The Great Franchisee: Danny Ramirez, Workout Anytime, Florida

With 13 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, Danny Rameriz is no stranger to the world of business. He’s also passionate about fitness, serving others and making their lives better. When he began searching for business opportunities and stumbled upon Workout Anytime, the 24/7 fitness concept with 160-plus locations across the country, Ramirez knew he’d found the perfect match.

Now, Ramirez has signed on to open three Workout Anytime studios throughout St. Lucie County, Florida. We spoke to Ramirez to learn more about his journey to franchising and his experience with Workout Anytime.

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Danny Ramirez: I work in Corporate America and have been with a Fortune 500 plastic manufacturing company for the past seven years. My background is in finance, and I’m currently the Director of product marketing for my company’s healthcare business unit. I’ve moved around a lot due to my career and just moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida about a year ago.

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising and what was your perception of franchising before becoming a franchise owner?

Ramirez: I was researching different business opportunities and found that there were two different paths I could take: franchising or a startup. I don’t plan on leaving my corporate job in the immediate future, so I knew it would be a smoother process to pursue franchising.

1851: How did you decide you wanted to be a franchisee?

Ramirez: It was an easy decision for me. There’s no other way I would go about opening a business. With franchising, the path is already laid out for you and you can see the success of other franchisees who have used the business model.  

I’m passionate about opening a business that tangibly improves peoples’ lives and allows me to contribute to my local community while still working my full-time job. I began looking into sustainable businesses, in-home care franchises and gym concepts. In my current job, I’m a small piece of a large puzzle so with an opportunity to open a business, I wanted to provide a meaningful contribution to the community. I knew that it would be more complex and probably not possible to do this without becoming a franchisee.

1851: How did you perform your research?

Ramirez: I used a franchise consultant to begin my journey into finding the right brand to buy into. I’m a finance guy, but buying into a business that was generating the most money wasn’t my only criteria. I needed to know I was investing money into something that would have a positive impact on people’s lives. I explained that to my consultant, and he brought back a few options which we researched together.

1851: Why did you pick Workout Anytime? What excited you most about the potential?

Ramirez: Workout Anytime was one of the concepts that I found through my consultant. He brought the concept to me and thought once I spoke with their corporate team and franchisees, I would really like them. I love fitness and have been a member of more gyms than I can count, so I was intrigued. 

I went to Workout Anytime’s Discovery Day, where I was given the opportunity to speak with the CEO, Steve Strickland, who I immediately liked. He’s an all-around great guy, and I felt comfortable going into business with the company after that. There was never a hard-sell or pushy conversation I had with the team. They simply explained what the brand has to offer and encouraged me to look into it. I really liked that they wanted to make sure I was a good fit for the brand as well. They’ve built a great culture throughout the company and want to ensure the people they bring on as franchisees align with the brand’s core values. 

Once I decided to pursue Workout Anytime, I began a membership of my own, and it’s by far the best gym experience I’ve ever had. Gyms are so important to have in local communities because it allows local residents to change their lifestyle for a pretty small fee. A lot of my family members are diabetic, like my dad. We decided to get him into a fitness routine and since he got into it, it’s made a huge impact in his life. In fact, he doesn't need to take medicine regularly anymore because his health has seen such an improvement. I really think basic exercise is underappreciated, and I’m blessed to be able to bring this great concept to my local community.

We also have a large population of those 65 and older in Florida, and this is a concept they’ll be able to use as well. Now, as we ease into a post-pandemic world, health and wellness are more important than ever.

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Ramirez: I’ve signed on to open three locations to start with. I would love to become successful with these three locations and maybe become an area developer for the brand to help grow and expand Workout Anytime in Florida.

My dream with the business is to build a warm and welcoming environment at each location. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked into a gym and no one said hello to me. It won’t be that way at my businesses. I know the gym can be intimidating for some people, and I want to create a culture that doesn’t allow for judgement. My goal is to build people up. I also want to get to know the members and become their biggest cheerleader during their fitness journey.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Ramirez: The first question you should ask yourself when looking at buying a franchise is what is important to you. If you’re doing it solely as a money-making venture, then maybe a gym concept isn’t the best for you. You should be passionate about the business you’re going into. I recommend spending a lot of time investigating the brand and connecting with individuals who have extensive experience in the franchise industry. Speak with everyone you can to get a good feel for the culture. When you find the right fit, the possibilities are endless.

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Ramirez: My wife and I just welcomed our third child about two weeks ago, so free time is essentially nonexistent at the moment. We’re resting whenever and wherever there’s time. 

We also run a pretty successful house flipping business in North Carolina, which we still operate from Florida. We moved here for the beach and the water. As soon as I have the time, you can find me on the water fishing.

ABOUT WORKOUT ANYTIME*:

Atlanta-based Workout Anytime is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week fitness concept with 180+ 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 by providing opportunities to business-minded entrepreneurs. Franchise opportunities are available and more information can be found on http://workoutanytime.com/.