Buckle Up: AWATfit Franchisees Go From Signing to Opening in Just 30 Days

Geoffrey Psillos graduated from college in spring of 2020. The future looked bright for him. He couldn’t wait to get out and start his life.

Then the world came to a halt.

The ambitious 22-year-old part-time personal trainer and bodybuilder champion, who had just earned a bachelor’s degree in project engineering and construction management from SUNY Delhi, now found himself laid off from a project manager job due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

But this Port Jefferson, N.Y.-based go-getter wasn’t about to let a worldwide pandemic stop him from taking on the world. 

With no job, however, he had no time to lose. He needed to start making money, and fast. To do that, he knew he’d have to take his destiny in his hands. “I didn't just want to be an employee,” he said

That’s when he discovered that the Hamptons, N.Y.-based AWATfit (All Weather All Terrain Fitness) was ready for its first franchisee. He jumped at the chance. 

The mobile, gym-on-a-truck concept was perfect for him. The start-up costs were manageable and the training was minimal — measured in days instead of the months, or even years, some franchises require. Plus, he’d be able to capitalize on his interest in fitness.  

But the best part? 

He’d be bringing in revenue almost immediately. “After the first 30 days, you'll be 100% set up to start creating revenue,” Psillos said. He has been working since September, bringing his truck with 20 workout stations designed for strength, flexibility, core, agility and cardiovascular exercises to parks and recreation centers in his area, teaching high-impact alfresco classes.

He thanks AWATfit’s founder and CEO Richard Decker for the rapid revenue trajectory. He cites Decker’s support and guidance, as well as AWATfit’s turnkey system, for allowing him to get up and rolling so soon after the initial franchise agreement was signed.

That’s exactly the point of the AWATfit franchise, says Decker. To get entrepreneurs up and running at lightning speed.

“Within 30 days of committing to the franchise, they’re in business,” he says. “So the money they’ve invested is not sitting idle before they’re generating their first bit of revenue.”

As soon as two weeks after the contract is signed, after a mandated review period for franchise agreements, Decker gets to work on tricking out the core of the AWATfit business model: a newer-model pick-up truck. 

Under his supervision, a body shop customizes the truck. It fastens the racks of gym equipment to the truck, applies the signage that will turn your truck into its own marketing, installs your POS system, and if you already own a truck that adheres to AWATfit brand requirements they can modify that one for you.

During these first weeks, franchisees also receive training. “We have a five-day training program,” says Decker. “We do four days with us going over how to work the program, how to do our choreographed classes, how to use the vehicle properly. Then there’s a day with our [point of sale] POS system and our tech guys, so our franchisees understand how to use our apps.”

Simultaneously, AWATfit is assisting with digital marketing, helping you line up your first classes on day one. 

Decker says that AWATfit mobile trucks have a 92% profit margin. He compares that to the 12% return of a typical brick-and-mortar gym, like the ones he owned and operated during his 30-year fitness career. 

Plus, AWATfit has no full-time physical address to conduct classes, which means franchisees don’t have to deal with leases — especially at times when gyms across the country have reduced capacity and many have closed. 

In fact, this pimped-out pickup is saving you on rent, but it’s actually its own mobile billboard that advertises your business, helping you make more money.

“This vehicle gives you more exposure than you can ever dream,” says Decker. “I pick up a new client just from being parked at a deli.”

To learn more about franchising with AWATfit, visit https://awatfitfranchise.com/.