#302 Holly Bond: From Mom on a Mission to Franchise Founder

04/15/25 • 31 min

Holly Bond didn’t inherit a business or a playbook—she built her own, from the basement up.

In this first of a two-part conversation, she shares how a late return to university, a family health wake-up call, and pure Gen X tenacity drove her to create a kids’ fitness franchise with national impact. Holly’s story is part entrepreneurship, part emotional reckoning, and full of hard-earned wisdom for anyone designing change from the inside out. If you’ve ever thought it was too late, too messy, or too uncertain—this episode proves otherwise.

>>Seventeen Years and One Framed Diploma

“My kids framed my degree—with notes saying ‘You’re the bomb.’”

Holly recounts how she returned to college as a mom of two, taking one course at a time over nearly two decades—proving that starting late doesn’t mean finishing small.

>>Sales from Scratch

“I went from mall dumpsters to headhunter interviews.”

Her first outside sales job was in waste management. The job was unglamorous—but it proved she could sell. And it led her, unexpectedly, to the world of recruiting.

>>The Moment That Changed Everything

“He said our son was overweight. I didn’t believe it—until I saw it.”

A brutally honest conversation about her son’s health launched Holly into action. What began as a home gym turned into Bulldog Interactive Fitness, a children’s fitness franchise powered by gaming.

>>From Basement Prototypes to National News

“I said we’re franchising on TV—before we even had an application form.”

She hustled media coverage, fielded 100+ franchise inquiries in 24 hours, and built the brand on the fly. It was messy. It was bold. And it worked—until the 2009 crash tested everything.

>>The Lessons That Nearly Broke Her

“I stopped listening to the advisors who warned me. Almost lost it all.”

From overconfidence to near-collapse, Holly reflects on how she came close to losing her company—and what pulled her back just in time.

_________________________

Connect with us:
Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Holly Bond

--Chief Change Officer--
Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.

Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligence
for Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,
Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.

14 Million+ All-Time Downloads.
Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.
Global Top 3% Podcast.
Top 10 US Business.
Top 1 US Careers.

>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<

Holly Bond didn’t inherit a business or a playbook—she built her own, from the basement up.

>>Seventeen Years and One Framed Diploma

“My kids framed my degree—with notes saying ‘You’re the bomb.’”

Holly recounts how she returned to college as a mom of two, taking one course at a time over nearly two decades—proving that starting late doesn’t mean finishing small.

>>Sales from Scratch

“I went from mall dumpsters to headhunter interviews.”

Her first outside sales job was in waste management. The job was unglamorous—but it proved she could sell. And it led her, unexpectedly, to the world of recruiting.

>>The Moment That Changed Everything

“He said our son was overweight. I didn’t believe it—until I saw it.”

>>From Basement Prototypes to National News

“I said we’re franchising on TV—before we even had an application form.”

She hustled media coverage, fielded 100+ franchise inquiries in 24 hours, and built the brand on the fly. It was messy. It was bold. And it worked—until the 2009 crash tested everything.

>>The Lessons That Nearly Broke Her

“I stopped listening to the advisors who warned me. Almost lost it all.”

From overconfidence to near-collapse, Holly reflects on how she came close to losing her company—and what pulled her back just in time.

_________________________

Connect with us:
Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Holly Bond

--Chief Change Officer--
Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.

Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligence
for Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,
Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.

14 Million+ All-Time Downloads.
Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.
Global Top 3% Podcast.
Top 10 US Business.
Top 1 US Careers.

>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<

Previous Episode

#301 Sande Golgart: What If You’re Winning the Wrong Game? — Part Two

In Part Two, Sande takes us into the quieter—but more honest—chapter that followed. He shares what happened when he stepped off the growth treadmill, redefined ambition, and began unlearning the beliefs that kept him over-performing and under-listening. From rebuilding marriage to carving out what he calls Life Peels, Sande shares what it means to grow by subtracting—not stacking.

Key Highlights of Our Interview:

Life After the Climb

“What would happen if I just got really quiet and listened? Not learned—listened.”

The Life Peels Method

“We’re like Michelangelo’s David. You don’t need to add anything—you just need to carve away what’s not you.”

Redefining Growth

“I’m done with strategy decks and trying to prove something. I just want clarity, ease, and to feel good in my skin.”

Marriage in the In-Between

“When our last kid left for college, we both needed space. Not because it was broken—but because we hadn’t had it before.”

How Less Became More

“When I let go of trying to control everything, the right things started happening. On their own.”

_____________________

Connect with us:
Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Sande Golgart

--Chief Change Officer--
Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.

Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligence
for Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,
Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.

14 Million+ All-Time Downloads.
Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.
Global Top 3% Podcast.
Top 10 US Business.
Top 1 US Careers.

>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<

Next Episode

#303 Holly Bond: Fixing Recruiting Without Losing the Human

In this second half of her story, Holly Bond comes full circle—returning to the recruiting world she once left behind, this time to rebuild it from the ground up. At Facets, she’s proving that scaling a business doesn’t require sacrificing soul. From her pay structure to her candidate experience to her team’s human-first process, Holly is quietly leading a revolution in executive search.

She also drops some of the best job-seeking advice on the show to date—especially for Gen Xers navigating reinvention in an AI-shaped job market.

>>Why She Said No for Two Years

“I wasn’t going back unless I could build it on my terms.”

Holly shares how she turned down the offer to lead a recruiting division—until the company agreed to let her rewrite the model with empathy at the core.

>>From Commission to Compassion

“I spent 90 minutes with a man in crisis. And someone called it non-revenue-generating time.”

That moment made her walk away. Now, she leads a team that’s paid to care—not just to close.

>>Human-First Headhunting

“We’re not built for speed. We’re built for connection.”

Facets was founded to serve both candidates and clients—not just fill roles. The process is slow by design, and that’s the point.

>>Can’t-Miss Advice for Job Seekers

“Keep your resume on your desktop—like a living will.”

From networking mindset to real-world resume tips, Holly offers grounded, no-BS advice for job seekers of all ages, especially those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

>>What AI Can’t Replace

“We use AI to be more efficient—so we can be more human.”

Holly explains exactly where AI fits into her recruiting process—and where it never will. Emotional nuance, creativity, and human connection? Still 100% analog.

_________________________

Connect with us:
Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Holly Bond

--Chief Change Officer--
Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.

Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligence
for Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,
Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.

14 Million+ All-Time Downloads.
Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.
Global Top 3% Podcast.
Top 10 US Business.
Top 1 US Careers.

>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<