How One Franchisee’s Incredible Fitness Journey Led Her to Open a Workout Anytime

Around nine years ago, Workout Anytime’s latest franchisee, Vannie Nguyen, had a doctor’s appointment that prompted a life-changing decision. After being told that her weight was impacting her mental and physical health, Nguyen decided to immerse herself in the world of health and fitness. This resulted in major changes, including losing over 130 pounds and becoming a certified trainer. 

After leaving a job in accounting, Nguyen knew that the health and fitness industry was where her passion resided. She eventually decided that she wanted to open her own gym with the help of her client Nick Fisk. Together with Fisk, an experienced business owner and restaurateur, Nguyen found Workout Anytime and saw it as a perfect match. Now, the pair are bringing the fitness franchise to Blairsville, Georgia. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Nguyen and Fisk about their franchising journey with Workout Anytime. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Nguyen: I'll start by saying that I was 267 pounds about nine years ago. I was super depressed and wasn’t sure why, so I went to a doctor to see what was going on. He looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to be frank: You’re fat.” I was mortified. But it was a wake-up call. I went home and thought about it and realized I was eating my emotions. So I became obsessed with health and fitness. For the first year, I was too embarrassed to go to the gym, so I did at-home workouts. I ended up losing 100 pounds that year by doing that and eating well. I continued to do home workouts for a while and lost more weight. Then, I started going to the gym and ended up getting certified as a trainer. I wanted to train people differently. So every time I had a client, I would work out with them and walk them through everything. I would just be really personable with them. 

When COVID happened, I ended up leaving an accounting job at a multimillion-dollar company and going into freelance marketing. But my heart was always in health and fitness. I was going to a local gym, which was just awful. I thought to myself, “What would I change if this was my gym?” And I decided I wanted to open my own business. I partnered with Nick, who I was training. He has experience owning several restaurants in Georgia and North Carolina. At first, we were going to do it ourselves, but decided to go down the franchising route. And that’s when we found Workout Anytime. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee?

Nguyen: I wasn’t interested in it at first. We were originally going to do a mom and pop business. We didn’t want to follow anyone else’s rules. But when we looked further into it, we realized how expensive it was to do it yourself and how much larger the odds of failure are. When you go with a franchise, they already have everything figured out. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Nguyen:  When I started researching them, I saw how much they had figured out. What I love the most is that the owners truly were in health and fitness. You can tell they aren’t just doing it for the money. The corporate team has been together for several decades, and I think that’s amazing. They’re truly a family. My biggest thing is wanting to be a part of something where they really care about what they are talking about, and that’s what I found with Workout Anytime. 

Fisk: They have a great track record, and they’re like family. They’ve never had a store go out of business. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Fisk: We want to help people. And we definitely want to grow. 

Nguyen: Our ultimate goal is to open a location every year until we get to three, and then we will see where we are. It looks like we’re going to do very well here. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Nguyen: No matter where you come from or what bad decisions you've made, you can always redeem yourself by giving, helping and loving others — because that's what God wants us to do. And without health and fitness, you're not going to live that long. It’s so important. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Fisk: Know that working with a corporate team is very different from opening your own small business. 

ABOUT WORKOUT ANYTIME*:

Atlanta-based Workout Anytime is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week fitness concept with 190 units across the U.S. Founded by fitness veterans John Quattrocchi and Steve Strickland, the company was formed to provide members with first-class fitness facilities at the lowest cost possible while delivering a profitable and affordable business model to franchisees. Built on the founders’ motto of “think big, keep it simple and do it with integrity,” Workout Anytime is preparing for significant expansion into new territories across the U.S. and Central America by providing opportunities to business-minded entrepreneurs. Franchise opportunities are available, and more information can be found on http://workoutanytimefranchise.com/.