"I see many entrepreneurs taking an approach similar to the quote "work hard in silence, let your success make the noise." and I believe the best entrepreneurial path is the exact opposite."
Jessica Yarmey is the CEO of KickHouse, a modern kickboxing franchise that inspires members and communities to take their health and kick it up a level. A former college athlete who played Division I soccer at Loyola University in Maryland and ran two marathons in “retirement,” Jessica recognizes the value of fitness and its ability to transform lives. As a result, she aspires to bring more health and fitness opportunities to neighborhoods across the nation. She currently leads her company’s franchise development strategy and brand expansion efforts with a goal of opening 200 locations by 2022.
Helping franchises grow is one of Jessica’s specialties; prior to starting KickHouse, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at Club Pilates. Under her leadership, the company grew from 225 to over 615 locations in the U.S., Canada, and in Master Franchise countries.
Starting her business during the pandemic, Jessica brings a creative approach to fill the void of how studio owners are supported in the fitness space. As an Entrepreneur, Jessica is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs and leaders find and thrive in their passion.
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Table of Contents
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Jessica Yarmey: From college, I knew that a marketing career would perfectly blend my left-brain thinking with my love of art and creativity. So while my career has moved from client-side marketing to media, to advertising, and back to the client-side, I’ve always been in a marketing or creative lane. My career progressed quickly when I moved into client-side roles in the fitness industry. I was an athlete in college and have always had a passion for fitness, so working in fitness just clicked with me.
As a leader of a fitness concept, I’m overlapping marketing with fitness with people which really makes work not feel as much like work. It’s the greatest Venn diagram ever! So when I’m asked by young professionals, “how do I find my purpose?”, I coach to the fact that real career joy lives at that point of overlapping passions. Identify things that you are passionate about and find a lane that allows you to stack as many of them together as possible.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Jessica Yarmey: I’ve been laid off three times in my 22-year career, with the first two layoffs happening with my first two full-time roles after graduation! These two setbacks right out of the gate were deflating and demoralizing. But as much as it felt unfair, I knew that I had control over the next step. I could either give up and feel sorry for myself or I could dig in and make sure my next step was a huge step forward. As an ex-athlete, my competitiveness kicked in. I wanted to prove my old bosses wrong. I wanted them to look back at the decision to let me go and realize they made a horrible mistake. Even though the layoffs felt like losses, I wanted to win and I knew that if I worked hard, the wins would be around the corner.
Leading a fitness business during the pandemic, I’ve felt similar losses and setbacks. Whenever I have felt like giving up, I just tell myself to make the next positive move. If you keep working hard and moving forward, the wins are literally right around the corner.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Jessica Yarmey: I see many entrepreneurs taking an approach similar to the quote “work hard in silence, let your success make the noise.” and I believe the best entrepreneurial path is the exact opposite. As you’re building, I think you should tell as many people as you can about your endeavor. Be loud about what you’re working on and what obstacles you’re facing. This will not only connect people into your journey as an entrepreneur and your company’s mission but it may also connect you with a someone who could help you navigate the obstacles.
Being an entrepreneur is hard enough! Being an entrepreneur on your own or trying to lift everything by yourself is even harder. Share your struggles. Ask for help. You just may find an amazing partner for your venture!
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Jessica Yarmey: Being a business leader in the fitness space during the pandemic has definitely required resilience! I like to think of resilience with the quote from the movie Rocky, “It ain’t how hard you hit… It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s about how much you can take and keep moving forward!” With multiple waves of shutdowns and restrictions without government stimulus, the fitness industry has been hit hard.
But in any entrepreneurial pursuit, you will have unexpected hits and your success will hinge on your ability to take the hit and get back up. Your comeback needs to be greater than your setback. Your failure will only come with a failure to get back up.
When you think of your company, 5 years from now, what do you see?
Jessica Yarmey: This is such an exciting question to answer! When I think of KickHouse in 2026, I see 600 locations across the country and a base of 200 happy franchise owners. KickHouse Nation is even more passionate than it is today, rocking KickHouse gear, owning KickHouse NFT’s and generally spreading brand love to all of their friends and family!
Most importantly, I see a member base of 250,000 that is better educated about their own health and wellness. KickHouse members know how to work hard to get results. They also know how to recover and to manage their food intake to fuel their workouts and live a healthy life.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Jessica Yarmey: There are so many different types of business leaders and paths to success. I spend a lot of time reading about other leaders and learning about their strengths and weaknesses as leaders. As I list the three character traits that I think have been most instrumental to my success, I also acknowledge that there are plenty of things that I’m still working to improve upon. The greatest leaders seem to always be evolving and learning and growing.
- Self-awareness.
When you’re building a business and building a team, it’s important to be able to evaluate yourself and your skillset with brutal honesty. It is ok to not be great at something, especially if you’re able to hire someone with a complementary skill set into that role. It is not ok to think you’re great at a task but then you’re actually a bottleneck or you’re a weak link on quality and consistency. Be honest with yourself and what tasks are best to stay squarely on your shoulders versus what should be delegated early on.
- I’m not afraid of “no.”
I am not shy about asking for opportunities. I have often applied for roles and assignments I wasn’t 100% qualified for and have gotten used to translating a “no” into a “not yet.” As a leader, you can’t be in a mindset where “no” is the end of the world. If you’re pushing for fast growth, you will hear “no” and you will have to keep moving forward and find another path to get to that “yes.”
- A competitive spirit.
I think most people prefer winning but as a “retired” athlete, I really hate to lose and I will take a very proactive approach toward preparation so I don’t lose. Athletes control what they can control in order to give themselves the best chance at winning and business is no different. I will consistently work to maximize all of the pieces of the business that are within my control.
Being a CEO of the company, do you think that your personal brand reflects your company’s values?
Jessica Yarmey: As the CEO and founder of KickHouse, I absolutely believe that my personal brand has to align with my company values. In this age of social media and consumers who value transparency and authenticity, it is difficult, if not impossible, to detach who I am as a person from my brand. Even if you don’t put yourself into the social media space on behalf of your company, the internet will still allow consumers to research and connect the dots. Even if you’re not trying to be a public figure, you are. So your actions, whether they are posted online or not, better be in support of your brand’s mission.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Jessica Yarmey: I am a big believer in execution through all levels of the organization. If my team saw me as a leader simply passing down tasks and not lifting anything myself, they would feel disconnected from me and their own workload. I take a lot of ownership over work that needs to be done, even if it’s something that’s “below” my title. It’s important that my team sees me doing whatever it takes to make our company successful. Once I have set that tone, they are empowered to do the same.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Jessica Yarmey: I encourage all young people to spend a lot of time identifying what they are passionate about. Unfortunately, school doesn’t often help kids identify their passions so it is really an individual quest that requires initiative and curiosity. Try new things. Explore the world. Talk to entrepreneurs about what they do. And make notes of everything that sets your mind on fire! The things that you can spend hours thinking about with time flying by are your passions. Your success as an entrepreneur will live at the intersection of your passions. That’s where you will find your purpose.
What’s your favorite “business” quote and how has it affected your business decisions?
Jessica Yarmey: Being an entrepreneur is an amazing but daunting profession. I tell anyone who is looking to be an entrepreneur to build up a thick skin because you will need it to be successful. Early in my career, I didn’t have the thick skin or the confidence behind my ideas so I would ride the highs and lows of other people’s feedback. Especially with the rise of social media and “keyboard gangsters,” founders need to keep their focus on the work and not on the critics. I’ve found my lane for the most part and can take all feedback in stride, but I do repeatedly come back to this Theodore Roosevelt quote to stay centered on the task at hand:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jessica Yarmey for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jessica Yarmey or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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