Give Everyone a Voice: Interview with Brian Vahaly, CEO of YouFit
I recently went one on one with Brian Vahaly. Brian is the CEO of YouFit, the nationwide chain of affordable, personalized fitness clubs. Prior to YouFit, Vahaly was CFO for the boutique fitness group [solidcore] and served as COO for venture capital firms, Venturehouse Group and NextGen Venture Partners. A lifelong athlete, Brian was an internationally ranked professional tennis player, retiring in 2007, with wins over several top ten ranked players such as French Open champions Michael Chang and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Brian is currently the only gay player in history to ever come out on the ATP tour and serves on the board of directors for the United States Tennis Association.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Brian: I’ve been an athlete all my life, competing in tennis tournaments at age 6 and by the time I was 18, I was ranked 1st in the US. When it was time to go to college, I had my choice of top-ranked tennis schools, but I purposely chose University of Virginia which at the time, was 60 in the nation. I’ve always had an interest in turning things around and I’m proud to say I eventually helped make UVA a 3-time NCAA champion, while earning a double major in finance and business management.
After graduation, I was told that because I’d prioritized my education, I’d never make it on the pro circuit so naturally, I decided to buck that myth and went on to become the only college graduate to be ranked in the top 100 worldwide. I achieved a career-high ranking of #57 in the world with wins over the #1 ranked player in the world.
After my shoulder fell apart, I retired in 2007 and wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. Around that time, I also became the first – and still only - gay player in history to ever come out on the ATP tour. A part of me always felt a little different and once I came out, it was difficult because there are so many opinions and judgments thrown at you. Learning to handle that, and grow from it, was incredibly valuable.
On the career front, I worked in the nonprofit space for a while because I wanted to make a difference, but I was put off by the lack of accountability I found. I wanted to find my passion. You know, 80% of athletes go bankrupt and many turn to drugs because you can no longer get that adrenaline high you once got on the court or the field. I found the turnaround space to be most compelling, I enjoy solving stressful problems with minimal time to act and a lot of pressure on the line. I went on to spend 3-4 years in private equity and 3-4 years in venture capital, which were exciting fields. But I found that what I’m best at is having my hands on the controls, being in a position to impact outcomes and successes. I learned I was good at taking ideas and making them better. What I like about fitness is that it incorporates everything I loved about nonprofit – which was the betterment of others, helping people lead happier, more successful lives. And of course, there is a fun, competitive part of it that the tennis pro in me thrives on. I helped boutique fitness group [solidcore] [grow significantly] in just two years and when I had the opportunity to take the helm of YouFit just as it was coming out of bankruptcy, I lept at the chance.
Adam: What are the best lessons you learned from your career in tennis that have been applicable to your career in business?
Brian: I struggled in the early days professionally because I didn’t understand the politics of waiting your turn, moving up the ranks. In tennis, you just win your way to the top – facts are facts, I beat you - and that is how I functioned. I was frustrated at times, I wanted to say ‘just put me in the room, just let me handle this project and I’ll show you.’ As a competitor, I knew I had the capability if I was given the chance. I believe that competitive spirit is a driving factor in success. I also love a scoreboard. I thrive on keeping track, racking up the wins and when I took over YouFit, I relished the challenge of taking an inspiring concept – affordable fitness for all – out of the pandemic wreckage and improving on its value and accessibility. As a former athlete, I know the majority of gains come from the right training regimen mixed with the right nutritional plan and I’m applying those principles to the new YouFit.
Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?
Brian: The key to growing and scaling any business is to listen to your client base, understand their needs and what motivates them. Too often leaders are concerned with the bottom line, they forget how to get there to begin with. Success always starts with understanding the true customer’s problem.
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?
Brian: I believe trust in your employees is the most important factor of an effective leader. I don’t do well with politics and posturing - if I hire you as an expert, I expect you are going to make the right decisions. Don’t tell me what I want to hear - challenge me. I will not only respect you more but ultimately the business benefits. I also believe in running this company as a sports team, not as a family. We are here to win and it's my job to do everything I can to help my team be successful. But occasionally, you have the wrong players, and I will not let the wrong players hold back the team’s success.
Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Brian: Surround yourself with the best people and the right mentors. It’s important to instill the right culture and employ the right people for the right position. However, you cannot grow and evolve if you are not reading or working with people who can push you to grow as a leader.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Brian:
Take the road less traveled. Just because everyone is going one way, it doesn’t interest me to follow. But it’s not about being different for the sake of being different, it’s allowing yourself to take risks and trust the outcome.
Look for things and ideas that are for the betterment of people. It’s critical that you have passion for solving a customer’s problem. I’m in the fitness industry because I believe in people achieving the best version of themselves, whatever that may be. And I want to help them.
Embrace obstacles. I was deathly afraid of the water so at age three, I tried tennis. Life is always going to throw challenges your way, use them, don’t let them hold you back.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?
Brian: Give everyone a voice, from the bottom up. We got rid of our corporate headquarters because we believe being on the ground, listening to every employee, and being a part of a team, is how you drive success. Do not surround yourself with VPs and up - you have to get to the customers and your customer support team.
Adam: What advice do you have for leaders on the topic of diversity and inclusion?
Brian: As a gay husband and father, diversity and inclusion are not only important to me it’s at the core of everything I do. I am the first and only ATP professional tennis player to come out as gay… which only shows we have a lot of work to do. But being a father really was the moment that made me realize I need to step up. We all have a responsibility to make the world a more inclusive place for the next generation and it starts with one step. I sit on the board of the USTA and US Open tennis tournament and helped to implement the first-ever Open Pride. This past September my twin boys were on the court at Arthur Ashe doing the coin toss, surrounded by supportive fans and players, and rainbow flags. It was an amazing feeling, but most importantly, it showed my boys the importance of lifting up those who need it most.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Brian: I’ll go with Malcom Gladwell, while not offered to me personally, it’s advice I truly live by: trust your first instinct always. When your time is limited, you have to make decisions quickly and effectively, and that is often when the best work emerges. It’s something I learned on the court during the intensity of matches, but it really plays out in all life scenarios. With that said, data is critical to decision making and it's important to have the right information in front of you so your instincts can tell you the right path forward.
Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.
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