Did you know about ClassPass before joining GuavaPass?
Yes, I did ClassPass religiously for 1.5 years. We moved out here because my boyfriend's job was out here. So when I moved to Bangkok, I was teaching yoga and trying to figure out a tech oriented job.
At the same time, my friend Rob was in Singapore trying to figure out his company. He and his partner decided to try the ClassPass model in Singapore and they brought me on a week after they started the business. Now it has been almost 2 years.
GuavaPass is already in 10 cities: Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, Taipei, Manila, Seoul, Jakarta, and Beijing and are continuing to expand... that's awesome. What has that been like for you?
It's been really crazy, we've been moving so quickly. If I didn't feel personally connected to the product, I would have burnt out awhile ago. I'm passionate about fitness and yoga, being a yoga teacher, it makes it easier.
Most days I'm working on the product, which is behind a computer and phone, but hearing the stories about how people use, enjoy and share our product really helps to keep us motivated and feel proud.
How do you decide what city is a good fit to launch in?
Good question. We think about the competition, so if it's a market that's already saturated, we know that there will be a barrier entry.
We think about the opportunity - it's not a cheap or mass product, so we need to think about our target demographic. There are many developing areas within SE Asia, so we need to make sure that the market is ready for us.
Here in Bangkok, we spent a lot of time educating the population about why wellness and fitness are important.
Who is your target market?
Expats are solid product users. In general, Thai people living in Bangkok haven't been so interested in health and wellness until recently - now it's becoming trendy so we are focusing our strategy to educate Thai people in Bangkok.
How is it modeled, same like ClassPass?
We have two main options - both unlimited. Then GuavaLite is 4 classes, like an intro.