Physical Therapist and Entrepreneur Opens 10th Workout Anytime Gym in Waynesboro, Tennessee

Steven Elliott, a physical therapist and long-time entrepreneur, is opening his 10th Workout Anytime gym this summer. For this location, Elliott and his longtime business partner Tracy Rhodes are welcoming one of their managers, Justin Hines, into the ownership process.

Because Waynesboro is the smallest city the duo has ever entered with the brand, Elliott says they look forward to seeing how members respond to the range of offerings Workout Anytime will bring, including hydromassage, tanning and saunas. Depending on how this location performs, Elliott may pursue additional units in other smaller-than-traditional towns, bringing the fitness franchise to even more communities in need.

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

Hines: Before franchising, the majority of my career was spent in management. It started as grocery management and transitioned into retail management. I was with Hibbett Sports for over 10 years and eventually became a general manager, but I ended up hitting a wall where I had to move in order to grow. They wanted me to be a district manager, but I didn't want to move. I have kids and a family. So, I took a job as a merchandiser with Coca-Cola. I drove a big truck for three months. From there, I went into insurance because I like people. I got all my licenses and spent around two years at different companies. But I hated sitting at a desk all day and the go-go-go of retail. That led me to a posting about a regional manager position at Workout Anytime. This was something new I'd never done before. I filled out an application, not thinking anything would come of it, but my wife knew it would be a good opportunity for me to help support us while she was having to cut down her work hours. 

After about a year with Workout Anytime, I was overseeing three locations and they mentioned they were opening a fourth. I was very interested in the opportunity to buy in with them. That’s always been my dream since I was an 18-year-old kid. I always wanted to have my own business. Steven and Tracy presented that opportunity to me, and it's been wonderful. I'm excited to be a part of something bigger than myself. This is my first time seeing it from the ground up. We have great members, great staff and I look forward to growing this new gym with the team.

Elliott: I have always been in health and fitness. I practiced physical therapy in Tennessee for about six years, then started transitioning out of physical therapy and into the gym industry. Another therapist and I decided that we wanted to do something on our own, so he and I partnered up to open a Workout Anytime in Cleveland, Tennessee. We both had full-time jobs and didn’t have time to start a business from scratch. With the franchise, we had the playbook. That makes starting a new business much easier. 

It was fun, it was very profitable and it offered us a lot of freedom. As we opened more locations, I enjoyed the flexibility and chose to lean into the gyms and dedicate less time to physical therapy. We had a good team of managers, which gave me the freedom and flexibility to run the gyms from home or while traveling. 

The flexibility, freedom and financial benefits have all been very good for me.

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?

Hines: I've known people in the food industry who were involved in franchise partnerships, but I wasn’t too familiar with it. After I joined Workout Anytime, I did a lot of research about it. What I liked about franchising, rather than building it from the ground up, was the support you get. There is a huge advantage coming into something like this — having a team of people already there that are willing to help you grow. I wasn't very familiar until I met Steven and Tracy.

Elliott: I didn’t really have a perception of franchising. It made sense to me because I didn’t have the time to start something from scratch. It wasn’t like we were looking for a franchise and then found the gym. We learned about the gym, and the fact that it was a franchise made us feel more confident in our ability to open one while still working in physical therapy.

I would want people to know that, now, I’ve opened business both ways — franchises and on my own. Having the backing of a franchise certainly does make it easier.

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

Hines: Watching people change their lives is what excited me the most — being the key witness to people coming to the gym. In two years, it's been amazing what I've seen people do for themselves. I love providing a place for people to come get their health in order. That’s what I love the most about Workout Anytime. 

Elliott: When we first got in with the brand, we were at the beginning stages. It helped us to know that we could be a part of the foundation.

We looked at other gym franchises during due diligence. We felt Workout Anytime was the best because it’s in that middle range. It seemed like we were between the size of a big box gym that’s around 25,000 square feet, and the boutique gyms that are just 4,000. That felt like a good place to be. 

The newness also made us realize how much opportunity there was — and still is. There are plenty of cities today that Workout Anytime is not in.

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

Hines: We want to dominate the clubs we have. I want my future with Workout Anytime to be about opening more clubs and growing with the brand. Getting further in the game. The more I help them succeed, the more I'll succeed. We have a great team in place, and all three of us bring a lot to the table. 

Elliott: My business partner, Tracy, and I plan to keep opening more gyms as long as they keep being successful. This is the first deal that we’ve brought one of our managers in for an ownership role, and he will be overseeing the Waynesboro location and others in the area.

Waynesboro is the smallest city we’ve gone into with a Workout Anytime location. If it does well, we’re looking to move into more small cities. A lot of these smaller Alabama cities don’t have gyms that can offer everything we do — hydromassage, sauna, tanning and high-quality equipment, so there’s certainly demand.

I would love to get 20 units open in Alabama and to continue to grow in other states. I enjoy the work, and I plan to keep opening Workout Anytimes until I retire.

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

Hines: In my early 20s, when I first joined and took the gym seriously, I always thought it'd be a cool job to run it. I never imagined being a part of it. I feel like I wasted my time in between, but the skills I’ve learned along the way in other industries are helpful to me now. I never envisioned being here, but I have always had a knack for helping others achieve their goals. I’ve changed my lifestyle in the past three months as well. I work out avidly three days a week. It helped me to change my personal health for the better.

Elliott: I have a background in physical therapy, and my wife was a nurse when we got married. Wellness is very important in our household. When we first started with Workout Anytime. We didn’t have kids, so we would choose a new market, get an apartment and stay there for a few months while the gym opened. We did it together, and it was really fun.

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

Hines: Go for it. If you have a passion to have a sense of ownership, but you also want to go into something where you have support, a team and a proven brand, take a leap of faith and put everything you have into franchising.

Elliott: Just do your due diligence. Once you decide a franchisor is the right fit for you, commit to it. The Workout Anytime model is nice because I can be a semi-absentee owner, but it’s my opinion that no business should ever be fully absentee. You always want to keep a pulse on the business.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, when you first open, you have to make sure you commit the time and follow the playbook. That’s the good thing about gyms; once they’re open and you have a membership base, it’s kind of like a smooth-running machine. You still have to keep an eye on it. Take care of the building, make sure the members are happy and take care of the staff.

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 workoutanytimefranchise.com.