We recently connected with Erica Vellanti and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Erica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
In October of 2022 I was laying face down on the massage table and I had an idea. My husband and I had been talking about getting more connected to entrepreneurs in our local community but none of the local networking groups aligned with what we were looking for.
While I was laying on the massage table the name The Winner’s Circle popped into my head. I thought, “what if we created our own group for successful local business professionals and entrepreneurs?”
I went home and shared my idea with my husband, Nick, and he loved the idea!
We decided there was no better way to get a bunch of entrepreneurs to show up than to have a red carpet launch party. We rented a local non-profit art gallery, and sent out swanky, wax sealed invitations to all of our entrepreneur friends.
We promoted the heck out of the event and created a buzz on social media.
All of a sudden, people we didn’t even know were registering!
The day of the event we had several people cancel. It was hard not to get disappointed. I had butterflies in my belly wondering if anyone would show up at all.
The clock struck 6 and only one person had arrived. I could feel the panic rising in my throat as I wondered, “Did we just spend all this time and money for nothing?”
Then, another person walked in.
And, another!
We had 16 people show up for our launch party. It was less than I’d expected, but I trusted that the right people were in the room. At the end of the night, I got on stage and shared the vision that Nick and I had for the Winner’s Circle, and made and invitation to join us and become a Winner’s Circle Founding Member.
6 people said, “yes!” and we still have several of those early Founding Members in our group today!
Erica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Of course!
I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My parents owned a martial arts school. I grew up in my parent’s business. I was fascinated watching them enroll new members and teach classes. By the time I was 14 I was working in the family business, doing data entry, for $5 an hour.
Around that same time I began an apprenticeship, under my dad, to learn how to become a martial arts instructor. I fell in love with teaching! I told my dad I wanted to own a martial arts school, just like him, when I grew up.
My dad was equally elated and terrified when I told him I wanted to become a martial arts school owner. It had been a tough road for him to make the business profitable enough to be able to provide for our family. He wanted an easier path for me.
My dad sought out a martial arts business consulting group and invited me to tag along with him. By the age of 16 I was giving up my teenage weekends to ride with my dad to Jacksonville, FL and learn how to run a martial arts business.
I was one of the only females in the room. I furiously scribbled notes alongside middle aged, hardcore, martial arts school owners. Many of which had run successful schools for years. I listened, learned and implemented what I learned in my dad’s school.
Within 12 months the business more than doubled!
When I was 18 I successfully negotiated with my dad to support me in opening our first branch location!
Over the course of the next 8 years I grew my school to over 300 members. I sponsored 7 local elementary schools and presented awards to students from each class once per month. I won Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Top 30 Under 30 award, and I was the youngest award recipient at 20 years old.
8 year later, my school ranked in the top .01% of martial arts schools worldwide.
I’d hit all my goals by the age of 25, and I decided I needed to take a big leap if I wanted to expand my impact. I turned the school over to my dad and launched a consulting company called Martial Arts Success Team, with a business partner.
We taught martial arts school owners how to add an additional $100,000+ to their annual revenue through our After School and Summer Camp systems.
Within 2.5 years we became the top consulting company in the industry. We helped our clients collectively add over $10 million to their bottom lines!
In 2017, I sold my equity to my business partner and exited the company to pursue my dream of helping small business owners scale their companies. Which is what I’ve been doing ever since!
I’ve helped 8 figure companies add $1 million in revenue in 6 months, and I’ve helped mom and pop businesses go from inconsistent $20,000 months to consistent $50,000 months.
While the numbers are impressive, what gives me the most satisfaction is knowing I’m helping good people achieve their financial goals, and serve more people in their communities.
In January of 2022 my husband (then fiancé) and I launched the Winner’s Circle. We wanted to create a group for local business owners who wanted to grow. We wanted to be able to provide access to high level business coaching and create a space to facilitate and encourage local entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate.
In 2024 we will be launching the Winner’s Circle Adventure Club and the Wisdom Exchange podcast, so stay tuned!
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I was living in a high rise apartment complex in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Each morning I would take my french bulldog, Daisy on a walk outside, followed by a trip to the communal coffee station in the apartment clubhouse. One morning, as I was getting my coffee, I noticed someone I’d never seen before. It was Nick!
We exchanged quick hellos and went our separate ways. Over the next several months I found myself running into Nick all over St. Pete. I found myself waving to him as I was walking Daisy, as he sped by on his bike. I’d see him at coffee in the morning and he’d update me on his latest artistic endeavors, like glass blowing and woodworking.
After months of small talk and serendipitous meetings around town, I finally asked if he’d like to exchange numbers and go on a hike together.
We went on a hike together and ended up spending the entire day together! We’ve been inseparable ever since.
On Christmas Eve of 2022, Nick took me back to the nature preserve where we had our first date and proposed!
On January 11, 2023 we launched our business, The Winner’s Circle!
Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?
Selling a company isn’t easy. My first experience selling a company is when I sold my martial arts school to my dad. Emotions ran very high. I ended up signing over my equity and walking away with nothing.
But, I got what I wanted which was freedom and a clear conscience. I knew my dad was set up for success.
In 2017, I entered into negotiations with my business partner in the martial arts consulting company. This time, with more experience under my belt. My business partner and I had built a very successful company and it was clear that our visions for the next phase of business weren’t aligned.
We met in Starbucks (ironically the same exact place where we’d originally decided to partner up and build a business) and spent about an hour negotiating my exit.
I came to the meeting fully prepared. I knew what I wanted, and was clear on what I would not accept. This time, I successfully negotiated a very fair buy out.
The lessons I learned from both of these experiences were:
1. Get clear on what you want to get out of the deal, before entering a negotiation.
2. Don’t be afraid to walk away if the deal isn’t right.
3. The more I can understand the needs and desires of the person I’m negotiating with, the easier it is to find a win-win-win. They win, I win, and the business/ customers win.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheWinnersCircleStPete.com
- Instagram: @TheWinnersCircleStPete
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/EricaVellanti
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericavellanti/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzzilFU64xPYIW0lk5fxPHw
- Other: Personal IG is @EricaVellanti Nick’s IG is @VellantiDesign
Image Credits
Sandra Sonik Photography