Meet Anthony Francis | Founder of Anthony Francis Improv U LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Francis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I grew up in an entrepreneurial household. My parents always worked for themselves. My father used to always say to me “If you can sell you can set your own price and write your own ticket.” More than making money I wanted freedom and the chance to make a real difference in the lives of the people in my community. The last part of it for me was hearing a quote from Alan Watts, “If money was abundant what would you do with your time if you didn’t have to work?” The answer for me is teaching. I looked at all the ways I could teach and who I could teach and that was it. Do what I love on my own schedule.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I provide communication training through improvisational acting techniques. This is done through a few different offerings. Teambuilding Workshops, Public Speaking Training, and Improv Acting classes.

There are a lot of people who use improv to help others in this way, but what sets us apart is the approachability and hospitality we bring to each session.

Approachability in the sense that all our exercises and activities are designed to be easy enough for an employee who didn’t ask to be in this training can do and actually enjoy without feeling embarrassed. I always tell my clients, I wouldn’t ask you to do something I wouldn’t enjoy myself. If I had to come to a teambuilding seminar I would want it to be this one. This is my favorite thing to do and I’m excited to share it with you.

The second part is hospitality. Every class and every session we teach is done with the same level of kindness and care as you would find in a three star Michelin restaurant. When you call to set up a teambuilding you have chosen us out of a sea of others. This is special, this is important to us and I will do my best to make this an experience you will enjoy and not soon forget. Honor and respect are big tenants at Improv U.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh no! I’m the worst at this! Okay…you must, must, MUST go to Ricky Baker in Coral Gables. You have to order in Spanish which is fun because I’m always trying to use my Spanish in real life situations, and you get the best café con leche and fresh baked pastries! When you’re done there go next door to Just the Funny for some of the best improv comedy you can see in Miami. For dinner there’s an incredible tapas restaurant, Rincón Escondido. Small, intimate, lots of wine, you’ll love it. It’s a bit of a drive but my favorite spot in South Florida is Lake Worth Ave. Not yet overrun with tourists its a real locals spot with great energy. It has in my opinion one of the best pizza places in South Florida and plenty of live music. Just walk the ave and pick a spot, you really can’t miss.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If there is one person who deserves a bulk of the credit it’s my wife Marisa. She trusts me and believes in me and it’s her confidence that has helped me make huge leaps in my business, because she has a great outside eye and she’s incredibly smart. Like, it’s a good thing I’m funny or I wouldn’t have had a chance.

There are two people who certainly changed the course of my life and my business and they are Stonza Alexander from JARC and Caitlyn Brash from Gulfstream Goodwill Academy. They were the first people to ask me to come and teach improv to their adults with special needs and that changed my life forever. I didn’t know my classes could benefit that population and more so I had no idea if I could do a good job of it, but they knew and they pushed me to try and I am so grateful for that.

I also want to thank all the bosses I worked for in the past. They gave me the motivation and drive to work for myself by showing me exactly how I don’t want to spend my days. Whenever working for myself gets hard I remember another quote, “You can build your dream or help someone else build theirs.”

Website: http://theimprovu.com

Instagram: @yesandu

Facebook: @yesandu

Youtube: Yesandu

Other: theanthonyfrancis.com for corporate teambuilding and public speaking training.

Image Credits
All images are property of Anthony Francis Improv U LLC