1851

Will Slota knows what it takes to make a business successful. Having worked as the head of finance or operations for several small-to-mid-sized companies, he&rsquo;s all too familiar with the 70-to-80-hour work weeks that can come with putting a business on the right path. So, when that tiring schedule began to wear on him, Slota decided to pursue business ownership opportunities. But, because he didn&rsquo;t want to go it alone, he turned to franchising.

&ldquo;For me, the appeal of joining a franchise system and using an established business model was having that roadmap of what it takes to be successful as a small business owner. There are a lot of benefits that come with joining a proven system&mdash;franchises come with reach, branding and marketing built in. Essentially, you&rsquo;re automatically ahead in every sort of competitive situation,&rdquo; said Slota.

With thousands of franchise brands competing in the marketplace, finding the best franchise opportunity for your specific situation can be a daunting task. But when Slota set out on his due diligence process, there was a set of criteria that he needed filled. And according to Slota, he <a href="https://www.anytimefitnessfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=low-failure-rate-and-ability-to-make-a-difference-inspires-first-time-franchisee-to-invest-in-anytime-fitness-2706196" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">didn&rsquo;t find a franchise that matched all of his specs until considering Anytime Fitness</a>.

He said, &ldquo;I was looking at a lot of different kinds of franchises across a bunch of different categories when I first started this process. I researched everything from in-home senior care to fitness. What really drew me to Anytime Fitness was that it checked all of the boxes that I had been looking for. The startup cost is well under $1 million, there&rsquo;s a really low failure rate and its business model enables franchisees to better their local communities. That ability to make a difference was a huge draw to me&mdash;I&rsquo;m not just creating a pile of trash from fast food. There&rsquo;s an element to Anytime Fitness&rsquo;s business model that allows me to improve people&rsquo;s lives.&rdquo;

In addition to gaining access to a platform that enables him to change people&rsquo;s lives for the better, Slota was drawn to <a href="https://anytimefitness.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=low-failure-rate-and-ability-to-make-a-difference-inspires-first-time-franchisee-to-invest-in-anytime-fitness-2706196" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anytime Fitness because of its overall environment</a>. He was able to get a feel for the brand during discovery day, and immediately knew that he found the right business ownership opportunity.

&ldquo;One thing that Anytime Fitness does really well is discovery day. When I went&mdash;during winter in Minnesota&mdash;bad weather caused the other people who were supposed to be there with me to cancel. So, I was the only person there, which is something that rarely happens given that the franchise is scaled to open several hundred locations every year. But it ended up being a really cool opportunity. I had the chance to sit down with Dave (Mortensen, Co-Founder and President of Anytime Fitness) one-on-one, and he treated me like family. He wasn&rsquo;t afraid to answer the tough questions or share his vision for the company, either. That&rsquo;s not something that you find with other franchises. Sure, you might get to shake an executive&rsquo;s hand. But it&rsquo;s not often that you get invited into their office to talk shop for an hour unscripted,&rdquo; said Slota. &ldquo;The experience that I had on discovery day definitely played a major role in my decision to invest with Anytime Fitness. The whole team went above and beyond, and it really made a difference for me.&rdquo;

Following his discovery day experience, Slota signed an agreement to open up three Anytime Fitness clubs in the Los Angeles area&mdash;from Santa Monica to Hollywood&mdash;over the course of the next two to three years. Since closing his franchise ownership deal in January of 2018, he&rsquo;s hit the ground running in order to achieve his goal of opening the first gym in the fourth quarter of the year. The first big step was attending Anytime Fitness&rsquo; new franchisee training program.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty impressed with the training program. There are three full weeks of mandatory training. So far, I&rsquo;ve done two back in Woodbury, Minnesota. Then, after that initial training, there&rsquo;s operations and consumer and pre-sale training &ndash; in addition to training for personal trainers and coaches. Each of those run for about a week and, if the two weeks of training that I&rsquo;ve already attend are any indication, they&rsquo;re going to be helpful. What I&rsquo;ve experienced so far demonstrates how much help you get through this franchise model and how many resources are made available to you,&rdquo; said Slota.

Right now, Slota is moving forward with his plans to launch his first Anytime Fitness club before the year ends. He&rsquo;s at the stage where he&rsquo;s evaluated a number of different locations, and now needs to finalize a lease. Slota says that the process is similar to finding the right franchise to invest in. &nbsp;You have to do a lot of work up front in order to find the best deal&mdash;and opportunity&mdash;possible.

&ldquo;For anyone else considering Anytime Fitness&rsquo;s business ownership opportunity, my top piece of advice is to not be afraid to ask as many questions as you want. I found that the more I got past my fear of asking tough questions, the more compelling answers there were&mdash;all I needed to do was ask,&rdquo; said Slota.

Low Failure Rate and Ability to Make a Difference Inspires First Time Franchisee to Invest in Anytime Fitness

1851 Franchise

Will Slota inked an agreement to open three Anytime Fitness gyms in the Los Angeles area over the course of the next few years.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

low-failure-rate-and-ability-to-make-a-difference-inspires-first-time-franchisee-to-invest-in-anytime-fitness

Mosquito Squad Plus

How This Marine Corps Veteran Found Freedom and Purpose With Mosquito Squad

how-this-marine-corps-veteran-found-freedom-and-purpose-with-mosquito-squad

Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys

How The DeFelice Brothers Turned a $10,000 Loan Into an Award-Winning Franchise With Help From Spadea Lignana

how-the-defelice-brothers-turned-a-10000-loan-into-an-award-winning-franchise-with-help-from-spadea-lignana

Caring Transitions

How This Gilbert Entrepreneur Found Purpose Helping Families Through Life’s Transitions

how-this-gilbert-entrepreneur-found-purpose-helping-families-through-lifes-transitions

USA Ninja Challenge

Where Passion Meets Purpose: USA Ninja Challenge Gives Franchisees the Power to Change Lives

where-passion-meets-purpose-usa-ninja-challenge-gives-franchisees-the-power-to-change-lives

SweatHouz

From Finance to Wellness: Natalie Siewers’ Path to Leading SweatHouz in Northern Virginia

sweathouz-franchise-northern-virginia-natalie-siewers

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Thursday 1851 Franchise Agg - NASAA’s Noncompete Push

NASAA’s Noncompete Push Puts Franchise Growth on Uncertain Ground

franchise-noncompete-nasaa-advisory-reasonableness-standard

How a Steady Economy Could Help Franchisors Plan Their Next Move

how-a-steady-economy-could-help-franchisors-plan-their-next-move

Bed Bath & Beyond - Franchise Expansion - Retail Strategy - 1851 Franchise

Bed Bath & Beyond Launches Franchise Model as Part of Comeback Strategy

bed-bath-beyond-franchise-expansion-retail-strategy

Senior Entrepreneurship - Franchising - 1851 Franchise

Senior Entrepreneurship Is Rising — And Franchising Is a Key Outlet

senior-entrepreneurship-franchising-silver-startups

U.S. Government Shutdown - Impact on Franchises - 1851 Franchise

Government Shutdown Stalls SBA Loans: How the Shutdown Could Impact Franchises

government-shutdown-impacts-sba-loans-tourism-franchises

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Barb Volk and KidStrong logo

Why This Orangetheory Fitness Franchise Owner Is Developing KidStrong Franchises

kidstrong-franchise-owner-barb-volk-2025

1851 Franchisee Spotlight with photo of Mike Rippey and Sola Salons logo

How This Former Franchisor Is Using His Industry Experience To Help Beauty Pros Thrive With Sola Salons Franchise

mike-rippey-sola-salons-franchisee

photo-of-laynes-chicken-fingers-dalton-dennis-southern-oregon

23-Year-Old Entrepreneur Brings Soon to Be Famous Chicken™ to Southern Oregon With 3-Unit Layne’s Chicken Fingers Franchise Signing

laynes-chicken-fingers-dalton-dennis-southern-oregon

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

Power Eats: Smoothie King Rolls Out Food Nationwide To Fuel Franchise Growth

smoothie-king-food-menu-power-eats

1851 Keyword - The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

Low Failure Rate and Ability to Make a Difference Inspires First Time Franchisee to Invest in Anytime Fitness

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS