Jessica Yarmey is the CEO of KickHouse, a modern kickboxing franchise that inspires members and communities to take their health and kick it up a level. A former college athlete who played Division I soccer at Loyola University in Maryland and ran two marathons in “retirement,” Jessica recognizes the value of fitness and its ability to transform lives. She currently leads her company’s franchise development strategy and brand expansion efforts with a goal of opening 100 locations by 2022.
What was your journey like to get where you are?
From an early age, I knew that a career in marketing would perfectly blend my left-brain thinking with my love of art and creativity. About 10 years into my work life, I started progressing quickly when I moved into marketing roles in the fitness industry. I was an athlete in college and have always had a passion for fitness, so working in fitness overlaps my passion for marketing with my passion for fitness with my passion for people. Real career joy lives at that point of overlapping passions. The roles that overlap passions are the roles where work really does not feel as much like work. I was working as Chief Marketing Officer for a fitness concept when the pandemic hit the US in full force. I knew there would be opportunities in the fitness space so it was really just a matter of keeping my eyes and ears open and being ready to act when I saw the right step. I started KickHouse in the middle of 2020 and have been building feverishly ever since!
In a simpler phrase, what is your company exactly doing?
KickHouse is a modern kickboxing studio concept with 35 locations across the country. We’re looking to quickly expand our footprint via franchising and are looking to support our communities in rebuilding their physical and mental health as we all try to reset and start 2022 strong.
What about Metaverse are you most excited for in the future?
When the pandemic hit, many people moved to at-home workouts streamed through a phone, connected television, or zoom link. The Metaverse will allow fitness concepts to make a tighter connection between workouts done at home and workouts done in-studio. The two experiences will be more seamless which should not only drive loyalty but also drive results for consumers. For brands, the Metaverse offers one more set of touch-points with an existing customer base and I do believe it will unlock additional opportunities to find new customers as well.
Why should we be paying attention to the Metaverse?
As a marketer, I see the Metaverse as the next big social media platform launch. What we know from past platform launches (the most recent example being Tik Tok) are the brands who were first to move had an advantage and really still do to this day. The Metaverse is this HUGE idea with a HUGE opportunity so it can be intimidating to take that first step in to try to learn. But history repeats itself. The brands who move early will have an advantage. It is easy to think of the Metaverse as this futuristic platform that will have full adoption a few years from now, but it is happening now. One of the main reasons we launched a KickHouse NFT collection in January of 2022 was to establish our brand as an early mover. We took one baby step toward what we know is a bigger play in the Metaverse. Taking a small step allowed us to move quickly and actually be a first mover for the fitness industry. We will continue to make small moves quickly and learn as we grow.
