Abstract

The case “Alberto Pérez: Rocking the Fitness World with Zumba” discusses the entrepreneurship journey of Colombian dancer and choreographer, Alberto Pérez (Pérez), who developed a unique fitness program called ‘Zumba’ that went on to become the world’s largest branded fitness program. The case starts by giving a brief background on Pérez, and how he came to develop Zumba. It then documents Perez’s early days in the US and his journey to establishing Zumba Fitness, LLC with two young Colombian Americans, Alberto Perlman (Perlman) and Alberto Aghion (Aghion), who were on the lookout for business opportunities. The case provides details of the trio’s tryst with various business models for the company. It mentions Zumba Fitness’s customer-centric strategies that focused on Zumba Instructors who were considered to be the company’s partners and brand ambassadors, which eventually benefited the company. A brief glimpse is provided into the reasons for the cult-like following that Zumba has and the challenges that the company faced. Can Zumba Fitness continue to have a strong following in the fitness industry, which is characterized by fast-changing trends, considering the growing menace of counterfeiting?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of creativity in entrepreneurship.
• Recognize the emerging business opportunities for new ventures.
• Examine the challenges in new venture management.
• Scrutinize the impact of customer centricity on business growth.
• Analyze the ways to sustain a brand for the long-term.

Keywords

Entrepreneur; Entrepreneurship and creativity; New venture management; Customer-centric organization; Protecting a brand from counterfeiting; Brand development; Cult-like following; Business Models; Diversity; Leadership; Certification Programs; Direct Sales; Brand Ambassadors; Community Feeling; Social Media