She reflects on how her journey began another five years prior with the boxing and kickboxing-based fitness franchise
The 30 Minute Hit in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada just celebrated its fifth birthday and owner, Kristi Bieber, reflects on how her journey began another five years prior with the boxing and kickboxing-based fitness franchise.
A stay-at-home mum with two young children, Kristi walked into the 30 Minute Hit location in Surrey, British Columbia and instantly knew she’d found what she was looking for. She soon realised it wasn’t just the ‘killer’ 30-minute workout she was after, but the confidence these classes instilled and the strong sense of community they fostered.
She loved it so much, in fact, that by the end of 2014 she called up the corporate team at 30 Minute Hit and asked: “Do you guys want a Hit in Vernon?” Their response: “Absolutely.”
Five months later, she and her husband Tim, along with their now three children, moved four hours west to begin a new phase of life: franchise ownership. A busy and fulfilling five years has sped by and Kristi finds herself at the helm of a healthy, thriving business creating positive change in many women’s lives.
Though no day as a busy business owner can be labelled as typical, Kristi shares a behind the scenes taste of 30 Minute Hit ownership:
Morning routine: Business as usual
My day starts like a lot of other mums: getting the kids to school. While checking to make sure homework is completed and throwing lunches in backpacks, I quickly log into the online portal 30 Minute Hit provides all franchisees.
This is a one-stop shop for everything I need to manage and operate my business. I couldn’t live without it. It gives me the freedom to be off site without sacrificing productivity or attentiveness. All I do this morning is check the camera to ensure staff have arrived. It appears to be business as usual, so I turn my focus back to my family to ensure they start the day off well.
Arriving at the gym
After dropping the kids off at school, I drive the short distance to the gym. This is probably one of the favourite parts of my day. I walk in and the atmosphere is electric; the space is filled with sounds of energetic trainers motivating members and upbeat music punctuated by the resounding crack of gloves hitting bags.
I love connecting with our members and catching up on their lives. Between chatting and playing with kids, I check emails and manage some small admin tasks, such as inputting new member details into our management system, ordering more retail stock and paying invoices.
We offer a free trial workout and today we’re busy with new women. I assist my trainer in putting them through the circuit and they finish exhausted and sweaty, but smiling. They’ve all decided to join, so I sign them up and give them their first pair of boxing gloves.
I find it so rewarding to help empower women, creating a place and facilitating a workout that helps them find the confidence and health I found. It’s a busy, fulfilling morning and I finish it energised and excited.
Physically challenging training session
My work ensures I prioritise my own fitness and normally I work out in the morning with our members. However, today also happens to be a Hitting it Hard session, our bimonthly mandatory owner and manager training, designed to develop our skills and keep us connected to the brand.
My location is remote, so I log in via webcam to connect with owners across a variety of regions. The sessions are facilitated by our corporate head trainer and they’re always physically challenging. Today’s session is no different and I finish inspired and sweaty. We cool down and chat as a group, discussing ideas and problem solving together.
I tidy the gym, add some new inspirational quotes to our mirrors and reorganise my slat wall for the new clothing that’s arriving soon. I reach out to my trainers and coordinate our monthly staff meeting, where I’ll pass on everything I learned at the most recent Hitting it Hard session. I make a point to focus on developing my staff and I’m proud of how dedicated, reliable and passionate they are about 30 Minute Hit.
Doing the school run and working from home
I leave a note for my evening trainer with a few extra tasks for her to take care of and with that I’m back to pick the kids up from school.
After getting them off to their respective afterschool activities, I pop into my home office to do a quick trainer evaluation. My role as a physical training specialist with our corporate team involves evaluating the training capabilities of new staff members. Most of our corporate team are owners themselves and we enjoy contributing our experience and expertise to help other owners continue to find success.
We have dinner as a family and after the kids are tucked into bed, I check my email again for anything that needs attention.
This evening it’s just some inquiries from members about bringing their friends to try out the workout. I look at our online schedule and respond with available times. I log into our social media platforms, responding to comments and scheduling posts for the next week and finish the day with some community marketing, reaching out to a local mum’s group with a cross promotional idea.
Favourite part of franchise ownership
When asked what her favourite part of franchise ownership is, Kristi responds: “I love the training, I love seeing us grow, but when you see the impact you can have in the lives of these women, that’s my favourite part, hands down. It’s so much fun. I just love going to work every day.”
At a glance 30 Minute Hit
Established: 2004
Number of franchised outlets: 92
Location of units: United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Ireland
Investment range: £178,000-£128,000
Minimum required capital: £39,000
Contact:franchise@30minutehit.com my30minutehit.com
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