Meet Our Kick-A$$ Team
Meet Michael, Co-Founder of BFU
📢 Speaker.
🤓Facilitator. Consultant.
🧙♂️Entrepreneur. Wizard.
Michael is a highly effective facilitator, consultant and entrepreneur with two decades of experience in customer-centric businesses.
He is driven to share his passion and knowledge with other business owners to help them make the greatest positive impact on the world and build the life they have always envisioned. Michael’s unique approach combines his hands-on experience as a business founder and CEO with expert coaching and consulting skills to help entrepreneurs reach their goals faster and with less stress.
Prior to joining forces with Mark, Michael managed customer-centric teams throughout the U.S. for the world-class Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. After pursuing his graduate studies at Drexel University in Arts Administration, he expanded his management skills to nonprofit business. Michael worked as a consultant for small to mid-sized performing arts organizations and the Pew Charitable Trusts on their national arts and culture initiative, The Cultural Data Project (now DataArts).
Michael is a Certified Life and Business Coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and the Co-Founder and Board President of the NYC-based charity The Uprising, which is devoted to empowering people to become engaged and informed citizens. He is also a proud member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
Meet Mark, Co-Founder of BFU
📢 Speaker.
👯♂️Consultant.
🕺Entrepreneur. Swell Guy.
Mark Fisher is an international speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur.
Through keynotes, courses, and coaching, Mark helps training gym owners achieve financial success and personal freedom. Mark’s most popular topics include building cult-like cultures, time management, and “sales and marketing for good human beings.” He’s also excellent at playing with puppies, though to date, he has not been paid for this skillset.
Mark and his “non-sexual life partner” Michael Keeler founded Business for Unicorns in 2016 and have since worked with many of the leading fitness studios across the US, the UK, and Australia. Past non-fitness clients include Sony Music, Sylvan Learning, Novus Surgical, and Security Scorecard. He is also a proud alumni speaker of TEDx Broadway.
In addition to consulting through BFU, Mark is the co-founder of Mark Fisher Fitness, one of the most unusual gyms in the fitness industry. MFF operates a physical location in midtown Manhattan and a fast-growing online “virtual” location. MFF was recognized as #312 on the 2015 Inc. 500 fastest growing companies in America, as well as one of Men’s Health’s “Top 20 Gyms in America.”
Pete Dupuis, BFU Coach & Mentor
🏋️♂️ Co-founder Cressey Sports Performance
🦄 Fitness Business Guy
Pete is one of the few fitness professionals who identify specifically as a “business guy.”
He has served as the Vice President and Business Director of Cressey Sports Performance since co-founding the company in 2007. With an MBA from Babson College, more than a decade of fitness industry experience, and a profound appreciation for the nitty-gritty realities of managing a fitness facility, Pete brings a unique perspective to discussions surrounding the business of fitness.
Most importantly, Pete is a proud husband to Katie, and father to Collin and Owen Dupuis.
Ben Pickard, BFU Coach & COO
🏋️♂️ Owner of Lean Strong Fitness in Guelph, Ontario
🦄 3-Year Member of Unicorn Society
Ben is a husband, father, entrepreneur, business coach, and self-proclaimed “continuing education and personal growth nerd”.
Ben says, “Taking countless courses, seminars and workshops have helped over the years, but never had that special something to bring it all together.
For me, that was leadership. Thanks to Unicorn Society I’ve improved how I manage my team at my business, how I show up as a parent to my eight-year-old son, and how I support my partner in her journey of self-employment.
The reason I am now coaching with BFU is to help you have the fulfillment and happiness I’ve experienced so you can apply it to your work, life, and beyond.”
Amanda “Wheels” Wheeler, BFU Coach
🏋️♀️ Founder, Covering Ground in NYC
🦄 MFF Veteran Coach
Wheels has been in the fitnes industry for over 15 years. In that time she has been a manager, fitness director, gym owner, and business mentor. Her clientele span a broad range from professional athletes, Broadway stars, bodybuilders, powerlifters, older adults, youth athletes, and the “not stoked about fitness, but I know I should do it and need accountability” gym goer.
In coaching land, she is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with a strong suit in program design and delivery of the experience from the start of the session to the end.
Her real passion lies in leading teams. She loves psychology, managing humans, establishing trust, creating buy-in, and making sure everyone is rowing the boat in the same direction.
When she’s not doing fitness things, you can find her applying chapstick, playing with her pitbull, and experimenting with art.
Emily “Em” Morris, BFU Coach
🦄 Director of Possibilities (Sales) at Mark Fisher Fitness
An Atlanta native, once she found herself in NYC with a musical theater BFA the obvious next step was working at Mark Fisher Fitness. Since beginning part-time at the front desk in 2019, she has worked her way through the sales department and is now leading the team.
Em loves transforming “work” into something fun. Her expertise is in helping you wade through the noise of typical sales advice so you can find your own authentic voice. She helps you develop unique sales scripts, understand the value of quality follow-up, get creative with joint ventures, charities, and guerrilla marketing. Most of all she helps you turn leads into members because these days, leads are easy to come by it’s what you do with them that matters.
The opportunity to connect with humans every day coupled with her major hard-on for SOPs and details has helped her develop the MFF Growth Squad (sales team) into a team focused on connection and inspiration for incoming Ninjas.
Arianne Kraiman, BFU Client Experience Manager
Fighter. Actor. Talker. Creator.
The glue.
Originally from Philadelphia, Ari brings her East Coast attitude to everything she does. From acting to sword fighting to exercise, she is quick and determined (and probably speaking in an outdoor voice).
Here at Business For Unicorns, Ari’s goals are to make our members feel seen and heard and to keep the ship running smoothly. You’ll find her walking the line between BFF and Queen of Spreadsheets.
When she’s not bouncing between 20 open tabs, Ari is most likely at acting class (where she met Rose Marie, who brought her on to the team!), hiking in the LA sunshine, practicing to be a Jewish Grandma (aka stressing, knitting and baking), or kissing a stranger’s dog.
Rose Marie Rupley, BFU Project Manager
🎭 Actress. Singer. Writer. Artist.
🦄 Behind the scenes magician.
A Texas native now living in LA, Rose Marie met the amazing team at MFF when she started her fitness journey 5 years ago and fell in love with all things Mark Fisher Fitness.
In addition to her performing arts career, Rose Marie adores helping folks, and being of service to those looking to make a positive impact on the world, hence why she loves her job at Business for Unicorns.
When she’s not wrangling Unicorns for BFU, she enjoys getting outdoors with her 100 lbs. monster dog Chewie, cooking healthy meals, and listening to nerdy podcasts to satisfy her relentless curiosity.