The Great Franchisee: Felix Lopez, Amazing Athletes, Orlando

When sports-lover Felix Lopez’s son was four years old, he began showing the same passion for sports his father had, so Lopez enrolled him in a program with Amazing Athletes, the fast-growing youth sports franchise backed by multi-brand sports franchisor Youth Athletes United. Lopez’s son thrived in the program, but when the family moved to Orlando in 2017, they were unable to find a similarly enriching sports program. So Lopez decided to take matters into his own hands and bring Amazing Athletes to Orlando. 

Since opening his first territory with Amazing Athletes in 2017, Lopez has opened an additional six throughout the Orlando and Tampa markets. He has developed partnerships with more than 70 local organizations, including schools, churches and community organizations to bring sports programming to children across the communities he serves.

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Felix Lopez: I was born in Puerto Rico and immigrated to Miami in 1992. I attended Florida International University and received a bachelor’s degree in business before getting my master’s at the University of Phoenix. I had a successful career working as a regional sales manager and corporate account manager for a Fortune 500 company and was relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2014 with my wife and two sons before returning to Florida in 2017.

I always had the idea of business ownership in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t until we moved back to Florida that I began to seriously consider it. 

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising? 

Lopez: My wife and I had saved a good amount of money, and we wanted to do something productive with it. We began looking at different opportunities, and that’s how we discovered franchising and began exploring the different concepts.

1851: Why did you pick franchising over starting your own business?

Lopez: Franchising made the most sense for us. Neither of us had started a business before, and we learned through our research that franchising had many benefits. It’s an easier platform to take off from because of brand awareness and was easier than reinventing the wheel. 

1851: What types of brands did you look at?

Lopez: We looked at everything from restaurants to cleaning companies. We went on a franchising website and began exploring. 

1851: Why did you pick Amazing Athletes? What excited you most about the brand’s potential?

Lopez: When my family lived in Charlotte, we actually enrolled our older boy, who was about four at the time, in the Amazing Athletes program. Our son absolutely loved it and would come home excited to show us what he had learned after sessions with his coaches. When we moved back to Orlando in 2017, we noticed that a lot of the child care programs we were reviewing didn’t have a quality sports program. There were no programs even close to Amazing Athletes, and it blew my mind — I didn’t understand how nothing even comparable had come into the market yet. 

Personally, I’ve always loved sports, and having two boys who were just as involved definitely added to my passion. I presented the idea of opening an Amazing Athletes territory to my wife, and she immediately agreed. It was an integral part of the world in which we were living with our family, and it was a natural fit. We had firsthand experience of the value the program could bring to both children and parents, so the decision was a no-brainer.

What excites me most about the potential of this program would be the ability to bring the joy and developmental impact of Amazing Athletes to my local community. Since initially opening our first location in 2017, I’ve opened six others and have partnered with over 70 local organizations and schools. It’s been an amazing journey with the brand, and I am lucky to be a part of a brand that is helping children get active, builds good sportsmanship and teaches good discipline in a fun environment.

1851: What trends are you seeing in your local community?

Lopez: I’ve noticed that a lot of schools in the local community are extremely focused on curriculum and are focusing less on physical education. Kids need the interaction and play that comes with exercise and their brains will function better when they have that outlet. I understand that we’re supplying a service that’s in critical demand for children, and it’s been extremely rewarding.

Kids always need sports, even through tough times and a global pandemic, and we’re helping to fill that need. Parents are always looking for a healthy outlet for their children, and sports have shown they contribute to both good grades and mental health. We did do some virtual courses while things were completely shut down, but now we’re seeing an absolute boom of families wanting to be more involved again with activities like sports programs.

1851: What kind of growth has your business seen since you opened?

Lopez: I opened my first territory in 2017, and in four years I have opened six others across Orlando and one in Tampa. We’re doing amazing, and the business is stronger than it was pre-pandemic. 

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Lopez: Right now, our team is bigger than ever, and it’s been a really positive and exciting time for us. I do own a very large area, and right now my focus is on making this great program available to as many children as possible. While we’ve been operating for four years, we’re in such a large area that there are still some untapped markets. My main focus is growing brand awareness in the community. 

1851: What value do you see your business providing to Orlando and Tampa?

Lopez: We’re providing an essential service to parents and children in the community. We can go out into the community and teach kids social skills they’ll use throughout their lives while having fun and getting healthy.

We’re essentially a mobile business, as we don’t have brick-and-mortar locations. That definitely works to our advantage, because we’re currently teaching at parks, schools and churches. The possibilities are endless.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Lopez: Find something you can be passionate about, and do your research. Don’t just buy with your eyes closed but talk to other franchisees and ask tough questions. 

Sometimes people think you have to be older or super serious when you start your own business. But I’m running a successful franchise location, and I’m in a sports jersey and sneakers all day. I am making a great life for myself and my family at the age of 39. Create your own path based on your passion.

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Lopez: Family time is my number one priority. We’re always running around with our boys. They’re seven and three and love sports just as much as their dad.

About Amazing Athletes

Amazing Athletes, founded in 2003, uses a multi-sport program to benefit children physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. The program introduces the fundamentals of 10 different sports (soccer, hockey, volleyball, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, football, track and field, baseball, and golf) in a non-competitive environment. Children in Amazing Athletes routinely gain greater confidence, learn to combine fitness with fun, and develop 6 key motor skills: balancing, running, jumping, throwing, catching and kicking.  For more information and to find out about franchise opportunities, currently covering 30 states and over 50,000 kids annually, visit www.amazingathletes.com.