Franchise Development Leaders: Jesse Curry of Eat the Frog Fitness

Jesse Curry is the Vice President Franchise Development at Eat the Frog Fitness, an emerging fitness training concept born from decades of elite, science-based athletic training from co-founder and Olympic Decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay, as well as expert knowledge of the fitness industry from co-founder and entrepreneur Joe Culver. Since 2017, Eat the Frog Fitness has opened seven units and grown through 19 regions, including Canada, with more than 280 licenses awarded. At the helm of that growth is Jesse Curry, a franchise industry veteran with a strong grip on successful franchise development.

1851: How did you get into franchising?

Curry: In 1994, I got involved in The Q, The Sports Club—an organization founded by John Leonesio that owned 20 high-end fitness clubs and provided members with a variety of personal training and wellness services. One of the ancillary services we offered was massage, and we saw firsthand how many people were coming in and buying large massage packages. In 2001, The Q, The Sports Club was sold to 24-Hour Fitness and Leonesio began to wonder if massage services could fit into a membership model. Not long after, he contacted me and told me he was starting a franchise company called Massage Envy and that he needed a team of qualified people to help. My introduction to franchising came in 2005 when I moved from Austin, Texas to Scottsdale, Arizona to work at the corporate office.

During my eight years with the company, I had many different roles, including VP of Business Development and Director of Operations. After the company was sold, I went out on my own for five years, working with various clients in strategic marketing campaigns for franchise sales, taking prospective franchisees through the sales process and regional development agreements. A few years ago,  Leonesio’s firm formulated an agreement to help expand the brand Eat the Frog Fitness, a franchise founded by gold-metal Olympian Bryan Clay. John asked me if I wanted to be involved, bringing my experience and knowledge of the fitness industry along as the VP of Franchise Development. 

1851: What do you love about the industry? 

Curry: The franchising industry is a very energetic one, constantly changing and adapting to trends. There are opportunities galore and it is amazing the number of concepts that are popping up every year and the incredible, passionate experts that I meet networking at various franchising conferences, workshops and conventions. It never gets boring with all of the creative and original concepts available.

1851: What do you wish that you could change about the industry?  

Curry: In order to award franchise licenses, a franchisor needs leads. Unfortunately, there is a lack of transparency and accountability within lead portal companies. While it is not every company, there have been quite a few that I’ve dealt with that could benefit from being more transparent about where their leads are coming from. 

1851: What is the biggest challenge franchisors are currently facing in franchise development and what are you doing to overcome it? 

Curry: The biggest challenge is making sure the FDD process is streamlined. For example, the negotiation process with franchise attornies has a tendency to become bogged down. Also, finding good real estate is often an issue, as is funding difficulties. Oftentimes, we try to help new franchisees find various avenues for supplying capital. 

1851: What do you think the biggest trend in franchise development will be in 2020? 

Curry: Franchisors are going to need to develop a better understanding of technological innovations like AI-powered machine learning. Franchisors need to determine which segments of the industry will be most affected by these innovations and capitalize on them. Technology is constantly evolving and everything from social media to marketing to day-to-day operations is going to change. Make sure to find qualified, capable employees who truly understand these new technologies and bring them aboard the team.

Also, the California Assembly Bill 5 was recently signed into effect, which is changing the definition of what defines a contractor versus an employee. The bill was originally designed for Lyft and Uber drivers, but the IFA is taking notice and asking how it may affect the franchising industry. As of right now, franchisees are independent of the franchisor, but with this law, franchisees may soon be considered employees of the franchisor.

1851: What makes a great franchisee? 

Curry: A great franchisee has to exhibit the three P’s—passion, patience and perseverance. Franchisees should wake up every single day excited to go to work. The franchising industry has afforded me a career that doesn’t feel like work because I am free to be creative and think outside of the box. Franchisees need to be patient with everyone they interact with, including customers, employees, vendors and franchisors. Finally, franchisees need to have the perseverance to work hard toward a final goal and ride the waves of the franchise industry through the good times and the bad. 

1851: What's the No. 1 thing that sells franchises?

Curry: The No. 1 thing that sells a franchise is the opportunity to be in business for oneself. Also, the leadership team of the concept is incredibly important—the experience of a team can be a huge selling point. At Eat the Frog Fitness, the reputation of the leadership team and our founder’s Olympic background sells a ton of franchises, as people can trust the quality and integrity of the brand.