Meet Jamie Krasnov | CEO of Apex Leadership Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Krasnov and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I credit a lot of the successes of our brand to the hard work and dedication of our franchisees and our corporate team that are working everyday to expand Apex Leadership Company’s mission and services into more schools throughout the country. Together we have tackled challenges, celebrated victories and remained committed to our shared vision of empowering students and schools. When we look for new franchisees or people to hire onto the team, we’re searching for someone that is genuinely passionate about our mission of the company. My belief is that if you bring aboard the right individuals who believe in what we’re about and want to make a significant difference, then everything else just falls into place. The strong bonds you’re then able to form with your team just happen organically since you’re all passionate and excited to be working towards one goal together, which at Apex is raising money for schools and helping kids develop into future leaders.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Apex Leadership Company is a dynamic school fitness and leadership-focused fundraising franchise that’s headquartered right here in Houston and significantly impacts thousands of schools and children each year. Apex combines exercise and fun into a one-of-a-kind fundraising program where kids not only participate in a big fitness event like a fun run, but our teams are also in the classroom with them. During the two-week program that schools sign up for, our team members are teaching students valuable lessons on how to be future leaders within their communities. This unique approach allows Apex to raise two times more than traditional fundraising efforts, which is all due to our team’s dedication to build meaningful connections with the kids and bring back the most amount of money to schools.

I stepped into the role of CEO in 2021 after leaving a decade-long career in private equity where I was tasked with purchasing and growing multiple businesses at a time before selling them. In that position, I learned a lot about what it takes to make a company thrive, but I knew I always wanted to be more involved in the day-to-day operations and own my own business. I especially wanted to lead a business that made a significant difference in whichever community it served.

So when I discovered Apex Leadership Company after extensively researching franchises to buy, the brand’s mission that’s centered around supporting communities and children strongly resonated with my personal business goals and made it a cause I could propel forward as its CEO. Over the last two years under my leadership, we did just that; Apex reached 200 percent in revenue growth, expanded into new markets around the country and raised over $60 million annually for schools.

The biggest professional challenge when I took over as CEO of Apex Leadership Company in 2021 was rebuilding the brand after COVID-19 as the pandemic had shut down in-person learning and fundraising activities in schools. This caused a significant toll on our franchises and overall revenue. One of the first things we did to rebuild was revitalize our executive structure. We expanded our operations team and brought in a seasoned franchise development executive to support our franchisees on their road to success. Additionally, I leveraged my experience in private equity and assembled a group of investors, some of which are accomplished CEOs and have significant reputation within the franchise industry. I consulted their knowledge to collect insights and best practices on how to propel Apex forward. During this restructuring, I learned the important lesson of staying true to myself 100%, especially in the role as CEO. Any past mistakes made at Apex – particularly on my part – have been when I let external influence instruct me on what is best, even when I feel that decision does not align with our goals. Trusting my decisions completely with these business strategies we were implementing, combined with the hard work and dedication of our franchisees, lead us to see record growth within the company.

Beyond the fundraising metrics, I want viewers to know of the personal impact Apex has on the students and staff of the schools we serve. Our team leaders are in the classroom, bonding and making significant 1-1 connections with the kids. A few of my favorite stories of impact include:
– There’s a video in Austin, TX, of a child who is shy and has struggled to make connections with peers receiving one of our fundraising prizes of a remote-control toy truck. The mom’s reaction in the video is everything. She’s bawling her eyes out, just so grateful to see her kid who’s been having a hard time at school is getting more attention and feeling better.
– In San Diego, we had a student who was battling cancer and participating in our fun run at her school, which was challenging. So our San Diego team rallied and organized a special run right outside of her home. Hearing how she had lit up despite the difficult circumstances got me.
– We have a franchisee that has brought our brand abroad and visited a school in Uganda. They raised $40k to build new dormitories where the students live when not in the classroom. Knowing we’re making a real impact on students’ education globally is incredible.

Witnessing these incredible stories of positive change is one of the best parts of the gig and it’s what makes Apex Leadership Company so special as we continue to expand the business into new regions and make a difference, one school at a time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d hop right onto Houston Eatery and learn about all the cool new spots opening. So we schedule to go see some of those and some favorites in Chinatown. Then we’d spend some afternoons hanging out at Memorial Park, Herman Park and the Rice area. In the evening, we’d go to an Astros game, see the symphony or see a Broadway show at Fayez.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out my parents. Growing up in Houston is an amazing place for kids and families. I was lucky to be born here, and even luckier to be born to my mom and dad. They have been inspirations to me as an entrepreneur and I am so grateful for the values they were able to instill in me. I think they chose the perfect city to raise kids in.

Website: https://apexleadershipco.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-krasnov-62267850/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apexleadershipcompany/

Image Credits
Credit: Apex Leadership Company