3 Ways to Build Your Brand like TB12 Sports

Build your brand
Listen

John Burns MBA’05 knew his prognosis wasn’t great.

Two days after pulling his groin muscle in a recreational hockey game, Burns, in his mid-40s at the time, paid a visit to the TB12 Sports Therapy Center in Foxborough with the hope of rehabbing his injury.​

Though he struggled to walk at the time, it wasn’t long before he was back to being an athlete.

“They got me better in two, three weeks,” Burns said. “Being an entrepreneur, I said, ‘There’s something here.’”

For Burns, the treatment sessions marked the beginning of a journey where he would invest, and later be named CEO of TB12 Sports. He currently leads of team of 75 employees who strive to work with athletes to achieve peak performance while channeling fitness habits of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

“It was an opportunity I felt I couldn’t pass up,” Burns said. “It’s a very unique experience, I’ve been fortunate to be involved with a lot of great people in different situations over my career.”

Burns joined brand architect and strategist Larry Gulko MBA’76 at the Schlesinger Innovation Center last week to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, and optimal ways innovators can build your brand.

Find What Makes You Unique

TB12 Sports services and offerings are based off Brady’s lifestyle and fitness beliefs of muscle pliability, functional strength and conditioning, nutrition, hydration, and cognitive fitness.

It’s this that makes the brand stand out from other sports therapy businesses.

“When you build your brand, you’ve got to find your unique place,” Burns said. “We’re in the business of longevity, what we’re selling is the opportunity to do what you love longer, and better.”

TB12 Sports hasn’t been Burns’ only unique venture. He also has invested in Grillo’s Pickles, a business which originally sold its products out of a wooden cart on Boston Common, Spartan Race, and Oath Pizza, a small-format pizza concept which made a name for itself by using an avocado oil crust.

Larry Gulko MBA'76
Larry Gulko MBA’76

Identify a Target Demographic

Being in the business of longevity may not have the same appeal to athletes in their 20s as compared to athletes in their 40s.

That’s why TB12 Sports targets athletes between 35 and 40 years old, who are seeking to continue to compete and train like they did in their late teens and 20s.

“All of us suffer from one common problem; that’s the march of time,” Burns said. “How many people have missed something because their shoulder hurt, their knee hurt? That is our market.”

Retain Your Customer to Successfully Build Your Brand

TB12 Sports has developed its customer base by fixating on those who interact with them the most: their employees.

“The best thing we can do to keep you coming back is having great advocates for our brand,” Burns said.

At TB12 Sports, 50 percent of customers who visit for a one-on-one session with a body coach return for a second session, Burns said. Of that 50 percent, 90 percent return for a third session.

“We’re in such a special place to change people’s lives,” Burns said. “You always have to look at things through the customers’ eyes. I use and experience everything we do, I don’t think you can be the CEO of a company in the consumer space without doing that.”

“I walked out of there when I couldn’t walk in,” Burns added.” I know what we do works.”

Posted in Community, Insights

More from  »

Latest Stories

Members of the Babson community behind a Pride banner at the parade
Passion and Pride: How the Office of Belonging and Inclusion Supports the LGBTQ+ Community Babson’s participation in the Boston Pride Parade caps a busy and productive year of support for the LGBTQ+ community by the Office of Belonging and Inclusion, as it advances the College’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
June 27, 2025

Posted in Community

Two people sit next to each other in a classroom
As Workforce Needs Evolve, Babson Expands Its Commitment to Professional and Executive Education To better support organizations and professionals in rapidly changing times, Babson launches an expanded Professional and Executive Education portfolio, offering courses that are online, flexible, and urgently needed, while investing in a new lodging and conference center on campus.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
June 23, 2025

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership

Andrew “Zach” Zacharakis applauds while sitting at a table during a BCERC dinner
Honoring Andrew ‘Zach’ Zacharakis for 20 Years as BCERC Director As the 45th annual entrepreneurship research conference returns to Babson’s campus, BCERC pays tribute to Professor Andrew “Zach” Zacharakis for two decades of service. Zacharakis shares reflections of BCERC and its impact.
By
Eric Beato
Editor / Writer
Eric Beato
Eric Beato is the Editor of Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Eric has worked as an editor and writer at newspapers across the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Boston Herald. Eric joined Babson College in 2019 after working as the communications director for a private educational travel company and as the managing editor of six regional sports publications.
June 16, 2025

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership