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Keeping SoulCycle at a Sprint and Ahead of the Pack SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan talks about perfecting the customer experience, harnessing your team's talent and chasing a certain former president.

By Stephanie Schomer •

This story appears in the July 2017 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Soul Cycle

Melanie Whelan is not new to customer service. Before joining SoulCycle as COO in 2012 and moving into the role of CEO in 2015, she cut her teeth at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Virgin America (which she helped launch) and Equinox Fitness. Now, in the increasingly crowded world of boutique workouts, Whelan is tasked with keeping SoulCycle ahead of the competition -- in the very industry it helped spawn. Her plan: Grow steadily from its 77 current studio locations, with an eye toward international domination; treat customers like family; galvanize her ever-expanding team; and of course, never forget where the company finds its soul.

Related: Exercise. It's the One Thing Everyone Can Do to Get Ahead in All Things.

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