How to resolve AdBlock issue? Why corporate marketing executive Angelique Woods traded the boardroom for the gym floor
ANGELIQUE WOODS had built the kind of corporate career many professionals spend years working toward.
Over the course of her career, she climbed the corporate ladder, building the experience, capability and leadership that would eventually take her to the top of the Australian retail sector.
In fact, Angelique Woods rose to head up customer relationship management (CRM) and loyalty for Australian fashion icon, Country Road Group, for the better part of a decade.
She operated at the top of her game in shaping customer strategy, navigating complex stakeholder environments and steering significant marketing initiatives, and by every external measure she was thriving.
But behind the scenes, the internal politics and complexities of corporate life made her question if it was time for a change.
“I always knew I wanted to do something for myself,” Angelique said.
She had always been drawn to the idea of greater autonomy – to set her own vision, make decisions, create value and ultimately own the results.
Cautious transition to success
But walking away from a secure executive salary to start a business from scratch wasn’t a leap Angelique was prepared to take at that stage.
So she set out to test the waters, opting for a structured, low-risk pathway into business ownership while maintaining the security of her corporate career.
“I don’t do things fast,” she said. “I think about it, and then I plan, and then I save, and I research, and I sort of think through what I’m capable of, what’s possible, and what timeline I could work on.”
It was this mindset, coupled with a long-standing interest for health and fitness, that led her to pursue business ownership with Australia’s leading 24/7 gym franchise, Jetts Fitness.
Easing in to franchise world with Jetts
For Angelique, the franchise model offered a way to reshape her future without having to start entirely from scratch.
The established brand, proven systems and operational support provided a framework she could leverage, she realised, while reducing some of the uncertainty and risk that comes with building a new business independently.
Just as importantly, Angelique was drawn to the authenticity of the conversations she had with other business owners and the Jetts team.
“They weren’t showy. They weren’t telling me grand stories about massive success,” she said. “They were just genuine people that had a conversation with me and answered questions honestly.”
This combination gave her the confidence to open Jetts Templestowe (located in an eastern suburb of Melbourne) in 2013, which she would build up and run alongside her corporate role for the next five years. This helped to lay the groundwork and tested the model, rather than making the typical ‘all-or-nothing’ leap.
The deliberate approach reflected the way Angelique had always made big decisions, using the career she had worked so hard to build as the foundation for something entirely her own.
Next article in the series: Angelique Woods builds her fitness for small business and adapts her big business marketing experience to the world of hands-on customer management.
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