Buyer Beware

I am a former Jazzercise franchisee. I taught for 7 years, and resigned in October 2011. My resignation was due to medical issues, but I suspect I would have resigned within the next year anyway due to difficulties with the franchise.

Let me say, I LOVE the jazzercise workout -- it's fun, it's effective, and I truly loved it as both a student and as an instructor. BUT -- if you decide to pursue a franchise, crunch the numbers and really understand what you're signing up for. It truly is the rare instructor who can make a decent profit, and I don't know any who could support themselves on it.

Be aware that if you are a class owner, you will pay 20% of your monthly gross to Jazzercise Inc. That's a hefty amount. You will be responsible for your own advertising and marketing -- corporate does woefully little on either front, and there is no "advertising fund." Every franchisee is on their own. Advertising is expensive with very little ROI. You will need to build or purchase a stage, you'll need sound equipment, a microphone, music 5x's per year, you'll pay insurance and music royalties every year. If you want to provide equipment as a courtesy to your customers (mats, weights, resistance balls, xertubes, etc.) you'll shell out money for that as well. If you are able to recruit your own instructors, you'll be able to add classes, but you'll also have to pay the instructors. Most class owners in this economic climate are finding that adding classes to their schedule rarely brings in enough revenue to justify paying extra people to teach. And don't forget to figure in the rent you'll pay to a facility.

The cost of the franchise is increasing soon, as is the minimum monthly fee (in other words, if your monthly 20% does not equal $250, you'll pay them $250). Do the math -- for that $250 to equal 20% of your gross, you need to gross $1,250 per month. If your average monthly price to customers is $38 (that's an average of what most class owners charge on EFT), then you need approximately 33 regular customers on a monthly EFT draft. If you are starting brand new classes with no customers, it can take a long time to build up to that 33. Can you financially sustain and keep your classes open until you reach that number? Will your family finances survive paying Jazzercise $250 per month if your business doesn't earn that much? Also - the numbers I'm using above are "gross" numbers -- know that your "net" will automatically be less due to the bank and processing fees for collecting money via EFT.

I'm not saying "do it" or "don't do it" -- just saying that it is incumbent upon YOU to find out as much as you can about the financial commitment before you sign a franchise agreement. It's great if you love to dance and want to teach the program, but there's a whole 'nother side to the franchise that can leave you financially strapped (or worse) if you don't crunch your numbers and compare them against your own family finances.

Owning a Jazzercise Franchise

"Owning" is really the wrong term to use for this franchise. You will never be in control as you would if it were really your own business. In fact, over the past few years this franchise has become micro-managed to the point of absurdity. There is very little you can do in regard to making your own decisions about how to run "your" business. The initial start-up fees are around $2000. If you are an associate or sub, you will get paid $10-$15 for each class that you teach for a class owner - if in fact you can get hired by a class owner to teach in the first place. And you have to teach at least 4 classes per month according to the latest rules, so if no one hires you you're in a real bind. If you become a class owner, you have additional fees - 20% of the gross of each and every class per month, with a minimum fee of $50/month. There are also bank fees to pay every month on each student who signs up for EFT. You'll have to find a place to rent, buy equipment such as weights, tubes, balls, mats, etc., a sound system that meets corporation guidelines, and if you choose to have a center - paint it the colors prescribed by the corporation, and follow other rules pertaining to the decor. And don't forget about the music license fees and liability insurance fees which are due every year. (Associates also have to pay a sub fee and liability insurance fees every year). There are numerous promotions throughout the year in which you will be expected to participate, since they are supposedly designed to bring in more students. However, the main purpose really seems to be the money they bring in for the corporation, from the promotional items they sell to the instructors at inflated prices.Then there are expenses for clothing, shoes, equipment, music, and numerous other incidentals. There are district meetings during the year which usually involve travel and hotel expenses, that you will be expected to attend at your own expense. There is no health insurance unless you pay for it yourself, no paid vacations, etc. So unless you have another source of income, don't count on this franchise to help boost your family income. In fact, it can drain you dry!

uddayana

batwing
iloveyou
wielrijdt

google

Happy Franchisee

To answer the question about the value of the franchise and why not do this on your own, Jazzercise provides every instructor with 25-30 new routines every 10 weeks with a professionally-made DVD. All the music is chosen and awesome, and we get printed notes on line.

I have been a sub and am now an owner. It's good advice to be a sub first. I make more money as an owner, but I also spend more time on the business side of things (advertising, promotions, etc.) which I enjoy. It's all about what you love. If you love the program and business, you will love it like I do.

I do have a full-time job other than being a Jazz owner, and it's true that to make enough money to live on, you need to be quite large, even with 2 or 3 Jazzercise centers (and there are owners out there doing that). I would LOVE to be one of those owners someday!

Unfortunately, too much of

Unfortunately, too much of these posts is true. I actually became and instructor twice. The first time, in 1982 BEFORE there were franchise fees. It was costly even then with all the equipment and other stuff that we needed to purchase. Still, I actually made a living at it. I quit because as the aerobics industry became more popular, the competition became stiffer and it became more difficult to sustain a living. The next time it cost me $600 for the francise fee. I became a sub and after working as a long-term sub for someone, she never paid me. I got back-logged with franchise fees and had to quit before I was terminated. As a sub, you still have to pay about $50 just to stay on the books. So, if you don't work one month, you're out $50. And you STILL need to pay for music, videos, etc. Loved the program, but hated the business.

Jazzercise, Inc. was founded

Jazzercise, Inc. was founded by Judi Sheppard Missett, a professional jazz dancer. Missett was born in Iowa in 1944. As a toddler, she was pigeon-toed, and had to wear leg braces. Her doctor recommended the little girl take dance classes as therapy, and she took her first class at the age of three. Apparently her talent was evident from the beginning. Her mother especially encouraged young Judi, though it was difficult to find qualified dance teachers in the small town of Red Oak where the family lived. So her mother recruited dance teachers to settle in towns within driving distance of Red Oak, testking JN0-303 promising the recruits a place to teach, students, and offering her own bookkeeping and costume-sewing services. By the time Missett was ten years old, she was teaching dance herself. After she graduated from high school, she moved to Chicago and enrolled in the theater and dance program at Northwestern University. She began focusing on jazz dance, studying with the choreographer Gus Giordano. She traveled widely with touring shows, and ultimately began teaching jazz dance classes for her mentor Giordano. In 1966 she married a television news reporter, Jack Missett, and had a daughter, Shanna, in 1968. testking 642-566 Missett's professional career had taken her all over the world, and she continued to perform. But she also began to focus more on teaching. She was troubled, however, because so many of her students dropped out of her classes. These students were typically young mothers like herself, or married housewives. They wanted to take a class for the fun of it as well as to keep fit, but they did not have the ambition to become professional dancers. Their choices were either to take a high-powered class like Missett taught, or to take a calisthenics class. If the dance class was too demanding, they dropped out after a few weeks. Their other alternative, the calisthenics class, typically had only soft background music, testking 000-071 and Missett imagined it was dreary. Around 1969, she began developing jazz-based exercise routines that she thought fit somewhere between the two extremes. Her classes were meant to be enjoyable, musical, and good exercise. She did not critique form, as in a professional dance class, and she used a room without mirrors, to reduce inhibitions.

Successful Franchisee

I'm not familiar with any stipulation about posting on boards such as this, so I will try to reply with a few points to your questions having been a Jazzercise Franchisee since 2003. - The fees for EFT charged to the franchisee are extremely competitive and reasonable. - Monthly fees can range from state to state, but the average is about $31/mo. - Reselling of footwear & clothing is permitted, but the franchisee is responsible for any additional permits/licenses needed locally for this. There is no incentive from Jazzercise Inc to sell these items, therefore it's done as a convenience to customers rather than a sales gimmick like some other franchise operations. - The new Business Only Franchise created a couple of years ago does allow one to be a Jazzercise Franchisee without needing to become an Instructor. Details on this can be found at jazzercise.com. - Many of your other questions are very subjective to each individual case and owner, so I can't answer those and feel I've given you the whole picture. One thing I can say is those who say "you don't make any money" or words to that effect, in my opinion are simply not following the business model and/or are only looking short-term. I.E. Wanting to sign the agreement and make a great profit the next week. Anything worthwhile in life takes time and elbow-grease, so those people, and i've met quite a few, are not willing to work for the rewards. Lastly, I want to comment about the recent Franchisee Meeting with the mirrors. It is true, each of us were given a small pocket mirror, so that each time we feel the urge to point a finger elsewhere (so is the American way), we first look at ourselves as owners before quickly saying "oh it's the economy" or "it's because of (blank)." Many times, WE are the reason that things are going well or not well, but rarely do people want to take accountability for their own successes or demise. The mirror bit I thought was a very creative way to get the point across. I still have mine right under my computer monitor :) It's a great franchise with low start-up costs that I would recommend to anyone that is looking to make a change in others' lives and getting paid to do it at the same time. I haven't looked back and it's been 6 great years. Hope this helps.