The Get It Girl Show is excited to have Susan Mix on the show today! The Get It Girl Show is dedicated to to showcasing how entrepreneurship can come from all kinds of opportunities. Susan has an amazing journey with Jazzercise, she had a successful career at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY then took her first Jazzercise class, got hooked and joined their team. They are flexible and female lead which The Get It Girl Show loves!

Judi Sheppard Missett started that revolution in 1969 when she created Jazzercise. Today she runs Jazzercise as CEO and Founder and teaches classes every week. Her daughter, Shanna Missett Nelson, is the Jazzercise President and an instructor. We’re psyched to be led by strong, active women. And if you want proof that our workouts crush it, just take a look at those two.

This interview was full of fun insights about Susan's unique path in Jazzercise from novice to instructor, quality coordinator, fitness club owner and now a district sales manager that supports female entrepreneurs within the Jazzercise company.

Show Notes:

Where to find Jazzercise:

Website

Teach A Class & Franchise Links

Mobile App

Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

YouTube

Twitter

Where to find The Get It Girl Show:

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Show Transcript:

Jenna: 

What's up everyone welcome to The Get It Girl Show, today we have Susan Mix from Jazzercise on the show. Susan has really worn many hats at Jazzercise from Jazzercise novice to instructor, Fitness Center Owner and now a regional Sales Manager. I'm excited for our listeners to learn more about the women focused atmosphere of Jazzercise as a corporation and also how it has impacted Susan's life. Susan welcome to the show.

Susan: Thanks for having me!

Jenna: 

I love that Jazzercise is such a female focused company and was shocked to know it started in 1969, very progressive! I also feel like fitness is making a huge comeback in mainstream America which is great and needed. I see Jazzercise and other fitness locations popping up all over cities across America. For our listeners unaware can you describe what Jazzercise is?

Susan:

Sure~!  Jazzercise is a dance fitness program that combines dance, strength and resistance training with a current HOT playlist of music for that full body workout! You can burn up to 800 calories in one 60-minute class – all while having fun and listening to “gosh what was in my set today… Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Jason Durulo just to name a few …. We’ve got a variety of music and formats to keep you coming back for more.  Our Dance Mix class (40 minutes of cardio followed by 20 minutes of strength and resistance, Interval classes for that High Intesity Interval burn, STRIKE for that kickboxer in all of us, Fusion for more of a cardio/strength twist.  We are constantly looking at trends and ways to better our program and our class formats every day.

Jenna:

Before we get into how Jazzercise has been dedicated to empowering women for 50 years I wanted the listeners to learn a little more about you and what you did prior to hoping on the Jazzercise train.

Susan:

I was that typical working mom.  Juggling work, 2 kids, husband, house etc.  I worked full time at Cornell University here in Ithaca, NY as a Recruiting Coordinator at the Graduate Business School.  Great job, flexible work environment, good pay and benefits and a good fit for our busy 2 working parent household.  About 9 years ago, my mom introduced me to Jazzercise, my first Jazzercise class, they had just opened a center here in town.  Free childcare, lots of class times to choose from etc., so it made it easy to hit up a class before or after work.  I never looked back!  I loved it, could not get enough of it.  I was asked to train to become an instructor within the first 2 months I think.  Certified within that first year, the following year I became a Quality coordinator for Jazzercise, still teaching and holding down my full time job.  As a QC I would evaluate area instructors and coach them on opportunity areas with their instructing and overall instructor development – we still do this today which I think is amazing to have such large group of people and resources devoted to instructor development to bring the best to our classes and customers!)  And at this point in my life Jazzercise fit the bill for me.  I was able to do what I love – teach classes – and make extra money doing what I loved.   4 years ago, another amazing opportunity opened up for me to step into the role of Jazzercise District Sales Manager in the NE.  As a Sales Manager, I mentor over 140 owners from Maine to WV and help them to strategize and execute money-saving and money-earning initiatives.  I consult with them on everything from promotional materials, marketing trends and ideas, to leading and growing their own teams.  We have 12 US Sales Managers and 8 International Sales Managers managing over 8300 franchisees worldwide in 32 countries – amazing right?!  I also own a Jazzercise Fitness Center (well owned, I just sold it!) another amazing opportunity afforded to me through my Jazzercise franchise – owning my own business!   I just sold it to an existing instructor in the facility, this was an opportunity for her as an instructor- franchisee to now become a franchise business owner.

Jenna: 

The Jazzercise Mantra is so in line with The Get It Girl Show's mission to build a community of empowerment and support for women. Women helping women. Jazzercise has lasted 50 years in an environment that is full of competition and is full of female leadership. Can you talk to us about how the Jazzercise owner started and has lead her fitness company?

Susan:

We are a woman-owned, female led company. All of our C-level talent is female. Our Founder and CEO, Judi Sheppard Missett started this business in 1969, a time when very few women were empowered to work, let alone launch a cultural phenomenon.  Quite a trailblazer!

Not only have we been around a long time, we have some pretty impressive stats to show for it.  We are Rated #7 on list of Fastest Growing Franchises, # 13 on America’s Top Global Franchise list and #44 overall on the Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur Magazine.  Each Jazzercise instructor, from 30 year veterens to newbies are considered franchisees.  This gives them the flexibility to work according to their schedule and passion.  Judi wanted each and every instructor to feel she has ownership of her own business and can make decisions based on what works best for her life. Our company is structured in such a way that the entry point is accessible and franchisees have choices to grow their businesses at a pace determined by their own availability and ambition. Similar to my journey as an instructor and then Jazzercise Fitness Center owner.  We’ve found this scalable approach to business is smart, considerate and keeps doors open, rather than boxing people in.  You can make this franchise, your franchise, into anything you want.  As I mentioned previously, we have more than 8300 franchisees in 32 countries, they are divided between owners who operate and entire location/schedule/facility to associates who are responsible for teaching individual classes and typically work under one of the owners.  So again, it  can be a  Hobby, business, start small, grow big, start big (taking over existing location).  Maybe you just want to teach classes, maybe you want to own your classes, add classes, train instructors and build a team?  It’s all in front of you and YOU decide what you want it to be.  Our lives as woman change, so this business can change with you.  New mom with kids, working mom, retiree, move?  This business moves and changes with you.

Jenna:

Being a female in my mid-30's who was an extremely athletic teenager I find it amazing that Jazzercise has been able to ebb and flow throughout the years of fad diets and new styles of fitness. What is new with Jazzercise today?

Susan:

Our music our moves are ever changing and always on trend with the industry.  We have added many different formats to our tried and true Jazzercise class to give the customers variety and a whole lotta FUN within their workouts.  Jazzercise has that great dance component everybody can like without having to be a dancer!  And now a NEW generation of women is discovering Jazzercise through our GirlForce initiative.  This program was inspired by The United States Women Summit at the White House last year.  Jazzercise founder, Judi Sheppard Missett and other female business leaders that attended were encouraged to reach back and pull up the women behind them, empower them.. there’s that empower word again!  Jazzercise decided to offer free classes to young women as a way of introducing them to a fit, healthy lifestyle .  So GirlForce was born!!  a way of giving back to our communities, offering FREE classes to women ages 16-21 for all of 2017.  Pretty sweet!

WE love our Franchisees and we LOVE our customers!  Jazzercise is not only a community of franchisees, but also wonderful community of customers, all shapes sizes AND now more than ever ALL ages…. All dedicated to fitness and a healthy lifestyle inside and out. 

Jenna:

Ohh I love that SO much. Getting our youth up and moving is so important. I grew up in a small town and was lucky to be in a school that valued sports (for girls and boys) but we also were small enough that even if you weren't the star player you still got on the team. It engrained a sense of self esteem in me and I've always enjoyed working out in class settings since being on teams in high school. You have gained so much from jazzercise. What would you tell someone who wants to take a class for the first time or even more become a franchisee? 

Susan: 

First and foremost, come dance with us!  Find a class near you and immerse yourself in our program.  See if you like it! Find a Jazzercise class using our free smart phone app MYJAZZERCISE  to search for locations and classes near you!   The app is super cool and offers access to fitness trackers and calorie counters to help participants keep track of their fitness goals, check in on social media, and refer friends to class!   We are definitely in the “know”.  Our website www.jazzercise.com also has a find a class feature on the homepage as well as information about becoming an instructor/franchisee so if what I shared today sounds fun and interesting to you,  something you might want to do, check out our website and get to class!

Jazzercise has truly changed my life on a personal and professional level.   I am FIT, I feel good, and happier than I have ever been. I work for an intelligent forward thinking, woman owned and operated business that wants to empower other intelligent, forward thinking women (and men too) to find their passion. Jazzercise give you that opportunity to be a business owner AT any level, a level works for you and changes with you!  At one of our annual franchisee conferences I remember Judi saying, “Do something that makes you feel good every day, never give up on feeling good!”  I wrote that on my whiteboard in my office and I look at it every day!  I love teaching classes and motivating others to achieve their goals whether that is in class with customers crushing their workouts or out in the field working with franchisees on their personal business goals.  I never give up on feeling good and I don’t want them to either!

When I talk to owners/franchisees about owning and running a business, and share my journey… Whether it’s Jazzercise or another entrepreneurial venture, ummm… what’s that saying… “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” That’s so true!  I personally would never want to say to myself “should of, could of would have”.  If you want something in life you have never had than sometimes you have to do something you have never done.  Put yourself out there and TRY!  I tell my kids that all the time.  

I really hope everyone can find what they are passionate about and go for it…. Just like your show title – The Get it Girl Show! Honestly, my only regret is not finding Jazzercise sooner in life!

Jenna:

Thank you Susan for taking the time to be on our show today! I'll be putting all of the app links and web addresses in the episode show notes you can find for this episode on thegetitgirlshow.com. This was such an interesting journey down with a company that is female lead empowering other females to not only take their health in their hands but also to change their career path to be a fitness center owner! You are a true testimony to what it can do!  

For those of you new to The Get It Girl Show you can find us on iTunes and Google Play as well as directly from our website at thegetitgirlshow.com. Check us out on Instagram at the_get_it_girl_show and if you want to be on the show shoot me an email at [email protected]

Susan, thank you for taking the time to share your amazing journey with Jazzercise. It truly is a gem of a company run by woman for woman and we love the classes! Cheers!!

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