A Framework for Entrepreneurship 31has a Web site (www.powerstrike.com) where
she sells videos and a DVD, and where she
markets a book she wrote about her Forza
samurai sword workout.
But the fitness instructor recognizes she
needs to be even more entrepreneurial. “If
you want to stay in the fitness industry,” she
says, “the question is, how do you create a
continuation of what you do?”
So far, the answer to that question has
been to train other fitness instructors. There
are approximately 45,000 fitness instructors
in the United States who have been certified
by the American Council on Exercise.
Montagnani now offers one-day training work-
shops on PowerstrikeTMKickboxing, Impact,
and Forza at fitness conventions and other
locations across the United States, and even
around the world. For a fee of about $250,
instructors can learn not only the correct
Powerstrike alignment and form, but also the
coaching techniques that have made
Montagnani’s classes so popular. Class size
ranges from 10 to 350, and Montagnani esti-
mates she has issued about 6,500 certifica-
tion certificates to date.
The PowerstrikeTMpresident also has a
group of official trainers who recruit students
for her certification classes in exchange for a
fee, and another group of master trainers
who teach her certification programs earning
half of the tuition. Now that PowerstrikeTM
has developed a following, two fitness chains
have also paid Montagnani to develop pro-
grams for them and train their employees.
Montagnani still has to process all her
Web site’s e-mail herself, and operate her
business out of her one-bedroom apartment.
And she still schedules herself to teach at
least one class six days a week. But she’s
taking steps so she won’t become a “pathetic
50-year-old jumping around” leading low-pay-
ing classes with declining enrollments.SOURCE: Adapted in part from Gwendolyn Bounds,
“Making the Most of Your 15 Minutes,” The Wall Street
JournalStartup Journal, 2006. Retrieved from the Web
May 9, 2006. http://www.startupjournal.comand
http://www.powerstrike.com.Case Questions
- What has Ilaria Montagnani done that qualifies her to be called an entrepreneur? Using
Table 1.3, how would you evaluate what she has done so far? - What other things do you think Montagnani could do to build her Powerstrike business?
- What other businesses can you think of that are similar to the fitness industry? What inno-
vative strategies have they used to become successful? - Do you think Powerstrike will continue to grow? Why or why not?