Entrepreneur USA – September 2019

For those who remained, the
company enacted something
called the Promise. “The indus-
try is harder than it’s ever been,”
says Nelson. “We need to be at
the top of our game teaching,
and with our facilities, so we
made a promise to franchisees
that we’ll ensure consistency
from our end, but they’ll need
to make sure it happens from
theirs. We made those changes
so that, hopefully, when some-
one comes to a Jazzercise class,
it’s on par with all the other pro-
grams out there.”
The company is also encour-
aging its franchisees to scale.
Some see instruction as a busi-
ness and some as a hobby, a
community, or their own narra-
tive in the gig economy. That’s
been good for keeping people
involved with the brand but not
so good for the bottom line. A

part-time franchisee, after all,

is bringing in part-time money.

So Jazzercise has been promot-

ing an incentive program called

the President’s Club, which

gives high earners part of their

franchise fee back at the end of

the year. The program began

decades ago. “In a time when

we were losing franchisees and

decreasing in sales, it made peo-

ple feel more committed,” says

Nelson. “They stayed, and our

sales increased.”

While the company contin-

ues to be profitable, it’s aware

of its aging demographic and

that 20-somethings are much

more likely to try different fit-

ness classes than devote decades

step-touching in one community

center. Missett says they plan to

launch an on-demand video ser-

vice for $19.99 a month before

the end of 2019, with the goal of

using it as a gateway workout to

drive people into studios if one

is nearby.

Jazzercise also realizes that

its brand may not resonate

with the next generation. So

it’s exploring an offshoot fit-

ness brand aimed at women in

their 20s. As Nelson sees it, pro-

moting the name isn’t nearly as

critical as promoting what the

brand represents. “It’s really

important that there’s human

contact, and that you go to class,

that you’re with people,” says

Nelson. “I feel like that’s never

going to go away, and I want

Jazzercise to continue to be that

place for people.”

But in the meantime, the

Jazzercise legacy goes on, and so

does Missett. In June, Jazzercise

held an event at the San Diego

Convention Center, where 3,000

fans gathered to celebrate its

50th year. Missett stood onstage

with her daughter and grand-

daughters—all dancers—as they

watched tributes and choreog-

raphy. Afterward, in interviews,

many instructors broke into

tears talking about it.

Missett admits she’s starting

to think about stepping to the

side. She’d like to spend time

with her dogs and her husband,

and travel. She dances every day,

however, whether or not she’s

working. “It’s an absolute joy, to

dance,” she says at the company

headquarters. “When you start

to move physically, it gives you

the courage to move in different

directions in your life.”

Molly Creeden is a writer in

Los Angeles. Her work has

appeared in The Wall Street

Journal, The New York Times,

and the Los Angeles Times.

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