Economic Challenges Haven’t Shaken the Fitness Industry: Personal Training Franchise Offers Prospective Business Owners an Upscale, Proven Business Model
Economic Challenges Haven’t Shaken the Fitness Industry: Personal Training Franchise Offers Prospective Business Owners an Upscale, Proven Business Model
BodyScapes Fitness (the franchise's parent company) Founder, Rob Shapiro, explained, "With the economy on a downturn, people are turning towards living a healthier life. Taking care of your health makes you feel good and gives you a better sense of well-being. People are taking less trips, buying less luxuries, but personal training by many people is still being viewed as necessity. What better way to invest time and money than to invest it into your health. These days, people's lives are busier and more hectic... an hour of personal training is an efficient way to relieve that stress."
The franchise caters to upscale clients that are committed to living a healthier, happier life, have the funds to pay for the services, and value the benefits they receive. Because the franchise caters to fairly wealthy individuals and because people seem to be re-evaluating what is important and what they consider necessity versus luxury, One2One BodyScapes has weathered the troubled economy. Additionally, unlike a gym membership, One2One BodyScapes offers individual sessions that allow clients to buy only the services they will use.
Turning Passion into a Career
Bob Dandaraw is a mechanical engineer by education, and spent 15 years working in product development, sales, and marketing for high-tech companies. He always knew he wanted to become a business owner but wasn't sure which industry he'd want to invest in, so he decided to get his MBA from Babson College, which is ranked #1 among all business schools for entrepreneurship. "While at Babson, I studied franchising quite a bit, and decided that was the route my wife and I should pursue."
The couple didn't have a concept or an industry in mind when they began their search but Dandaraw explained, "My wife and I are passionate about health and the fitness industry fit our core values. Additionally, we have three small children and we want to raise our children to be fit, active, and healthy."
He continued, "We first looked at a different personal training franchise, but the territories in this area were completely sold out. We knew the personal training business model would be a successful one so we pursued it and discovered One2One BodyScapes. One2One seemed to be more upscale and more laid back than the other concept we were considering and when we met the company's founders, we were so impressed. We decided to purchase 2 territories."
With three small children at home, Dandaraw ‘s wife currently has the full time job of taking care of their children. Since the business is truly a joint venture for them, their plan as the children get older and they open a second location, is for her to eventually play a bigger role in the business.
Why One2One BodyScapes is Doing So Well...
"One2One BodyScapes is different from the competition for many reasons. The look and the feel of our studios is upscale and professional. We also don't use a hard sell to gain clients. We give them a complimentary session so they can have a good feel for us before they sign up for additional sessions. There's no pressure and people find it refreshing. The concept really sells itself when clients experience our services and we are building a great reputation. In this economy, you have to offer exceptional service and that's exactly what we do," said Dandaraw.
Economic Challenges Havent Shaken the Fitness Industry Personal Training Franchise Offers Prospective Business Owners an Upscale Proven Business Model - To learn more about this author, visit Pamela Gold Waldo's Website.
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During a rough period in our country's economy, it's hard to find a business that hasn't been affected by the consumer trend of spending less, but one brand in the massive fitness and wellness industry has seen positive growth and brand loyalty. One2One BodyScapes, a Massachusetts-based personal training franchise has seen an increase in personal training sales for the first quarter of 2009, up 9% over the fourth quarter of last year. In April 2009, the franchise measured an even larger, 17% cumulative increase in sales over the month before.
BodyScapes Fitness (the franchise's parent company) Founder, Rob Shapiro, explained, "With the economy on a downturn, people are turning towards living a healthier life. Taking care of your health makes you feel good and gives you a better sense of well-being. People are taking less trips, buying less luxuries, but personal training by many people is still being viewed as necessity. What better way to invest time and money than to invest it into your health. These days, people's lives are busier and more hectic... an hour of personal training is an efficient way to relieve that stress."
The franchise caters to upscale clients that are committed to living a healthier, happier life, have the funds to pay for the services, and value the benefits they receive. Because the franchise caters to fairly wealthy individuals and because people seem to be re-evaluating what is important and what they consider necessity versus luxury, One2One BodyScapes has weathered the troubled economy. Additionally, unlike a gym membership, One2One BodyScapes offers individual sessions that allow clients to buy only the services they will use.
Turning Passion into a Career
Bob Dandaraw is a mechanical engineer by education, and spent 15 years working in product development, sales, and marketing for high-tech companies. He always knew he wanted to become a business owner but wasn't sure which industry he'd want to invest in, so he decided to get his MBA from Babson College, which is ranked #1 among all business schools for entrepreneurship. "While at Babson, I studied franchising quite a bit, and decided that was the route my wife and I should pursue."
The couple didn't have a concept or an industry in mind when they began their search but Dandaraw explained, "My wife and I are passionate about health and the fitness industry fit our core values. Additionally, we have three small children and we want to raise our children to be fit, active, and healthy."
He continued, "We first looked at a different personal training franchise, but the territories in this area were completely sold out. We knew the personal training business model would be a successful one so we pursued it and discovered One2One BodyScapes. One2One seemed to be more upscale and more laid back than the other concept we were considering and when we met the company's founders, we were so impressed. We decided to purchase 2 territories."
With three small children at home, Dandaraw ‘s wife currently has the full time job of taking care of their children. Since the business is truly a joint venture for them, their plan as the children get older and they open a second location, is for her to eventually play a bigger role in the business.
Why One2One BodyScapes is Doing So Well...
"One2One BodyScapes is different from the competition for many reasons. The look and the feel of our studios is upscale and professional. We also don't use a hard sell to gain clients. We give them a complimentary session so they can have a good feel for us before they sign up for additional sessions. There's no pressure and people find it refreshing. The concept really sells itself when clients experience our services and we are building a great reputation. In this economy, you have to offer exceptional service and that's exactly what we do," said Dandaraw.
It's hard to compare a gym membership to personal training services. Dandaraw explained that most of his clients have unsuccessfully tried belonging to a gym but they simply don't go. "Our clients stick to their appointments here. They're paying a lot for each session and they want to get as much as possible out of it. We encourage them to turn their phones off and stop thinking about their day-to-day responsibilities, and instead focus on working out. We prepare a complete nutrition and exercise plan for our clients so they can reach their goals and they end up feeling very connected to us. This leads to high client retention."
No Previous Experience is Necessary to Succeed
Shapiro explained that previous industry experience is not necessary to become a One2One BodyScapes franchisee: "We look for people with an outgoing personality, a passion for fitness and a passion for helping people; especially people who enjoy being around other people. Franchisees don't necessarily have to have a background in fitness...just a passion for fitness and owning your own business. People who are interested in being entrepreneurs and taking their future into their own hands are exactly the type of people we are looking to work with."
Dandaraw didn't have his personal trainer certification or any professional experience when he signed his franchise contract. "I got my personal training certification and then went through One2One's training program. I went from having never trained a single person to being very confident in running this business. Today, I have two other trainers that work with me at my franchise location."
Dandaraw just celebrated his business' 1st anniversary and he echoed Shapiro's thoughts on why this business has gained strength through the rough economic times. "Our clients are more fit, healthier, feel the mental uplift, the sense of community, and the endorphin high and they realize the value of our services. If people haven't lost their jobs and they're financially comfortable, they continue to be loyal customers."
Dandaraw concluded, "I would definitely recommend this business to others."
BodyScapes is seeking new franchisees throughout the country. They plan to expand to 150 One2One BodyScapes locations nationwide within the next five years and now is a great time to join them since many prime territories are still available.
Economic Challenges Havent Shaken the Fitness Industry Personal Training Franchise Offers Prospective Business Owners an Upscale Proven Business Model - To learn more about this author, visit Pamela Gold Waldo's Website.
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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