BeBalanced CEO David Cutillo Discusses the Natural Weight Loss Franchise's Unique Approach to Wellness

David Cutillo, CEO of BeBalanced Natural Weight Loss Centers, has always had a passion for health and wellness. His journey into franchising began when his sister developed a natural method to help women balance their hormones, addressing both stubborn weight issues and menopause symptoms.

Cutillo was featured on a recent episode of “Meet the Zor,” where he shared the story of his franchising journey and his vision for BeBalanced with 1851 Franchise Founder and Publisher Nick Powills.

After experiencing the life-changing effects of the program himself — losing 115 pounds in just six months — Cutillo realized the potential to expand this solution nationwide. In 2015, BeBalanced began franchising, offering a unique, personal approach to weight loss and wellness that stands apart from traditional methods.

“For those who want to own a business that makes a difference, this is one of those opportunities,” Cutillo said. “Our franchisees are passionate about what they do. Many are involved because they’re changing women’s lives and feel like heroes every day. It’s fulfilling, both in terms of making a difference and building a successful business.”

A summarized transcript of Cutillo’s interview with Powills has been included below. It has been edited for clarity, brevity, and style.

Nick Powills: All right, David, we're starting with you. Frame it for us, then we'll get into the business. What's your franchise story? How did you accidentally fall into franchising?

David Cutillo: I definitely fell into it accidentally. I’m pumped from that introduction, the music got my blood flowing.

So, how I fell into it — I've always been interested in health and wellness. I used to read Muscle and Fitness magazine growing up and lifted weights. I wasn’t big into sports, but I was really into that. My sister, believe it or not, got interested in health and wellness because of me. She became the director of a major health club and eventually started her own business. Through her experience with thousands of women, she realized that they struggled with stubborn weight, especially related to hormonal issues like menopause. Despite following strict diets and exercise regimens, they weren’t seeing results.

She discovered — by working with a naturopath and a nutritionist — a way to naturally balance hormones. This not only helped women lose stubborn weight but also relieved menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, sleep issues and low energy. It addressed both issues at the same time, making a real impact.

Even though her program is focused on women, it works for men too. I ended up trying it myself and it was life-changing. I lost 115 pounds in six months, doing it in monthly segments because men can lose more weight faster. Women typically average 15 to 22 pounds a month. The program works because it gives the body the right tools to achieve these goals, especially for women dealing with hormonal factors.

Powills: So your sister sets up the business. She's into it because of you. You guys get it going. At what point do you decide to franchise it?

Cutillo: Right, well, what I meant was that my sister got into general wellness because of me, not the hormone aspect. She later developed her own approach. I said to her, “This is big. You're solving the two biggest issues women face as they age — stubborn weight and menopause symptoms — and you're doing it naturally and non-medically. That's a big deal. How do we get this out to the world?”

She started working with an agent and appeared on some national shows. She was on CBS's “The Doctors and Healthy You” with a Sports Illustrated supermodel who had a health show. These were big appearances and the reaction was great, but we noticed there wasn't a lot of follow-up activity. I started thinking the reason might be that stubborn weight, menopause symptoms and hormones are personal and intimidating subjects.

Asking people to call an 800 number wasn’t the right method. It needed to be more one-on-one, face-to-face, woman-to-woman, creating a space for private conversation. That’s when I realized that franchising was the best way to go. With the franchise model, you have someone dedicated to their community, helping to grow the business on a personal level.

Powills: What year did you guys franchise?

Cutillo: We really got into the development of making it into a franchise — all the legal stuff — in 2014. So it was really 2015 that we opened the first franchise.

Powills: You were the first-to-market, but now others are coming in. How do you maintain your leadership in this category as competition grows? And how do you take your vision forward from here?

Cutillo: I’ll definitely say that it’s very challenging. One of our franchisees recently sent me two funny cartoon images. One showed two counters — one labeled “Lifestyle Change” with no one in line and the other labeled “A Pill” with a million people in that line. In another, a woman and her doctor are talking, and the doctor says her disease is due to her lifestyle. When she asks if she should change her lifestyle, the doctor responds, “Oh no, I’ve got a pill for it.”

The challenge is that many Americans want quick solutions without putting in effort. I’m not denying that GLP-1s and injections are a challenge, but they’re different. They’re medical, with side effects and dangers like thyroid cancer and digestive system issues. We hear about these problems all the time, but they’re not widely publicized because there’s too much money involved. People still want the quick fix.

What’s ironic is that while these medical solutions seem easier, we’re actually faster in terms of weight loss. It does require commitment, but we are faster, which is a good thing. The key is communicating that if people want to avoid side effects and do what’s natural and healthy for their bodies, we are the solution. Many of these other approaches, even though they use the word “wellness,” are not natural. They involve prescriptions and medical interventions with side effects that aren't the best for the body.

Powills: Okay, so you’ve clearly had this nailed down for a long time. How do you get that engine growing from a growth standpoint? What's the vision for franchisee acquisition?

Cutillo: One of the things we’re working on now — and I’m surprised we didn’t have it already — is a solid two-minute video explaining what we do featuring my sister Dawn [Cutillo], the founder, and Diane [Rizio], our director of franchise development. It seems like an obvious step, but for some reason, we hadn’t gotten to it yet. We’re working on it now because we’ve found that the subject can be intimidating for brokers and the people we’re dealing with. It’s crucial for us to communicate effectively, and a video helps us control the narrative. It also relieves some of the pressure on brokers.

We’ve been told by franchise brokers and consultants that this topic feels a little intimidating. They worry they’ll get questions they can’t answer and struggle to explain everything clearly. So, we’re focused on creating simple, effective ways to educate and communicate our message.

We’re also considering working with development companies — maybe educating master franchises who can then pass that knowledge on to others under them. The goal is to make it easy for people to connect with us. I always tell consultants to give the basics — tell people we’re easy to talk to and that there’s no commitment just by speaking with us. Then, we can explain things clearly.

We’re also moving towards becoming a lifestyle brand, which I didn’t mention before. Similar to Harley Davidson, we want this to be more than just weight loss or hormone relief. It’s about women living their best lives — anti-aging, skin care and overall wellness.

Powills: If I think about your brand, there are two sides to it. For both brokers and customers, you need to “pill” your brand. If you just come out and say, “We’re a hormone balance company,” that leads to weight loss, but it invites too many questions. What you’ve done is build your brand as the pill, and then the magic happens underneath. That’s where the holistic, lifestyle brand comes in — helping people look and feel better at any age.

I think for you, it’s important to zoom out and ask, “How do we make this the pill?” Once you set that, there’s no need to explain all the chemistry. It’s like an airplane — you don’t ask how it works, you just take your seat. Reaching that level will make your brand competitive in this multi-billion dollar industry.

Cutillo: Absolutely, and you're right about that. Our goal has always been to simplify, and we've realized our messaging hasn't been clear enough. We even had some experts review our website and they pointed that out. I’ve always known how important it is to communicate this clearly to the world. I don't think I mentioned this before, but we recently brought in Diane Rizzio, who was an executive with LA Weight Loss, a multi-million-dollar company. Nothing had inspired her since then, but this did. She helped us understand the real purpose, especially when it comes to retail.

We’re not trying to educate too much. Some of our franchisees get caught up in explaining the science and differences between this and other methods. But people don’t buy on that; they buy on emotion. We need to be their cheerleaders, asking, “What’s your dream?” Whether it's fitting into a dress for their daughter’s wedding, keeping up with grandkids or being a better partner, those are the dreams we need to focus on. We can help them get there.

As you said, keep it like “the pill” — not in a medical sense, but simplify it. Condense it, because that's what people want in fast-moving America.

Powills: Look at what Weight Watchers did. They eliminated calorie and fat counts and just created a point system. Once you hit your points, you stop eating. It essentially trained people to maintain a calorie deficit, but it made the process so simple. Instead of counting hundreds of calories, you just kept track of your points. If you worked out, you earned more points. They simplified weight loss, and that simplicity was key.

The reality is, what you're doing is also simple. It’s like your pitch is too long — when it should be straightforward. Men are losing X amount of weight, women are losing this amount, and it's not magic. We’re just identifying the imbalance in your system and correcting it.

Cutillo: You’re right, it has to be kept simple. What we’re trying to get the franchisees and staff to understand is that if you get excited about the science, save that for after they’re on the program. Before that, you need to capture their attention by fulfilling their hopes and dreams. You’re really selling hope — the hope of reaching their dream. That message needs to stay simple and focused on them, not on how great or cool we are. It might be great, but what matters most to people is what they want for their own lives.

Powills: The magic you have for franchisees is that, when you're selling weight loss, you're offering a measurable impact to people who want to make a change. Despite what some nutritionists say about it not being about the number on the scale — it is. That number helps with mental stability too, and you're solving that problem. For the customer, it's simple: you're selling weight loss, which builds confidence, and that keeps them coming back for additional services because you've shown them a path to feeling better about themselves. For franchisees, the brokers won’t be an issue because, at its core, you're a weight loss franchise. That's it.

Cutillo: It’s funny you say that, Nick. We’re now working with someone, thanks to a connection through Diane and Patty [Houston] —who was the top performer at LA Weight Loss and is now helping us train franchisees. Additionally, the chief marketing officer of a major wellness brand, with 700 locations, recently retired and is now helping us as well. He made the same point you're making.

I told him that while we focus on weight loss, stubborn weight and menopausal symptoms, people won’t come in for that. They come in for the weight loss. Interestingly, after completing the program, they’re just as happy about improvements like better sleep, increased energy and improved mood. But those things won’t bring them in — what brings them in is, “I’d rather look good than feel good.”

Powills: Look at Ozempic — it’s not new, but the way they message it changed everything. If they talked about its impact on type 2 diabetes or reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke, people would think, “That sounds good.” But when they said, “It can make you lose weight,” people were all in.

That’s why I keep saying, the scale is the most valuable asset to a person’s mindset. When that number drops — along with all the other benefits — they feel like they’ve made real progress. They may have worked out every day without seeing the scale move, but once it does, they’re fully bought in.

Cutillo: It gets tricky, and you're right, Nick. I feel like we have an advantage — I call it the “triple threat” or “success for dummies.” In normal weight loss, it’s “I’ve lost weight, so I feel good and it encourages me.” With our program, it’s not just losing weight — it’s losing it fast while also sleeping better, having more energy and improving mood. When you put all that together, how do you stop? Of course, you want to keep going. It’s not just “I feel better” — these women are saying, “I wasn’t sleeping, now I am,” or “I had hot flashes, now they’re gone.” These are major improvements in addition to the weight loss, which makes them want to continue. That part is exciting, but we still haven’t broken through yet. We believe we will, but we’re not there.

HRT [hormone replacement therapy] is making a big comeback, mainly due to stress. HRT is the medical solution for hot flashes, mood, sleep and energy issues. We offer a natural way to solve those same problems. Then there's Ozempic, a medical shot for weight loss, while we provide a natural solution for that too. We’re solving both issues with no side effects. But why isn’t the world rushing to us? It’s because the message has to be simple enough for people to understand. It’s something that hasn’t existed before.

Powills: The self-bully and real bully often come from what you see in the mirror, which is why the narrative must shift. For franchise buyers and brokers, the message is simple: you’re a weight loss franchise that helps people drop pounds, leading to strong customer retention.

Unlike a lash franchise where the feel-good factor fades when the lashes fall off, weight loss has a longer-lasting impact. Franchise buyers can easily understand that with a similar investment, member retention is high and attrition is a positive sign because it means the job is done. Good marketing drives customers, making the investment and returns clear.

In closing, if a franchise buyer is watching, is there anything else you want them to know?

Cutillo: I would say the most exciting part right now is that, especially after COVID, wellness is huge. We’ve honed in on a message, particularly for women, solving two big issues they haven’t been able to address any other way, and we’re doing it naturally.

For those who want to own a business that makes a difference — like children’s education or senior care — this is one of those opportunities. Our franchisees are passionate about what they do. Many are involved because they’re changing women’s lives and feel like heroes every day. It’s fulfilling, both in terms of making a difference and building a successful business.

Powills: Well, I love talking every time I talk with you. I appreciate you doing this. Thanks for sharing some of your story.

Watch the full interview above or on YouTube.