Picture this. You move across multiple states to get a corporate job with a multi-billion dollar company. You’re great at your job and you love what you do, but one day, you walk into work and find out that your entire department has been eliminated.
For Jim Safron, this nightmare was a reality. This motivated Jim to change his entire career path by opening his first Burn Boot Camp location, “I never want to be in that position again. I would rather bet on myself, and thankfully, their severance package was the exact price we needed to buy into Burn.”
Through his success, he prides himself on creating the best possible teams to help him run his gyms. “If we’re going to be successful, I need to put incredible people around me,” Jim recalls. His other business strategy is simple, “I talk about strategy a lot—building a strategy, putting a simple process together so that the people on the ground in the gyms every day can execute it. We’ve kept it very simple.” This strategy has allowed him to replicate his success in opening even more locations. Now, Jim and his wife, Nicole, currently own three Burn Boot Camp locations with an additional three in development.
Watch this video to hear more of his inspiring message or continue below to read more of our interview with multi-gym owner, Jim Safron. Are you interested in what franchising with Burn Boot Camp could mean for you? Fill out our form to set up an introductory call, or simply visit our website to learn more about the opportunity to become a Burn Boot Camp owner.
What gave you the confidence to open your first Burn Boot Camp?
“It’s really a crazy story. I was applying for jobs when my Wi-Fi went out. I didn’t know what to do, so I got on my phone, and a Steve Harvey video came up. He talked about taking a chance, and that if you ever want to know your full potential, you’ve got to be able to jump. You’ve got to be able to take that opportunity when it’s sitting in front of you and make it happen. It sounds crazy, but it was really the beginning.”
“A few months before that, my wife had received a flier from Burn Boot Camp about franchising opportunities. I called her on the phone and asked where she had put the flier.”
What about Burn made you feel like that chance was worth taking?
“I love the model. I felt like it was the winner. There was something very intriguing about empowering women. And to this day, we only serve women in our gyms. We never went coed in any of my gyms, and I would never plan to do that. I think there is something special about women when they get together, and there are just no guys around that make it special and they build. They build their own communities and their own support systems.”
Talk to me about your ownership journey. How has that progressed from the beginning to where you are now?
“Our gym in Woodstock was a learning experience for us. My first Trainer, Jody, now owns the location in Peachtree City. We went through that journey together, and we learned a lot of the right things to do, and certainly a lot of the wrong things to do.”
“Financially, we didn’t have the money to open more than one Burn Boot Camp before Atlanta. The areas that I was interested in were already taken. So, I talked with Burn Boot Camp’s Vice President of Franchising, and we started looking at areas. I had heard of Hoover, Alabama because it was one of the top-producing areas. We started looking at the demographics in that area, and I believe that was where our true journey began.”
“We were able to take what we had, the mistakes we made in Woodstock, and we did a lot better. We took everything that we learned from those gyms, and we put it into Hoover, and it exploded. That’s when I knew I had something.”
What is it about the model that you think makes it work?
“I think the part of the model that clicks, at least for us, is that we were able to figure out strategies. I talk about strategy a lot—building a strategy, putting a simple process together so that the people on the ground in the gyms every day can execute it. We’ve kept it very simple. In the way that we execute the strategies and run the process, we found that we can replicate it. I don’t think you ever get comfortable with it. There’s a point there when you’re scared, and you’re nervous, but it’s also very exciting.”
How has the support from Burn Boot Camp Headquarters helped you be successful in the business?
“HQ has given me air cover where I needed it. They’ve helped me where I needed help, but they also let me be when I needed to be. They know that I’m always going to do what I believe is the best thing for Burn. They’ve given me grace and allowed me to mess up.”
What is it about having that autonomy that’s important for you as a business owner?
“Oh, it’s my favorite part. It really is. As an example, when they said we’re going to make our gyms coed, I hated that idea. But they didn’t make me do it. You can do it, but you don’t have to do it. When we went to a rolling start on promotions, I didn’t like that idea. And they said you don’t have to do it, but it’s an option for you. And I love the fact that they give us options, and they give you the tools that you need to be able to execute those options.”
“This is a huge part of why I love Burn Boot Camp and why I’ll keep opening them. A lot of franchises aren’t like that.”
At the end of the day, opening multiple Burn Boot Camp gyms must be a smart financial decision for you as a business owner. How has it become that?
“It was scary. We sold our house and made the full move. You’re all in, or you’re not all in, right? We sold our house in Mooresville and moved to Birmingham. Nicole quit her job and got another job in Birmingham.”
“Everything started to come together. Financially, I never could have imagined living the way we live now. We have a beautiful home and a condo at the beach. We’ve got things, but we also have time. It’s incredible. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“It’s that freedom to be able to do those things. It comes with the responsibility, too. I spend a lot of mornings up at 4 AM or 5 AM, but my day looks the way I want my day to look, for the most part. I think there’s a lot to be said for that. I get to work with people that I just love working with.”
What does it mean to you to be changing lives in your gyms every day?
“It means everything. I think when you go through intense workouts like that as a group of women, there are bonds that are built. I love when I pull into the parking lot after Camp and there are four or five women walking together and talking. That’s camaraderie. And that doesn’t happen by accident. That happens because you went through something together. I love that part of it. We build our community through strong women.”
