The entrepreneurial spirit is in her blood

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[00:00] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Canada's Entrepreneur, where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: across Canada and deliver the news, trends, knowledge and opinions from entrepreneurs and business
[00:13] SPEAKER_01: influences across the country. Hello, I'm Mario Taniguchi, managing editor of Canada's Entrepreneur,
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: joining me today on Calgary's podcast, is Christine Vir, who is former owner of Shakers in Calgary,
[00:28] SPEAKER_01: and now on New Venture in the fitness space called FS8. Thanks for joining us, Christine.
[00:36] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, awesome. Thanks for having me, Mario. This is great.
[00:39] SPEAKER_01: But this new venture, FS8, first of all, what does that stand for and tell me what it is?
[00:45] SPEAKER_02: Sure. So FS8 stands for Functional Strength 8, and the 8 is for 8 different modalities.
[00:52] SPEAKER_02: Don't ask me to list them off the top of my head because I'm not going to remember right now,
[00:56] SPEAKER_02: but it's really about incorporating strengthening, mobility, stretching, and weight training within
[01:03] SPEAKER_02: one workout. So FS8 combines a little bit of yoga, a little bit of toning, and a little bit of
[01:09] SPEAKER_02: Pilates Reformer workout into one combination so that you kind of touch on all the different
[01:15] SPEAKER_01: modalities as you're going through your workout. Now, I'm assuming this is a franchise model.
[01:21] SPEAKER_02: Sure, it is. Yeah, so it's a franchise that originally started in Australia about five
[01:26] SPEAKER_02: years ago. They've recently moved their head office into Austin about the past year.
[01:31] SPEAKER_02: We've started to expand the brand globally. So currently, we're opening up a location in Calgary.
[01:37] SPEAKER_02: It will be open July 12th, and it will be the second location in Canada, the first in Western Canada.
[01:43] SPEAKER_01: Okay, tell me just a little bit about the reasons behind, you know, we'll get into your history,
[01:50] SPEAKER_01: but on that talk about, you know, a little bit of why you got into this, why this particular venture.
[01:58] SPEAKER_02: Sure. Yeah, so I had sold my last business at the beginning of the pandemic, coincidentally,
[02:03] SPEAKER_02: and I was kind of exploring what my different options might be as an entrepreneur, where was I
[02:08] SPEAKER_02: going to go? And I got really into biohacking and weight training, and I ended up enduring myself
[02:14] SPEAKER_02: during that period of time. And so I knew I needed to incorporate a different type of modality.
[02:18] SPEAKER_02: So I looked to Pilates to be that solution for myself. So I got really into Pilates in Calgary.
[02:24] SPEAKER_02: And as the business owner of the entrepreneur, I was like, man, this is such a great,
[02:29] SPEAKER_02: like we need some product like this. And FSH just kind of came across my view. And I went down
[02:35] SPEAKER_02: to Austin, I learned more about the business behind it. So it's actually a conglomerate or it's owned
[02:40] SPEAKER_02: by F-45, the other training company that we have helped view them in Calgary. And I really fell in
[02:47] SPEAKER_02: love with the leadership and the brand and where they were taking it. So I saw an opportunity for
[02:52] SPEAKER_02: myself as an entrepreneur. So I asked if I could bring it back to Calgary and expand the brand here in Alberta.
[02:57] SPEAKER_01: Borten is it like when you come to the whole franchise model, you know, it's an idea that seems
[03:07] SPEAKER_01: to be growing crazy, right? These days, whether it's business, whether it's food, etc. What does it work?
[03:16] SPEAKER_02: Yeah. So for this particular model, it works really well because I mean, it can work really well.
[03:24] SPEAKER_02: Let's put it that way. So it depends how you are as an entrepreneur. For me, what I love about it is
[03:28] SPEAKER_02: they've come to the table with a really polished professional brand. The workouts that we do are all
[03:35] SPEAKER_02: created by our head office, by certified Pilates instructors, movement coaches, doctors, physiotherapists,
[03:42] SPEAKER_02: to ensure that we are creating a product that works really well for everybody's body.
[03:46] SPEAKER_02: And that's one thing that was really important to me because there's a lot of people out there that
[03:50] SPEAKER_02: are creating different types of programs and are suggesting that you do different things, but it might
[03:55] SPEAKER_02: not be the best thing for your body at that time. So we've created a program that is adaptable to where
[04:01] SPEAKER_02: you are right now so that you can either do it as it is. We can make it easier for you or we can make
[04:07] SPEAKER_02: it more difficult for you. So you're always getting that nice, energized, best body workout.
[04:12] SPEAKER_02: As far as the franchise goes, I love the fact that they supply a lot of the marketing materials.
[04:16] SPEAKER_02: They provide guidance on how to run your business effectively. And they bring a really nice polished
[04:22] SPEAKER_02: brand to the table, which already gives you leverage into the community to show up as a professional
[04:28] SPEAKER_02: brand and get the excitement behind what you're doing because they've already created it in other
[04:32] SPEAKER_01: places in the world. Yeah, let's backtrack for a second here, Dean and talk about your former
[04:39] SPEAKER_01: business and the health folks just about shakers and a little bit about shakers and then what happened?
[04:47] SPEAKER_02: Sure. So gosh, back in the day, I had, gosh, this was 20 years ago now, I just had a child and
[04:55] SPEAKER_02: I was looking around Calgary and I'm like, what am I going to do with my child in Calgary? And
[04:59] SPEAKER_02: there really weren't many options back then. And so I came across a concept called a family
[05:05] SPEAKER_02: entertainment center and they were growing big in the United States and I went down there and
[05:10] SPEAKER_02: learned a lot about family entertainment. And I said, you know, Calgary needs this. So back in 2004,
[05:15] SPEAKER_02: my family and myself, we started a business here called Shakers Family Fund Center. And so it was
[05:20] SPEAKER_02: a seven acre park where we had multiple attractions from bowling to go carts, minigolf, laser tag,
[05:28] SPEAKER_02: we had arcade games. We hosted parties from 10 people, all the way up to 2,000 people, so big corporate
[05:33] SPEAKER_02: events. And so that was really my first introduction myself as an entrepreneur. I had tons of
[05:39] SPEAKER_02: background with my parents from other ventures that they've been involved in. I think I was born
[05:43] SPEAKER_02: into the entrepreneurial culture and there's no other way I could live my life at this point.
[05:47] SPEAKER_02: But Shakers was great. We started that back in 2006 and we closed it down right at the beginning
[05:52] SPEAKER_02: of the pandemic and got really, really lucky and we're able to get out of that business because
[05:56] SPEAKER_02: we would have been down probably for about a year, year and a half with COVID rolling in.
[06:01] SPEAKER_01: So tell me, what do you think you learned through the Shakers experience that's helpful for
[06:09] SPEAKER_02: what you're doing now? Yeah, I mean, I'd say the biggest takeaway I have is just learning how to
[06:14] SPEAKER_02: manage a deal with people because people are really the force behind your business, building that
[06:19] SPEAKER_02: culture and making it super strong and treating your staff like they're a client as well. So all my
[06:25] SPEAKER_02: staff are super important to me. I want to know what's going on in their lives. I want to know what
[06:29] SPEAKER_02: I can do to be elevating their experience while they're working for me and I can be helping them
[06:33] SPEAKER_02: turn into little leaders within my business so that they can take these skills and become better
[06:38] SPEAKER_01: people out in the world. You mentioned the kind of entrepreneurial background from family. Tell
[06:45] SPEAKER_01: me a little bit more about that and for your parents involved with. Yeah, so my father was a card
[06:53] SPEAKER_02: dealership guy. So he opened up a four dealership in Edmonton back in 82 during the whole
[06:59] SPEAKER_02: hub oil crisis, which if you can go back that far, if you're old enough to understand that, it was
[07:04] SPEAKER_02: a really difficult time in retail and in financing. So he really struggled through that business.
[07:10] SPEAKER_02: But as a young girl, I got to watch him create a business, go through the struggles of it and
[07:15] SPEAKER_02: kind of understand that just because you open something doesn't mean it's going to work. And so I
[07:20] SPEAKER_02: saw a lot of failure, but in that failure, there were tons of lessons. My mother, she was a
[07:25] SPEAKER_02: cosmetic guru. So she used to have a home cosmetic parties where she'd bring women in. They sit at
[07:31] SPEAKER_02: the table, they do facials, put on makeup and she was teaching people how to feel better about
[07:35] SPEAKER_02: themselves in their own skin. Eventually, my mother got involved in the body shop. So the
[07:41] SPEAKER_02: hair and skin care company. And we had the franchise for Alberta and Calgary. And I'd say I was
[07:47] SPEAKER_02: about 14 at the time when that I was involved in that. And that's really where my route set in for
[07:52] SPEAKER_02: entrepreneurship. So the body shop has an amazing background of being very ethical, being very people
[07:58] SPEAKER_02: forward, giving back to the world. And so that's really where everything set in for me as an entrepreneur.
[08:03] SPEAKER_02: And I said, okay, these are the values that I have to take forward in any business that I create and
[08:08] SPEAKER_02: make sure that we're giving back and we're doing or having a positive effect on the people around us.
[08:12] SPEAKER_01: What do you think you learned from your parents about business, about being an entrepreneur?
[08:20] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think really it's about grit. It's just you have to kind of let things roll off your back
[08:26] SPEAKER_02: because every day you're going to come up against a situation which is going to feel challenging
[08:31] SPEAKER_02: and difficult to get through. And you just have to know that's part of the journey. And every time
[08:35] SPEAKER_02: you just step, you solve a problem and you get to the next level, it's rewarding and it keeps pushing
[08:41] SPEAKER_01: yourself forward and your business forward. Now let's take a look at specifically operating
[08:48] SPEAKER_01: a business in Calgary and in Alberta in general. What will you say the main benefits are for
[08:56] SPEAKER_02: operating a business here? Yeah, I think I mean, Calgary is a great city not only to live in but
[09:02] SPEAKER_02: to also do business in. It's very entrepreneurial. There's a lot of people that have great ideas.
[09:06] SPEAKER_02: I think with our oil and gas base, it also provides a significant amount of wealth in the city.
[09:13] SPEAKER_02: So people are willing to go out and try different things and be more entrepreneurial because they
[09:19] SPEAKER_02: have some support in doing that. The city is actually in my opinion becoming very multicultural. We
[09:27] SPEAKER_02: see lots of different ethnics and origins within the city which is really great allows us to experience
[09:32] SPEAKER_02: different things and see different cultures in action. And I think that we are a progressive city.
[09:37] SPEAKER_02: And so we're starting to see lots of new ventures and new ideas coming to the city so we get to
[09:44] SPEAKER_01: experience some new things. Yeah, exactly. Today, and in, you know, what do you think are the biggest
[09:53] SPEAKER_01: challenges that not to prepare basis considering everything is going out there on right now with
[09:59] SPEAKER_01: terror outside the economy and all that type of stuff? Well, I think challenges, I think I don't
[10:06] SPEAKER_02: sure it ever changes. I mean, I think everything goes in cycles. Things go up and down constantly.
[10:12] SPEAKER_02: That's always how they work. If you enter at a low cycle and it's difficult, then you probably
[10:18] SPEAKER_02: will do a better job of growing your business because you've had to work harder to get it there.
[10:22] SPEAKER_02: Right? Then if you come in and during a heyday and customers are just flocking to you because
[10:25] SPEAKER_02: everything is good, I think that's, you know, I mean, we're always spaced with different
[10:32] SPEAKER_02: policy currently. That can be a little bit challenging within Canada in general. But I still think
[10:39] SPEAKER_02: that Calgary offers a great environment to become entrepreneurial and there still can be a lot of
[10:43] SPEAKER_01: success to be found within the city. Now, you know, one of the things that I'm always amazed at is
[10:50] SPEAKER_01: the number of businesses, new businesses that pop up. And especially when it comes now to certain
[10:57] SPEAKER_01: industries and all the food, fixed service industries, you know, there's so many, so many
[11:05] SPEAKER_01: business businesses the same way. And I'm curious from your standpoint, like what is the key?
[11:11] SPEAKER_01: What is the key to success here in an environment that can increasingly gets more and more competitive?
[11:18] SPEAKER_02: Sure. I think that it's all about your community. So you're right. There are a lot of different types
[11:24] SPEAKER_02: of fitness things that you can be involved in in the city. Certainly, but it's about, in my mind,
[11:30] SPEAKER_02: it's creating your third spot almost. This is what I call it. So your first spot is home, your second
[11:34] SPEAKER_02: spot is you go to work. But if we can be your third spot, so your place where you come, you get your
[11:39] SPEAKER_02: physical, you get your physical exercise. So something that's really important for your body,
[11:44] SPEAKER_02: your around a community of people that are all trying to build and do the same thing. And it's
[11:48] SPEAKER_02: a beautiful place to come. It's inviting and you get to see some of your friends or or
[11:53] SPEAKER_02: or with some of your friends while you're there. I think that's what's really important with
[11:57] SPEAKER_01: fitness and community. Now, if you were, if you had a young person come up to you and say,
[12:05] SPEAKER_01: I want to be an entrepreneur, what would you tell them? What advice would you give?
[12:10] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just, I mean, really go for it. Don't dip your toe in the water. If you are choosing to
[12:16] SPEAKER_02: travel down that path, no, number one, it's going to be probably, it's going to be a journey,
[12:20] SPEAKER_02: for sure. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs, but there's always a solution. So never
[12:24] SPEAKER_02: think that you're going to get stuck without finding a solution. Build a group of mentors around
[12:30] SPEAKER_02: yourself to help you if you get stuck. And you know, focus on networking and connecting within
[12:36] SPEAKER_02: the city so that you know the right people. So when something an opportunity comes up, you know,
[12:40] SPEAKER_02: go to reach out to you or if you run into a challenge, you also know how to run into and who can
[12:44] SPEAKER_01: help you solve those challenges. Now, you know, we know that being an entrepreneur is quite busy.
[12:52] SPEAKER_01: You're always, you're always either working or your mind is working on the business. What,
[12:59] SPEAKER_01: what do you do? I guess to get away from that and have full and full balance in your life.
[13:07] SPEAKER_02: I don't know that balance exists. But I mean, I do enjoy some activities. I mean, we're in
[13:15] SPEAKER_02: the one of those beautiful areas of the world. The mountains are playground honestly. So I took me
[13:20] SPEAKER_02: a long time to recognize that and appreciate that. So I love getting out to those areas and doing
[13:25] SPEAKER_02: some hiking and walking. I personally am still into weight training. So I enjoy bodybuilding and
[13:31] SPEAKER_02: going to the gym. And really, I love business, the idea of business itself. I've been part of
[13:38] SPEAKER_02: an organization called Entrepreneurs Organization for 16 years now. And part of that is seeing different
[13:45] SPEAKER_02: speakers constantly growing my leadership skills, learning new things, volunteering within the
[13:50] SPEAKER_02: organization so that I can grow myself and be a better business owner. It's just thing you've
[13:55] SPEAKER_01: brought that up. I'm just curious of how important is it to be tied into some sort of network of
[14:02] SPEAKER_02: like-minded people and comes to business? Yeah, for me. And I think for a lot of people within
[14:08] SPEAKER_02: the organization, they'd say it's critical to help your growth and your success. I joined back
[14:13] SPEAKER_02: when I had shakers because I mean, imagine I had 80, 15 to 20 year olds working for me and no other
[14:20] SPEAKER_02: leadership at the top to support me. And so I was kind of pulling my hair out going, I don't know
[14:25] SPEAKER_02: what to do. How do I set my business up for success? So by joining Entrepreneurs Organization,
[14:30] SPEAKER_02: I was able to get into what we call form group, which is a group of your peers that have different
[14:36] SPEAKER_02: types of businesses where you get to share on a monthly basis what's going on and they can advise
[14:40] SPEAKER_02: or help or you can ask for help. And so that was definitely one of the benefits. And then just
[14:46] SPEAKER_02: being around other people that are going through the same thing, nobody really understands the
[14:49] SPEAKER_02: entrepreneurial journey unless they've actually gone through it themselves. So being able to talk
[14:54] SPEAKER_02: to people that have come up against the same struggles have had to find solutions and are able
[14:59] SPEAKER_02: to give you some guidance to direct you to solve your problems faster than you might have otherwise.
[15:03] SPEAKER_02: I think it's fabulous. And then the other thing about the organization, which is wonderful, is
[15:08] SPEAKER_02: they're always looking at ways to help you grow your leadership skills. And it's watching. How does
[15:12] SPEAKER_02: another person within the organization react within their business? And how can you change
[15:17] SPEAKER_02: something that you're doing to be more effective in the way that you're operating as a leader and
[15:21] SPEAKER_01: inside of your business? So I'm also curious, as you've grown as a business person, along that
[15:30] SPEAKER_01: journey, were there any kind of role models you had that you looked up to whether they were like
[15:37] SPEAKER_01: like people like you know right here or people out there that are well-known business leaders
[15:44] SPEAKER_02: that helped you in that journey? Yeah, I mean, there I would say there's different books that I read.
[15:49] SPEAKER_02: So you know, good to grade. I think that's Jim Collins. Daniel Pink wrote a ton of different
[15:55] SPEAKER_02: books on how to be an effective leader within your organization and how to grow the culture within
[16:00] SPEAKER_02: your organization. But just in EO in general, it's a global organization. So not only was I
[16:07] SPEAKER_02: exposed to people locally in Calgary who showed me how they did things, but from people all over the
[16:11] SPEAKER_02: world, from India to Europe to you know, all throughout the US. And so a lot of people who we wouldn't
[16:19] SPEAKER_02: know, per se, have really helped shape me as a leader and Tommy some really valuable lessons in my
[16:24] SPEAKER_01: life. Okay, now when you're looking at the company itself now, then do you think you might have
[16:32] SPEAKER_02: future growth there or you just would absolutely. And that was part of the reason why I chose this
[16:38] SPEAKER_02: brand because it was new to Canada and there was an opportunity to expand the models. So we are just
[16:44] SPEAKER_02: about to open our doors on the first location on July 12th here. It's up in West District,
[16:49] SPEAKER_02: but we are also going to be expanding within the city of Calgary and I expect to see probably
[16:55] SPEAKER_02: six to eight locations of this within the next five years in Calgary. So we're looking for our
[17:00] SPEAKER_02: second and third locations currently and just hoping to get those locked in and have some studios
[17:05] SPEAKER_02: ready for the beginning and the new year in different parts of the city. So it's accessible for
[17:09] SPEAKER_01: everybody. Interesting you brought the real estate stuff up. Is that a difficult thing?
[17:16] SPEAKER_02: It's so challenging. It really is and I think for myself too, I probably have some post-traumatic
[17:22] SPEAKER_02: stress disorder around it because my last business was really large. It was seven acres and we
[17:27] SPEAKER_02: situated ourselves in a part of Calgary and we thought Calgary was going to grow to us and it never
[17:31] SPEAKER_02: did. And so it was part of what really made that business struggle. And so for me, now as I'm picking
[17:38] SPEAKER_02: locations, I want to really find the right location where we're going to have enough density and the
[17:41] SPEAKER_02: right type of clientele that will attend these locations. And they have to be the right size.
[17:47] SPEAKER_02: You have to get the right landlord. It is very complex and the city doesn't have a ton of
[17:53] SPEAKER_02: spaces available. I mean, maybe in the downtown core, there's a lot of vacancy. I think that's
[17:57] SPEAKER_02: populating though and it's not as there's not as much as there used to be, but there isn't a ton of
[18:03] SPEAKER_02: available locations right now. There's a lot in the works and that are being built that you kind
[18:07] SPEAKER_02: of play a waiting game and trying to find the right location for your business.
[18:11] SPEAKER_01: I think that's the one thing that a lot of entrepreneurs tend to forget in the sense that
[18:19] SPEAKER_01: they got the concept and all that stuff and the idea, but to find somewhere where you could lay
[18:27] SPEAKER_01: lay foundation, it can be tough and Calgary is not unlike any other major cities.
[18:37] SPEAKER_01: It doesn't come like that, right? It takes a while to find it.
[18:42] SPEAKER_01: It does. Yeah. Anything else you wanted to mention, Kristi?
[18:47] SPEAKER_02: Gosh, no, I mean, just other than to reinforce, if you want to try a workout and you want to learn
[18:55] SPEAKER_02: what FSA, it is all about, we're going to be opening July 12th. You can visit our website, which is
[19:00] SPEAKER_02: fsa.com, Borge slash West District Calgary or just Google West FSA, West District Calgary, and it's
[19:06] SPEAKER_02: probably easier that way the website will come up. You can purchase five pack tall classes to
[19:11] SPEAKER_02: give all of our different classes a try and see what it's all about and then give us some feedback
[19:16] SPEAKER_02: and let us know what you think about the experience. Okay, wonderful. Thanks so much,
[19:21] SPEAKER_01: Kristi, for joining us today. Awesome. Thanks for having me. Okay, that was Kristi,
[19:25] SPEAKER_01: Bure, who is former owner of Shakers and Calgary and now a new venture in the fitness space
[19:32] SPEAKER_01: called FS8, I'm Mario Toneguzi, managing editor of Canada's Entrepreneur. Thanks for joining us
[19:39] SPEAKER_01: today.