Christopher Villa made a lifelong dream come true when he purchased an i9 Sports franchise in 2006. “I think I decided when I was about 4 years old that I’d like to be my own boss, so I started putting the pieces in place during my corporate career in the footwear business,” said Villa.

Now, he leads one of the most successful i9 regions in the country.

The decision to purchase an i9 Sports franchise was an easy one. “When we were looking for a business to start, we wanted something that was community driven. i9 seemed to fit the bill, not to mention the fact that I’m very passionate about sports and I played sports all my life so it seemed to be a good fit.”

i9 provides team sports for children in a positive atmosphere and removes the burden of a crazy schedule for families by hosting the practices on the same day each week.

Villa found Guidant Financial through a franchise broker and never looked back. “One of the things I can say about Guidant Financial is [that] they’re very on top of compliance and very on top of making sure that your customer satisfaction is very high.”

As for the benefits of owning a business, Villa says there are many. “I’ve been able to coach my son’s baseball team; my wife and I are able to take trips and do the things that we love to do.”

He looks forward to starting his next business, a mobile gaming truck franchise, in a matter of weeks.

Read more about Christopher in Entrepreneur magazine.