ATHLETES IN FRANCHISING
First job : Grocery store stock boy . Formative influences / events : Reading books .
Key accomplishments : Being the first in my family to graduate from college .
Biggest current challenge : Being in multiple places at once . Next big goal : Parenthood . First turning point in your career : 2008 economic collapse .
Best business decision : Surrounding myself with a mastermind network to allow me to grow and see things from different perspectives .
Hardest lesson learned : You will lose people over time . Work week : Monday to Saturday .
Exercise / workout : I haven ’ t officially retired , so I am very active like I ’ m still playing . You never know .
Best advice you ever got : Be intent with your life .
PERSONAL
What ’ s your passion in business ? To make an impact on the lives of those in the communities I serve .
How do you balance life and work ? It ’ s tough , and it will never be equal ( as in 50 / 50 ), but by scheduling time for life , vacations , etc .
Guilty pleasure : Peanut butter .
Favorite book : The Bible . There are principle and life lessons for everything , including business .
Favorite movie : “ The Pursuit of Happyness .” What do most people not know about you ? That I ’ m a jokester . Pet peeve : A wasted life .
What did you want to be when you grew up ? A sneaker designer / fashion designer .
Last vacation : Cabins in the mountains . Person I ’ d most like to have lunch with : Tony Dungy . plan ” approach . He ’ s also relying on his ability to adapt to help him transition from sports life to business life .
“ Being an athlete , you ’ re always expected to take care of your body and stay in shape . So I was always studying and learning new things that allowed me to become the best athlete I could become ,” he says . “ I still take that approach in business and use what I have learned , while continuing to learn with my members , clients , and staff .”
At 39 , Wesson already has had calls to return for another year on the court , but he ’ s not sure if he ’ ll play an 18th season of professional basketball . Regardless , he knows that back in Georgia his franchise business is up and running , and that there ’ s a place for him when he comes home .
Business philosophy : Forward focus . Always improving . Committed to better . We should always be moving forward .
Management method or style : Lead by example . If I ’ m improving , then we should all be improving .
Greatest challenge : Understanding that people are human . There are always feelings involved . You must find common ground to communicate and find solutions .
How do others describe you ? Very driven .
One thing I ’ m looking to do better : Simplify . The more you grow , the more complicated things become . I ’ m always looking for ways to keep it simple .
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment : We meet regularly to discuss the vision and direction of the business . But through delegation and implementation my team and I work things out . It ’ s a never-ending process . Some things we fail at . But we discuss what went wrong and what can we take away to move forward .
How close are you to operations ? I ’ m very hands-on . I ’ m in the trenches every day . I believe , as the operations director , it is my duty to understand each community we serve . I work with my team diligently to establish a culture that promotes improvement in fitness , as well as in life .
What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor ? First , to continue to grow the brand . And second , to continue to improve , staying true to its core values but also staying current or ahead of the
MANAGEMENT latest trends in the industry .
What I need from vendors : To be informed and updated on any changes in their respective segment .
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy ? How ? No . My strategy has always been to be genuine , to show real people getting real results , real people improving their lives through fitness .
How is social media affecting your business ? It ’ s a double-edged sword . It ’ s good for promoting fitness and increasing awareness of daily activity , movement , posture , etc . On the other hand , there are no regulations for quality information . There are no criteria for what can be considered good exercises or bad exercises , or what to eat versus what not to eat . There are times when you ’ re having to combat what was found on social media . Nevertheless , it ’ s an information tool .
How do you hire and fire ? We hire slow and fire fast .
How do you train and retain ? Education is an ongoing process . There ’ s the initial training , but we also have daily procedures and weekly reinforcement trainings to make sure we are all on the same page .
How do you deal with problem employees ? We look to find a solution that is in the best interest of all parties . Sometimes it ’ s a reprimand , sometimes we must move on . But we are always looking to move forward in the best interest of our members .
Fastest way into my doghouse : Lack of respect for time or the members and clients of the business . It ’ s about professionalism .
MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE I , 2017 39