Tammeca Rochester pivoted from corporate America to entrepreneurship for a deeper purpose, allowing her to pour back into her local community.
Although becoming a C-Suite executive was Rochester’s long-term goal and offered her a very comfortable lifestyle, she noticed she didn’t feel completely fulfilled after landing the role. After spending a significant time in corporate spaces, Rochester decided to try something new.
“I always say to be an entrepreneur, to be a business owner, you gotta be slightly crazy, right? You have to bank on yourself,” Rochester told theGrio. “My son was 4 and I had a very comfortable position. I finally made it into a C-suite position in corporate America but I knew there was more for us.”
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She believed taking the reigns would offer her the chance to create a schedule that aligned with her parenting goals.
“I knew for me to be the best mom that I needed to be to him, I needed to make sure that I found something that would be a little bit more flexible, but something that I knew he would be proud of,” she said. “As an entrepreneur, it was crazy to leave that comfort but it was well worth it.”
Following Rochester’s departure from her last corporate job, she opened the doors of Harlem Cycle, the first and only indoor cycling studio in the neighborhood. Because bicycling is something that most people have done or attempted at least once, she thought a cycling center would be a great exercise people would enjoy.
“We all grew up riding our bikes and even if we didn’t, we can still definitely ride a stationary bike,” she said. “Cycling is low impact, but it’s also super fun.”
The mission of Harlem Cycle is to offer a safe community and “inclusive” space that assists people improve their health. Harlem Cycle has been heavily supported by the neighborhood, which led her to open a second location. What’s more, the studio also hosts holistic wellness retreats, offers an instructor training program, and allows community members to rent the space for private events.
Rochester is proud to see how her idea has bloomed because she wants people to have equal amounts of fun as her when they’re active.
“Imagine being in a dark room where everyone’s having a good time vibing to music, and everyone has a common goal of having a great experience,” Rochester said. “To me, that is what cycling is all about and so I wanted to open up a studio focused on getting us back to being our best selves, but also having a great time.”
