Franchise Frontline

Success Stories & Resources

By Rhonda Sanderson rhonda@sandersonpr.com

Air Force Veteran Stays Fit Physically and Financially Through Franchising

After retiring from two decades as a USAF Master Sergeant, John Rose felt something was missing not just in himself, but in his community of Alamo Ranch. This past May he opened a D1 Training in close proximity to Lackland Air Force Base to help local athletes, prospective military recruits, and anyone looking to work on their fitness. Only 6 weeks after opening its founding membership, D1 Training of Alamo Ranch has over 100 members signed up. They are on pace to be in the top 5 most successful openings of all time for the franchise brand.

“I bought into this franchise system for my daughters,” Rose said. “They were training at another facility far from our home, and the logistics of getting out there regularly didn’t make sense. But I knew that I wanted my kids to have exposure to the character building and training program that D1 offers, so I took the leap and invested.”

Rose was originally drawn to the D1 brand because it had a culture similar to the military: core values, character words, and a supportive team built into the essence of the company. Having served for over twenty years as a Digital Network Exploitation Analyst, he was well-versed in the Air Force’s values and understood how certain drills, standards, and systems reinforced them.

In turning to business ownership, Rose is carrying over the values he saw embodied by the Air Force to the structure he is using to lead his team. While his career as a cyber analyst may seem unrelated to running a fitness business at first glance, Rose developed countless soft skills as a leader which have already set up his business for success. Over the course of his military career, Rose learned to master stress and focus his energy to improvise and find a solution no matter the situation. He learned to prioritize action items, resolve conflict, train, and motivate others, and most importantly, how to lead a team.

“As a cyber analyst it is important to analyze all the information before taking action and that attention to detail has made the franchise business-model quite intuitive for me. Working with D1 Training as a franchise partner has lifted the weight of creating a business model off my shoulders. It lets me focus on cultivating a strong team with aligned values, taking care of the pressing issues facing my facility, and bringing a successful training facility to my community.”

In the midst of opening his first D1 Training, Rose is continuing to work as a Program Manager for a tech startup. While his 9 to 5 follows suit with the professional career he began in the Air Force, Rose finds fitness franchising to be the perfect way to keep up with warrior mentality, resilience, and physical work ethic he learned to love during his time in service.

About D1 Training

Founded in 2001 by former NFL player Will Bartholomew, and based in Nashville, D1 Training began franchising in 2017. It has over 60 locations currently open, with an additional 120+ in development, across 26 states. The brand was recently ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500, was named a Top 30 Gym in America by Men’s Health Magazine, and also made an appearance on The Inc. 5000 which ranks the fastest growing private companies in the nation.

D1 Training has been endorsed by the NFL Players Association as an approved training facility and is a preferred partner of the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

D1 Training is actively seeking qualified, communityminded franchisees with a passion for the fitness industry to continue its growth through single and multi-unit franchise deals. For more information on D1 Training and franchise opportunities, please visit https://www.d1franchise.com