This Father-Son Franchisee Duo Signed on for 3 More Workout Anytime Locations

Georgia-based father-and-son franchisees Bill and Bret Cesak are expanding with Workout Anytime, the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week fitness franchise with nearly 200 units open across the U.S. After successfully opening three gyms in Georgia, the pair recently signed on to launch three more locations in the state. 

The duo opened their first Workout Anytime gym in 2016 when Bill, looking for an exit from the corporate world after 35 years, sought a new path in the fitness industry. Bret, with a background as a trainer at Workout Anytime and a shared passion for fitness, joined his father in realizing their goal of entrepreneurship. Together, they seized the opportunity to transition to business ownership, leveraging Bret's expertise and their shared commitment to making a positive impact on their community through fitness.

Looking ahead, Bill and Bret have ambitious plans for growth. With their three new locations in the pipeline, they're focused on replicating the success of their existing gyms while continuing to prioritize community engagement and member satisfaction. Their goal is not just to expand their franchise empire, but to make a meaningful impact on the health and wellness of the individuals and communities they serve.

1851 Franchise spoke with the Cesaks about their journey into franchising and their plans for the future.

FEATURE QUESTIONS

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

Bill: I'm 62 years old and I spent 35 years in a corporate job that, for the first 30 years, I loved very much, but then I kind of got tired of traveling. And at the same time, I started trying to figure out an exit strategy for my career. In 2016, my son was in college as an exercise science major. He was also a personal trainer for Workout Anytime. While I was still gainfully employed, my son and I opened our first gym. He ran it and his mom ended up working there, as well. That gym was, and is still, very successful. So, we formally put together an exit strategy for me so I could pay my bills. And my wife and I decided we were going to move to Ellijay Georgia, which is where I am today.

About a year after we opened our first gym, we got serious about opening a second gym here. And it too was very successful. After we got Ellijay running, we opened our third gym in Lafayette, Georgia. Shortly after that, we sold our first gym. Our third gym that we opened did very well and we're planning on keeping Ellijay open because it's profitable and I have a great relationship with our members. We try to help people be healthy, essentially get up off the couch. Now, it’s been about four years since we opened the last gym and we’ve signed on for three more. 

Bret: When I lived in an area called Flowery Branch, Georgia, which is about an hour outside of Atlanta, Workout Anytime opened. I walked in and said “I’ll be a trainer if you need one,” and they did. I had a great time doing that. My dad and I went there every day to work out. We’ve also been working out together since I was about 11 years old. At one point, I was working towards being a professional MMA [mixed martial arts] fighter with the goal of opening that type of training gym. And when I kind of realized that maybe I don't want to put all my eggs in that basket, my dad and I teamed up to try to figure out something we could do together. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Bill: We toyed with the idea of opening a boutique gym or MMA studio. And we quickly figured out we really aren't marketers, we don't have a POS system, and we don't have the software background. So to move towards a franchise that we felt like we were supported very well — it just made a lot of sense for us. You know, we pay the franchise fee, we pay royalties, and we feel like it's worth every penny. 

Bret: Workout Anytime is good at keeping up with industry trends and trying out lots of new things — it's very valuable to have that. 

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

Bret: We fell into it a little bit. We were there every day and since I worked there, we understood the business model. We looked up the other main fitness franchisors too, but ultimately we decided that Workout Anytime was just the best for the business model, and we liked the way they treated us. Most recently, we looked at some different opportunities before going back to Workout Anytime. We were just looking to switch it up some, maybe with a lower buy-in, but working with Workout Anytime is great. The franchisor has been awesome to us every time. They're always there. I mean, I've called the support team at 4:30 in the morning and he picked it up and helped us. They've always been there for us when we needed it, and we know what to do, and we like it. So really, ultimately, we just came full circle and right back. 

Bill: We started exploring other opportunities within healthcare, such as hormone replacement therapy and tanning salons. We weren't quite sure which direction we wanted to head, so we let the dust settle after opening the first three gyms. Then, both of us realized that we feel confident in what we're doing. About a month ago, we signed an agreement with Workout Anytime to open three more gyms, bringing our total to six.

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

Bret:  Right now we're nearing a deal for our next first location of three. If everything goes to plan, our path will probably be similar to the first three. We're going to open this up, and make sure everything's steady, and get it in a good place. We’ll get a manager in there that we trust, and who is well trained and is good with the community. And then we’ll look for similar spots and keep rolling and replicate that multiple times. 

Bill: We may end up selling them as a package. To buy pre-existing gyms that are profitable and solid in the community is very attractive. We're doing all the hard work. We're finding a location. We're building it. We're in the community. We're getting our new members and that can be very attractive to someone.

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

Bill: I would say one of the things that mattered to me most is working with my son. We're very close. We talk every day about business and have fun too. But I'd have to say if there's one big thing that I'm most proud of, it’s our relationship and how we've grown together. He's going to continue to grow and I will too. I'm going to try and start winding down a little bit more while he winds up.

Bret: I was going to say the same thing, really. It feels just a very rewarding process. You hear a lot of “don't work with family.” I've heard that a million times. But we've been working together in different industries for a long time now, and we've never had any issues. So it's just been very rewarding. I'd like to think I helped my dad leave a career that he wasn't happy with earlier than what he anticipated. 

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

Bill: From my perspective, you really just have to do your homework. You don't want to jump in and open a Jimmy John's without really understanding what it means to run a restaurant. I mean, there's upfront costs in any industry. Before you're opening, you're writing checks every day, and you don't have any money coming in until you open. So my advice to anyone in any industry is you have to have the financial wherewithal and business savvy — and like people. That's a key element of this. If you don't like being around people, you're not going to do well in a customer service role. So my advice would be, do as much homework as you can. Sleep on it a lot. And make sure you have the funding or you're not going to sleep at all.

Bret: I agree. In any industry, you're always going to have surprises, no matter how prepared you're going to be. Even if you’ve been in the industry your whole career. Once you go over into that ownership, things are going to change. But as far as a franchise, follow the playbook they have. There's going to be surprises, but trust them. If you buy into them, then trust them, do what they say, and market the way they say to do it. It's a package deal, and your best chances come from doing what they say. 

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/.