Bereaved Entrepreneur Wins Top Prize for Growing Beersheba Gym Against All Odds
Inbar Shoah, 32, owner of Switch Studio gym in Beersheba, won first place in the 16th Small Businesses competition organized by Bank Hapoalim, Yedioth Ahronoth, and Ynet. The contest focused on young entrepreneurs aged 21-35, highlighting the next generation of Israeli businesses. Shoah took over the gym after her husband Tal Shoah, who founded the business, was killed in combat in Gaza during the Iron Swords war in December 2023.
Tal, an engineer by training, had shifted his passion to fitness and opened the gym after returning from a trip to India. The studio started as a small 40-square-meter space and gradually expanded to 250 square meters with four training areas and a team of 11 coaches. After Tal volunteered for reserve duty on October 7 and later died in battle on December 21, Inbar, who was 14 weeks pregnant, decided to continue running the gym despite the personal tragedy.
She left her career as an interior designer and architect to manage the business, learning everything from invoicing to employee management and even completing fitness and Pilates coaching courses. Shoah credits the gym’s loyal community of clients for their unwavering support, describing them as family. The gym prominently honors Tal’s memory with photos and a prayer corner.
The award ceremony included a meeting with Liki Rosenberg-Michaeli, a prominent Israeli fitness entrepreneur known as the "fitness coach of celebrities." Rosenberg-Michaeli praised Shoah’s resilience and shared her own journey, emphasizing the importance of building a business from the ground up rather than focusing on social media presence alone. She is currently developing a sports academy to train fitness coaches in both exercise and business skills.
Shoah’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to "jump in with courage" and build a solid foundation before expanding. She recalls Tal’s encouraging words: "Try, at worst you’ll succeed." The story highlights the strength of personal determination and community support in overcoming adversity and growing a successful business.
