#98 Holly Bond: Building Fitness Franchise – From Basement Prototypes to National Headlines

319.16 - 340.816 Holly Bond

I said it took me 17 years because a lot of times having a new family and one person in the family was the income earner. Sometimes we didn't have money for me to take one course. So I was taking one course at a time. I knew one day I would get there. So when I look over my left shoulder in my office, at my home office. I have my diploma on the wall and it's from 2003.

341.456 - 363.631 Holly Bond

And my kids, my husband intercepted it. It came in the mail and he had it matted and framed. And on the mat, my kids wrote, my daughter wrote, congratulations, mom, I love you. And then my son wrote, we are very proud of you. You're the bomb. And so that is so meaningful to me because I wanted to show them that it's never too late to finish what you started. And that's how I brought them up.

363.711 - 364.872 Holly Bond

You always finish what you start.

365.652 - 386.929 Holly Bond

it doesn't matter if you're taking violin lessons or you are taekwondo you have to finish the semester you can leave but you have to finish what you start and then continue on when i started my career now when i my whole theme and i think the theme for the show is change is good and it's the only thing of course that you can expect in life is that we're going to have changed when you learn to embrace it

473.885 - 497.938 Holly Bond

And I am wondering, someone gave me your name and they said that you might be able to connect me with somebody in the waste industry that would be suitable for handling pulp and paper waste from these pulp and paper manufacturing plants. And I said, I could do that. I didn't know what a headhunter was. I didn't know what a recruiter was. I went to see him. I interviewed for the role.

498.339 - 520.516 Holly Bond

And as I went through the process, I was infatuated with this. So I was offered the job and which was very exciting because it was an excellent sales job, you know, where I got to travel and I would have my own F-150 truck. I like it. This is it. I've made it big time. So, but I said, I told the recruiter who owned the company, I don't want to do that. I want to do this.

520.716 - 540.485 Holly Bond

I want to do what you're doing. I find it fascinating and I love connecting people. So can I work with you? So I started to talk to him and interview with him, and then he wanted to hire me. And I thought, wait now, if I look around at the other recruiters, what company is the best recruitment company here? And there was only a few.

540.505 - 566.445 Holly Bond

And I said, I'm going to use his job offer and go to them and say, look, I can work with you or I can work against you and be your competitor. So... It that landed me in a recruiting job in 2000. I did that for three years and there was so much that I loved about it, helping people. And I have stories about people crying in my office because it's your career is who you are. It's what you do.

566.865 - 585.596 Holly Bond

And when you're not where you want to be, I want to help people change the trajectory of their life is what I feel a good recruiter can do. So when I was a recruiter, at that time, my father was ill. He was dying of cancer. And it put everything in perspective. So I thought, I wish I had gone into the health care industry.

677.007 - 694.875 Holly Bond

And then the Halifax Partnership reached out and said, would you like to help sell the city? And that, to me... was probably one of the best things I've ever done in my life. Your job is really bragging about that you live in the best place in the world and that companies should expand here. That was unbelievable.

778.818 - 808.639 Vince Chan

Today, we all talk about purpose and making an impact. But when you were younger, in the 80s and 90s, it was all about making money and raising a family. You know, the American dream, or in your case, the Canadian dream, owning a house and all that. Looking back at your career, have you identified any particular drivers or motivations behind every move you've made so far?

810.64 - 836.649 Holly Bond

It's so interesting that you say that. I had this very conversation over dinner last night. And as I'm getting older and I think of what do I want to do next? And my son, I was talking to him last week and he said, I was talking to him about what am I going to do next? And he said, Mom... why can't you just enjoy life, right? You're almost 60. Why don't take time for yourself and enjoy life?

924.091 - 948.802 Holly Bond

And I think might still be with me. I feel like there's so many things that I want to do. There's so many different sectors that are so incredibly interesting to me. And maybe it's because I'm attention deficit. That could be a two. Who knows? But I just know there's so many interesting things to do and I want to try everything. And I don't want to be 85 and look back and say, I wish I did that.

949.202 - 972.641 Holly Bond

And the other thing that I think has just been recently, my family has told me this. My mother died a couple of days before my 30th birthday, which also happens to be Christmas. And she was my age when she died. I think... Through the last 10 years, especially, I feel like that date of that she was like 57, I think that it was almost subconsciously, what if I only have till 57?

973.081 - 981.111 Holly Bond

What do I want to do? And I think it's been driving me. And now I'm here. Who knows? Maybe I will realize that I don't have to continue to race.

983.291 - 1014.948 Vince Chan

You must be really proud of yourself, of what you've achieved with Bulldog Interactive Fitness. Can you share with us the humble beginnings of starting this business? I remember you mentioned that it all began with the idea of a gym. Tell us about your journey, not just the successes, but also the ups and downs, the challenges. More importantly, how did you learn from those challenges?

1016.549 - 1023.694 Vince Chan

How did they help propel you forward and sustain you all the way to the finish line?

1129.085 - 1153.022 Holly Bond

And he had, he was wearing a short sleeved cotton shirt and the stripes were vertical. And, but they were, you know, when you draw a pumpkin and you draw the lines, so they curve, they're not vertical. And I, it was like a brick. Someone hitting me in the head with a brick. I just saw him as being overweight then. I saw it too. And so I went to him and I said, hey, bud.

1153.563 - 1173.263 Holly Bond

That's what we say over here in Canada. Everybody's bud or buddy. I said, hey, bud, I think we've got like a little bit of an issue. That's all I said. I didn't tell him what it was. And he goes, yeah, I know. And I said, what do you know? And he goes, I'm overweight. And I said, we had moved into a new house and we had a really nice lower level of the house. And I said, you know what?

1173.284 - 1192.341 Holly Bond

I wanted to put in a gym. So I said, do you want to help me? And he said, yeah. And of course, little fat kids, they have little fat friends. All our friends were overweight too. They were all over and Now, I wasn't going to open it. I had no idea that I was opening Bulldog at this time. But they were over eating pizza and playing video games. There you go.

1193.021 - 1213.499 Holly Bond

And I said, I'm putting gym equipment in the basement. And, of course, they watched the Bowflex commercials, too. So even 13-year-old boys want to look like the people on TV. I said, what should I put there? And they were talking. And I said, what would make exercise more fun? And then Matthew said, if we could play video games. And he said that.

1214.921 - 1241.231 Holly Bond

I nearly fell off my chair and I said, of course, we will have a gym and we will integrate video games into the exercise equipment. And that will be the draw. So I, husband James, always encouraging. And that is a key. When you want to change, when you want any kind of change, it doesn't matter what it is. To have somebody in your corner that is rooting for you and a sounding board is very key.