These Veterans Bought a Struggling Franchise — Then Grew It 40%: ‘It’s All New to Me’

When Maria Cruz discovered Pure Barre as a customer, she says, “I felt like it answered everything.”

She was struggling to lose weight from her third pregnancy when she discovered the ballet-inspired fitness classes, which reminded her of her time in the military. “It was the only other workout where I was shaking to hold the positions and keep going. It really resonated,” she says.

At the time, her husband, Rodney Cruz — also a U.S. Army veteran — was coping with a diagnosis that required open-heart surgery. So the couple began doing the Pure Barre classes together as a low-impact way for Rodney to exercise. As an added benefit, it improved their posture for their other hobby: ballroom dancing.

Then Pure Barre became the answer to their professional lives too. 

In 2023, Maria was running a consulting business and Rodney was working in organ and tissue donation. But when Maria heard that the owner of a nearby Pure Barre franchise in Pearland, Texas, wanted to sell, they used their savings to buy it. “There was a lot of potential,” says Rodney. The previous owners had become absentee and the business had struggled, and the Cruzes believed they could step in and turn it around. Within two years, the couple was driving 40% year-over-year membership growth. Here, they share how they made it happen.

What made you want to switch from being Pure Barre customers to franchise owners? 
Maria: They were some of the best classes I’ve ever taken. The general manager [of the franchise we bought] ran the studio so well, even without resources. I was thinking about everything they could do with actual attention and resources.

How did you drive such large growth in just two years?
Maria: The studio had been there for five years, but no one knew it was there. So I joined the chamber of commerce. I brought Pure Barre brochures to all businesses that I frequented. My biggest thing is vendor relations — businesses helping other businesses. We would do “Vendor Saturdays.” We would ask them to come in and have a little booth at our studio, free of cost, to sell their products or services.

So you were cross-pollinating your customer bases with other businesses?
Rodney: Their people would go to our place, and our people would go to their places, so it was a lot more word of mouth and traffic. It worked better than Facebook ads, and didn’t cost a lot at all.
Maria: It’s so natural to me now. Whenever we eat at a restaurant or a brewery, I’m looking around to see if it’s a place where we could host a workout class.

Are you using social media?
Maria: You have to. I make sure that my team responds to posts. We say congratulations. We share. My teachers are the rock stars. When people see them interacting, people feel special and want to come back.

What else are you doing to help members feel special? 
Maria: Being present is a huge thing. Even though we’re the owners, I am working out next to them.
Rodney: We have a diverse group of teachers. We have an older teacher, a male teacher — I’m a male teacher. The attitude is that everybody likes to work out. We are all going to hurt together and have fun with it. It’s building trust. We’re not just trying to sell them something.

It sounds like you both have come a long way. 
Rodney: This is my first business. It’s all new to me. I just go with whatever Maria says!