Popflex CEO Cassey Ho was at the salon getting her hair done. Her phone was put away and set to do not disturb. When she checked it again, she had missed over 10 calls and dozens of messages.
Within moments, Ho saw Taylor Swift’s new YouTube Short is promoting her latest album, The “Tortured Poets” sectionThere she saw Swift wearing The patented lavender pirouette skate from PopflexAnd within minutes, the lavender skourt sold out – and then the pirouette skourt sold out in every single color.
“When [Taylor Swift] wears something, even if she only wears it for 0.3 seconds, people want that because they also want to be part of her journey and her life,” said Ho Assets.
It was Popflex’s best sales day of 2024 – and its second best sales day ever.
But the path that brought Swift to Ho’s two companies wasn’t an easy one. Popflex and Blogilates, a YouTube channel Ho launched over a decade ago, are both eight-figure businesses, but if she hadn’t followed her heart and gone against her father’s wishes, the lavender skort may never have found its way to legendary pop stardom.
Ahead of the 15th anniversary of Blogilates’ launch, Ho spoke to Assets about how a 10-minute YouTube video and a passion for fashion, fitness and creativity launched two six-figure empires – without the need for outside investors.
This interview has been slightly condensed and edited for clarity.
What is Blogilates?
Blogilates started in 2009 as a YouTube channel where I really only uploaded free training videos for my students. [It] was born out of my love for Pilates and blogging.
I moved from LA to the East Coast for my first job in fashion, and all of my students at my local 24 Hour Fitness were asking, “So who’s going to teach us POP Pilates?” So that was the format I was teaching at the time, my own format, which was Pilates to pop music. So I recorded a 10-minute video, just in the living room of my boyfriend’s parents. He’s now my husband. I uploaded it to a website called YouTube and thought nothing of it.
Little did I know that I was getting more than just the views of the students in this course. I was getting thousands of views and hundreds of comments from people all over the world asking for more.
I really only uploaded free workout videos for my students in real life. I never imagined that the ability to build a community and create such a trusting relationship with a group of women from all over the world who want to get healthy and strong through videos on the internet would one day lead to a brand that is now in all Goal Stores across the country.
Blogilates
How did you get into Pilates?
I was 16 years old and in high school. I remember getting ready for a beauty pageant and trying to figure out how to get in shape for this thing. I was watching Mari Winsor DVD infomercials. I was like, “Oh my god, this looks like so much fun.”
At some point I got [my parents] to buy a DVD and I did it diligently every night in my bedroom. [I] I just fell in love with not having to compete with anyone.
Now, back in college, I was doing Pilates in my dorm room and the other girls were like, “What is this? Can you show me?” which made me think, “Oh, maybe I could teach this.” I went on Craigslist and saw that there was a Pilates instructor position at the gym down the street.
I went to the audition – the owner of the gym loved me – and she was like, “Cool, show me your certificate.” And of course, I’m not even certified. But then she was like, “You know what, I’ll pay for your certificate. We’ll do this together.” And that was really the start of my Pilates career. I was a freshman in college. I wasn’t getting paid well at all, but I was enjoying it so much. It filled this hole in my heart and really gave me something to look forward to after all the school work.
What did you study in college?
I went to Whittier College in Southern California. I won a full scholarship there. And I studied biology as a pre-med major. I didn’t want to go to med school; I didn’t want to be a doctor. But my dad said that was really the only choice I had. I could either be a lawyer or a doctor or fail. And I had told him I wanted to be a fashion designer — that was something I knew deep down I’d always wanted — but when I told him I wanted to be a designer, he said, “No way,” and pretty much crushed my dreams.
I didn’t rebel until I was halfway through college and realized that this isn’t actually what I want to do with the rest of my life. I’m someone who really follows my heart, and my heart started to feel so empty. So I decided to drop organic chemistry, the last class I needed for the MCAT, and really ruined my entire schedule.
My parents didn’t listen to me. I talked about wanting to change schools and do something else, and they said, “No way, you’re not going to do that.” And when I did that, it really destroyed our relationship.
My parents are both immigrants who came here from Vietnam in the mid-70s. My mother was a boat refugee. They both had to work really hard to give us some stability here. I was born here, but being raised by Asian immigrant parents really instilled in me the feeling of working really hard and tirelessly and persevering no matter what happens to you. I think just because my parents are from a war-torn country, you just don’t know when everything is going to be taken away from you.
It was my first big rebellion. And I followed my heart. Thank God I did that, because if I hadn’t taken that step, if I hadn’t started teaching Pilates on the side while I was studying, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Cassey Ho.
When did you realize that Blogilates was more than just a username?
Only around 2010 [or] In 2011, when I was a on facebook. post because at the time, Facebook was the only social media you could use to connect with fans. They asked, “Hey, can we have some Blogilates t-shirts?” and I was like, “Why do you want a t-shirt with my username on it? That’s a little weird.” And they were like, “No, that’s what we want.” So we held a design contest and as a community we voted for the winning design. Then I bought some blank shirts from Forever 21, screen printed them on site and put them on Facebook. And they sold out in minutes. That’s when I realized, “Oh, okay, Blogilates is not a username, it’s a brand, it’s something people are proud to wear and a journey they want to be a part of.”
I was just about staying connected with my students, which is really interesting because that ethos of staying connected and really responding to people’s feedback is exactly why Popflex and Blogilates have grown so much over the years with my product design and everything because I’m always listening. I really have this honest relationship with my community.
Fitness is a huge part of my life, not only because of building muscle and strength, but mentally too because it makes me feel really good. That’s how I start every morning. Part of any wellness and fitness journey is the nutrition part. And so I wrote about what I was eating and what I was discovering because that not only helped me figure out what worked and what didn’t, but I think it helped a lot of other people too. Whether it’s fitness, food, emotions, or career, I use my blog as my journal to talk very openly about those things. I think everything that happens with the businesses starts with what I think I need to do. I’m just very intuitive in those areas.
What is Popflex and how did it start?
Popflex is my brand for functional sportswear.
When I was teaching these POP Pilates classes, I noticed that I was fumbling around with all my stuff: my water bottle, my shoes, my mat, my keys, my CDs, all in a small tote bag. That wasn’t working. So I looked for a pretty yoga bag, but all they had were just heavy bags in ugly colors, just not my style.
I went to the fashion district in downtown LA and bought some scrap fabric, put together a super glam looking yoga bag like you’ve never seen before, made of vegan leather with this huge bow, gold chains… I mean, it was glam and all my stuff fit in it. I brought it to class and my students were like, “What is that? I want one.” And that was the beginning of solving a problem for myself – which also happened to solve problems for other people. That’s really the foundation of what I do with Blogilates and Popflex.
The reason women really love Popflex is because it’s clothing that makes sense. There’s no seam down the front of your leggings, because I’m not a cameltoe kind of person. There are pockets in everything, because how excited are we all when our clothes have pockets? I solve problems through cute clothes and accessories and [it] gives me so much joy. It also fulfills my original childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer.
What is your secret to success?
My secret to success is to truly follow my heart. I know that sounds like a cliche, but I don’t think it’s ever led me in the wrong direction. Doing more of what I love and staying away from things that don’t bring me joy has only pushed me in the right direction for myself. I would also say that another secret to my success is not being afraid of problems. I challenge them: give me criticism, give me the problems, let me get creative and let me solve them. I think that’s really made me stronger and more flexible. You have to be able to bend to the wind or you’ll fall apart.
How did you raise funds for Blogilates and Popflex?
From the beginning, I financed Blogilates and Popflex entirely from my own resources. No investors.
In the beginning, I didn’t even ask and that’s why I didn’t find investors. But today I don’t want to do that anymore because I don’t want to appeal to the wrong audience. I don’t want to appeal to the people who throw money at me just to get it back. I want to appeal to the women who buy the clothes and accessories and finance the business because they believe in the designs and creations.
Both Blogilates and Popflex are 8-figure companies as their own brands. We currently have 26 full-time employees and work with around 40 contractors on a daily basis.
Remember how we talked about it in college when I felt this hole, this emptiness? The hole is completely filled with flowers growing out of the hole. I’m just so happy to be doing what I’m doing right now. I’m so lucky that I get to do what I do every day.