The hormone balancing and weight loss franchise BeBalanced Hormone Weight Loss Centers has plans to expand in the first half of 2022 with new locations in Hartford, Connecticut and San Antonio, Texas.  

The deeper dive into health and wellness grew in the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. What many thought would just be a fad that only lasted while the general public was bored and stuck in their homes has turned into lifestyle changes that are here to stay. 

“The pandemic encouraged people to take a deeper look at their lifestyle and their diet,” said BeBalanced CEO David Cutillo. “New lifestyles have been adapted in the pandemic, and people are more interested in investing in their health. The way that people view holistic wellness versus medical has changed greatly, and I anticipate that will continue in 2022.”

Food Navigator reported that since the onset of the pandemic, many have become more interested in consuming “functional foods that deliver wellbeing benefits such as stress management and immunity.”

A holistic approach to wellness that consumers are turning to complements the services offered by BeBalanced, and its expanding franchisees want to help empower their communities to see their health in a more well-rounded way.

Couple Opens First Franchise in Hartford, Connecticut

Shawn and Rhonda Peter are franchisees for BeBalanced in Hartford, Connecticut and will be opening their first location in 2022. The couple has a background in the healthcare space, and they’re excited to bring this new, innovative business to Hartford and help to empower women in the community to achieve higher levels of health and wellness. 

The Peters were introduced to BeBalanced through Axxiom Franchise Advisors, LLC. The couple was looking for franchise opportunities that matched their ideals and interests. After meeting with CEO David Cutillo and learning more about the franchise, both Rhonda and Shawn became intrigued with the science behind BeBalanced. Rhonda has autoimmune Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a common type of hormone dysregulation caused by low levels of thyroid hormone affecting metabolism. In her quest to educate herself and find the origins of her Hashimoto’s diagnosis, Rhonda learned about inflammation, environmental factors, food sensitivities, leaky guy, paleo, paleo AIP, and supplementation. Over the years she worked hard by implementing strategies aligned with keeping her Hashimotos under control but the one thing she could not do was lose the extra 10 pounds related to her diagnosis.  Enter, BeBalanced and wellness coach Jen Robinson. Rhonda met with Jen and discussed her autoimmune issue where Jen promptly assured her that the BeBalanced program would work by getting the hormones balanced. To Rhonda’s amazement, the program allowed her to lose those stubborn 10 pounds while also aiding in improved sleep, concentration and increased energy.  “This was the first time since the hashimotos diagnosis that I was actually able to lose weight” said Rhonda, “and I felt great while doing it” 

The Peters are looking forward to their  future with BeBalanced and the many ways they’ll be able to help others in the Hartford community.

“I think the value that BeBalanced provides customers, specifically women, is that they can join this BeBalanced program, receive support and direction and discover that it fits with their daily lifestyle,” said Shawn. 

When women participate in the program, they are equipped with education and knowledge that allows them to feel empowered  to maintain their new lifestyle for the rest of their lives.

Aside from helping to empower the community in Hartford, the Peters also want to help other corporations tap into the wellness side of things.“When we think about the costs of healthcare, if we can get people to lose 20, 30 or more pounds, get them educated on what healthy, energized and feeling good looks and feels like, we believe customers will be able to decrease medical costs across the board. Now that’s something we get really excited about!” said Shawn. 

 “It’s so much more than the weight loss,” added Rhonda. “A lot of people who do this program will find that they may no longer need certain medications, or they are able to decrease their dosages.”

San Antonio To Welcome BeBalanced Location

Scott Villareal and Dana Hernandez-Villareal didn’t always plan to open their own BeBalanced franchise, but after their own experiences in working with the multi-unit franchise, they believe the holistic and natural solutions are helping others in the community.

Dana has a background in health care, as she is a Doctor of Audiology, while Scott has experience in the medical field working as a broker with Associated Benefit Consultants. There, he gained experience in helping small businesses find affordable health care for employees.

The pathway to finding BeBalanced for Villareal and Hernandez-Villareal started with a passion for owning their own business. Hernandez-Villareal considered opening her own audiology practice, and has the experience to do so, but when the idea of franchising came up, she got excited. 

“I appreciate the network that franchising provides you,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of a collaborative team. Seeing others successfully run a business from a particular business model gives me hope that I can do the same if I follow it as well.”

Hernandez-Villareal said that she was immediately attracted to BeBalanced.

“BaBalanced offers holistic, natural solutions that are backed up with science and research,” she explained. “The service BeBalanced offers meets a need in the market and provides something that people will be able to utilize.”

She said that she was also drawn to the network of like-minded individuals who are dedicated to the success and growth of the brand. “With other brands, I felt as if everyone was out for themselves, and that’s not something I wanted to buy into,” she said. “I spoke with BeBalanced owners, and they only had positive things to say about BeBalanced. The franchisees were extremely helpful and instrumental in our decision to buy into BeBalanced. The results their clients saw speak to the effectiveness of this brand.” 

The couple hopes that with the opening of BeBalanced in San Antonio, they will be able to offer the community a go-to place for those in search of natural and holistic solutions for hormone replacement and weight loss.

“Our goal is to be the first thing people think of when they’re trying to find options to feel better and for weight loss methods,” explained Hernandez-Villareal. “We also plan on being extremely involved in helping to support the community. The San Antonio area is an area that suffers from weight and diabetic issues, and we’d love to be able to help the community understand how to achieve overall wellness.”

BeBalanced San Antonio will give women a new health option to alleviate their hormone issues without medication.

“We can help them find solutions that are natural and can still combat the symptoms they have without the drawbacks from traditional medications,” said Hernandez-Villareal. “BeBalanced fills a need in the community that people will really be able to use. We can also offer holistic methods of offsetting mental health stress that can manifest itself into physical problems such as weight gain and fatigue. Our brand is not exclusive to women, though; we can help men with their weight loss journey as well. As someone who is on the program, I can speak from experience and can confidently say that this is a service that works.”

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a BeBalanced Hormone Weight Loss Centers franchised business is $155,650 to $208,450, including a $45,000 franchise fee.