By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor

Talking to the owner of a Curves for Women franchise is a little bit like attending a revival. These entrepreneurs use words like "awesome" and "thrilling" to describe their venture. They tend to see it as a mission.

Hollie Funk, of Hyde Park, Alyssa Lennon, of Hyde Park, and Melissa Davis, of Norwood, chat as they stretch after their 30-minute workout at Curves International Club in Hyde Park Plaza Monday afternoon. (Steven M. Herppich photo)

"Most people purchase a Curves franchise to help other people attain a better way of life," explained Cyndy Vaughn, the company's area director for Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. "Strength training and cardio in 30 minutes is the greatest."

"When I first saw the concept, I thought: 'Wow! This is something a woman my age can do, and I could also help other people,' " said Charlene Harris, who notes she is "over 50." She purchased her Eastgate area Curves franchise two years ago, and in December she opened a second in the Glenway Crossing strip mall.

A major reason Curves owners are sold on the women's fitness franchise is because they began as members.

"I was putting on too much weight," said Gayle Nash, a 64-year-old former college professor and dog enthusiast. "I was not able to show dogs without getting completely worn out. I started dieting but knew I would have to do some exercise."

Nash joined a Curves center in her eastern Michigan hometown and in four months lost 30 pounds and 15 inches. She was able to keep up with her retrievers in competition. On a whim, she investigated the purchase of a franchise and within months had retired from teaching, sold her house and bought the Curves franchise territory in West Chester.

"I fell in love with Curves," she said. "It's for women like me - older women - having fun and reaching their goals."

Workouts for women

"In order to be successful with a Curves franchise you have to go into the business for the right reason," cautions former educator Wanda Sinkey, who owns centers in Plainville and Oakley. "You have to want to make a difference in the lives of women. If your only goal is to make money, you need to find some other type of business."

Like many other Curves owners, Sinkey values the relationships she builds with her clients and takes seriously her responsibility to provide nutritional and life choices counseling. It's labor-intensive, but it energizes her.

And, having struggled with weight control for years, she can relate to her members' experiences. Like them, she found in the Curves approach a manageable exercise regimen.

A Curves center is designed to appeal to women. Simple exercise machines are arranged in a circle so that participants face each other and can socialize as they exercise.

Participants work out on a machine for 30 seconds - to peppy music - before being instructed to move on to the next. The total workout lasts 30 minutes.

"I was not a person who had worked out, but it was quick and easy and did everything for you in a short time," said Anne Arnold.

A former truck driver from Green Bay, Wis., Arnold now owns the Curves franchise in Edgewood.

Because the target Curves customer is overweight and out of shape, centers are designed to minimize self-consciousness. There are no shower rooms and, often, no mirrors.

"Women can't wait to get here," Harris said. "They get hooked on Curves because it's a very upbeat place to be; it gives a woman a place that's her own."

Said Arnold: "You can just watch the change in these women - their attitudes, their health and their self-confidence."

Membership drive

Curves International, headquartered in Waco, Texas, is the fastest-growing fitness franchise in the nation and the second-fastest-growing franchise overall, behind Subway.

Greater Cincinnati locations are popping up rapidly and attracting members.

Sinkey said an average Curves membership ranges from 200 to 300. However, her Oakley location, established last May, now has 1,000 members.

Harris' Eastgate Curves has 650; her 3-month-old west side location has 400.

Nash, who opened in West Chester in March 2003, has enrolled 550.

And Arnold, after two years, has 350 and notes that her membership has been "growing like crazy since the first of the year."

Many Curves entrepreneurs have little or no business experience, but they say the intensive one-week training session is enough to get them started.

Periodic regional meetings and optional advanced training sessions build on that foundation. Area meetings keep owners updated and in touch, and there's a company intranet that keeps communication flowing.

"They lead you, they train you, they give you a great deal of support," Nash said. "You can't mess up if you do what they tell you to do."

How the franchising works: First, start with $30,000 ...

The cost of a Curves for Women franchise is $30,000, which buys a territory, based on population, and the eight basic machines. Each owner is responsible for obtaining a location (usually about 1,500 square feet) and purchasing furnishings and a computer system.

"I would say you need another $30,000 to get started," said Wanda Sinkey, who owns centers in Plainville and Oakley.

Five other exercise machines can be purchased once the fitness center is established. A franchise owner pays a monthly franchise fee as well as an advertising fee that supports the company's national ad campaign. Sinkey formed an advertising co-op for Curves locations in Greater Cincinnati, which maximizes owners' return on their local promotional dollars.

The lack of shower rooms also helps franchisees contain overhead.

Sinkey says she paid off her Oakley location within six months, though Plainville, which took a year to pay for itself, was more typical of the franchise. Also, she had not been paying herself but plowed all her profits back into the business and paid down debt.

Sinkey also advises that an owner who plans to live solely on his or her Curves profits should probably own two locations. Revenue comes from members' initiation fees and monthly fees as well as a small portion from the sale of nutritional products.

Curves International was founded in 1995 by Gary and Diane Heavin. The company has more than 2 million members in 7,000 centers around the world.

About Curves

There are approximately 30 Curves for Women centers in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler and Warren counties. Another four operate in Southeastern Indiana and eight in Northern Kentucky.

Information: (800) 848-1096 (corporate office in Waco, Texas); 866 454-9406 (area director Cyndy Vaughn); or www.curvesinternational.com.

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E-mail jcallison@zoomtown.com