This week I interviewed Mompreneur Lisa Druxman. Lisa is a true inspiration to all women who are trying to manage a busy work and home life.  Lisa is proof that you CAN be a highly successful entrepreneur and raise a family at the same time.

Matthew: Tell us a little about your business and how you started it?

Lisa: Stroller Strides was one of those “ah ha moments” in your life. I was a new mom on maternity leave and every moment was precious to me. I loved working in the fitness industry but did not want to go back to work full time in a traditional capacity. Unfortunately, I could not afford to be a stay at home mom. So while working out with my son, I realized that I could help other moms get back in to shape if I put a class together. This would help me too because I did not know any new moms and was looking for a way to connect. I came up with the name on that very walk. I started with just a few moms in my local neighbourhood and word soon spread and we grew quickly from there.

Matthew: Stroller Strides has grown so quickly in just a few years. Tell us how you took it from a home business to a national franchise?

Lisa: Just after starting that first class, we started getting requests for classes all over San Diego, so we kept adding more. By the end of the first year, we had over 12 classes and 1000 moms participating in San Diego. During that first year, we got requests for classes all over the country. I had no idea at the time how I would accomplish that one. Then one of my instructors said that she was moving and wanted to start classes in her new town. I agreed and gave her all of the plans to run her own classes. She was a hit. We then decided to release 10 “beta” locations across the country to see how it would work in other cities. We learned a lot, tweaked a few things and then they were a hit. We hired attorneys, worked with consultants and joined the International Franchise Association. We are now franchised across the country and have nearly 300 franchisees.

Matthew: What is a typical “day in the life” of Lisa like?

Lisa: Wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 and grab coffee that has been pre-set and ready. Get on my computer and work on emails from about 5:00 – 6:30 when my kids wake up. I will do the mom thing and get their breakfast, pack my son’s lunch, get them dressed, etc. My son will go to school and then I will take Rachel to Stroller Strides class 3 days per week. My nanny meets me after class and I head right to the house to work. These traditional work hours are when I schedule my meetings, phone calls, etc. I work until about 4:00 when my son comes home from school. I then do the mommy thing again until they go to bed. Luckily, my kids go to bed early (about 7:00). I then work from 7:00 – 10ish and go to bed and it starts all over again.

Matthew: Now that you have moved well beyond home business, do you still work from home or do you have a corporate office?

Lisa: What about your employees, are they mostly moms? Believe it or not, I still work from home. We bought the home that we have because we knew that the office would well fit all of our employees as they come and go. I have 12 employees who all have keys to my house and come in throughout the week. They too are home based but come here for meetings or to get special work done. It’s a little strange but it works for all of us. All of my employees are moms! We had a couple who were not but have since become moms since starting with us. We are a very “fertile” company – no joke!

Matthew: How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom?What falls by the wayside?

Lisa: It’s a constant juggle. Attitude is EVERYTHING. Have a sense of humor. It’s evolved as my business has evolved. I hire for more help than I did as I’m working a lot more. I do my best to be 100% present when I’m with my kids and the same for my business. That means that when I’m with my kids I never pick up my work phone or check emails. When I’m working, I don’t answer my home phone, put on a load of laundry, etc. I don’t waste time with long emails, personal calls, etc. I’m very focused and some may feel a little too brief. I’m just very conscious of time.

Matthew: In your opinion what is the greatest thing about Stroller Strides?

Lisa: There is no one thing. It is such a feel good program on many levels. Personally I feel that one of the greatest things is that we give women around the country the opportunity to have a career that is supportive of motherhood. We are a company run by moms, for moms. But it’s so much more than that. We help moms at a very challenging (but wonderful) time in their life. We support them physically and emotionally through motherhood. For the kids, I am a true believer that we are inspiring this next generation to embrace health and fitness because it’s a part of their lives since infanthood.

Matthew: Let us talk about your franchising opportunity. Are most of your franchisees women and if so why?

Lisa: All of our franchisees are women and most are moms. The business is very female based. I don’t think a man would identify with that it’s about family first, not money. Besides, I think we would scare a man away at the first talk about leaking breasts and kegel exercises. We get applicants for working for the company and franchising every day of the year. I think it just shows that there are not enough careers out there supportive of motherhood.

Matthew: What kind of support do you offer your franchisees?

Lisa: A ton! Moms need support so we want this business to have as many tools as possible. We have an incredible franchise support team. But we also have a web based business center that is chock full of tutorials, demo’s, trainings, forums and more.

Matthew: What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas?

Lisa: Proceed with caution. Although I would not change my experience for the world, I don’t think everyone has skin thick enough for this. It’s hard for sure! Be prepared to risk a lot and be prepared to work a lot! Bigger is not always better. Think about why you want to start your business and what’s important for you. Decide what drives you. Is it money, being home with your kids, etc? Be true to that on your journey.

Matthew: How did you finance your business (personal contributions, loans from friends & family, loans from bank, credit cards, outside investors?).

Lisa: We grew organically. What I mean by that is that we spent only what we had to. Any time we made money, we re-invested it back in to the company. We have tapped in to our home line of credit and credit cards when we’ve had to at various times in the business. Not sure that I would recommend that. We got one small SBA loan during later years in the business.

Matthew: What process did you follow to determine your program’s marketability?

Lisa: I didn’t have any intention of growing this to an international company. I planned to just stay in my hometown of San Diego. But we started getting calls and emails from all over the country asking for classes. It dawned on me that we were on to something. We realized that moms spread the word better than any advertisement could so we have really focused on offering a great program and giving our members incentives to create referrals. We tested the program out in 10 different regions the first year to see how it may have different needs and fine tuned it from there.

Matthew: How do you strive to achieve a work/life balance?

Lisa: I schedule workout time for myself a few times / week just like I would any other appointment. I also have rules for myself that I am very good about keeping. For instance, I won’t take night appointments even though they would be much appreciated by other moms. My day is long and I need to draw the line somewhere. When I’m with my kids, I do my best to truly be with them and when I’m working, I stay totally focused on work. You do NOT have to answer your home phone just because you are working at home. Save personal calls for when you are driving on errands.

Matthew: What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your company and program?

Lisa: The biggest learning curve was definitely the transition to franchising. Creating fitness programs was easy for me. I know marketing, PR, etc. However, franchising is a totally different model. We had to rely on a lot of experts in this area to teach us and support us.

Matthew: How long did it take to get your program from idea to market (conception to product launch)?

Lisa: It was actually incredibly quick because it started very small. I had the idea and decided to start a class in my neighbourhood. I had a logo and flyers designed and I was in business a month later. I think it’s important to perfect your product before you grow it.

Matthew: What has been your greatest success or “high point” in the process?

Lisa: There have been so many. My team laughs at me because I always say that this month is our best yet and then the next month I say the same. I really believe it. Our first big high point was when The Today Show came out to do a big story on us. It was amazing! That just led to so many more opportunities for us.

Matthew: Have you experienced a “low point” and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track?

Lisa: Yes, a few. We work so hard to do the right thing so when we’ve had some legal issues or financial issues, it can be deflating. I get myself back on track to think about the 700+ instructors we have nationwide and the 20,000+ moms who are depending on me to make it work.

Matthew: What has been the biggest hurdle you have faced in your business so far and how did you overcome the hurdle?

Lisa: Believe it or not, the biggest hurdle is in balancing work with motherhood. When you are working, you feel like you should be with your kids and when you are with your kids, you feel like you should be working. Of course, growing a new business, there are financial challenges. We have chosen to fund the company ourselves rather than bring in investors. This way, we can truly run the company as we see fit and only have to answer to ourselves.

Matthew: If you had your time again, is there anything in business that you would do differently?

Lisa: Hire the right attorney from the start. A good attorney and a good accountant are priceless

Matthew: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Lisa: I hope that all women follow their dreams. I’ve learned that truly anything is possible. The only thing that separates us is those who think about their ideas and those who actually move on those ideas. Go for it. There’s nothing wrong with failure. You just brush yourself off, pick yourself up and go for it again. Approach life as if the net will always appear when you take a leap!

—————–

Matthew Toren