LEAD THE FITNESS REVOLUTION: BECOME A TOP FRANCHISE OWNER

A Conversation with Workout Anytime’s Leadership Team

Greg Maurer, vice president of fitness training and education, and Terri Harof, director of franchise development, explain what makes Workout Anytime stand out not just in the fitness segment, but in the franchising industry as a whole.

1851 Franchise: How is Workout Anytime enhancing its franchise opportunity to be not just fitness-focused, but to be a major player in the larger health and wellness space?

Greg Maurer, Vice President of Fitness Training and Education: In the fitness industry, we have to understand that there needs to be a holistic approach when it comes to keeping people healthy and helping them to achieve their goals. Working out, of course, is a big part of that. But we all know that nutrition is important as well — you can’t outrun a bad diet. Wellness is more important today than ever before, and that’s where our industry is headed. So, at Workout Anytime, we’re committed to meeting people where they are and providing them with the tools they need to successfully reach their goals.

Terri Harof, Director of Franchise Development: There is more to Workout Anytime than cardio and strength equipment. After a challenging workout, members can relax in our hydro lounge. Most the lounges include music, dimmed lighting and several our hydro massage chairs. Hydromassage is a therapeutic technique involving the use of water and pressurized jets to help massage muscles and other soft tissues in the body, which provides a wellness-focused approach to relax, recover, and rejuvenate.

Many of our clubs also offer Styku, which is a 3D body scanning technology used to measure body data and composition. By digitally measuring circumferences like hip, thigh, waist and bust, members can see where they are gaining muscle over time and how their body is changing with their fitness routine. Franchise owners have seen a direct correlation of member retention associated with regular Styku success sessions.

1851: How is Workout Anytime continuing to elevate its position as a leader in the fitness industry, especially following COVID-19?

Maurer: I think the key thing in every crisis, including the current one, is that there’s opportunity. You just have to open your eyes to it. We saw as a brand that we were going to have to pivot quickly and provide tools that our members and staff would need in order to be able to continue their health and wellness practices at home. In the short term, it’s a matter of realizing that the world has changed. As people continue to come back to their clubs, they’re likely going to take a hybrid approach — meaning that while they’ll work out in our gyms, they’ll also want access to us at home. So, we created these tools to work in the long run.

Our new app was designed specifically to provide people with the tools they need to create their own workout as well as their own nutrition plan. So far, it’s been really well received, and it will continue to be a part of the Workout Anytime brand moving forward. We’ve always been here for our members 24/7, and now we can be with them anywhere they’re being active. We’ve pivoted to meet the needs of our members, and we’ll continue to do so as their habits change.

Harof: First and foremost, members and team members need to be assured that their gym operator is laser-focused on cleanliness to ensure their gym is safe from germs year-round, not just during the pandemic.  We have elevated our “Clean Routine Standards” and have made it mandatory for all new franchisees to install an AirPHX unit in their club. AirPHX is a one-of-a-kind continuous air and surface sanitizing system. AirPHX generates “cold plasma” including hydrogen peroxide and two other organic oxidizing agents which are harmless to humans but destroy all known microbial infections including COVID-19, flu, cold viruses, bacteria, norovirus, athlete's foot fungus & MRSA. These cold plasma agents destroy all microbials in the air and on all surfaces, and one unit can effectively sanitize up to 150,000 cubic feet of space. The technology has been validated with extensive third-party lab testing of air and surfaces pre and post AirPHX and proven to eliminate up 99% of microbials in air and surfaces within 30 minutes of use in a facility.

1851: What’s the most important takeaway for franchise candidates as it relates to Workout Anytime’s position as a leader in the fitness and franchising industries?

Maurer: We’ll do what we’ve always done. When John (Quattrocchi) and Steve (Strickland) founded Workout Anytime, they ensured that a personal element was front and center. That starts with the size of our facilities — our gyms aren’t as large as others out there, and our concepts are located in smaller communities across the country. Part of our ethos is that fitness and wellness are personal. Even as we continue to grow, it’s very important that we know our members. And we do that better than anybody out there, which is why people keep coming back. It’s hard to leave a club when you have relationships with the staff members there, and our franchisees and employees know that. At the end of the day, those relationships are our secret sauce.

1851: What is Workout Anytime doing well right now as a franchise opportunity? What are the brand’s differentiators?

Terri Harof, Director of Franchise Development: One area in which Workout Anytime is superior is our training program. We have close to 200 different classes that our franchisees can take and share with their teams not just when they’re onboarding, but throughout the lifecycle of their franchise agreement. Our training is unparalleled — it’s above and beyond amazing.

That training is critical to our business because, in franchising, it’s essential for our owners to follow our model. We truly have all of the tools and a complete playbook that franchisees can follow to learn this business, even if they’ve never been in this industry before. That’s our biggest differentiator — it’s not easy, but it’s simple. If you follow the playbook that we provide and take advantage of the unwavering support that we offer, chances are you’re going to be successful.

1851: What are the brand’s growth goals? What is the vision that Workout Anytime is looking to fulfill?

Harof: Our goal is to cross the 200-unit mark and continue to grow from there. Other parts of the world that we’re interested in are Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. But, if the right partner came to us from other parts of the world, we are certainly open to the potential opportunity.

1851: What are the biggest milestones that Workout Anytime has achieved over the past five years?

Harof: A milestone for Workout Anytime is the fact that 73% of our franchisees own multiple units. That says a lot about our brand. Also, from a development standpoint, we’re seeing 50% of our growth come from current franchisee expansion, with the other 50% coming from new owners, which is a perfect combination.

1851: What does the ideal franchisee look like?

Harof: There are two groups of candidates that I find myself working with consistently. The first are those who are looking to leave their current business, but they’re not ready to retire. They’re looking for something new to invest in, and Workout Anytime provides them with the perfect opportunity. The second group of candidates that we work with frequently are people who have been in the health club industry for a long time and have worked hard to make money for other franchisees. Now, they’re looking to become the owner themselves.

These groups, however, are not all-inclusive when it comes to the ideal Workout Anytime franchisee. Our ideal franchisee has a management background with skills in sales and advertising. Currently, we have pilots, insurance executives, pharmaceutical professionals, bankers, physical therapists and ex-military members working as our franchise owners. We also have entrepreneurs who owned other franchise concepts and then diversify with Workout Anytime, as well as others who owned everything from car washes to pest control companies. But at the end of the day, the biggest quality that the ideal franchise candidate needs to have is a willingness to follow our proven system.

1851: How does Workout Anytime support franchisees?

Harof: First, when you become a franchisee, you go to our Academy, which is 10 days full of information where you’re working directly with the key people on our leadership team. That ensures that franchisees learn and understand every aspect of the business. That support only continues from there — our franchise consultants and leadership team are constantly working with franchisees to help them navigate their businesses and put them in the best possible position to succeed.