Female Founders: Kamille McCollum on Embracing the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Name: Kamille McCollum

Title: President, Chief Brand Officer, and Co-Founder

Company: Bodybar Pilates Franchising LLC

System-wide revenue: $26 million

No. of units: 100+

International units: 0

Growth plans: Planning on expansion to every state across the country

Public or private? Private

Year company founded: 2012

Year started franchising: 2019

Your years in franchising: 9

Editor’s note: Laurie Gatlin is the founder of the original Bodybar Pilates concept. Kamille McCollum is co-founder of Bodybar Pilates Franchising LLC. She took Laurie’s vision and expanded it into a successful franchise.

Kamille McCollum is an accomplished businesswoman who serves as Bodybar Pilates Franchising LLC president and chief brand officer. She has been applying her exceptional leadership skills and expertise to the organization since June 1, 2019.

In addition to her role with Bodybar, Kamille has owned Speak Light since August 2016. Through Speak Light, she operates Bodybar franchises in Fort Worth and Plano, Texas. As the owner, she has been actively involved in running all aspects of Bodybar Pilates studios, ensuring its success and growth. 

Kamille has also excelled as an instructor, sharing her knowledge and passion for Pilates. Her experience in teaching has provided her with a deep understanding of the industry, allowing her to effectively lead and guide her team. 

With her extensive background in business management and the fitness industry, Kamille is dedicated to driving the brand forward and ensuring the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of operations.

Beginnings

What inspired you to start your business? I was inspired to start Bodybar Pilates Franchising LLC with my husband, Matt, when we saw the potential that the brand had within the boutique fitness industry after being introduced to the original owner and founder, Laurie Gatlin. From there, we opened our first studio in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2016, and after seeing it thrive, we opened a second location. Laurie was encouraged by the success and excited to see Bodybar Pilates expand nationwide. 

When we were presented with the opportunity to spearhead the development of Bodybar’s franchise strategy, Matt and I were excited to get to work. We were motivated to learn about the franchising industry and design a scalable business model and immediately began attending conferences, networking with franchise vendors, and building a purpose-driven studio that could expand. We wanted to ensure we covered all the bases for designing a studio. We didn’t want to miss a single detail. For example, all of our lobbies have closing doors so that each class is in a separate space, and we can then use the lobby to make sales calls, promote our retail line, and host fun events for members. 

What is your background? I earned a master’s degree in social work and served as a special education teacher for middle school children. I then wanted to try something new and sold insurance.

I knew I wanted the chance to work in the health and wellness space because I’ve always been into fitness. When presented with the opportunity to open a Bodybar location, I was eager to take on the challenge. As someone who had a passion for working out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I knew that it was important to create an inclusive environment and help others feel welcome and successful on their fitness and wellness journeys.

How did that prepare you for starting your business? My passion for the industry and wanting to bring wellness to other communities helped me at the start of my journey with Bodybar Pilates. I felt inspired by the fitness and franchising communities overall. I was eager to learn about other fitness brands—what worked for them and what didn’t—so that we could continue “raising the bar” and take things to the next level for our members. I’ve been so lucky to have amazing individuals on our team, and they have been crucial to helping us elevate the customer experience that has made us a successful brand. 

What’s the best and worst advice you got when starting out? The best advice I received when starting out was to always remember my “why”—why I began this journey and why it continues to fuel my passion. I want to give others the opportunity to feel the joy I felt when becoming a Pilates studio owner. It changed my life, and I know Bodybar can do this for others. It fuels my passion because I want to see Bodybar grow so that people in all cities, big or small, feel welcomed and inspired by the fitness journey offered by our brand.

The most negative commentary I received was someone saying, “Franchising is the worst.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. Franchises, like other businesses, are made up of systems, processes, and teams that are constantly moving in the right direction to drive success. All businesses face highs and lows; that’s part of what connects us as an industry. Recognizing this, it’s important to understand the challenges my franchisees face and actively listen to my team as we work to overcome those challenges. At Bodybar, we’ve created a strong sense of trust and collaboration within our franchise network, and we’ve seen firsthand how dedicated our owners are to our brand. We couldn’t be where we are today without them.

Was this your first time in franchising? Yes.

Why did you choose to franchise? Matt and I chose to franchise because we were experiencing incredible success and personal fulfillment as studio owners. Our passion for Bodybar and its mission to serve real people in real communities inspired us. We wanted everyone to have access to a fitness studio where they felt supported, empowered, and welcome. We also wanted other entrepreneurs to have the opportunity to own a Bodybar.

Did you have a partner/co-founder when you started? My husband, Matt, and I took on the business together and worked with Laurie Gatlin, the original Bodybar founder, who was and continues to be a helpful partner due to her vision and love for the brand.

How important was having a partner/co-founder in building your company? It was essential. Having support from Matt and Laurie helped the vision of Bodybar come to life. Matt provided insights into the financial, legal, and growth sectors while I focused on the people and operations side of the business, including running the studios we already owned and getting my Bodybar Pilates instructor certificate so that I could lead workouts. Laurie is still a partner, and with her vision, energy, and love for the brand, we are an unstoppable team.

How did you fund your company at the beginning? As you grew? Bodybar Franchising was privately funded by Matt, our partners, and me. As it grew and expanded, we depended on our other partners in the business to contribute. They have played vital roles in supporting our journey and providing the resources needed to fuel our continued success.

What were the keys to funding your brand? The key to successfully funding our own brand was to be strategic and disciplined with our spending. It wasn’t easy, but having additional revenue streams was essential to keeping our business afloat. The revenue from our studio locations supported us in the beginning, and we took pay cuts to reinvest into the business. By paying ourselves reduced salaries, we allocated resources toward building our team, a crucial factor in our early success.

The Business

What has been the best and the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur? The best part of being an entrepreneur is having the power to shape my own destiny and watching my passion evolve into a thriving business. Seeing Bodybar grow to 17 states and witnessing the impact it has on the lives of our customers and franchisees is truly rewarding. There’s nothing like seeing the success of our franchisees and the joy of our customers.

The most challenging aspect of entrepreneurship is learning to use the off switch and not let work consume every moment. With Matt as both my husband and business partner, it can be tough to separate work from home life. Even during personal time, we find ourselves discussing business, answering emails, and taking calls. It’s hard to turn it off, especially because we love what we do! 

How has your experience in running a franchise business been different from what you expected? It’s been interesting to realize how many types of individuals we work with. Each brings their own learning styles. For example, if someone learns best visually, reading franchisee training materials will help them absorb information. Others may learn more effectively through hands-on experiences, actively performing tasks to fully understand any concepts. Bodybar offers support tailored to different learning preferences. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach, so we do what we can to ensure that every franchisee feels confident, supported, and well equipped.

How did you grow the brand at first? What changed as you expanded? Initially, we planned to sell a ton of franchises and branch into as many markets as possible. When we started the franchise process in 2019, we partnered with a franchise sales organization that was confident they could help us sell quickly and efficiently. When 2020 and Covid-19 hit, we had to adapt and change our approach.

Since then, we’ve updated our approach. We move slower but smarter than when we started, allowing us to perfect our training resources, expand our support plans, and find passionate individuals eager to become franchisees.

How did you transition from founding a brand to leading a brand? The people I surrounded myself with helped with my transition from co-founder to leader. I didn’t want to let go of some responsibilities but knew I had to. I took a strategic approach to bring on the best leaders in the industry to help us grow. This summer, we brought on Michael Piermarini as our chief operations officer, a title I previously held. Bringing on new leaders adds to our business and our team by increasing our strength and individual ability.

How would you describe your leadership style? My leadership style is positive, encouraging, and uplifting. I see myself as a doer, leading by example and staying proactive. I prioritize compassion and inspire and empower my team rather than impose my ideas on them. I want to foster collaboration and mutual respect.

What is the key to your company’s success? The key to Bodybar’s success is the people. We believe in a culture-first hiring method and know that good customer service starts at the top. Our headquarters team and franchisee system work in the same fashion. Everyone is willing to step up when needed and work together. 

Female Founder

Was being female an advantage or disadvantage for you in building your company? How? Being a female business owner has come with challenges and advantages. I’ve faced stereotypes, such as people assuming I couldn’t be the owner or president of my company because I’m a woman. On the other hand, working in Pilates, a female-dominated fitness regimen, has allowed me to connect deeply with many of my franchisees, who are also women. My experiences as a woman in a male-dominated industry enabled me to relate to them, fostering strong, supportive relationships.

Have you found specific advantages or disadvantages to being a woman business owner? As a female business owner and co-founder, I’ve experienced the stereotypes we consistently hear about. I’ve had people enter my studio and ask to speak to the owner, assuming that as a woman, it couldn’t be me. In reality, I’m the president of the entire brand. People may always assume women can’t do the things that we do, which has lit a fire in me that drives me to continue proving myself. While Pilates may be female dominated, franchising overall is not. When I attend industry conferences and see mostly male leaders, it doesn’t discourage me. It motivates me to work hard and develop as a leader. 

What has been your biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur? My biggest challenges have been overcoming stereotypes, feeling comfortable with myself, and remaining confident in my abilities. I constantly remind myself that I am a capable and intelligent woman who knows her worth and expertise. I’ve successfully run my own studios and have ambitious plans for the brand’s future. Being a woman doesn’t diminish my value as a business owner or leader. It only strengthens my determination to thrive and break barriers.

Why do you think there are fewer start-ups with female founders than male ones? Women are underrepresented in the industry. The lack of visibility of successful female founders has made it hard for women to recognize their potential and capability in this field. However, I am optimistic that there will be more female founders as women continue to grow professionally and create their own opportunities. 

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace? We’ve come a long way in reducing the issues we face as women in the workplace, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

From your perspective, what notable changes have you seen for women in franchising since starting your brand? From my perspective, though still male dominated, there has been an increase in female leadership within the franchising world since I started in 2019. Of course, there is room for improvement. To that end, I’ve also seen more cultural diversity among franchising owners, which is pivotal for the industry as it brings on new perspectives and outlooks that will help propel us forward.

Which female leaders do you admire? Why? I admire every woman who works on my team, from corporate headquarters to our franchisees and instructors. They are passionate and devoted to the brand, themselves, and their communities.

I greatly admire and would like to acknowledge Kathleen Ferguson, founder and CEO of Coach360, and Laurie Gatlin, the founder of Bodybar Pilates. Kathleen has been an inspiration to me through our connection in the fitness franchising world. She is a powerhouse in recruitment and has successfully built multiple businesses. Laurie continues to be an unwavering source of support and inspiration. Her steadfast loyalty and readiness to step up whenever needed mean the world to me, and I’m deeply grateful to have her in my life.

Has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life? How? Yes, mentorship has provided me with valuable new perspectives. Conversations with my mentors allow me to tap into their wealth of experience and knowledge. Whether it’s calling them for advice on specific challenges or seeking insights into how they’ve navigated similar situations, their guidance has been crucial in helping me make informed decisions. 

Looking Ahead

What would you like to achieve in the next five years? In the next five years, I envision Bodybar having studios across the nation in major cities and smaller communities so that people everywhere can experience and enjoy our brand. I’m also focused on learning new ways to innovate the brand to stay on top of trends, help my franchisees become more successful, and eventually expand internationally.

What’s coming up that you’re excited about? I am excited about continuing to hire key executive leaders to support franchisees and elevate the Bodybar brand. We want to bring on franchise business consultants and business coaches to assist our franchisees. These experts will provide valuable guidance and advice, helping our franchisees have the tools to achieve long-term success.