Entrepreneurs make strides in business
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers STROLL AND ROLL- Erin Lynch, co-owner of Stroller Strides, leads a 60-minute exercise program with area moms and their children at Mission Oaks Park earlier this month.

Wendy Gillio and Erin Lynch have found a business that makes it easy to put their best foot forward.

Last year, the two new moms began Stroller Strides in Camarillo. The exercise class gives busy mothers a chance to work out while spending time with their little ones.

The Camarillo women will celebrate their first anniversary later this month. The Stroller Strides franchise began in San Diego and has spread across the U.S.

Gillio read about the exercise class in a community newsletter not long after giving birth to her daughter Morgan.

She joined the only class offered in western Ventura County but grew tired of driving to Ventura three times a week.

She decided to open a franchise in Camarillo and talked Lynch into becoming her partner.

Coaching an exercise class seems a perfect fit for two former school teachers, who get to put their teaching talents to work while enjoying the rewards of exercise.

"I honestly love it," Gillio said. "I get to have my daughter with me- that's definitely one of the benefits of it."

Frustrated that her children kept catching colds at her local gym's day-care center, Lynch had just stopped going to her regular gym when Gillio asked if she'd become a partner in the new business.

"I love to teach and I love to exercise," said Lynch, the mother of 2yearold twins. "It was a winwin situation for me."

Gillio and Lynch held their first class in March 2006. As word of mouth spread about the workout routine that requires moms to bring little more than a baby stroller, their business has continued to grow.

Stroller Strides is part exercise class and part moms' support group. Once a month, all of the members get together for a moms' night out. Lynch and Gillio schedule monthly field trips for the moms and children and arts and crafts events every Wednesday.

Staci Smith, a yearlong member, said the exercise class is her "sanity time," giving her the opportunity to talk with other moms.

Jessica Biggs, who began the class last year when she was four months pregnant, said it helped her recover more quickly from a cesarean section.

Although the business brings in a modest income, the women plan to continue with it long after their children start school and the moms begin teaching again.

They may hire instructors to teach classes when they can't.

Gillio said her goal is to make Stroller Strides a household name in Camarillo.

Gillio and Lynch invited the public to celebrate their one-year anniversary with a free workout and family events beginning at 10 a.m. Sat., March 24 at Pitts Ranch Park.

For more information, visit www.strollerstrides.com or call (888) 638-3860.