Franchisee Profile: Paola Florez of Miami, Florida

Name: Paola Florez

Brand: Max Muscle Sports Nutrition

Location: Miami, FL

 Paola Florez (middle) and her business partners Angela Lopez and Jose Zayas

Q: Where are you from?

A: I am from Columbia and came to the U.S. six years ago. I like living in the U.S. because it is a country of opportunity that offers great financial flexibility, good education and a better quality of life. Here I can also open my own business more easily than I could have in Columbia. 

Q: What was your career before franchising?

A: I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics that I earned in Columbia. In the U.S., I have worked at home caring for my son and studied English. I also spend time at the gym to take care of my health.   

Q: Why did you decide to open your own business?

A: I decided to open my own business not only to support myself, but because I wanted to contribute to the health of my family and the community. I believe in a lifestyle based on nutrition and activity creates a better way of life and felt that this type of business was one I could believe in!

Q: What was appealing to you about joining a franchise system?

A: I chose to join a franchise system because I can manage my own business with less risk through a proven system under the name of a successful, established company. I like that I don’t have to start from ground zero, and MMSN is continually growing and competes very well in its industry.

Q: With regard to your previous experience, what skills do you feel will help you in your business?

A: I took up nutrition and fitness as a hobby and feel I have had very good success. I want to use my story to help other people meet their goals. 

Q: What are some of your achievements (professionally or personally) that you think will help you along the way in your business?

A: I have a bachelor’s degree in economics, which is very helpful in understanding the operational side of my location.   

Q: What are your expansion or development plans?

A: I will wait and see how the store does and consider further development once I have opened my first location.

ABOUT MAX MUSCLE SPORTS NUTRITION:

Established in 1991 by former NFL linebacker Joe Wells, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition (MMSN) is America's premier sports nutrition retail outlet and franchise system, selling a combination of scientifically proven nutritional supplements at more than 150 outlets in 32 states. Rated by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top Retail Franchise 2010, a Top 500 Franchise 2010 and by Military Times Magazine as a 2010 Best for Vets business, MMSN provides a one-of-a-kind in-store experience through its unique design and one-on-one customer counseling from extensively trained Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches™. MMSN's aggressive expansion plans include offering its unique opportunity to qualified, business-savvy candidates. For more information, call 888-MAX-MUSCLE ext. 2 or visit maxmusclefranchise.com.

Franchisee Profile: Fred & Cynthia Pressley Franchisees of Tampa, FL

Opened: October 6, 2010
Location: 1540 South Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa, FL 33629

Husband and wife fitness fanatics Fred and Cynthia Pressley of Tampa, FL opened their Max Muscle Sports Nutrition franchise in October 2010. As first-time business owners in a tough economy, Fred and Cynthia’s success over the past few months has far exceeded their own expectations, in part because of their whole-hearted dedication to the endeavor. Despite often working over 60 hours a week (each!), the Pressleys took some time out of their busy schedules to talk about where they came from, how they got involved with Max Muscle, and where they’ll go from here…

Q: Where are you from and what did you do prior to franchising?
Fred: I’m from Pennsylvania and my wife Cynthia was born in New York, though her family is originally from Haiti. We both came to Tampa to get our masters degrees—mine is in public health and education and Cynthia’s is in Science. Both of us are also Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches™ through NESTA, as all Max Muscle franchisees are required to be. Before we got involved with Max Muscle, I was practicing law full-time and Cynthia managed two YMCA facilities in Tampa while working as a personal trainer.
Cynthia: I still teach exercise classes. I’m an instructor at Shape Fitness and also work full-time as a wellness coach for United Health Group, a health care provider, in addition to spending my afternoons and weekends working and managing the store with Fred. It’s a long week but I love what I do! I come from a long line of business owners—my family owns several businesses in Haiti—so it’s exciting that I get to carry on that tradition as well.

Q: How and why did you get involved with Max Muscle Sports Nutrition?
Fred: We decided we were interested in business ownership, but we wanted to pick something in which we already had a vested interest and substantial knowledge. We did some exploring, went to franchising events—it took awhile to find a concept we actually liked. Then we discovered Max Muscle Sports Nutrition. We were impressed with the corporate structure and liked the concept because of the health and fitness connection—we both have educational and occupational backgrounds in these subjects as well as a deep personal interest. Cynthia is a fitness instructor and wellness coach and I used to play NCAA Division 1 Tennis in college. So, we pulled together our finances and took the plunge—it was a risk but we were excited to start something new and different together.
Cynthia: Max Muscle Sports Nutrition gave me the ability to deliver more nutrition services to my clients in addition to the fitness services I provide as an instructor. By becoming Max Muscle franchisees, we also became Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches™ and were provided a forum through which to offer these premium services and products.

Q: Tell us about your experience so far. What have you accomplished? What do you hope to accomplish?
Fred: So far the experience has been great. Business has been steadily increasing and we’ve enjoyed using Max Muscle as a way to connect with and provide for our local community. We had a store opening celebration last month that was a huge success—the local all-female football league came along with several other local vendors. Right now, our main goal is to continue working hard and developing our business within the community. If all goes well, there is certainly potential for expansion.