Word: heavin
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...Holdings are the kind of owners Heavin hoped for when he set the monthly franchise fee at a low $395 in 1995. His success took the franchise industry by surprise. "A few years ago, this company called Curves started showing up on our lists," says Maria Anton, executive editor of Entrepreneur magazine, which recently ranked Curves the fastest-growing franchise in the world. "We said, 'Whoa, where did this company come from...
...Heavin and his wife Diane, 41, had managed and owned traditional gyms in Houston. Heavin had made his first million by the age of 26, then lost it all by 30 after trying to expand too quickly and broadly. In setting up the Curves chain, he avoided debt for himself and his franchisees by keeping down costs and growing at a rate he could afford. The typical Curves inhabits just 1,200 sq. ft. to 1,500 sq. ft. and can be profitable with as few as 200 members. Those low numbers let owners focus on service rather than member...
...Heavin designed Curves' hydraulic-resistance machines to require minimal adjustment between users. (He has the machines made at a plant in Los Fresnos, Texas.) An exerciser spends only 30 seconds on a station, then keeps her heart rate up by walking or jogging in place before moving to the next...
...workout is not without critics. Miriam Nelson, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Tufts University, says Curves' use of hydraulic resistance rather than actual weights allows users to exercise only when lifting, not when lowering. Heavin concurs but says the resulting reduction in muscle gain is, for Curves' mostly novice clientele, more than offset by greater safety, because most muscle injuries occur during the lowering phase of weight-bearing exercise. He gleaned this fact from Jack Wilmore, professor of physiology at Texas...
...rising number of Curves locations, has some franchisees worried they will soon be fighting not only fat but one another. Karen Morey, 40, who opened her Burton, Mich., Curves last April and has more than 750 customers, says, "I wonder if we're going to saturate the market." Heavin says at current growth rates, the domestic Curves franchises will be sold out next year. There are 500 foreign franchises, in Mexico, Canada and several European countries, and he plans to step up expansion in those markets. (Heavin tweaks the formula to accommodate local preferences. Curves locations overseas, for instance, have...