Background
“I earned my bachelor's degree in environmental science from Michigan State University, then followed that up with an MBA from the University of Michigan-Flint. I spent 20 years working for a medical device repair business in a variety of roles, eventually being promoted to serve as the company’s vice-president of quality. For 10 of those years, we were owned by private equity and positioned ourselves to be acquired by a large corporation. We quadrupled the size and revenue of the company, which required a lot of hard work and dedication to accomplish – something I remain very proud of. On the personal side, I’m recently married, and between my husband and I, we have two adult daughters and two teenaged sons.”
On Becoming an
Entrepreneur
“It was not a surprise when our company was sold. Still, it felt like my baby had grown up and graduated. My role, my duties, everything changed. It was at this point that I wanted to explore and see what else was out there. I didn’t really begin in the franchising space – in fact, I didn’t know much about it at all. Like many people, I assumed it was just fast food. I also looked at regular small business opportunities and, through my network, I was introduced to Mark Cory with FranNet of Michigan. We had a couple of meetings, and I discovered that franchising had a lot of what I liked and needed in order to prepare for an entrepreneurial future. I knew I would need support in areas like sales and marketing assistance. I was certain I didn’t have all the knowledge and experience I needed to be an independent business owner but remember – my background was in quality. And there was something comforting and familiar to me about following a franchise’s proven business model.”
What Attracted You to
the StretchLab Business Model?
“I’ve always been into fitness, and I stretch all the time. In fact, it had never even occurred to me that people did not stretch. When I was investigating different franchise opportunities, I fell in love with StretchLab’s business model. I began to think it was the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for fitness and wellness with owning a business. As a new modality, I felt like StretchLab was both risky and attractive – an interesting combination.”
Tell Us About Your
Experience Getting Started
“Getting starting was very challenging for me, especially since I was still working a full-time job. I know there are many others who’ve taken the entrepreneurial route who can tell you that starting a business of your own can be overwhelming. And it takes a toll on you mentally. So many of the smallest details like tax filings, paperwork, licenses, bank accounts, and registrations – these were all time-intensive tasks. There were a lot of hoops to jump through. Furthermore, our sales were initially very slow, and our corporate regional sales manager did not hesitate to tell me how far behind we were. I felt like I had failed already. However, we then began working with another regional sales manager who turned out to be a terrific help. He set small, achievable goals for us and little by little, we started hitting them. He kept repeating, ‘no worries, just keep going.’ Slowly but surely, we began celebrating our small victories and it became clear that we were making good progress. But it was a rollercoaster, nonetheless. Along the way, I learned not to focus on or predict outcomes based on one little metric – whether it was a good or bad number. I was reminded that the ultimate goal was selling new memberships and retaining the ones we’d already secured. We followed the playbook and eventually hit all of our benchmark goals. Six months after I signed my franchise agreement with StretchLab, I opened the first of my two locations in Clarkston in May of 2023. Shortly after that, I began seeking out real estate for my second location in Brighton. I ended up finalizing that lease in April of 2024 and opened the doors to my second location on August 19.”
Where Do You Stand
Today?
“Today we are doing very well. I have the coolest employees on the planet who care about each other, our clients, and the community in which we serve. We love sharing success stories, such as when our clients achieve their goals. There are few things more satisfying than hearing that your clients improved their golf swing, no longer require daily pain medication, or have regained the ability to tie their own shoes!”
How Did FranNet Support
Your Journey?
“I had a fantastic experience with Mark Cory at FranNet of Michigan. Going into this I had no idea what to expect. But he walked me through each stage of the buying process, and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I reviewed four different concepts, all of which aligned with my preferences and goals. When it got to the introductions stage, everyone Mark introduced me to was so quick and responsive. It made it much easier to narrow down my choices. Without a doubt, Mark and FranNet had all the resources I needed. My experience was such a pleasure that I’ve already referred a good friend of mine to Mark to explore franchise ownership using the same process that I did.”
What’s Next for Jennifer
Keahl?
“As for where we go from here, I’m looking at both the short and long-term goals. I know that I want to continue growing, but for now, I’m primarily focused on my two studios in Clarkston and Brighton. I’m trying to ingrain these studios with the community to the point where people won’t know how they got along without a local StretchLab studio. The community aspect is very important to me, which is why we try our best to partner with other local small businesses and organizations. Our goals are the same – we all want to grow and support one another to make this a more vibrant and collaborative community – a place in which we can all be proud to live and work. Another specific area I’m interested in exploring further is how to utilize my StretchLab studios in the injury prevention space. I think there is a lot of potential there and I’m looking forward to expanding our reach in this area. The future looks pretty bright from where I’m stretching.”
For more information,
please visit Jennifer Keahl’s StretchLab studios on the web: https://www.stretchlab.com/location/clarkston,
https://www.stretchlab.com/location/brighton.
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