In May 2021, Crystal Pinkstone And Sharon Calhoun Norman They opened their first YogaSix franchise, located in Hyde Park, a diverse neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.
Calhoun Norman, a Chicago native, and Pinkston, who moved to Chicago years ago, are old friends who always enjoy taking a variety of fitness classes together. The two became interested in opening a YogaSix studio because they could combine their passion for a healthy lifestyle with entrepreneurship.
Pinkston’s career spanned over 20 years with several F100 CPG companies. She is currently a senior CPG leader focusing on consumer and shopper behavior as well as assisting in the management of the YogaSix franchise. Her professional experience directly translates into the business of better understanding member, marketing and sales strategies.
Calhoun Norman is an attorney by trade. A former partner in a law firm, her 15-year legal career has focused on litigation and intellectual property. Calhoun recently left Norman to focus full time on the growth and expansion strategy of the duo’s YogaSix studios.
“Savings and faith helped me overcome the fear of leaving my paycheck behind,” she says. “I am also confident in my skill-
Set and resume and know that the traditional nine-to-five clock will be available to me if I choose to go that route. In the end, I thought it was better to invest my time and money in myself and my own business than to put all my energy into corporate America.”
Where passion leads you
Yoga has been a passion for Calhoun Norman for nearly 20 years, and friends share a love of boutique fitness and maintaining an active lifestyle.
“The YogaSix brand is attractive because it strives to make yoga accessible to all,” Calhoun Norman says. “Yoga can be intimidating, and YogaSix takes the intimidation factor out of yoga by removing the Sanskrit language and making classes energize, empowering and fun with music and a modern audiovisual system. From a business point of view, Xponential Fitness, the parent company of YogaSix, has perfected the fitness model The boutique is through sister brands like Club Pilates and Cycle Bar so we knew YogaSix’s business model was strong.”
But it’s not just wellness and entrepreneurship that Pinkston and Calhoun Norman value. The opportunity to give back to their community is very important. “For Black History Month, we hold weekly tutorials based on the theme created each year by ASALH (Association for the Study of African American Life and History),” Pinkston said.
In honor of Jonathan’s Day, they set up a virtual meditation event as an opportunity to reflect and celebrate what Juneteenth means. The charitable event raised funds for the DuSable Museum of African American History to highlight the importance of black history in Chicago and nationwide. Pinkston and Calhoun Norman matched the total dollar amount donated.
The duo also created a YogaSix Teacher Training Scholarship Program to increase diversity in the yoga space and help them identify and retain talent in a competitive fitness landscape when yoga teacher training launches this fall.
“Throughout the year, we aim to provide programs and coaches that appeal to the Hyde Park community through music, workshops, and partnerships with other Hyde Park businesses.”
growth path
Pinkston and Calhoun Norman recently acquired two YogaSix studios located in other parts of Chicago and plan to expand to a new fitness boutique in 2023.
“These studios are located in communities different from Hyde Park, but we believe our approach and philosophy of inclusion can help make these locations as successful as Hyde Park. No matter which side you live on in Chicago – north, south, and loop – we want to provide a studio Hot yoga is about sharing, empowering, and having fun.”
Entrepreneurs intentionally chose franchise to business ownership because of its proven model and structured approach. It was a huge advantage that gave them the freedom to laser focus on understanding their members and their processes versus trying to improve the business model.
“There are pros and cons to organic entrepreneurship or franchising that really come down to personal preference, risk tolerance, and bandwidth.”
