Sweat Equity: Inside the New Economy of Mind and Body (Bloomberg) - Hardcover

Kelly, Jason

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1118914597 ISBN 13: 9781118914595

Publisher: Bloomberg Pr, 2016

Synopsis

Go inside the trend that spawned a multi-billion dollar industry for the top five percent

Sweat Equity goes inside the multibillion dollar trend toward endurance sports and fitness to discover who's driving it, who's paying for it, and who's profiting. Bloomberg's Jason Kelly, author of The New Tycoons, profiles the participants, entrepreneurs, and investors at the center of this movement, exploring this phenomenon in which a surge of people—led by the most affluent—are becoming increasingly obsessed with looking and feeling better. Through in-depth looks inside companies and events from New York Road Runners to Tough Mudder and Ironman, Kelly profiles the companies and people aiming to meet the demands of these consumers, and the traits and strategies that made them so successful.

In a modern world filled with anxiety, pressure, and competition, people are spending more time and money than ever before to soothe their minds and tone their bodies, sometimes pushing themselves to the most extreme limits. Even as obesity rates hit an all-time high, the most financially successful among us are collectively spending billions each year on apparel, gear, and entry fees. Sweat Equity charts the rise of the movement, through the eyes of competitors and the companies that serve them. Through conversations with businesspeople, many driven by their own fitness obsessions, and first-hand accounts of the sports themselves, Kelly delves into how the movement is taking shape.

• Understand the social science, physics, and economics of our desire to pursue activities like endurance sports and yoga
• Get to know the endurance business's target demographics
• Learn how distance running—once a fringe hobby—became a multibillion dollar enterprise fueled by private equity
• Understand how different generations pursue fitness and how fast-growing companies sell to them

The opportunity to run, swim, and crawl in the mud is resonating with more and more of us, as sports once considered extreme become mainstream. As Baby Boomers seek to stay fit and Millennials search for meaning in a hyperconnected world, the demand for the race bib is outstripping supply, even as the cost to participate escalates. Sweat Equity, through the stories of men and women inside the most influential races and companies, goes to the heart of the movement where mind, body, and big money collide.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Praise for Sweat Equity

"Sweat Equity is a masterful blend of cold hard facts and warm engaging stories. It's about the difference between a passing fad and an enduring legacy. It's about how a few passionate, quirky entrepreneurs can create an industry and, in the process, change the world."
—Ashley Merryman, co-author of Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing

"In Sweat Equity, Jason Kelly traces a profound and ongoing social revolution that began—quaintly, it now seems—with aerobics and triathlons and now includes yoga pants, wearable fitness technology, and boutique spin sessions that verge on therapeutic performance art, all of it documented in explicit, meticulous detail through the ultimate medium of human transformation, money."
—Mark Schatzker, author of Steak and The Dorito Effect

"Sweat Equity is a most relevant and succinct account of the social and financial integration of our health and fitness lifestyles. It is almost a sociological account of what was always the accepted playground of physical passion—challenge and activity—and their evolution into the business of life and all that comes with that. In a way, Sweat Equity signals the extinction of the good old cotton t-shirt and solitary jog around the neighborhood, a notion tinged, perhaps, with sadness for some, but a sign of exciting things to come, as the worlds of fitness and finance are increasingly merged."
—Paula Newby-Fraser, Eight-time Ironman World Champion

"Sports and fitness have for a long time united the passions of fans as well as professional and recreational athletes, and these passions have developed into a booming industry. Jason Kelly has pulled together the stories of some of the most astute entrepreneurs and investors of how they have developed their sports technology products and brands. The Hawks and our sponsors are constantly tapping this convergence of sports and personal fitness as we connect with our fans and customers."
—Steve Koonin, CEO, Atlanta Hawks

"I've seen first-hand the communities created by runners, cyclists, and fitness enthusiasts. As the proud home of one of the world's biggest and fastest marathons, Chicago is a hub of the new fitness economy that Jason Kelly describes so well."
—Rahm Emanuel, Mayor, City of Chicago

"Jason Kelly pulls back the curtain on the new economy of the self. Through compelling storytelling and thorough research, he shows readers for the first time the inner workings of a multibillion dollar industry that is all around us—and growing rapidly. If you are a participant or an investor in any aspect of 'mind and body' fitness, Sweat Equity is a must-read."
—Loren Steffy, business columnist and author of Drowning in Oil: BP and the Reckless Pursuit of Profit and The Man Who Thought Like a Ship

From the Inside Flap:

In a modern world filled with anxiety, pressure, and competition, a growing number of people are spending more time and money than ever before to soothe their minds and tone their bodies. An entire economy worth billions of dollars per year in apparel, gear, and entry fees has formed around their pursuit of wellness.

Sweat Equity charts the rise of the movement, through the eyes of competitors and the companies that serve them. The opportunity to run, swim, and crawl in the mud is resonating with more and more of us as sports once considered extreme become mainstream, Baby Boomers seek to stay fit, and Millennials search for meaning in a hyper-connected world.

Jason Kelly, whose seminal The New Tycoons unveiled the secretive and powerful world of private equity, turns his sights to the business of sweat. Through intimate, in-depth conversations with the men and women inside the most influential races and companies in the fitness-obsessed economy, you see firsthand how the movement is taking shape and where it's headed. Every chapter unfolds in a dynamic narrative highlighted with behind-the-scenes insight and illuminating facts that reveal who these highly motivated, health-addicted people are and how much money is at stake.

Whether it's the president of Motorola gutting out an Ironman ahead of the most important presentation of his corporate life, a marathon-running movie star looking for a new way to raise money for charity, or an injured former professional wrestler who discovers passion and profit in yoga, Kelly weaves together the stories of companies from Equinox to Lululemon.

Fresh faces enter the market every day to take a shot at becoming the next lasting trend, and this practical resource shares invaluable revelations about what's a passing fancy and what's a lasting trend. Whether you want to raise money for profit or charity, learn about like-minded people, or find an exciting market to invest in, Sweat Equity will thrill you and inspire you to take your next step.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomberg Pr
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1118914597
• ISBN 13: 9781118914595
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216