Emily Barton’s involvement in fitness was a long time coming. Struck with asthma during her youth and unable to participate in athletics as a result, she lacked the fitness foundation many of her fellow MADabolic franchisees grew up with.
However, upon graduating, she made up for it, and then some.
Once reaching college, Barton grew out of her asthma and started running with friends. Quickly developing a taste for fitness both as a consumer and someone entering the workforce, she began working with Pure Barre, helping it establish a presence in Raleigh, North Carolina. For seven years, she served as a general manager there.
However, as someone who welcomes challenges and quick pivots, Barton soon began looking for a new adventure. After trying a MADabolic workout one day on a whim, she found her next.
“We weren’t the ones that brought MADabolic to Raleigh, but we tried it on the very first day that it opened, and I loved it,” Barton recalled. “I was immediately drawn to the structure. I felt like that was very rare in the fitness world and became a member right away.”
Five years later, she and her husband, Rob, bought that location where she first experienced the brand’s unique fitness offerings. In the time since, she’s developed it into a one-of-a-kind component of MADabolic’s humming franchise system.
The Model
Beyond her intrigue as a consumer, Barton felt drawn to MADabolic due to their franchise model. She and her husband appreciated the system’s structure, which makes strategic partnerships, operating systems and marketing resources available.
“We were very impressed with the brains behind corporate,” Barton said. “It just didn’t feel risky.”
The integrity of the programming sold them as well. MADabolic issues a purposefully planned training program 52 weeks in advance. That, alongside the aforementioned corporate support, helped the Raleigh location surge through the industry’s toughest obstacle this century.
“I think it’s one of the reasons why we survived and did well during the pandemic,” said Barton. “They have all the guesswork taken out of owning a MADabolic, whether that’s programming, back-end stuff with communication or general support. You just have to wake up and it’s there for you; you’re already confident in it and that’s great.”
By handling the creative undertakings most business owners have to shoulder, MADabolic HQ gives its franchisees a firm foundation to build from.
“You don’t have to create a brand yourself, a motto or a lingo,” Barton said. “The voice is already developed. You just get to take it and run with it.”
That assistance not only gave the Bartons breathing room to keep her business running — but also established more for their members. In 2023, they expanded their studio to include a second training floor. It was the brand’s first-ever multi-training floor facility and remains its only one today.
Stick With What Works
But while Barton’s MADabolic might stray from the norm in terms of its physical setup, she argues against doing so when it comes to programming and other aspects of the business. Regardless of what’s going on around you, Barton says franchisees shouldn’t mess with MADabolic’s proven success.
“MADabolic has been in the strength and structure game since the beginning, and they’re not willing to cave to trends,” said Barton. “You might be a little jealous of the trends that we’re not caving to. It’s hard to say, ‘Well, there’s a lot of hype around Hyorx, but it just doesn’t match the MADabolic footprint.’ But you have to keep your blinders on and do what you know has worked well and will continue to work well.”
Staying the course or “learning to embrace the rollercoaster,” as Barton put it, is key.
“If you believe in your product and think it can make a difference in someone else’s life, then you have to forge ahead with that as your goal and your mindset,” she said. “You have to zoom out, take it as it goes and trust your belief in it. Just keep moving forward.”
Use the Community Around You
Barton also pointed to community engagement as a useful strategy for ambitious MADabolics. Linking with other brands doesn’t just lead to partnerships, but in some cases, increased memberships.
“We have a really good relationship with this coffee shop near us,” said Barton. “We were all going in there to get coffee after class, then all of a sudden, every employee at the coffee shop became a member.”
Alcohol and fitness aren’t often thought of as complementary businesses. However, in Barton’s case, they were.
“There’s a brewery right next to our location,” she added. “On Friday, after the evening class, a bunch of people will go over and grab a beer. Then next thing you know, an employee there becomes a member.”
The community within MADabolic’s system is an asset as well. Barton added that she gets countless ideas from other franchisees’ Instagrams, seeing what they’re doing and replicating what appears to work well.
The brand also hosts yearly conferences that spring constructive conversations and innovation. Barton noted that there’s a handful of other MADabolic owners in the Raleigh area as well, many of whom went to NC State or just grew up in the area. They’re easy to tap, whether traveling to and from home or visiting HQ.
“It’s cool because they’ll visit family or friends in town and we can meet up,” she said. “It’s nice being only a couple of hours from the hub, too. I feel like we get some good crossover. We can even take classes together and connect.”
Barton is eyeing further growth in the future as well, planning to fully leverage her unique unit setup to its advantage. She and her husband are excited to “go get it.”
