We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Harkins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

As an avid runner, I realized after running my fifth marathon that I needed to add strength training to my running regime. As a busy mom of five, I struggled with finding the time to get my runs in let alone adding in strength training. I wished there was a place that I could go to get both. I began to develop the idea of a fitness business that offered fifty classes from certified instructors combining interval training on the treadmill and strength training in an upbeat environment. Treadfit Beverly opened in August of 2015 and quickly became a success.

As a special education teacher, I often worked twelve plus hour days teaching classes at the gym before and after school and on the weekends. I worked tirelessly at home communicating with clients and the community, networking and establishing relationships with other local businesses, creating a solid marketing and social media plan, and continuing to perfect our product. Unfortunately, during these first few years in business, I often sacrificed time with my family to focus on the growth of the business.

Within the first year of opening Treadfit Beverly, I expanded to a larger facility in 2016. The move allowed us to add more treadmills and equipment addressing the growing attendance needs of the studio. As the studio grew, I continued to focus on the systems in place and building brand awareness. Our staff grew to eight and I continued to add classes to the schedule. During this time, I also focused on continuing to build relationships with community associations and businesses.

In 2018, I opened my second location in Western Springs, IL. I continued to work as a special education teacher in the Chicago Public Schools and decided to take on a full time manager. Several days per week, I was teaching classes at the studio after school and taught on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. I focused on continuing to build Treadfit Beverly’s attendance and supporting the growing community there while putting the same systems into place at Western Springs by communicating with clients and the community, networking and establishing relationships with other local businesses, and creating a solid marketing and social media plan.

In 2019, our first franchise opened in Palos Heights, IL. I was thrilled to see the Treadfit family grow and expand, and approached it with the mindset of slow, steady, supported growth. Then, the pandemic hit and each of our studios were shut down in March of 2020. This was an extremely difficult time for all family owned businesses, however it was especially difficult for fitness studios, bars, and restaurants who were continually targeted by the state and local governments for restrictions. Treadfit had to pivot in order to survive. We began to offer outdoor workouts, online workouts, and smaller class sizes. Our revenue plummeted. In late 2020, I made the difficult decision to close Treadfit Western Spring with the hope of reopening at some point in the future.

To say the pandemic was difficult for small business owners is not a strong enough statement. It was a defeating, exhausting time that seemed to go on forever. Many small businesses in our surrounding areas closed permanently and the return to normal was a slow process.

In November of 2021, I opened our second franchise in Frankfort, IL. While fitness businesses were still reeling from the pandemic, it also created an opportunity as many fitness studios had closed. Post pandemic, data was showing clients were looking to return to smaller, community studios rather than larger corporate owned gyms. I continued to focus on slow, supported growth as I entered the franchise market.

As interest in Treadfit franchising grew, I made the decision to leave my special education position and focus solely on expanding our Treadfit community. Treadfit Shorewood opened this month and has already seen a great response from the surrounding communities. I am overjoyed to see Treadfit continue to expand and to have our community grow!

Jennifer, 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?

My name is Jenny Harkins and I am the owner of Treadfit, a rapidly growing fitness brand in the Chicagoland and surrounding suburbs. Treadfit offers small group fitness classes that combine the benefits of cardio training on the treadmill with strength training in an upbeat, welcoming environment. Clients of all ability levels are welcome from walkers to hardcore runners. Treadfit began in 2015 and has continued to grow, despite the pandemic, and has just opened its third franchise in Shorewood, IL with several other locations in the works!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Hands down, the most effective way for smaller studios to build their client base is to focus on their client relationships. At Treadfit, we have created a community within a community where clients have formed friendships with their instructors and other clients. We aim to create a welcoming, friendly environment without the intimidation felt at larger gyms.

Any advice for managing a team?

As our Treadfit team has grown and changed over the years, I have always tried to treat my employees with respect and let them know how valued they are. I aim to have two team events per year to get together and continue to build team relationships.

Contact Info:

• Website: treadfitbeverly@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/treadfit/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treadfitbeverly
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jennyharkinstreadfit
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/treadfit/
• Other: www.treadfitfranchising.com