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

by Jason Kelly (Author)

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.

Front Jacket

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.

Author Biography

JASON KELLY is the New York Bureau Chief for Bloomberg and the author of The New Tycoons: Inside the Trillion Dollar Private Equity Industry That Owns Everything, the product of five years leading Bloomberg's global private equity coverage. During a tenure at Bloomberg spanning more than a dozen years, he's written about everything from the global semiconductor industry to economic development during the war in Afghanistan, as well as managed the company's global conference business. He's a contributor to Bloomberg TV and Markets magazine, as well as a frequent speaker and host of conferences around the world. An accomplished distance runner, Jason has completed more than a dozen marathons, including races in New York, Boston, and Chicago. A graduate of Georgetown University, he lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York, with his wife Jennifer and sons.