John Hagaman
Location: Rockwall,
Texas; Plano, Texas
Q: What was your career before franchising?
A: I received my undergraduate degree
in 2004, and then my masters in 2005. I found myself overeducated and under
experienced. There were companies that wanted to hire me, but they didn’t want
to be my stepping stone, and so they didn’t want to invest the time in someone
that would leave for a better job. I couldn’t get a “real job.” So I went to
Cooper Clinic in Dallas and got certified as a personal trainer. I did that for
a couple of years until I started working in outside sales.
Q: How did you learn about the brand?
A: I
went in to the Max Muscle location in Arlington and I thought the set-up was
cool. I began using the products and started to see how effective they are.
After learning about the consultative component to Max Muscle’s business
strategy, I wanted to get involved myself. After researching more about the brand,
the opportunity to open the Rockwall store came up so I jumped on it. I opened
Rockwall in November 2009, soon followed with the Plano store and have never
looked back.
Q: Why did you decide to open your own
business?
A: I come from a family of entrepreneurs
– my mom owns four Sports Clips franchises in the Dallas-Fort Worth area – and
I always said that by the time I was 30 I wanted to be working for myself. I
was looking for the next big thing to make my own. I liked personal training,
but I wanted a broader clientele base. I saw Max Muscle as a kind of personal
training, with more steady business, employees and a product you can put your
hands on.
Q: What was appealing to you about joining
a franchise system?
A: I could have opened my own supplemental/nutritional
store, but with Max Muscle, the marketing was already in place, and I had the
corporate support. There aren’t a lot of Max Muscles in the area, so this gave
me the opportunity to have a brand presence here.
Q: Why did you
choose to enter this industry?
A: Growing up,
I was kind of the fat kid, so I know what people struggling with weight issues
are going through. I grew up as more of the cheerleader while my brothers
excelled in athletics. I’m all about helping people, because I’m hoping it will
trickle down to their family and their children. Childhood obesity doesn’t have
to be outrageous, and parents are setting the example without even knowing it.
So if I can educate the parents on how to take care of themselves, they’ll
subconsciously set the example for their kids.
Q: How does your business connect with the
community?
A: We support the local football programs and
participate in fundraisers, but the biggest thing for me is public speaking.
Giving lectures and working with people to spread knowledge is what I love
doing. We’re always in the community showing our face and spreading the message
of “this is how we live.”
Q: What are your expansion or development
plans?
A: I’d like to add a third store –
that’s my long-range goal. I work in my stores every day, and I’d like to
rotate working in three stores. I hope Max Muscle explodes in north Texas. I
see this area doing well.
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.
