Why Fit For You Is Set To Dominate the Franchising Industry

Fit For You Franchising, a franchisee advisory consultancy that is also the multi-brand franchisor behind fitness brands Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs and fitWAVE, as well as carpet repair franchise The Carpet Chemist, is quickly becoming one of the franchising industry’s most exciting new organizations. Designed by franchising industry veteran and CEO Jason Markowicz, the Fit For You concepts position franchise owners for success through affordable business models, high-profit margins and a robust suite of support. Now, as each of the concepts prove to be uniquely well-positioned following the COVID-19 pandemic, they are catching the eyes of savvy investors all over the country. 

The company’s first brand, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, is a fast-growing, 13-location, group-workout gym concept that has seen major success in smaller markets in the Midwest. fitWAVE is an innovative, cycle-based workout concept that was created to appeal to the demand for low-cost fitness options following the pandemic. Finally, The Carpet Chemist is a newly-launched carpet repair and cleaning company that is starting to pick-up steam as a home-based franchise opportunity. As a franchisee consultancy, Fit For You also offers guidance for future franchisees on finding the best fit for their personal and financial goals.

With so much value offered to prospective franchisees, Fit For You Franchising is carving out an impressive niche in the franchising industry and giving motivated entrepreneurs the opportunity to run their own business with the support of a franchisee-focused company.

Big News From Last Year

While many businesses struggled over the past year due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fit For You brands have seen significant growth, both from a franchise development perspective and in terms of unit level economics. The Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs system, for example, has seen a whopping 85% increase in year-over-year sales for 2021.

“In 2020, our team did a great job of coming through the pandemic, and a lot of valuable new ideas were born from the crisis,” Markowicz said. “I’ve been on both sides of the franchisee/franchisor relationship. I have been in every situation that franchisees have been in. We were proud to create solutions for our franchisees during the pandemic. Now, as the world returns back to normal for the rest of 2021 and beyond, we are excited to continue offering new solutions and opportunities for franchisees to grow in states across the country.”

On the franchise development side, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs opened three new locations so far in 2021, including Coal City, Illinois; Homer Glen, Illinois; and Cedar Lake, Indiana. fitWAVE also opened its first branded location in Minooka in the late summer of 2021. 

“I am thrilled to see the fitWAVE vision come true as we gear up to open our first branded fitness center,” said fitness industry veteran and fitWAVE co-founder Josh Chrestman. “We started in Illinois, and we are confident Minooka will be the perfect market for the fitWAVE brand. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue bringing our concept to new communities.”

Why Franchisees Are Getting on Board With Fit For You

As Fit For You Franchising’s concepts expand in the Midwest, particularly in and around Illinois and Indiana, Markowicz says the corporate team works hard to promote strategic, scalable growth for their owners.

As someone who was a franchisee himself for several years, Markowicz created Fit For You with a dedication to offering first-time entrepreneurs and fitness enthusiasts the type of full-suite support needed to succeed, whether it be ongoing leadership training and development, vendor assistance or admin payroll, billing and processing systems.

Additionally, both Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs and fitWAVE offer a scalable concept and a flexible footprint of 1,500 to 3,000 square feet that can fit almost any retail space. “This not only allows franchisees to keep overhead costs low, but also dominates smaller markets with less competition,” Markowicz says. “Fitness Premier and fitWAVE franchisees also have the ability to tap into multiple revenue streams and faster ROI in these markets thanks to the brands’ impressive roster of services and innovative programing structure.”

Kathy Mecklenburg, director of operations and HR for Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs and multi-unit owner herself, says this scalable business model is a big reason franchisees continue to join the brand. “We recently opened a new Fitness Premier location and within 90 days, they were in the black,” she said. “What we offer in terms of back-end support, programming and an established infrastructure is above and beyond what you get from other franchises.”

Regardless of whether or not they have business ownership experience, these differentiators create an easy path for fitness enthusiasts looking to expand through franchise ownership. For example, Illinois-based franchisee Samantha Gorman started with the Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs brand as a trainee fresh out of college and has since become a multi-unit franchise owner.

“After I dropped out of college and started working out, I fell in love with fitness,” said Gorman. “After about a year, I had lost about 50 pounds and decided fitness was what I wanted to pursue in order to help people achieve those same results. I started as a trainer with my local Fitness Premier location in 2013 and worked my way up to a management position. Eventually, Jason approached me with the opportunity to franchise my own location.”

Throughout her franchising journey, Gorman says Markowicz was incredibly supportive and empathetic to the trials and tribulations of first-time franchise ownership. “Jason really raised me in the industry and helped in the transition to becoming a franchisee — I owe it all to him and the support team in the office,” she said. “They trained me on every aspect of the business, including time management, financial accounting, systems and procedures.”

Now, Gorman shows no signs of slowing down and says she has experienced record-breaking sales so far in 2021. “People want to be healthy more than ever, and our systems and procedures allow us to help them achieve that goal,” she said. “I just signed on to open a second club this month, which has always been one of my main goals. From here, the sky's the limit.”

Why the Services Industry Is Poised for Growth

As a franchise consultant, Markowicz says he has an inside look at the types of concepts prospective franchisees are interested in right now, and increasingly, the fitness industry is coming in at the top of the list. The global wellness industry is worth $4.2 trillion and while people have never valued their health and wellness more, they are in need of affordable options. With Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs and fitWAVE, Markowicz says franchisees have the exciting opportunity to satisfy this growing demand.

“Fitness is a service everyone will always need,” said Mecklenburg. “This year has truly shown us that people need fitness no matter what, and they are now coming back out in record numbers looking for that health and wellness boost.”

Both fitWAVE and Fitness Premier offer innovative programming structures that position owners one step ahead of the fitness competition. By incorporating an array of different fitness services and keeping membership fees affordable, franchisees can appeal to many different demographics, tap into multiple revenue streams and create a dedicated fan base in the community.

Now, Markowicz says the rest of the service industry, specifically the home services segment, is also seeing significant pent up demand. As more people stayed at home and prioritized renovation projects, the home services industry has grown to a staggering $506 billion-dollar market in the United States with $61.9 billion in home maintenance spending, according to a report completed by Home Advisor.

Markowicz points to The Carpet Chemist as one example of a brand that allows franchisees to tap into the growing demand for home services while benefiting from several unique advantages. Through a streamlined operational model and robust support infrastructure, Markowicz says The Carpet Chemist franchise owners are equipped with everything they need to offer an array of effective carpet cleaning services that meet a variety of homeowners’ needs.

The Investment

Markowicz leveraged his franchising background to create an innovative site selection and market strategy that would ensure each of the Fit For You concepts required lower start-up costs than those of their competitors. 

Unlike most fitness concepts, which rely on large, densely populated urban markets, fitWAVE and Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs can succeed in towns with populations of roughly 15,000 or more, allowing franchisees to avoid the expensive real estate and demanding regulations that come with some larger markets. As a result, the initial investment for a Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs location comes in at only $39,999. fitWAVE also features dramatically lower startup costs than usual fitness concepts: between $75,000 and $180,000, depending on real estate and additional amenities. 

In addition to the two fitness concepts, Markowicz also created The Carpet Chemist franchise with an understanding that home services brands often require a lower start-up cost. Since no office space is required and franchise owners maintain little ongoing overhead costs, the initial investment range of a The Carpet Chemist franchise comes in at only $77,000 to $109,000, which includes the leasing of a van and the initial $25,000 franchise fee.

“Our corporate team has worked with many other franchisees in the past, and we know how to create an affordable franchise opportunity,” said Mecklenburg. “Yes, there are franchise fees and start-up fees, but we’ve designed our model to be financially attainable and less expensive than the competition. We are also there to help prospects find financing, and we have people who can help guide them to make sure it is the right investment for them.”

Why the Leadership Team Is More Excited Than Ever

Now, as the COVID-19 vaccine reaches wide distribution, Markowicz says Fit For You’s affordable, optimized business models present entrepreneurs with the perfect opportunity to get into business with a winning team. 

“Being a part of an emerging franchise allows owners to truly feel like they are running their own business and feel passionate about helping the brand succeed by educating consumers on a new service and helping shape the brand,” said Markowicz. “We believe we offer some of the biggest opportunities in the franchising industry right now and are excited to partner with qualified entrepreneurs as we continue to grow.”

Looking ahead, The Fit For You team has two Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs in the pipeline and looks to add an additional five by the end of the year to reach its 2021 goal of 10 total units sold. The team has also already signed agreements to open three new fitWAVE locations and [INSERT NUMBER] new The Carpet Chemist locations.

“Last year created challenges for everyone in the franchising industry, but the Fit For You team did an amazing job at supporting franchisees so they could provide customers with essential services,” said Mecklenburg. “Now, going into 2021, while other brands are starting to close locations, we are continuing to grow. We are stronger coming out of this difficult year than we were when we entered it, which speaks volume to the strength of the Fit For You family.”