Inspiring Conversations with Martha Heim and Cricket Donkin of BCKYRD, Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Heim and Cricket Donkin.

Hi Martha & Cricket, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
During COVID, we missed the magic of in-person yoga classes; the communal energy, social connections, and shared experiences. We organized a class in our advisor’s backyard for a group of our friends and this class was our “aha” moment and our opportunity. We currently have 14 certified yoga instructors on our platform; some of the best in the Denver/Boulder area. Our website, www.gobckyrd.com, has been live for just over a month and we are targeting B2B and B2C opportunities.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
To be honest, we lost our CEO who had a tech background in January 2021 which forced us to pivot and forge ahead with the support of our advisory team. Neither of us have any tech experience so the learning curve was steep. Post COVID, our traction has been slower than expected as people are trending towards summer travel and liberating themselves from their homes.
Our initial model was consumer focused, but we have since expanded to incorporate more B2B: schools, sports clubs, boutique hotels, 50+ communities and business who offer wellness programs to their employees.

We’ve been impressed with BCKYRD, Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
BCKYRD is a team of inspiring women looking to change the landscape of yoga, the broader fitness market and beyond with BCKYRD. BCKYRD aspires to change the complexion of the market by doubling down on the power of in-person connection and empowering both the instructor and student to experience yoga when, where, how, and with whom they choose. We formulated the concept of BCKYRD by conducting consumer research in the Denver/Boulder market to inform our business model design.

We are most proud of flipping the traditional financial model and financially rewarding yoga instructors. We are also proud to provide individuals the ability to build connections and community through in-person wellness.

We are starting out focused on yoga as our VIP, but intend to scale with anything requiring instruction; cooking, art, music.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
We have an amazing team of advisors. Carole Buyers is our primary advisor and supporter. She has a background in finance with roles at Gaiam and Boulder Brands. Her financial acumen and network has been an invaluable asset for our growth. Chad Kilpatrick was the former President and CFO of CorePower Yoga and is industry knowledge has helped shape our model and his reputation in the industry has given credibility for our brand to recruit top instructors. Mike Ricci has extensive experience in the digital marketing space helping some of the biggest global brands. His counsel and guidance in building our website and marketing strategy has propelled us to think differently and always outside the box.

Pricing:

• $20/person with 5 person minimum or $100 for a private, semi-private instruction
• Corporate Pricing: negotiable

Contact Info:

• Email: info@gobckyrd.com
• Website: www.gobckyrd.com
• Instagram: @gobckyrd
• Facebook: @gobckyrd
• Youtube: cricket@gobckyrd