FRANCHISES
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Fit for Franchising
By Taylor Mallory
After 22 years in franchising, Linda Burzynski, CEO – and new owner – of Liberty Fitness, is known for turning around distressed companies. As president of Molly Maid, she increased revenue from $12 million to $86 million in five years. Mike Maples, former senior executive vice president of Microsoft, then recruited her as CEO of Computer Moms, a company hemorrhaging money. She invested heavily in the company, rebranded it as CM IT Solutions and made it profitable in four years.
Now the 51-year-old wife and mother of two – recently inducted into the Enterprising Women Hall of Fame – chairs the Business Women's Network and is repeating her magic act with Liberty Fitness. A private firm based in Austin, Texas, Liberty Fitness boasts 44 clubs in 16 states, 74 percent of which are woman owned. She tells PINK how she shaped up the company – and herself.
How did you get involved with Liberty Fitness?
At dinner with a representative of a venture capital company interested in buying CM IT, I innocently remarked that someone should put good exercise, weight loss and wellness programs under one roof in a boutique setting. A week later they asked me to become CEO of Liberty Fitness. But I was 5 feet 4 inches and weighed 197 pounds! Still, they were confident I could do what I'd described – and that the environment would inspire me to get in shape. I've lost 47 pounds.
How have you made that vision you described to them a reality?
Women are the nurturers of society. By the time we go to diet counseling, a gym and get a massage, it's too much work to do long-term. When women come in for diet counseling [at Liberty Fitness], they can work out and get a massage while here – and make girlfriends. The key to my success? I've surrounded myself with people smarter than me in their areas of expertise. Our new diet program was written by a company with 20 years' experience. And our spa product line is by Canyon Ranch's manufacturer.
What was your biggest career mistake?
Not trusting my intuition. I made a poor hiring decision years ago. He looked great on paper and had such great credentials that I was actually intimidated by him. But in my gut I felt something was wrong. I hired him anyway, and it set the company back at least a year.
What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get ahead?
When I hit a plateau with my weight loss, I started broadcasting my weight every week to the entire company [10 employees in her office, 44 franchise partners and six area developers] to keep me accountable. I've always been proud to tell my age, but not my weight. Putting myself out there made me more approachable. At Molly Maid, I went incognito as a maid. To lead, you need to make yourself vulnerable so you can relate to customers and your team.
What are your goals at Liberty Fitness?
If you change the woman, you change the world. Our average client needs to lose 30 to 35 pounds. I want our members to do that in 16 weeks. And I want to have 1,500 clubs in five years.
What have been your best resources?
I've been so blessed with the people in my life – from my husband, mentors and friends to Business Women's Network President Edie Fraser, who connected me with AARP. And there is no such thing as enough knowledge. I read the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, fitness magazines and books. Michael Gerber's The E-Myth Revisited: Why Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It (HarperCollins, 1995) is about the value of working on a business rather than working in one. Before I came on board, initial franchisers tended to be personal trainers or aerobic instructors who wanted to own a gym. They liked to work in the biz. But you have to work on a biz – using other people. Gerber does the best job of articulating that, and he talks about systems. In every company, there comes a time to sell or hand it over to a manager, and you have to have systems in place to hand to that person. If your company is just you, you're just buying yourself a job. Systems let you duplicate that business.
Are there any other books that really inspired you?
Mary Kay Ash's People Management (Warner Books, 1984), which is about making everyone you encounter feel better about themselves after they talk to you. Approach everyone as if she's wearing a sign that says, "Make me feel important." Business owners need to read things that are very inspirational. Most of us don't need to read about 21 things we're doing wrong or 17 things to add to our daily list. People say the inspirational stuff is fluffy, but that's what you need.
What's the secret to your success?
I could do nothing without the power of God in my life. Whenever I've felt like I couldn't do something, a feeling of divine power comes over me. I've been blessed with a very strong measure of fate. I've just had too many blessings to be a coincidence: the people, the amazing country I've been born into, the opportunity, even the obstacles that have taught me something. I know that I've been put on this earth for a special, divine purpose.
