'You Can Do It'

'You Can Do It'

ENTREPRENEURS by Janet Leiser | Senior Editor

Tony Little is known for his blond ponytail, muscular physique and energetic hawking of exercise equipment and fitness tapes on infomercials and shopping channels.

Remember the Gazelle? Little, a former Mr. Florida, has helped sell more than $1 billion worth of that exercise machine since 1997.

Little, who lives in South Tampa and has an office in St. Petersburg, was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame in Chicago March 19. He joined previous honorees such as Charles Atlas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jane Fonda, Jack LaLanne, Vic Tanny and Joe Weider.

Little, 49, says he's humbled to be included in such a prestigious group. Then he jokingly refers to his public persona that attracts attention everywhere he goes. He blames the infomercials he has made, as well as the recent 'You can do it' commercials for the GEICO insurance agency, where he pokes fun at himself.

"It's impossible to get anywhere without hearing 'You can do it,' " Little says. "If someone says that to me one more time ..."

An Ohio native, Little moved to the Tampa-St. Petersburg area when he was 17. He won numerous weight-lifting titles before he joined the Home Shopping Network Inc. in 1988.

"I was the first on-air celebrity of any shopping network," Little says. "I was brought in by Bud Paxson, who started HSN."

Little was an instant success.

He spent six years with HSN (initially known as the Home Shopping Club) before switching to QVC Inc.

He says he left HSN back then because there seemed to be continuous management upheaval, and each time a new president came in, there would be a push for changes in programming and shows.

"My concept has been simple: Start with the things that aren't working," Little says. "Don't screw around with proven winners. That's a hard thing in big companies."

At QVC, he was given 50% partnership in the sale of fitness products.

"The problem is a $3 billion corporation has more rules, more regulations than when you're an outsider doing what you do," Little says. "It wasn't going to work because I'm an independent entrepreneur with a lot of vision. Other people don't see like I do."

After taking a year off, he returned to St. Petersburg-based HSN. But he still does work for QVC in Europe, where he's also well known, and he's also a regular on the Canadian shopping channel. His shows have aired in more than 80 countries.

At HSN, he does personal trainer shows on weekends, as well as shows promoting his line of Homedic massage products, called DeStress.

On a typical three-day weekend, he brings in about $3 million for HSN, working several hours daily on air, he says.

His company, Health International Inc., has annual revenue of about $6 to $9 million, he says.

"We have tremendous growth right now, with all the shopping channels," he says.

In addition to the exercise equipment, his products include a pillow made with 16-million air infused beads, flip flops made by Birkenstock that work the hip, thighs and buttocks when you walk, an energy drink called Hyperactive that's slated to hit the market within 45 days and cross-trainer shoes for women.

"I look for products that serve a purpose for me," Little says. "We've been fortunate in selling and building product lines. More than 40 million customers have bought from me."

Little doesn't plan to stay in front of the camera many more years, though.

"I love the shopping channel business because I grew up in it and I understand it," he says. "But I don't think I want to be in it that much longer."

As for his ponytail, Little says he wanted to cut it off years ago but his sponsors won't allow it. It looks like he'll still be wearing it when he turns 50 in September.