Life & Work with Angie Salmon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Salmon. 

Hi Angie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started teaching Jazzercise in 1989 simply as a way to stay fit and, to be honest, channel my inner performer on stage. Fast forward a few years and after having my first baby I wanted to find a way to be a stay-at-home Mom but also have a side hustle to stimulate my mind and body. So, I took on franchise ownership of the Overland Park Jazzercise Center. Within four years we were in the Top Ten franchises in the world. We’ve been in business 27 years now and that baby is now one of my instructors! 

Throughout the years my focus has just been to recruit, train and mentor instructors, offer plenty of classes, nurture the business and help customers and instructors through their fitness journey. Being a Jazzercise instructor and owner is so much more than just teaching dance-fitness classes. It’s about inspiring others, creating a community of instructors who are uplifting, and empowering women to help support our customers through fitness. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think any business owner, especially after 27 years, would say that it’s never 100% smooth. As a new owner working to build the business (and raise two babies), it was physically and mentally demanding to say the least. I taught an average of ten weekly classes for a few years before I established a strong team of instructors to take on some of that load. Once I established that solid team it became more of a “well-oiled machine”. 

Along the way, competition in the boutique fitness industry exploded de-segmenting the market so we had our challenges overcoming that, and still do today. We are a very small, local business – your “corner store, family-owned fitness business”. 

The pandemic, obviously, has been our greatest challenge of late. However, Jazzercise outperformed most fitness programs losing about 30% of our clientele (compared to industry standard of around 68%) during the pandemic. How did we do this? First, we have a very strong long-term customer base who really just want to do Jazzercise – that is their fitness of choice and they’re sticking with it! Secondly, we were able to deliver our classes with a blend of in-studio and local livestream which we continue today. Finally, we have very personal connections with our customers, both old and new. A sense of community has become even more important and no one does that better than us. We are the “Cheers” of fitness. 🙂 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My Jazzercise Fitness Center is my “side hustle”. My full-time job is Center Sales Manager for our corporate franchisor, Jazzercise, Inc. As a Sales Manager, my job is to help franchisees who own brick and mortar locations grow their businesses. From lease negotiations to team building and management to pricing, promotions, and marketing, I help owners navigate all that is needed to be successful. I currently manage 14 states and about 85 class owners from Alaska to Georgia. I am also the Recruiting Specialist for Jazzercise, Inc. As a center owner myself, I like that I can really relate to the owners whom I coach and mentor. I’m in the trenches with them! I understand when they have to make difficult decisions or have difficult conversations as I sometimes have to do the same. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Oh my yes. Covid taught me to have more patience. With both my team and my customers we had people run from one end of the spectrum to the other with regard to comfort. Some wanted in-person classes immediately. Some are still live streaming because they are not comfortable coming in studio. We have to be understanding of the very different situations people are in. We don’t always know their story or where they stand and that’s okay. 

I also learned the importance of community. Even when we could not be physically together, we found it important to find ways to be together virtually – through social, postcards, phone calls, emails, even hand-delivering earned promo items to their homes. More than ever, people needed each other but it was so difficult to deliver in a normal way. Extending support in any way we could definitely helped our customers and staff still feel our wonderful sense of community. 

Pricing:

• All-Access Unlimited $119
• All-Access Unlimited 6 month $99
• One class $25
• 10 classes In Studio $189 (no exp)
• New Year Sale coming soon

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.jazzercise.com/location/jazzercise-overland-park-fitness-center
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opjazzercise/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OPJazzercise
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JazzerciseInc