across the nation each licensed to a woman hand picked by Richards and her business partner husband.

Hire carefully and slowly

Richards takes pride in selecting

only the best candidates to take on the role of licensees. Only two types of women can take the reigns of a Booty Camp: experienced personal train- ers and former recruits (participants) who show the gusto required to lead a group of women to fitness success and, of course, the willingness to pursue fit- ness certification. Of the hundreds of applications that Booty Camp receives, only five to 10 per cent are considered potential instructor material.

to invest in the licensees because we know that when their boot camps start we’ll make the money back." The payoff for the licensees is sim-

ple: the entire operation runs on a profit sharing model with instructors typically earning $127 an hour. Little is required of the licensees/instructors aside from leading their camps. The seven employees at Booty

Camp's Toronto headquarters – includ- ing a business manager, HR coordina- tor and marketing coordinator – take care of everything from promotions to finance. Because most camps run out- doors and use exercises that employ body weight instead of dumbbells, there is minimal overhead

she added another session. Two days and another round of emails later, the second camp was sold out. With the expertise of her market-

ing-savvy husband, Richards has brought Booty Camp to the forefront of the digital world. The company’s informative, easy-to-navigate website boasts an amazing 4.9% conversion rate, which means that for every twen- ty browsers who stop by, one will sign up. Richards has hired a full-time web designer to keep the company on top of the technology game. (Booty Camp is one of the top results when Googling for “boot camps in Toronto.”) All of these efforts have paid off.

In 2008, the business brought in $660,000 in revenue. After expanding by a projected thirty more locations in 2009, Richards is confident that the company can hit its

projected $2.3 million target. Big plans are always on the ho- rizon for this ambitious entrepre- neur. Richards hopes to launch a

DVD program and an iPhone applica- tion to reach the lucrative U.S. market.

“We’re looking for superstar trainers

who deserve to be compensated like the superstars they are," she says of her pickiness. Richards advises others to "hire slow and fire fast." She argues that if an employee or licensee isn't performing well or improving quickly, it reflects badly on the entire company.

The price is right

Offering a low licensing fee of $197

made sense to both business part- ners. "I didn't want to give someone a license just because she could afford it,” explains Richards. “We’re willing

cost for the licensees. In the case of wintertime camps, however, Richards does request the help of the licensee to find an indoor venue.

Online visibility and optimized website pay off

While Booty Camp advertises with

posters and word-of-mouth, it is in the interactive world that the company truly shines. When she launched her first camp, Richards emailed contacts from her early personal training days. Within 24 hours, the boot camp's 20 spots were filled. Excited at the results,

Branding is king

Above all, Richards looks upon

branding with the highest esteem. She believes that every media appearance and magazine quote (all facilitated by a publicist) is a chance to reinforce the strength of the Booty Camp name. In fact, her company’s brand is so impor- tant that headquarters has its own ver- sion of a swear jar. "Whenever some- one says the "c" word (“classes”), they have to put a dollar in the jar,” she laughs. “Gyms run classes, we run boot camps." FBC

Sammie Richards

Booty Camp Fitness, Toronto, Ont.

www.bootycampfitness.com

Years in industry: three

Qualifications: CPTN Certified Personal Trainer; Can-Fit-Pro Pre & Post Natal Fitness Specialist; Fitness Kickboxing Canada Level 1 certified; currently studying to be a Registered Holistic Nutritionist

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