Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Chabala.
Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
From youth to professional, I had never experienced group fitness outside of my organized soccer days. After my nine-year Major League Soccer career was abruptly cut short, I was desperately trying to stay in shape and keep fit for my next team or opportunity. In that transitional time of my life I opened my eyes to the world of boutique fitness. I explored workouts from spinning and boxing to boot camps and yoga. While each had their own unique qualities that fed a part of my hunger for fitness, none alone gave me the results and soccer-fit body I was accustomed to.
Feeling unfulfilled, I decided to take some time for myself and spent a few months traveling. It was upon my return when I began training on my own again that I started to rediscover my “sole,” reigniting the flame that had once helped me ascend to my highest level.
A friend who was curious as to how I kicked it asked to work out with me for a new challenge. At that time I was taking miscellaneous jobs and coaching on the side, but my mind was playing out my future. I envisioned a new Club that cared more about the people and experience rather than the wins or championships accumulated. I cared more about the locker room and the people in it rather than the time on the field, and I always wanted to play for a coach who didn’t judge me for the color of my cleats but for the quality of my play.
As I “sole” searched, I went to work at Morgan Stanley, ZT Wealth and then OTC Global Holdings where I brokered natural gas for 2 years. For the first time in my life, I had to work a job I wasn’t passionate about to get me to where I wanted to go. After experiencing the corporate grind, I realized I was designed to connect people on this earth, help them score and #keeptheballrolling. I came to understand the importance of human connection, personal interaction, inspiration and motivation.
I created Sphere in May of 2015 and started the business out of the back of an optometry practice. We then expanded to a local park and have since scaled our business to several parks in the Houston community and built out our locker room with some of the best players in the game who lead our teammates both on and off the field. We’ve teamed up with the Four Seasons Hotel Houston to create exclusive classes, and we’re on our way to building out our first brick and mortar location.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a small business and first-to-market idea, it is an extremely challenging path. Keeping the IP of the business close to my chest but yet still trying to grow organically without showing all my cards is an arduous task. From our humble beginnings in the back of an optometry practice to where we are today, our teammates and the Houston community have proven that we have a product people love and will continue to support. It also validates the direction and necessity for a home to fully pull together our game plan and take control of the variables that are currently beyond our power – from weather and surface to noise and other outside distractions.
Sphere – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Sphere is a soccer-inspired fitness concept designed to create a team atmosphere within each of our 7 classes but a workout that’s individually focused so any player, regardless of skill or ability, can “kick it!” We focus on quality of play instead of minutes on the field, connecting people rather than passes and doing more with a ball than just scoring goals.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Personally, it’s staying relentless and never giving up. It’s the motivation of my vision that keeps me working quietly through the night, and I keep fighting despite there being nothing guaranteed. As a team, Club and concept, I am most proud of the community and relationships we have cultivated, maintained and strengthened over the past 2.5 years. The true value of what Sphere offers to our teammates who lace up with us weekly is not only enjoying the benefits on the field but also off.
Contact Info:
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Email: michael@sphere.club
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Website: www.sphere.club
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Instagram: www.instagram.com/spherefit
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Facebook: www.facebook.com/spherefit
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Twitter: twitter.com/
spherefithtx
Image Credit:
Traci Ling
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