013, she stepped into her first Pilates class and recognized the transformative potential of the workout. Mahlum put all of her savings into the creation of Solidcore, convinced she could grow Pilates into a venture larger than any she had ever seen, according to CNBC's Make It.

At that time, she was the CEO and founder of Back On My Feet, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit running club for the homeless. Her role there solidified her confidence in her abilities to build communities, brand, and leverage fitness trends to carve out a successful enterprise.

Based in Washington D.C., Solidcore set itself apart with a unique take on Pilates core workouts.

Despite the fitness industry’s notorious challenges — over 81% of health startups fail in their first year, according to CNBC — Mahlum wasn’t deterred.

See Also: Billionaire At 30 – A Sewing Kit, Website, And A Pizza Hut Paycheck Launched His Fitness Empire

Her experiences with financial hardship — her father’s gambling, and her own credit card debt — didn’t discourage, but rather fueled her determination.

Fast-forward to now: Solidcore has hundreds of locations; Mahlum made a personal profit of $88.4 million from a series of investment deals; and private equity firm Kohlberg and Company agreed to acquire the startup in April 2023. Solidcore’s future performance could net her an additional $10 million.

But Mahlum’s entrepreneurial journey is far from over; she has already launched her third company, a New York City-based fitness studio named Ambition, after investing $250,000. She also raised $5 million from family and friends while retaining 80% of the startup’s equity.

Mahlum believes her success stems from an instinct for identifying and capitalizing on opportunities. Self-doubt, she says, can creep in, but it shouldn’t deter anyone from chasing their dreams.

Exiting Solidcore is a part of Mahlum’s business journey, and the perfect time to shift gears toward a new venture where she can apply her startup acumen. Mahlum’s success is a testament to the fact that calculated risks, underpinned by passion, can indeed lead to extraordinary rewards.

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