Fitstop Blog
Raising Kids and Running a Successful Business
We get it, when looking to open your own business, you’ll no doubt have a bundle of passion and excitement, but there can be that voice in your head of “how can I make this work”. With the fun (and chaos) that often comes with family life, kids and just fitting in general life admin, the question remains: “how can you create a successful business whilst also achieving your lifestyle goals?”.
Well, this very question touches on a big part of why Fitstop took that next step to become a franchise business in 2017. With a product we knew our members loved, it was time to scale and create a business built around strong systems and processes, allowing us to change our business owners lives. Fast forward to today with over hundreds of business owners part of our network, we’re proud to have people bringing Fitstop’s vision to life from all walks of life. It was important to us that no matter your profession or lifestyle, with the right team, passion and belief in Fitstop and all we have to offer, you can have your cake and eat it too (not fitness related, but hey, you get it?).
The Inside Scoop: Raising Kids and Running a Successful Business
Fitstop Keperra comes to mind when we think of a hugely successful business run by a team who also balances family life, and thrives whilst doing it. We had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon, co-owner of Fitstop Keperra - we hope you enjoy!
Shannon, how did you come across Fitstop?
I had been training at a Fitstop local to my home for about 18 months with a girlfriend of mine, Carolyn, who is now my business partner. She had also been training at a different Fitstop local to her. We realised that we were on this same journey together, and we realised that we loved the community, we loved the programming, we loved the whole concept of Fitstop. The opportunity presented itself that there was still some territories available and it was go time from there.
How have you found opening your own Fitstop and balancing family life?
I have actually owned my own business for close to eight years now, so I think being a mum and a business owner is completely normal (and fulfilling) to me!
Owning my own business has always been my goal as I wanted the flexibility; I wanted the ability to work around my family. It's definitely a juggle at times, but I think having the right team around you, having the right business partner, has really meant that we can create such a great community.
What’s it like having a community-driven business?
The best part has been that my daughter Grace also loves our community. She loves coming into the gym, she loves having fun in competitions with our coaches to see who can hang from the bars for the longest. I think being a business owner has really helped show Grace that you can do hard things, you can do great things; you can do anything you put your mind to.
“It's great for her (my daughter) to be around this sort of community, but it's also great for me to have that flexibility as she gets older. I can go and watch her run cross-country during the day, and I wouldn't have that flexibility if I wasn’t in this position”.
Your top tips to drive a successful Fitstop franchise?
My biggest tips for anyone opening their own business is make sure you have a plan and create a really great team around you.
We’ve found a team that supports us so much and we also trust them so much; this means they’ve taken on roles and responsibilities that has really helped us grow our business. Our plan has always been to discover what our strengths are within this business and then play to those strengths rather than everybody trying to do everything, which at the end of the day is what creates flexibility.
Want to hear more from Shannon?
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