Co-founders, Bikini Boot Camp and Amansala
www.amansala.com

Eating grilled food and sipping tropical juice while enjoying a warm, starry night on the beach. Flamenco dancing, riding bikes to Mayan ruins, and doing yoga – all in one day. Indulging in massages and moments in a hammock.

Does this sound like the best fitness program ever, or what? It’s Bikini Boot Camp, launched by Erica Gragg and Melissa Perlman, founders of the shabby-chic resort Amansala.

Located in Tulum, Mexico, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Cancun, Amansala offers the camp as an optional program. The concept is proving so popular that Erica and Melissa have a book coming out in May 2007, “Bikini Boot Camp: a Two-Week Fitness Escape” (published by the Broadway division of Random House), that offers a program you can do at home, complete with exercise plans, meal plans, meditations and spa treatments for each day.

Here Erica talks with Ladies Who Launch about how she and Melissa went from living in New York City to running a resort in Mexico.

PR Exec Meets Traveling Entrepreneur

“I grew up in Sacramento, California, and went to college in the East Bay at Saint Mary’s, then went to New York City and lived there for 10 years. I was working originally in banking and then in PR and marketing. I would say that my father has been the entrepreneurial influence in my life. His business has been in land ownership and development in California. He’s my inspiration.

“I was in PR for Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy doing marketing and PR (in the champagne industry) for all of their domestic campaigns. Melissa was an entrepreneur who made her living traveling the globe and supporting herself along the way. She was in Bali and imported furniture from Bali into the U.S. She was in Nepal and imported pashminas into the U.S.”

Finding Friendship, Soul-Searching

“We met in New York City through a mutual friend. (Melissa) was moving back from Japan and wanted to sublet an apartment. I was thinking of subletting my apartment. It took me and my boyfriend breaking up for me to have time to explore new friendships like the one with Melissa.

“Fast forward to September 11th, which forced us, along with many people, to question, ‘What am I doing with my life?’ Melissa had been working on developing a Web portal for the world’s best places to rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit, and I was helping her with the PR. But after 9/11 was the wrong time to start a Web site. We decided to pack our bags and head to Mexico.”

Discovering a Diamond in the Rough… Really Rough

“We knew we wanted to start our own business and we knew we wanted to do it in Tulum. About 8-10 days into our search, we found what is now Amansala. It was completely rundown, inhabited by hippies on the beach. There was no electricity, no running water. There was one bathroom and it was barely functional.

“We had to get busy re-doing everything. First we created three rooms, then five rooms, then 10 rooms, then 16 rooms. Nothing was easy because you’re dealing with a different culture. They”e not used to women running businesses in this part of Mexico. They’re not used to taking orders from women.”

How They Funded the Adventure

“We had a small amount of money set aside… enough to get started. We used money that we saved. We invested in taking over the property and the renovation of the property. That’s why we only did a certain number of rooms at a time. We only built as much as we could afford to build. During the first two years, almost everything we were making, we put back into the property.”

The Payoff

“The moment you set foot onto the property you feel like you’re somewhere much farther away. A lot of people say that it feels like Thailand. It feels incredibly exotic, yet it’s only a three-and-a-half-hour flight from New York City. The sand is that fine, fine sand. The water is that turquoise blue green where you can see the bottom of the ocean.
It’s like bath water. We have soft linens, plush towels, candles and incense burning in your room. It has an island feel, like you’re somewhere remote.”

If You Build It…

“We sent out emails with a Web advertisement to every person we knew. During the first year, we got a great write-up in New York Magazine. We’re also lucky that Tulum attracts models and actors who want to be low-key. Word-of-mouth has been tremendous for us and the success of our business.”

PR Strategies – Creating a Catchy Name, Delighting Customers

“Bikini Boot Camp is an eye-catching name. People want to write about it, talk about it and they remember it. I had a PR background, so I was sending out press releases and contacting people we know. But my background was in champagne and it was a different group of writers we were going after ( to get publicity for Amansala). We got a few placements in the beginning, but it was as word-of-mouth spread, which is the way PR really works… as word of mouth spread, magazines were contacting us, so we’ve been really lucky. Now nine times out of 10, (editors) are coming after us.”

Day In the Life of a Bikini Boot Camper

“At 8 o’clock in the morning you go on a power walk on the beach, at 9 there’s a healthy breakfast and then yoga, then some free time and a healthy lunch. After that you can lie in the hammock on the beach or do whatever, and there’s a two-hour workout in the evening, usually with something like circuit training and cardio dance or Pilates, followed by a healthy dinner. In the evenings, there are Spanish lessons or tribal drumming lessons or talks on Mayan culture. During two of the days, there’s a bike ride to Mayan ruins and one day there’s kayaking at a natural reserve.

What a Healthy Week in Paradise Could Do for You

“By the end of the vacation, we see tremendous changes in people from the inside out. Many arrive stressed out, but by day two, they have a sparkle in their eyes and they’re glowing from the inside out. Even those who don’t want to exercise love the fact that there are options, because the day can be very long just sitting on the beach all day. Five hours of exercise helps you to feel good about yourself at the end of each day.”

Greatest Success – Repeat Customers

“The fact that people keep coming back. A lot of guests come two or three times every year… that for us been a tremendous success. We’ve created a place where people feel so good about themselves, they tell their friends and they come back.”

Greatest Challenge – No-Show Staff

“At first it was challenging finding staff who are loyal and dedicated and show up every day. Now we have an amazing staff. But in the beginning, Melissa would be the cook, I’d be the waitress, then the housekeeper wouldn’t show up, so now we’re cleaning rooms. When you’re starting a business, you do what you have to do.”

How They Won Employee Loyalty

“By respecting them and treating them as part of a family. One thing our guests feel is that coming to Amansala is like visiting a close friend’s home on the beach. The chefs and waiters know your name and they know whether you like your margarita with salt or your guacamole extra spicy. In turn, the guests treat the staff so well, and we treat the staff so well.”

How to Get the Most from Your Vacation, Wherever You Go

“Create a space for yourself so you feel at home, maybe by bringing your iPod with you and lighting a candle. I bring my yoga mat with me everywhere I go. Try to fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Movement, movement, movement… it makes a difference, even if you can just squeeze in 10 minutes.”

Words of Advice

“Aim your arrow and shoot. All you have to know is what you want to do and you’ll figure out how to do it along the way. You just have to have that vision and that idea. We had no idea what we were doing – neither one of us had any expertise in hotels or in taking over property in a foreign country. You just have to believe you can do it.”