Enterprenuer
Taylor Norris is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of LIT Method, the company behind the exclusive Low Impact Training workout designed to strengthen bodies and not break them.
Taylor and her husband, Justin Norris, are the innovators behind the patent-pending LIT Strength Machine.
With over ten years of experience within the fitness and health industry, Taylor is among a very few female fitness entrepreneurs boasting an impressive portfolio of artistic, technical, and sports medicine knowledge.
With an education in branding and design for products at Parsons School of Design, Taylor was always enthused by the notion of using innovation and technology to enable people to be optimal.
Along with Justin’s expertise in sports management, business administration, and the development of capital growth, they’ve developed a sustainable and scalable Low Impact Training method that is changing the way people think about fitness.
The Norrises are famous for their promises of no running, jumping, and weights.
After suffering from several repeated injuries of their own and others, the Norrises discovered an unease and fear of re-injury within athletes and patients in conventional rehabilitation settings.
The husband-and-wife team employed resistance bands and rowing to develop a new training method that produces results that do not cause injuries.
After their successful training in the private industry and clinical settings, Justin and Taylor created the technique in their name.
They launched the first flagship training facility in West Hollywood in 2016.
In 2018, the husband and wife team created their patent-pending LIT Strength Machine to bring the renowned LIT studio experience to your home and empower everyone from novice rowers to professional or aspiring athletes or anyone struggling with an injury.
The all-in-one rower reformer and strength coach includes 500+ low-impact exercises, including rowing, barre strengthening physical therapy, and Pilates. It will be launched officially in May 2020.
LIT’s methods and equipment were the focus of prominent investors in April 2021.
Jay-Z Jay Brown, Larry Marcus, and Larry Marcus, Jay Brown, and their Marcy Venture Partners firm, along with Five-time MLB All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, committed to Taylor’s idea of revolutionizing how people view fitness.
In the pages of Self Magazine, Forbes, InStyle, Women’s Health, GQ, People, and other publications, Taylor is committed to making sure that ‘inclusive innovation’ is at the core of the LIT mission.
As the owner of numerous patents and trademarks together with her husband, they have sparked a process and a strategy to assist individuals of all ages with physical impairment or handicaps in creating and sustaining their health and wellbeing for the long term.
For Taylor, the most significant impact of her work and LIT is accessibility by making physical therapy, personal training, and injury prevention more affordable and efficient for everyone.
What was the source of the idea for the LIT Method come from?
My Co-CEO and Co-Founder, my partner, was injured seriously in his arm while in his teens.
The athlete was an all-star during high school, and it was a devastating event that would affect his life.
While taking part in rehabilitation, he observed how the strategy to be physically fit after an injury is grounded in the things “you can’t do.”
One of the only ways he could do so without worrying about re-injury was by utilizing resistance bands for training.
When we first met ten years back, we began to experiment with exercises that were low impact we could create for those who had similar struggles or were afraid of getting back into physical activity.
A large part of our Low Impact Training (LIT) Method was born from the experimentation of combining different combinations that included personal trainers, physical therapy, and injury prevention.
We combined rowing with resistance bands, and our community began growing.
We embraced this notion “How can we teach people to build their bodies, not break them?” This is what it became — a technique that incorporated a machine and a method.
My expertise involves product designing as well as personal training.
Justin’s expertise includes personal training as well as physical therapy.
We came up with how we could work together and develop this complete program that, above all else, will focus on long-term health and being attractive.
What would your typical day look like? And how can you ensure that it is productive?
We’re early risers. We begin with a coffee or two, and we have a method.
Some days, when we’re instructing on LIT On-Demand, before doing so, we’ll be addressing emails, chatting to our team of developers in a different timing zone, as well as attempting to end any fires that could have been started throughout the night.
At 8:30 AM, we’re working in the studio of the class at LIT’s LIT main studio.
This is an in-person class that is streamed everywhere to online memberships.
At 9:15, we’re on the computer again. LIT is a tech and wellness company. None of our products require to be connected.
We’ve designed the product ecosystem to make the process easy for people to build their bodies as much as they can.
That’s why most of my days are filled with discussions about customer service requirements, improving the app, and making tweaks to the next version of the app and members of our UX team.
The best part about this machine is that it allows you to use any device that is compatible with the tablet holder, or you can operate the machine as a stand-alone device without class.
It’s made to have a tiny footprint and adapts to your needs. Therefore, if you purchase an updated iPhone or iPad, you’re not required to replace the device.
However, the second aspect of managing this business is that we’re raising funds and managing a team of employees.
We’ve got investor pitches. We have our studio operation team, which includes our LIT instructor certification and the direct-to-consumer component.
We introduced LIT Strength Machine in the year 2020.
LIT Strength Machine in 2020 following two years of testing and enhancing it based on actual in-person studio members’ feedback.
Amazingly, since we’d been working on it since 2018, we were prepared for the outbreak.
We have already put this model in place. Now, when we’re making our pitch, meeting with potential clients and customers, and presenting the advantages of the machine and brand, it’s all about breaking through the noise of the fitness business.
We’ve created a first-of-its type all-in-one rower Reformer, rower, and strength coach.
This single piece of equipment is suitable for anyone of any fitness level, those who enjoy Pilates for rowers, and those who want to take minimal stress on joints.
You don’t need to have a large home fitness center.
The majority of what we do is in letting people know that this is a possibility available to users.
This is all to say that our days are never identical! Some of them are focused on fine-tuning messages as well as public relations. A portion of it is teaching.
A large part of it concerns managing teams.
It’s also the crucial product development aspect that’s my forte and is where I feel the most excited about what we’re working on.
How do you bring your ideas to the world?
I am in love with this question. This is where we shine.
Justin is focused on functionality. Truly. He understands it since he’s had injuries and has trained many people with different demands and issues.
He can think about five steps ahead of what people might be worried about and what tiny adjustments we could create to put their minds at ease and provide them with more confidence.
Since I attended Parsons, I’ve been all about the form of my work.
It must be elegantly simple, elegant, and efficient.
We won’t publish anything in line with our brand or isn’t in line with our standards of form and performance.
We start with these filters.
We also enjoy ourselves. We initially used resistance bands and a standard water rower, as I mentioned.
In our home, we were experimenting. We took the rounds and tied them to objects, and tried to determine how we could substitute three things that commonly result in injury, such as jumping, running, and weights. We focused on what we believed would make each of our band and later. Eventually, our rower, with an exercise system using resistance bands included, was far superior.
We’re fortunate to be married as there’s that shorthand. We share an office, and we share a home. If we experience those moments of illumination that come up, there’s another one, and we can think about the best course of action. It’s fantastic to have your brainstorming partner right in front of you. I believe we can bring our products and programming concepts to life so efficiently is twofold: one. We have a common understanding of strengths and weaknesses, and we utilize that knowledge without judging the other. Two. We’re a great team. Our instructors, ops staff, and everyone are adamant about what we’re trying to accomplish.
What’s one thing that fascinates you?
It’s not clear if this is an official trend. However, I’d suggest that since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve observed people taking more control of the way they feel. My husband has always said that it’s all about mental fitness, and that’s an idea that comes from being extremely content when capable of helping people begin their day with a more assertive attitude and more security. I believe that the pandemic has brought attention to aspects we had not thought of regarding our mental health. We have taken a more in-depth glance at our community and the benefits that taking good care of our bodies can benefit our minds. It’s an incredible positive side effect of this ongoing issue. Therefore, I’m hoping this is not a trend, and COVID may have been a significant catalyst, but it’s not the final destination.
What’s one thing you do that will help you become more productive as a businessperson?
I’m sure that I can tell that someone else is better than me at accomplishing something.
That means I can tell when I need assistance or when something I could and should move forward with by myself.
There is a chance that some people consider it more of a perception rather than a routine; however, I’d affirm that this isn’t something I’ve always been good at.
This is something I’ve developed and maintained — and something I feel serves myself and the business very efficiently when it comes to efficiency and effectiveness.
Do you have any advice you would impart to an aspiring young person?
Learn about the supply chain. It is essential to understand that Acts of God circumstances can occur more frequently than you imagine — and other emergencies could amplify them.
I’m not sure what percentage of those in the same position have predicted the constant difficulties from the interplay of a pandemic and climate change.
However, these are events that impact everyone. On a more granular scale, you need to be aware of the supply chain.
In a more meaningful sense, it’s ensuring that you know that you can’t manage any business — not even a wellness and tech-related company in a vacuum, isn’t it? You must be aware of the current events in the world and what it’s doing to your clients both within and beyond the boundaries of your company and be able to operate by that.
This is to put it simply: Everything is interconnected, And the quicker you understand this in business, the farther you’ll get.
Let us know something you believe to be accurate that nearly no one agrees with you.
I’m not sure why some people don’t enjoy university.
What’s the problem? Uni is excellent. Period. Complete stop.
As an entrepreneur, what’s the one thing you’ve repeatedly done, and would you recommend it to everyone else?
I believe I spend a lot of time reading and listening.
I’m always interested in what other people like us have managed to run a business and build the brand.
We attended the Goldman Sachs conference, and I was incredibly impressed by the co-founders of FIGS.
Understanding how other people solves is precious in realizing that there’s more than one way to success.
I strongly recommend being curious and spending more time listening than you talk.
What strategy has helped you expand your company?
Easy. People. The answer lies in people.
It’s the first step to choosing the right team.
As with any business that expands, it has had its ups and downs, but some have been for many years with us and can comprehend the long-term vision for LIT.
These people are instructing the next generation of our staff.
This is very affirming and very satisfying to know that an adored instructor who is present every day transforming people’s lives by providing LIT is the same instructor passing on that confidence, enthusiasm, and education to someone else who will help grow the community.
It is a business. However, it’s also an incredible community.
Therefore, when we talk about its development, I remember my husband’s tale.
When he was in the rehabilitation clinic for physical therapy, he observed the patient — an electrician injured while working and being electrocuted.
Although he was told that there was nothing that he could not accomplish by hand, the man worked towards and eventually found finger mobility back.
At some point, Justin was scheduling his appointments around the time this person was expected to come in as he was so inspired by this man who was becoming more vital despite every obstacle.
He was going into PT; however, he came in to be part of the community. We’ve kept this in our minds.
Even when you’re online, we can provide an enormous sense of personal development to individuals.
Still, it’s also at the same time the physical and emotional growth of the community they’re in also.
What was the biggest mistake you faced as an entrepreneur? And what did you do to overcome it?
In our first studio, just before our first day, the place was utterly flooded. The flood was quite devastating.
There was an abundance of manual work to fix the damage and get rid of the water — and it was pretty humbling.
We reminded ourselves that hardship would be the basis for much of this.
We’ve always believed that we’re just a studio and not a product and to experience setbacks before we were even in the first phase of our bricks and mortar was a bit rough.
However, it served as an opportunity to remind ourselves that nothing is linear or symmetrical — and that’s okay.
Therefore, I don’t think the focus is on overcoming it. Instead, it’s about taking care of problems or anticipating these challenges moving forward.
What was the most expensive $100 you’ve spent recently? Why?
We enjoyed some delicious sushi last week. So, yeah, I bought this uni which I have found tasty.
What is the one application or web service that will help you become more productive?
Google Drive and Slack are unique in their cohesion to a team.
What is the most important book you think to the community? And the reason why?
Blue Ocean Strategy. Everybody should be aware of the worth of creating demand, particularly when it comes to helping people improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
What is your most cherished quote?
Oh, I have quite a few. In truth, this is too broad of an issue since different quotes can be relevant to various needs.
However, in general, I’ve always loved the quotation from the former president. Obama. “It’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.” I believe that’s the essence.
What could the Key Learnings “Taylor Norris” offer to Enterprenuer readers?
The most effective strategy is to select the right people and understand that a company’s growth is, at its most fundamental level, about people.
Yes, you’re building the business and brand, but most importantly is the development of the community.
Be aware of the current events in the world and what it means for your customers both inside and outside the walls of your company, and act according to the latest developments.
Essentially, everything is interconnected, and the quicker you understand this in your business, the more you’ll be.
Be interested in other founders and be more attentive than you talk.
You’ll be amazed at the many different perspectives there, and not forget the paths to success.
The way to succeed isn’t symmetrical nor linear. That’s perfectly fine.
Making plans for obstacles and anticipating the adversity that may arise can help you accept and deal with challenges more effectively.
