An Interview with Kristi Bieber – owner of two (and soon to be three?) 30 Minute Hits – a great fitness concept for women
1. Tell me about your background
After high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I took a few years to travel and work and then settled back in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta to study journalism and public relations. I have always been an active and athletic person and had aspirations to use my education and people skills in the professional sports industry. This, however, conflicted with my desire to start a family. In the end, the babies won, and my husband and I moved to Vancouver to start our family. Three kids later, I decided it was time to do something for myself, and found myself the perfect career in 30 Minute Hit.
2. What was happening in your life that caused you to want to own a business?
I was a very happy stay at home mom for eight years before deciding it was time for a change. My youngest child was three years old, and I felt that with all of the kids out of the house for school each day, it was time to put my talents to use outside of the home. I considered a number of options for employment, but nothing worked with my lifestyle as I still needed to be there for my family much of the time. I realized that self-employment would be ideal as I could then have the flexibility to prioritize my life the way I felt was best.
3. Why franchising (did you consider a startup)?
My husband had been active in startup companies since I met him. With my newfound motivation to work for myself, we brainstormed various business ideas and wrote business plans, and tried to find a good fit for my talents, experience, and interests. Many of our ideas excited me, but when we got down to the reality of a startup, we quickly realized that the time and effort it would take to be successful would not be conducive to the family life we wanted to maintain. We were also not in a position financially to take such a big risk.
4. Why 30 Minute Hit – did you look at any other options?
Before opening my 30 Minute Hit in Vernon in 2015, I had been a member of a location in our community (just outside Vancouver) for five years. I loved being a member at 30 Minute Hit, loved everything about it, and knew that I was the right fit to be an owner. I started dreaming of owning my own Hit, but there were a number of locations in our surrounding communities already. Vernon was a town that we had discussed moving to raise our family, and upon discovering that there was no 30 Minute Hit location there yet, we jumped on the opportunity. The numbers worked, the schedule worked, and our impressions of the business and of the franchisors were incredibly positive. Four months after saying the idea out loud to my husband, we had relocated our family and opened 30 Minute Hit Vernon!
5. What was the biggest surprise when you opened your business?
Being out of the workforce for eight years, I was intimidated as we began the opening process of our Hit. Although it was a whirlwind of learning, working, adapting and planning, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised at the level of support I received from the corporate head office. They genuinely cared about my progress and well-being throughout the opening process, and have been equally as supportive throughout my journey thus far. The support from other 30 Minute Hit owners was also a pleasant discovery. I never felt (feel ) like we are in competition with one another, but rather a team. There are tools in place specifically to facilitate this supportive community, and the franchise continues to listen to and respond positively to feedback from owners, helping to constantly innovate and move forward, with everyone’s best interests in mind.
6. What would you have done differently now that you know what you know?
Absolutely nothing – honestly.
7. What’s the best thing about owning your own business?
The top two of many great things are the freedom I have, and the pride I feel. The freedom to be able to eat breakfast with my family every morning, to pick the kids up from school in the afternoon, and to be there to tuck them into bed each night. To take holidays when I want, knowing that the support, tools, and training provided by the franchise will allow my business to keep running successfully even in my absence. The freedom to work as much or as little as I choose, knowing that my successes and failures will be a direct response to my choices – I like that accountability. The pride I feel in my business as it continues to grow and succeed, the pride in myself for all my hard work, and the pride I feel as each woman completes her workout and leaves my gym feeling amazing about herself.
8. What’s next for you?
I recently invested in a partnership in a second 30 Minute Hit location (Kelowna) and am enjoying the new challenges that owning and operating two businesses is presenting. And even though I am feeling challenged with this venture, I still have aspirations to possibly open a third location the area. Yes, there is a lot of work involved, but it is simple work, not complicated. It is fun work! And it is work that is supported by an entire network of colleagues who have been, are currently, or soon will be, facing the same struggles and victories that I am. There is no foreseeable future in which I am not still a very happy 30 Minute Hit owner.
