What is your name & how many children do you have?
Lisa Druxman, 2 children
What’s the name of your company and the inspiration behind it?
Stroller Strides. I started Stroller Strides after the birth of my son. I was distraught at the idea of going back to work and having someone else take care of my baby. I was determined to find a career that was supportive of motherhood. I decided to blend my passion for fitness with motherhood and create a workout that I could do with him. It started as a small local idea with neighbors. I knew I could help other moms get back in shape and they could help me with all of my questions about motherhood. It took off. We grew in my hometown and then expanded across the country. We are now a franchise with nearly 1,000 locations nationwide.
What was your start-up cost (rough estimate) and when did your company become profitable?
So hard to answer that as the business has changed. I started my local classes with less than $1,000 investment. But as the business has grown, so has our investment. We have invested hundreds of thousands over the years. In some ways, we were profitable very soon because we watched expenses. BUT we continued to invest those profits in to the business so our bottom line is still not that “exciting” as some may expect.
What is your current business struggle?
Our biggest blessing is also our biggest curse in my business. Motherhood. All of our employees (and most of our franchisees) are moms. Balancing work and motherhood is a near impossible task which we deal with daily.
What is your current business goal?
My goal is to continue to grow and expand the business without sacraficing our values and the mission of the business. Since starting Stroller Strides, we have released Fit4Baby our prenatal program, my book Lean Mommy and we have more to come!
What is your favorite business book or website? Why?
Book changes daily. I love The Ultimate Gift. Favorite website for business is Entrepreneur.com (I may be biased as I have a column there).
What is your favorite quote?
“Live A Life You Love To Live”
Who is your business idol? Why?
I have many. Personally, I love Walt Disney. He was the ultimate dreamer and yet one of the few who made his dreams come true. He was not afraid to take risk. And he felt that every hardship made him a better person.
What advice would you give to a new mom entrepreneur?
Most importantly, ask yourself WHY you want to start your business. Not many businesses allow you to work from home or with children around. Most businesses take risk. Get very clear on your purpose and it will help you stay on task.
How can we connect with you?
lisa@strollerstrides.com, Twitter
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great idea! We would love to feature in Mamaista.com. Such interesting mompreneur profiles and great advice from all the mogul moms. Thanks Heather. I always look forward to reading these.
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how inspiring! I admire your creativity and entrepreneur spirit! Happy Fourth of July and thank you for sharing your wonderful story! Heading to check out your website now.
Brandy
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Stroller Strides is a great idea. Although I have come across the name many times, I never really checked out your website until today. What a great concept!
I enjoyed reading about your journey. Jamie Bird, MiniMeBabyGear
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