Franchisor Stories
fitWAVE is making serious waves in the fitness franchising industry due to its low initial investment, streamlined operational model, expert leadership team and unique consumer offering.
fitWAVE, the group-workout concept oriented around 16-week cycles that focus on mobility, core, balance and strength through a series of 60-minute workouts, was specifically created to position today’s generation of franchisees for success. Now, as the world opens back up with a renewed focus on health and wellness, the fitness concept is quickly becoming one of the franchising industry’s most exciting new opportunities.
Here are five reasons qualified prospects should invest in the fitWAVE franchise in 2021.
fitWAVE the franchise was created in 2020 by Jason Markowicz, the CEO of franchisee advisory consultancy Franchise Fit For You, and his business partner Rick King, partnered with industry veteran Josh Chrestman, a former D1 football player and high school wrestling champ who created the program.
Prior to creating the fitness brand, Markowicz was a franchisee himself for several years and also a franchisor with fitness brand, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs. When Markowicz decided to combine his in-depth franchising experience with Chrestman’s proven fitness system, fitWAVE was born out of a desire to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs and fitness enthusiasts become successful business owners.
“Franchisees get into this industry because they have a passion for helping people reach their fitness goals, not because they have a passion for business, so our thought process is all about taking care of the backend of the business for them,” said Chrestman. “We provide all the programming, all the payroll systems, all the HR practices, hiring, marketing, accounting, billing support and more — we take care of 95% of the day-to-day business operations so franchisees can focus on helping their members and their community.”
fitWAVE stands out in the fitness industry by using cyclical workout programs to help athletes and casual exercisers alike achieve peak results, deploying a proven business model based on satisfied members. fitWAVE is a continuous program based on 16-week cycles focusing on mobility, core, balance and strength. The fitWAVE program progresses through phases or “waves” that allows every member to reach their peak potential via a unique programming structure. This innovative programming creates a dedicated fan base in the community and increases member retention exponentially.
“fitWAVE’s business model is all about smarter programming — no other boutique fitness models have a structured program like us,” said King, who serves as fitWAVE’s VP of Fitness. “If people are coming in and not feeling well, we help them feel their best, which makes them want to come back and refer us to their friends. Our members see a 9% strength increase in 16 weeks, which significantly outperforms the market. We are able to serve every different customer’s goals and can fit all of that into a 16-week cycle.”
Best of all, fitWAVE programming is created by the corporate team every week and provided to each location — all franchisees need to do is plug and play the game plan.
fitWAVE is a fusion of different fitness styles, incorporating the science behind each to offer the best programming to the most diverse group of fitness levels. That means fitWAVE doesn’t target just one demographic or fitness level — members looking to improve sports performance can benefit from the same functional training offered to a post physical therapy patient. By offering a wide array of services, fitWAVE franchisees not only have the ability to help more people reach their goals, but they can also tap into multiple revenue streams and faster ROI in the $4.2 trillion dollar global wellness industry.
“We offer several different fitness options, whether it be personal training, nutritional coaching, recovery or membership,” said Chrestman. “The concept also allows for open gym use for anyone who has signed on to the fitWAVE concept or personal training. fitWAVE franchisees can offer as many services as they are comfortable with and can diversify their revenue streams as they grow.”
fitWAVE offers a flexible footprint that can fit almost any retail space with a scalable concept that ranges from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet. And unlike most fitness concepts, which rely on large, densely populated urban markets, fitWAVE will 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.
“Most boutique fitness concepts are very expansive and large, which means you can only choose markets with a larger population to ensure you see returns,” said Chrestman. “With the size of our footprint being so small and the overhead being so low, it opens the opportunity up to more markets. There are a lot of smaller isolated markets available across the country with an untapped consumer demand, and this model fits perfectly in those areas. We are a small town operator in Illinois ourselves, so we are really focused on providing a quality service to those smaller local communities. But we can fit anywhere. Plus, since members can be pro athletes or amateurs, there are even broader market options.”
That smaller-than-average footprint and innovative programming approach allows fitWAVE to require dramatically lower startup costs than its competitors: between $75,000 and $180,000, depending on real estate and additional amenities. The average startup costs for boutique fitness concepts come in between $250,000 to $1 million.
“The fitWAVE franchise opportunity was designed to help franchisees keep overhead costs very low,” said Chrestman. “For example, other competitors require expensive fitness equipment, but our equipment costs are significantly lower thanks to our smaller footprint and streamlined operational model.”
Today, fitWAVE’s affordable, membership-based business model has already caught the eye of several savvy investors. In the last four months alone, the franchise has added three new locations despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. Now, with the country steadily opening back up, the time has never been better to invest in a fitWAVE franchise and ride the wave to scalable, proven success in the fitness industry.
ABOUT FRANCHISE FIT FOR YOU
Franchise Fit For You is a franchisee-first franchisor and franchisee consultancy. It is the franchisor behind low-cost group-fitness franchise fitWAVE as well as Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, a larger-box fitness brand. As a franchisee consultancy, Fit For You offers guidance for future franchisees on finding the best fit for their personal and financial goals. Fit For You is run by Jason Markowicz, a former multi-unit franchise owner of Massage Envy and current developer of Prose Nails, a membership-based nail salon. For more information, visit www.fitforyoufranchising.com.
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