Pumping Up The Fitness Industry
Sep 8, 2008
Author: Iris Winston (Ottawa Business Journal)
For article on OBJ website Click Here
OTTAWA NATIVE JEAN-LUC BOISSONNEAULT is the founder and CEO of Free Form Fitness, a Kanata health club that customizes its services and places a heavy emphasis on personal training, together with integrating exercise, nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits.
The recently married company head opened the business in 2006 at 24, he already has seven years experience as a personal trainer. Even his earliest jobs in a supplement store and a gym were related to his vocation and exercise remains both his profession and his favorite pastime.
Free Form Fitness, which started as a two-person business, now has 10 employees. The company is a member of the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and the Kanata Chamber of Commerce.
What are you main day-to-day responsibilities at Free Form Fitness?
To figure out where we are going and how to get there. To make sure everyone follows our mission and values, and to motivate staff and think of different concepts of where to grow.
Who are the company's major clients?
Many of our clients are self-employed. We have a lot of executives, mostly businessmen and women.
Has the company won any awards?
Free Form Fitness was a finalist for best new business in Kanata last year and a finalist for best business this year.
What was your most recent major achievement?
My biggest achievement was representing Canada at the World championships in the junior bodybuilding championships in 2003. Through going to the world championships, I gained so much determination and drive and an ability to look at the big picture.
What are your main career accomplishments?
Opening the business was a landmark. Moving from being self-employed to becoming a business owner was a big change in my life.
What is your biggest success?
Having the right people on the bus. We have great clients, a great staff and great business associates. We are really building a culture and vision that people believe in.
What was your biggest mistake?
When we first opened, I hired five high school students to put flyers on cars to let people know we were here. The problem was that it started to rain. Because the flyers were glossy, they stuck to the windshields. We had a whole lot of phone calls on our first day. It seemed we had upset the whole high-tech park, but I solved the problem by going out to wash the windshields of the cars belonging to anyone who called.
The funny thing was that it turned out to be the most direct response we have ever had on any promotion. A lot of people came in after reading the flyers and several joined up.
Do you have a mentor?
Many of the clients are business people and enjoy helping me. Two in particular really stick in mind: Claude Dagenais, the president of Junicon Homes, and Brent Thomson, the managing partner of Peak Sales Recruiting.
What is your favorite saying?
Business is just a game. When you have those stressed-out moments, you can always think back to that.
What is your favorite website?
The site belonging to the nutritionist Robert Crayhon: www.robertcrayhon.com.
What is your favorite book?
The Dip, by Seth Godin.
What is your business philosophy?
Be real. Tell the truth. Never mind all the fluffy stuff. Just get the results that the client wants to get. True success is measured in transformed bodies and lives.
What is the state of your industry?
The fitness industry is extremely competitive, but I am from a competitive background, world competition at the international level, so I love competition. It keeps me going and growing.
What is your advice to businesspeople entering the workforce?
Be yourself. Don't be scared to be different. Have clear goals. The plan for Free Form Fitness is to have 100 locations across Canada in the next seven years.
