# Zumba: Beto Perez & Alberto Perlman

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-01-02
- Length: 37m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman

## Summary

Beto Perez, who accidentally created Zumba in Colombia by improvising a dance class with Latin music, and Alberto Perlman, a former tech entrepreneur, explain how they built Zumba from a scrappy Miami startup into a global fitness brand. They discuss the early struggles of self-funding, the pivot from selling VHS infomercials to licensing the brand, and the critical decision to launch the Zumba Instructor Network subscription service when cash was nearly depleted. The episode highlights how the 2008 financial crisis fueled growth as people sought affordable joy and income, and how strategic partnerships with artists like Pitbull transformed Zumba into a powerful music promotion platform.

## Chapters

- [2:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=136) The Accidental Invention of Zumba
- [3:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=188) Moving to Miami and Finding a Partner
- [10:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=620) The Infomercial Hustle and Naming the Brand
- [12:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=770) Surviving the Dotcom Crash and 9/11
- [23:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=1401) Launching the Zumba Instructor Network
- [28:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=1733) Growth During the Financial Crisis
- [30:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman#t=1828) Zumba as a Music Promotion Platform

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Zumba (product)
- Roomba Size (product)
- Fitness Quest (company)
- Crunch (company)
- 24 Hour Fitness (company)
- Pitbull (other)
- Kellogg's (company)
- Total Gym (product)
- VHS (other)
- Metro PCS (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [From turning down Shark Tank offers to raising $2.7 million for Nopalera with Sandra Velasquez (2023)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-10-17-from-turning-down-shark-tank-offers-to-raising-2-7-million-for-nopalera-with-san) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#80 From turning down Shark Tank offers to raising $2.7 million for Nopalera with Sandra Velasquez](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-02-21-80-from-turning-down-shark-tank-offers-to-raising-2-7-million-for-nopalera-with) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Fundraising Journey: Victor Guardiola, Bawi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-08-01-founder-fundraising-journey-victor-guardiola-bawi) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Rooting for the Home Team with Paul Freedman and Bryan Carmel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2026-05-27-rooting-for-the-home-team-with-paul-freedman-and-bryan-carmel) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Bootstrapped to 800,000 Units Sold Worldwide: The Story Behind Rockit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-17-bootstrapped-to-800-000-units-sold-worldwide-the-story-behind-rockit) (It's Only a Prototype)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-01-02-zumba-beto-perez-alberto-perlman. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.