Berry Fowler CPC, CMC

Berry Fowler Quick Facts

Main Areas: Educational entrepreneur, life coach training and certification, business and franchise development
Best Sellers: Return From Krypton, Rational Steps to Entrepreneurial Success
Career Focus: Author, Speaker, Success Coach, Business Owner
Affiliation: CEO, Coaches Institute International, Founder and former Chairman, Sylvan Learning Centers and The Little Gym International

 

In 1979, after working in the public schools as a classroom teacher, a master teacher, and a department chairman, Berry founded Sylvan® Learning Centers by committing his entire life savings of $14,500 to build his dream.  During his leadership Sylvan grew from a concept to the nation’s leading provider of supplemental education to school-age children. Today, Sylvan has almost twelve hundred learning centers and has helped over two million students to succeed.

In 1987, after orchestrating a successful merger with KinderCare and completing an initial public offering, Berry retired as chairman of Sylvan and began a lifestyle that most people merely dream of, spending time traveling in Europe, sailing in the Caribbean and living in Maui.

After five years of retirement, Berry felt a burning desire to return to business.  In 1992, he acquired a small “mom and pop” company in the children’s fitness industry and founded The Little Gym® International, Inc.  Under Berry’s direction, the company grew from a concept with two facilities in the Pacific Northwest to becoming an international leader in its industry. Today, The Little Gym has over 340 franchises operating in the U. S. and 20 foreign countries.

Over the years, Sylvan and The Little Gym have been ranked among the top 100 best franchise companies in the world.

After stepping down as chairman of The Little Gym, in 1995, Berry began to pursue another dream that had been germinating for seven years.  Return from Krypton, Rational Steps to Entrepreneurial Success, is a book he wrote specifically for the small business owner.  In it, he shares his proven strategies, methods and techniques for starting, growing and operating a successful business. 

A professional speaker since 1997, Berry’s energetic and humorous keynote speeches on Simple Strategies for Extraordinary Results, The Joys and Madness of an Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, and  Coaching Your Small Business Team to Succeed have motivated, educated and entertained audiences across North America.

Berry has been the focus of scores of news and feature articles in various publications including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Newsweek, Success Magazine, USA Today and the New York Times.  He has appeared as a guest on the Today Show, World Business Review, and many other national and local television programs.  Berry is listed in Who’s Who Worldwide and Distinguished Leaders of the World, and he has been nominated as Most Admired Man of the Decade by the American Biographical Institute.

Berry is the CEO and Co-founder of Coaches Institute International. He holds a Ph.D. in business and entrepreneurship and is a Certified Master Coach.  He and his partner, Barbara Wainwright, recently lanuched Coaches Institute International to provide the finest in life coach training to passionate individuals who are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of their clients and the world we live in.

 

Berry still enjoys coaching and mentoring a select group of clients as they continue to focus on achieving their personal and professional goals. Berry is a gifted artist who's social cartoons appear in various publications.