The President of the CFA Convention Speech

On behalf of the Curves Franchisee Association we welcome all of you to the Curves Convention, where ever it may be for you. My name is Carole Keyes and since April 2006 I have been a Curves owner in Ladysmith, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Like many of you here I too have struggled over the past years trying to combat the economic downturn. One of my solutions was to join a group whose main objective is to seek positive options for Curves Owners who are looking to increase their bottom line. I thought how lucky we are to have a volunteer group of Franchise Owners working on our behalf to seek answers to our queries and are looking for more profitable ways to run our individual clubs. I joined this group, the CFA, in Aug 2009 as an elected representative from Canada.

• Last year we had 866 paying members. Our membership has had a significant impact in allowing us to begin to create financial independence. Our membership dues are per owner and not per club.
• We have improved the CFA Web site to include forums, blogs, and contact information for Board Members, our By-Laws, Policies and Procedures, as well as a place for you to comment on the Committee reports as they become available. Survey and poll results are posted here for the membership to see.
• We send a monthly Newsletter to the CFA membership and a quarterly update to all owners through Curves Mail.
• The EB have monthly tele-conference meetings with their CI liaisons as well as bi annual off-site meetings which are very productive in sharing information and answering direct concerns of the membership. As with most corporations, there is a confidentiality agreement that can influence the release of specific content discussed, until agreed upon by the parties involved.
• The EB have bi-monthly teleconference calls to review ongoing projects, and committee updates are made to the board on what progress is being made.
• We have the fundamental structure in place to help each of us run a better business and the benefits of being a CFA member will continue to grow and new programs will be added as we grow.

Your current board is prepared to take the structure that has been established and build upon it. We are excited about adding to the foundation of the CFA and positive about the future of the Organization.

We continue to improve our communications and your Regional Representatives are here to service you, the member. You can contact them directly by visiting our Web Site for their contact information.

The executive board is comprised of 15 members representing 6 regions, 5 in the US and 1in Canada.

Each of these regions has 2 elected representatives.

We also have 3 positions At Large.

The CFA has continues to see accomplishments on all committees this year.

• Convention registration – partly as a result of input from the CFA to CI we saw the reduction of registration fees for staff attending convention. This savings has allowed more individuals to experience the enthusiasm generated by coming to convention.
• Extended Hours - In August, members of the CFA Executive Board had a conference call with Gary Heavin and members of the Curves Executive team regarding Extended Hours.
• CI was receptive to ideas prepared by the CFA. It was agreed to continue to explore the regulatory and business issues related to the concept of Extended Hours, as well as to survey the franchise community on the question.
• Advertising/Marketing – The adv/mkt Committee worked with CI to:
  • Change the National promotion last April from weight management to 30 Days for $30.
  • In February their suggestion of Infomercials was brought forward and we are proud to say that as a result CI tested a two minute Infomercial in September to provide data about doing longer Infomercials in the future.
  • As a result of this committee providing CI with feedback about the Service Fee, A survey went out to the Franchisees for their input.
  • We have been a sounding board for the Zumba question and what was wanted or needed in the final outcome to bring it to Curves…
• Weight Management – The weight management committee was influential in having CI consider charging for the new weight management program.
• Curves Products – This committee worked with CP to continue to provide some of the products that were being considered to discontinue. We have also worked with them in keeping to some of the basics – both in style and colours, workout tees, fitness apparel basics and staff-wear.
• CurvesSmart - Through the newsletters we have made it easier for owners to access information about coaching and understanding various aspects of the CS program.
• Last Nov. we asked owners to identify issues that were important to them and addressed each of those through the newsletter and in the circulation of documents concerning several areas of the CS system.
• We encouraged owners to provide us with feedback after the 4.1 update. Every issue that was brought to us was addressed and the answers were circulated to the CFA membership through the newsletter. We continue working to resolve any issues that come up.
• During the Feb meeting we brought forth the need for CurvesSmart training for owners and staff– we are currently seeing this addressed in the Monday Meetings on Curves Community.
• Wellness - Wellness committee were able to work with their liaison at CI to circulate a graph that explains how the wellness program works. This can be found on CC in the Wellness section. This was a big step to helping owners understand how the program actually works.
• Member Retention – Last Fall and in July we conducted surveys amongst our members on methods of member retention and increasing profitability respectively.
  • Late winter and again this September we published articles on cutting expenses and a back to health initiative respectively.
  • In late winter we morphed to a Member/Owner retention committee.
• Communications Committee - The communication has increased between the EB and the membership in various ways. The monthly and quarterly newsletters include advocacy efforts, committee reports, membership benefits, and educational tools to help your bottom line. They also keep the website up to date for both members and non-members. Users are now able to view committee reports, forum topics, and blogs. We have recently added a FAQ sheet about the CFA that is accessible on our website.

As a CFA member you will:

• Be a part of the solution.
• Have a voice in the leadership of the CFA.
• Be eligible to join a committee.
• Have a VOTE in the annual elections.
• Participate in member surveys and forums.
• Be able to serve on the executive board.
• It is through your participation and strength of ideas that we will become independent.

How much time is required when I get involved?

• Each Committee member is required to:
  • Attend one in telephone meeting every month.
  • Routinely read emails, and do other tasks in between meetings.
  • All committees are listed on our website (www.curvesfa.org).

• Visit us at the CFA Booth in the Expo area.
• Visit us on line at www.curvesfa.org.

If we don’t have your voice we don’t know what your issues are, so join the CFA today and be heard.

Projects on the table include:

• Curves Franchise Agreement – ongoing discussions between the CI legal department and our CFA lawyer.
• The advertising/marketing committee continues to work with CI to provide a Toolbox for all the franchisees. This toolbox will give everyone options available when National Ads are not running.
• We will continue to take forth issues brought to us by the membership and continue to find answers to the questions you the members bring us.

None of us can do this alone. Join us to be your voice and advocate, and continue to believe that success comes with hard work. Keep your passion alive and remember -- the CFA is here to help you

In closing I would like to acknowledge those who are major players in our existence

• Our Steering Committee Founders,
• Our Past Presidents,
• Gary and Diane Heavin,
• Mike Raymond and his Executive Team,
• Our Area Directors,
• Our CFA Attorney, Ron Gardner,
• … And each of you.