Dawn Cutillo is the Founder of BeBalanced
The BeBalanced Hormone Weight Loss Center franchise is five years old. The holistic health center has been open since 2007.
BeBalanced Hormone Weight Loss Centers aim to solve two of the largest issues women face as they age: inability to lose weight and menopausal symptoms (mood swings, inability sleep, low energy, hot flashes, night sweats, low libido, headaches etc.) for women in their 30’s.
This is her story:
Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
Being a business owner can be stressful at times, but the fact that we are changing lives makes my role extremely fulfilling. I was inspired to open BeBalanced when I worked at a local health club after noticing women over the age of 35, who were dieting and exercising, were struggling to lose weight. As their inability to lose weight was not a result of their actions, I started looking into other factors that could affect weight loss and stumbled across the hormonal component of women’s health. Being that I, myself have struggled with hormonal issues; I instantly felt connected to the issue at hand and was dedicated to find a solution to these hormone-related issues and help these women live their best lives.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
I don’t think I can pinpoint a specific individual who has been my greatest influence, rather, the group of women struggling with hormone imbalances, who helped me notice my calling in life and pushed me to research hormones are my greatest influences. Working alongside these and many other wonderful women every day to control stubborn weight loss and menopausal symptoms, inspires me to help every woman live their best life.
What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
I am humbled to be able to work in this field, and am continuously amazed and inspired by the consistent results of our clients. My greatest accomplishment is creating the Natural Hormone Balancing protocol. This strategy allows women to overcome their physical, mental, and emotional barriers, which oftentimes hold women back in their weight-loss journey.
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
The best advice I’ve ever received is simple, stay focused. The more you focus on your goals and the steps you plan to take to achieve them, the more you will align yourself to bring that to fruition.
What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?
We’ve tested several different marketing strategies, but our referral incentive program appears to be the most effective. Not including referrals made from incentives, client referrals still tend to drive the most traffic into our centers, with approximately 50 percent of our business stemming from them.
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
All businesses, especially small businesses, need to watch cash flow. Making informed decisions regarding spending is essential to getting out of the red as soon as possible. Decisions to invest in certain marketing or promotions should be weighed as a cost to benefit ratio. Learning from our own mistakes and capitalizing on experiences of other businesses in the industry help us best strategize and plan for the future of BeBalanced.
Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you run your business?
As we began to add more locations nationally, we found it increasingly difficult to manage a steady stream of communication between our executive team and each of the franchisees. To help us communicate with our franchisees, we use Franconnect, a leading franchise management software provider. Franconnect allows us to fully support our franchisees so they can give the best service to all their clients nationwide.
Do you have any new projects coming up (or have you just completed a big project ~ reached a milestone, etc.)?
We have a few projects coming up to help support women suffering from a hormone imbalance. Specifically, I’ve identified a few intimacy issues my clients are facing and am working with a team of chemists to develop a lubricant to fix them.
What do you do for fun/relaxation?
I like to work hard and play hard. I’ve learned to take my relaxation/free time almost as seriously as my business and try to live by example, as I teach women to take time to nurture themselves. After studying the damage stress can cause to our bodies and hormones, I try to be protective of my alone time. I actively set aside time to put on headphones and an eye pillow a drift off into a meditative state every day to leave the present world and its problems behind.
In terms of mental and emotional health, I love to meditate, do yoga, and read. I also try to get out of the office and take nature walks to clear my mind and I love to dance.
What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
Our goal this year is to position BeBalanced and our natural hormone balancing strategy as an alternative to HRT. We’d like to raise awareness about how imbalanced hormones don’t solely affect women after menopause, pre-menopausal women struggle tremendously as well as young girls with PMS or PCOS, which are linked to facial hair, acne, and weight gain.
Women’s empowerment has been such a hot topic in the media, in addition to the body positivity movement, both of which parallel the foundation of BeBalanced. We aim to help women feel and look their best which is why we want to start a national move for women to “be balanced and inspire women to live their best lives.”
You want to write a book on …
I am currently working on two novels, one is about the connection between spirituality and sexuality and the other I’m co-writing and it is a fiction novel about Protestantism and its effect on capitalism in America.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
One of my favorite sayings is “well-behaved women rarely make history.” Entering into the health and wellness industry with an innovative, unheard of strategy has been difficult, but it taught me to be resilient and stand up for what I believe in, I encourage women to look deep inside and follow their heart. Never give up your truth because someone else does not agree. I think it is better to be at peace with yourself and possibly at war with the world than at peace with the world and at war with yourself—meaning, don’t compromised your beliefs for someone else’s.
What’s the best way for the readers of WE Magazine for Women to connect with you?
Either through our website (https://bebalancedcenters.
