Balancing multiple businesses and a new Eat The Frog Fitness Studio - all while raising their young family (of 4 children) is an art in and of itself. Spend a day with Garrett and Connie Lee as they tackle the hectic, but wonderful life they have created for themselves.
A typical day for one of our franchisees differs greatly from studio to studio. One benefit of owning your own franchise is the ability to create your own schedule, finding the perfect balance to fit your life. Some owners focus more on hiring a skilled team to run the day-to-day and act more as top leadership, getting reports on performance. Others opt for a more hands-on role in the studio, still hiring great management to work alongside them.
We caught up with Garrett and Connie Lee, owners of our Eat The Frog Fitness Desert Ridge, AZ and asked them how they juggle owning a franchise business, raising a young family, and putting their kids through online learning during the pandemic.
To set the stage, Garrett and Connie Lee are high school sweethearts who have been married for 8 years. They own another business and have four beautiful children, Haiden (7), Colton (5 ½), Emerson (4), and Ford (2).
Connie gave us her first-hand experience of what her and Garrett’s day looks like:
Connie:
6:00 am: My typical morning routine is a little different each day. Having four kids, my day always starts with a cup of coffee! I usually wake up with our youngest around 6:00, with the other kids waking up between 6:30-7:30.
7:30 – 3:00 pm: Once the rest of the kids are up, we make our beds and eat breakfast, get dressed for school, and now that school is online - we get right to work!
Throughout the day, I am always in contact with our studio manager/staff but I am not always on-site. I am checking emails and any text messages from members. I do my best to juggle home life with 4 kids and helping to support the studio where needed. It’s not always easy, but I enjoy it and try my best each day.
3:00 pm: Three to four times a week, I head into the studio around 3:00 pm to help the front desk! This is a great way for me to connect with our members and see the inner workings of the studio and how it is running. One of my favorite parts of owning a business is greeting the members at the front desk and building those relationships that are going to last forever.
Typically, if there’s an open spot in one of the sessions, that is when I will work out.
5:30 pm: Our last live-coached session is at 5:30 pm, so once it is over I help the team clean the studio and get ready for virtual hours. I usually arrive back home around 7:15. On the days I’m in the studio, Garrett is home with the kids helping them with homework and making dinner!
Garrett:
3:45 am: Garrett likes to be at the studio early since he runs multiple businesses! He wakes up at 3:45 am, grabs his coffee, and is out the door to get to the studio by 4:30 am. He enjoys the early morning shift because it gives him a chance to start his morning with a 5:00 am workout. There is no better way to start the day.
6:00 am - 7:15 pm: The middle of Garrett’s day differs depending on the day. If he is not in the studio, he’s busy managing the other company that he owns (Moving Team Six). He does a great job juggling phone calls, answering emails, engaging with clients, AND being an amazing father above it all.
Both Garrett and I knew when we started this business that we wanted to be engaged as much as possible. Active ownership where our members knew our names is very important to us. While we have an AMAZING staff we think it’s important for one of us to be there daily. Even if that means we are working from the studio office or jumping in a session, our presence is important.
We are both passionate about our businesses and want to share that same passion with our staff and members.
We asked Connie what the best part of owning her own Eat The Frog Fitness franchise was and she said, “there are so many things that drew us into wanting to own a franchise with Eat The Frog. I would say the concept of the workouts and the technology-infused experience is what caught our eye immediately. There isn’t anything quite like it out there. Also, the community aspect was so important to us, and we saw that with the #FrogSquad. With Eat the Frog being such a new brand, we knew we needed to get in now before it blew up. We are so happy with our decision and can’t wait to see where it all leads us. Our goal is to eventually own more locations, and we can’t wait to see where this journey takes us.”
If you are interested in Franchising with Eat The Frog Fitness? Visit the Franchise Opportunities for more information!