Lifestyle: Spin On It!

Dr David Bretton chats with Dr Alyshba Jivraj, a dentist who also founded the SpinEtc studio

Dr David Bretton

As the pressures of dentistry increase, more of us are looking to pursue passions and interests outside of the profession.

While many of us only dream about doing something, Dr Alyshba Jivraj made things happen—she founded SpinEtc, a London studio that offers a range of fitness classes including spin, yoga, high-intensity interval training and total body workouts.

Dr David Bretton: Let our readers know who you are and a little about your dental background.

Dr Alyshba Jivraj: I graduated in 2014 from Kings College London. I moved to Swansea for my dental foundation training year before returning to London to work in a mixed NHS/private practice. At this time, I also joined the family business in care homes for the elderly. I’ve enjoyed multiple aspects of dentistry and even completed a yearlong Aspire course in restorative and aesthetic dentistry.

DB: Have you always had a keen interest in fitness? How did you get into spinning?

AJ: To be honest, I can’t say I’ve always been into fitness. I was rather lazy when it came to that.

I became motivated to improve my fitness levels around 4 years ago, when my sister got married. In the run-up, she forced me to attend a spin class with her.

I hated the first class and never wanted to go back, but despite this I stuck with it, bought a pack of five sessions and begrudgingly went back. After my second and third sessions, that was it—I was hooked. I would travel to South Kensington from Ealing at 5:45am to attend a class, only to then come back and be at work in North London by 9:00am.

DB: At what point did you decide to set up your own studio?

AJ: Last year, I moved to Mill Hill and found myself having to travel a long way to get to a leisure centre that I kind of liked with decent classes. I started to joke about opening my own. A couple of months went on, and I found myself browsing leases and thinking more about this pipe dream. I never expected to go ahead with it.

In April 2018, I went out for lunch for my mother’s birthday. My brother-in-law suggested a venue in the area. The next day I went to check out the venue, and had contractors view it a few days after that. The rest is history.

DB: Setting up your own business must have required a leap of faith. Did you have any business knowledge or background?

AJ: I was very lucky to have my partner and family around me, who have a lot of experience in business. After we saw the site, we sat down and began crunching numbers to work out if the business would be feasible, and to understand how and if we could make it work. This involved looking at the initial setup costs, such as the building work and furnishings, and the daily running costs.

I visualised exactly how I wanted it to look and used a free version of a CAD application to draw it out with the measurements of the space. It was a completely new development, just a concrete block and a blank canvas. This was great, as it meant I could totally build it from scratch in my own vision, but it also had its own challenges. I guess it’s a little like setting up a squat dental practice.

DB: What challenges and difficulties have you found during the initial setup?

AJ: One of the main challenges was the construction process. I couldn’t completely understand all the ins and outs of why some things would work and others wouldn’t.

I had zero knowledge of construction, but I have learnt so much. When you go to charge your phone, you never think about the work and planning that has been done to get that socket to produce the electricity supply to give you some battery. I will no longer take these things for granted.

Starting with a blank canvas meant we had nothing: no electricity, no wiring, no water supply, no toilets or showers, no hot water pipes, no boilers…the list goes on! The builders then disappeared midway through the process, never to be seen again.

The five-week construction time turned into almost 4 months. These obstacles may seem obvious to some readers, but something that simple was easily underestimated. It has all been an incredible learning experience.

DB: Once the studio was complete, what were your next steps?

AJ: Once the construction was complete and the studio was ready, the business setup was relatively straightforward. I found instructors across London whom I loved training with, and they graciously accepted.

With my background of attending fitness classes, I was then able to work out class timings—early mornings and evenings were a given, and then middle of the days were trial-and-error (and still are).

I also ensured that I was completely satisfied with every experience—walking through the front door, attending every single class, using the toilet and shower facilities. I have focused massively on customer service and ensured the best possible equipment.

I’ve constantly encouraged feedback and have recently appointed a class coordinator who can make sure that we can increase our user base and ensure our existing users keep coming back. This frees up some time for me to make sure I can get back to my other work.

DB: What are your short-term plans?

AJ: Things are going well at the minute and I want to continue with this growth and momentum. With the business now up and running, I want to focus on marketing and attract new users.

DB: What are your longer-term plans and vision for the future?

AJ: At present we only have one studio; the bikes are moved according to the class. I’d love to take on the space next door to make another purpose-built studio space there. Long term, who knows? Perhaps more studios in North London?

(Watch this space!)