Seana Wade: Co-founder, Survivor Boot Camp Inc.
In the midst of a rapid company expansion, Survivor Boot Camp Inc. founder Seana Wade began to wonder if she was running her company right.
Long self-employed, Wade was used to making her decisions in isolation.
“I always did a lot of research, and I always had my belief system, and I always moved forward in that belief system,” she said. “But as you go along in the franchise world, you’re never really sure if you’re doing it right or if the steps you’ve taken are appropriate for franchise systems.”
As Survivor Boot Camp expanded across Canada in 2006, growing to 26 locations in its first year of franchising, Wade faced new region-specific demands from franchisees – and began to question if she was handling those demands best.
She said that’s what pushed her to plug into the B.C. franchising community.
“When you grow as quickly as we grew, [you need] the knowledge that you’re doing it right or the choices you have made are indeed very franchise-driven choices.”
Wade added that she didn’t receive feedback that changed her course. But she said having the community reassure her that her choices were sound bolstered her ability to deal with difficult franchisees.
“Becoming more involved in the franchise community definitely helped me realize that my decisions were what they needed to be, and it gave me confidence that I was on the right track and I was doing a good job.”
Wade said, besides gaining a sounding board, the experience taught her the value of looking outside the confines of the fitness industry for business advice.
“Listen, take what works for you, throw out the rest,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what industry someone is in – it’s great to talk to somebody who’s in the know and who has enough history and story to share.”
