Sport and fitness Franchising USA June 2017 5#8

FranchisingFeature sports & fitness

Work Less, Grow More:

Put Your Fitness Business on Autopilot

UFC Gym Revolutionizing The Fitness Industry

june 2017

From Super Bowl Champion to Franchisor Franchising USA

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what’s new!

Hoop to Hoop Prepares to Launch its Franchising Program

PREMIERE YOUTH SPORTS Hi-Five Sports ENTERTAINMENT

Announces Franchise Growth Initiative Hi-Five Sports, providing the nation’s highest quality youth sports programming, recently announced a widespread franchise growth initiative. The strategy positions the brand for expansion into communities across the United States, where Hi-Five Sports intends to transform and enrich the lives of children.

Founded as a sports camp in 1990 in Northbrook, Illinois, Hi-Five Sports took Chicagoland by storm, quickly becoming the undisputed champion of premium youth sports in the area. Through its dynamic approach to sports, which it calls youth sports entertainment, making activities full of fun, yet challenging and inclusive of fundamentals, Hi-Five Sports became a household name throughout all of Northern Illinois. Now, the brand is beckoning to make the same impact nationwide.

Franchising began in late 2015, and Hi-Five Sports has already grown to a total of 12 locations across the country, where children learn from trained, professional staff in programs designed to promote the fun side of sports and teamwork. Now, Hi-Five Sports plans to increase its footprint by 10 new locations annually for the next five years, entering key markets throughout California, New York and Texas, where it will continue pioneering its youth sports entertainment platform. www.hifivefranchise.com

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Hoop To Hoop, a new innovative Mobile Basketball entity, is getting ready to launch its first initial franchises in 2017.

Hoop To Hoop offers a tremendous value to children and their parents, while stressing the fundamentals first with proven cutting edge techniques to build self confidence and self esteem. Hoop To Hoop features many different revenue streams including Clinics, Leagues, Camps, Tournaments, and Parties geared to children Pre-K through to High School.

The franchise creates a basketball opportunity that is very compelling, by offering a service with low overhead and low investment for a franchise to get started. This franchise does not require the brick & mortar that many sports franchises do require.

Pete was a successful business entrepreneur and commercial real-estate investor for 25 years before developing Hoop To Hoop.

Coach Pete first introduced his innovative basketball approach 15 years ago, which fostered the development of Hoop To Hoop Basketball in 2013. He played basketball at the college level, with experience in semi-pro and European basketball before coaching kids at all levels in the community for the past 15 years.

Hoop To Hoop offers basketball to all children from beginner to AAU levels, with individual enrolment for team play, as Peter saw the need for all kids to get a fair opportunity to learn and play basketball. Hoop To Hoop has many innovative techniques to engage kids from the outset, like “Catching Licenses” & “Shooting Certificates” for those hoopsters who put their best effort forward. Look for us coming soon to an area near you. www.HooptoHoop.com

Gold’s Gym Experiences Strong First Quarter with Domestic and International Growth Gold’s Gym, the world’s trusted authority on health and fitness, announced that during the first quarter of 2017, it signed franchise agreements to open nine gyms in the U.S., with 23 additional locations currently under development in 12 countries internationally.

These signings expand the brand’s presence in new and existing markets across the world, including Tennessee, New York, California, and in nations such as Egypt and Australia. Gold’s Gym also opened 17 new locations both domestically and internationally, resulting in a total of 737 open gyms at the end of the first quarter.

“2017 is off to a strong start as we continue to focus on expansion,

innovation and delivering a one-of-a-kind member experience across the globe,” said Brandon Bean, CEO of Gold’s Gym. “Franchisees continue to be attracted to our state-of-the art facilities, experienced support team and strong brand recognition around the world as the best fitness experience in the business.”

These signings and openings are a continuation of Gold’s Gym’s aggressive expansion plans, with the fitness brand on track to open over 45 new gyms by end of year. Most recently, Gold’s Gym opened its first location in Rabat, Morocco and debuted a flagship location in Amman, Jordan, which is the largest Gold’s Gym in the world at 140,000 square feet. franchising.goldsgym.com

Orangetheory Fitness Accelerates Growth in Connecticut Orangetheory Fitness multi-unit franchisee Mark Molina has acquired rights to the Shelton, Connecticut studio, which began operating under his leadership in May. This acquisition is part of the brand’s plan to accelerate growth throughout the state, with a goal of doubling its studio count by the end of this year.

Molina opened Connecticut’s first Orangetheory Fitness studio in Fairfield in 2014, which was named “Best Fitness Studio” by Connecticut’s Gold Coast just months after opening, a testament to his success as a business owner and the impact Orangetheory has on the community. Since then, Molina has continued to expand his portfolio with additional openings in Norwalk and Westport.

The Shelton studio marks the fourth location operating under his ownership in Connecticut. Today, Orangetheory has more than 650 studios in 45 states and 13 countries. The 60-minute, five zone heart-rate monitored interval training concept has helped

tens of thousands of members lose weight, get toned and meet

their overall fitness goals in a short amount of time. The fitness franchise is on track to have 900 open studios in 2017. www.orangetheoryfitness.com

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U FC Gy m

UFC Gym

is on the Look-Out for New Franchise Partners Franchising USA recently sat down with UFC GYM to talk about this exciting franchise. Learn more about this fast growing leader of mixed martials and fitness training in the below Q&A. Describe the organization. How long has it been in operation? When did you start franchising?

How many franchisees do you currently have?

In 2008 Lorenzo Fertitta, owner of the UFC, reached out to Mark Mastrov with an idea of developing a branded UFC Gym concept.

After spending a year in development Mastrov and his partners Jim Rowley and Mike Feeney launched the UFC GYM concept.

Built around the world of mixed martial arts and fitness it focuses on the experience of the training regimen of UFC athletes in a fun and energetic environment.

What is your main product/service? Why is there a need for this product/service?

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, and UFC is the leader of MMA.

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UFC GYM allows everyone to train like MMA athletes. Members can get in incredible, shape in a UFC Gym. Each class offered is an experience. Being the brand extension of UFC®, UFC GYM is the first to combine the world of mixed martial arts and fitness together. UFC GYM’s TRAIN DIFFERENT® approach has developed a fun and energetic atmosphere where members can feel and see their fitness results. UFC GYM is not what you expect, and more than you can imagine.

What type of person would fit your franchisee profile?

Describe your ideal franchisee candidate?

We call our franchisees franchise partners for a reason, we’re in this together! Our ideal franchise partner has a hands-on approach to business management, a solid understanding of sales and a commitment to the community. Franchise industry experience and or a passion around fitness or mixed martial arts is certainly a plus.

What is the company’s franchising process?

Step 1 – THE PROCESS: Complete the contact form and a UFC GYM representative will contact you to discuss the opportunity and requirements.

Step 2 – APPLICATION AND DISCLOSURE: Complete a franchise application and we will provide you with the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

Step 3 – EXPERIENCE UFC GYM: Meet key team members from UFC GYM, and experience the brand and its offerings firsthand with an in-person meeting.

Step 4 – APPROVAL: After learning about the opportunity and meeting all the qualifications we will create and sign an agreement for your franchise area.

Step 5 – OPENING: After your agreement is completed, our team will work with you on site selection, facility planning, and staff training to get your first club launched.

How do you look after your franchisees?

As a franchise partner, we provide the best support possible by staying on top of the fitness industry through technology and education. Each franchise partner receives support from every department at our corporate office including accounting, IT, HR, operations, retail, and marketing along with access to a marketing portal to produce and customize all items to promote and drive the business. Weekly and monthly marketing, operations, and sales training calls are provided to keep our franchise partners aligned.

Every partner has access to our UFC GYM University for online education to understand all divisions of the UFC GYM business, as well as our management and coaching institutes taught in-person from our home office in Southern California.

Where are your current locations/territories? Where are locations/territories available?

What areas are you looking to expand to in future?

Since debuting in 2009, UFC GYM has opened more than 135 locations across the world in the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Oman, Philippines, South America, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. The UFC GYM franchise division has continued to

grow at a rapid pace with more than 50 locations opening in the past two years and over 50 gyms expected to open in the next year. With global interest and many conversations occurring, now is the time to become a UFC GYM franchise partner while territories are still available.

What sets you apart from your competition?

The UFC brand sets us apart from our competition. Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, and UFC is the global leader of MMA. With the power of the UFC behind us, UFC GYM allows everyone to train like the best MMA athletes. When we enter into a market, there is already tremendous brand awareness and immediate recognition and credibility. We offer quality classes and a great fitness experience as a cool, fun brand for everyone, regardless of age or fitness level.

UFC GYM’s exclusive fitness training, which conditions internationallyacclaimed UFC® athletes, allow us to provide our members with a fun and energetic workout experience in a 60 minute class. We offer 3 distinct franchise packages that allow our partners to invest in their community and provide their members with an amazing new fitness experience that is full of energy and excitement. www.ufcgymfranchise.com

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SPORTS & FITNE

franchising feature “NASCAR is America’s number one spectator sport, in fact it has 75 million fans watching from the sidelines and completely dedicated.”

The world of franchising has opened the doors to a variety of passions and interests for many entrepreneurs.

Franchising allows people to engage in a lifelong dream with a safety net of tried and true practices that create successful outcomes.

platform for entrepreneurs to engage in their passions as a career options. For the artist who could not find financial success through their paintings or the kid who loved watching baseball alongside his father but could never play the game, franchising offers Americans the ability to partake in their pastimes as a career option.

Sports and fitness franchising has grown over the years and has developed a

Americans not only love engaging in sports, they love being in the stands as

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Sports franchising Maybe you can’t figure skate without losing your balance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch from the sidelines and offer the professionals an environment to succeed.

well. NASCAR is America’s number one spectator sport, in fact it has 75 million fans watching from the sidelines and completely dedicated.

The country is devoted to its sportsmanship, on all levels.

College Football ratings and attendance has been increasing for many decades, with viewership and attendance continuously on the rise.

The US offers a variety of sports, in professional franchises with exceptional media coverage for all ages. Everyone knows its America’s favorite pastime.

So how does one become a part of a sports franchise? There are many different avenues one could consider when it comes

TNESS

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to choosing a career in sport franchise, but first they should consider a sport and move forward with research.

It’s hard to narrow down a specific franchise without being biased. Though your favorite team may be the obvious choice, its franchise may not be available and its business statistics may be terrible.

There are a lot of things to consider before investing in a sport and unfortunately your fandom should not be the main inspiration.

Consider the seats in the stadium, are they filled? Are they popular? How well has the team done over the years? Do they sell a lot of tickets and merchandise? Does the location host a lot of shows and venues?

What kind of services do they have on site and how to they profit?

Does the team have a salary cap? Does it spend a lot on travel and equipment?

There are a lot of questions to consider before investing in such a huge franchise.

The best bet is to speak with current sport team franchisors about what kind of questions to ask and what specifics things to look into, and talk to the actual team about what to research in the area.

Location can have a huge affect on your investment. Can fans get there, is there a big population and is it a sports town?

These small considerations may go to the wayside and be a huge hit on your business.

Specific teams and leagues have a criteria or law that franchisors must consider before investing, and a corporate contact

would best explain what red tape you might face that could make your dreams difficult to achieve.

In most franchises a lot of background, experience or understanding is not necessary for ownership. However, in the world of sports it is preferred to have a very good grasp and understanding of the league, the sport and the teams involved.

Fitness franchising On the other end of sports there is fitness, which can lead to a completely different athletic franchise that helps fulfill a passion. For those who have always dreamed of fulfilling a career in health and fitness, there are a lot of opportunities to explore with franchising.

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an investment they require and if their policies and procedures reflect the type of healthy environment you were hoping to achieve as a franchisor.

Of course unlike sports, the enjoyment of the gym would not be dependent on a fan base, but rather marketing, location and advertisement, which head office can provide help with.

Although a lot of gym franchises have established a prevalent branding within the country, a lot of towns have local gyms that are secure and create unwanted competitions. Research these locations and figure out what issues would be a hindrance to your franchise. For example, are competitive gyms focused on training?

If so, does your franchise offer training?

A lot of gyms are not just gyms. Look at the services such as food, classes, training and what requirements are necessary for the staff at the gym and what is the turnaround of employees, all these things give you a leg up on that local competition.

“The gym and fitness industry rakes in over $3 billion in revenue annually and is on the rise.�

The gym and fitness industry rakes in over $3 billion in revenue annually and is on the rise. Americans are more health conscious and we are better educated about the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

That being said, there is an obesity epidemic that has to be considered, meaning this franchise is important to the overall population.

For those looking to help make their country and community healthy and happy, while turning a profit have so much opportunity in gym franchises. Towns and

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cities are filled with gyms, there is never just one, but that could be a downfall. Is there any more need for gym franchises?

Have memberships raised but locations peaked?

These are questions to ask locals, visits gyms and see how frequently they are being packed and how people feel about a certain franchises policy and regulations.

Do they think the gym is overrun? Not open late enough? Lacking in equipment and facilities?

Then you would have to research specific gyms franchises to see how much of

Both gym and sport franchises have a huge array of clients that would guarantee a profit, but a lot of research and consideration to the specific site of interest could lead to success. Sport teams in particular have a heavy upfront cost, but usually turn a very large profit and though there are a lot of franchises in the states, in comparison to restaurants for example, it’s few and far between. While gyms are popular and the upfront costs are not as hefty, the competition may make success harder to achieve.

For those interested in fitness and health, both venues are worth consideration.

Finding a passion in healthy living and creating a career in that field can be easily accessible through a franchise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: After receiving an English Degree, followed by a Journalism Diploma, Gina

Gill became a freelance journalist in 2008. She has

worked as a reporter and in communications, focusing on social media. She currently works as a community information officer with Epilepsy Society, while pursuing her writing career at the same time.

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Brittany Tinline, Head of Service Operations, Bench

Work Less, Grow More: Use Automation to Put Your Fitness Business on Autopilot

Every entrepreneur wants to create a profitable business. But instead of working on their businesses, many end up working in it.

There’s no shortage of critical, timeconsuming back office tasks to be completed: payroll, bookkeeping, recordkeeping… the list goes on. But, these tasks aren’t producing income and, chances are, they’re not why you chose to go into business for yourself. Automation lets you put them on autopilot, getting you back to the clients and activities that will grow your business.

Here are six areas of your fitness business that you can start automating right now.

Day-to-Day Management Automation has given way to some great all-in-one business management tools in the fitness industry. MindBody is the leading online marketplace for fitness services, letting you pull up a client’s profile to update contact and payment information, renew passes, view all their visits and email receipts. MindBody streamlines administrative tasks and scheduling, while automating the areas of your business that keep you at the front desk.

Whether you’re running a gym, launching a dance studio, or starting out as a personal trainer, all-in-one platforms can

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“Automation has given way to some great all-inone business management tools in the fitness industry.” usually be tailored to suit the individual needs of your fitness business. But, they do come at a price. If your business isn’t quite big enough to justify the ongoing cost of an all-in-one platform, it may be more cost effective for you to pay for a handful of automation tools and services that automate certain areas of your business.

Attracting New Clients More clients can lead to greater revenue, but attracting them can be a full-time job.

If you or your sales team are struggling to track, maintain, and convert new leads, Gymsales could help. The gym-specific lead management tool features automatic follow-up prompts, the ability to send SMS gym incentives to potential customers, and reporting that tracks your sales team’s progress.

FitnessTexter is a fitness-specific referral tool that can be used to give members discount passes to easily share with nonmembers.

Payroll, Workers Compensation, and Health Benefits Payroll and HR related tasks are huge time thieves. Use Gusto to set up health benefits, and obtain worker’s compensation, in addition to automating your payroll.

Bookkeeping Bookkeeping is an inescapable, timeconsuming task that you need to do on a monthly basis in order to properly file your taxes and comply with the IRS in April.

But there’s an affordable middle ground between a DIY solution and a CPA: Online bookkeeping services.

Bench is the leading bookkeeping service for fitness retailers and now the largest online bookkeeping service for small

businesses in North America. Unlike other bookkeeping solutions, Bench is a do-it-for-you service, pairing simple software with a dedicated team of bookkeepers to get bookkeeping off your plate. Each month you’ll receive accurate financial reports, including a P&L and balance sheet, that give you an immediate overview of your business’s financial health without the hassle of reconciling your books yourself. Franchisees can share their financials with their franchisor through the online dashboard, opening up coaching opportunities on subjects like optimal labor and marketing spend.

check out Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope.

On average, Bench saves entrepreneurs 8 hours, or one business day, per month.

you’ll be able to automate every single

Blogging and Social Media There’s no denying the fact that social media can have a huge impact on the visibility and success of your fitness business. The only drawback? Creating and posting quality content to each of your profiles on a regular basis is incredibly time consuming.

Batch and automate your social posting with Buffer, HootSuite, or Edgar. If you use WordPress for blogging, CoSchedule can help you stick to a publishing schedule, automate the distribution of your blog posts, and pre-load social content to your business’s social profiles.

Recordkeeping

Brittany Tinline

Stuff your receipts into the envelope, send it off, and Shoeboxed will scan, upload,

and store your records for you. The service turns your records into data, stores and

organizes receipts, files business cards, and can even track mileage.

Technology still has a ways to go before task in your gym or fitness business, but it’s getting close. Businesses face a lot

competition and a roller coaster ride on the path to success. But, it helps when a few

processes can pass through automatically,

letting you focus on other important things that will take your fitness business to the next level.

Brittany Tinline is the Head of Service Operations at Bench, the leading bookkeeping service for fitness retailers and the largest bookkeeping service in North America for small businesses.

There she leads a team of bookkeepers who specialize in preparing historical and monthly financial statements for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

If you’re tired of wading through paperwork and receipts whenever a tax deadline rolls around, it’s time to store your records in the cloud. Cloud storage providers Evernote, Dropbox, and Google Drive are easy to use. They also offer free, basic accounts, with the option to upgrade when you need more storage space.

Bench exists for fitness professionals and

If you’d rather outsource the process,

www.bench.co

entrepreneurs who know that investing time in their clients and business is more valuable than spending hours behind a desk. Thanks to Bench’s advancements in tech and automation, Bench bookkeepers are able to serve their clients 5x faster.

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Christopher Conner, President, Franchise Marketing Systems

Sports & Fitness Franchise Market has Something for Everyone Franchising USA

The sports and fitness market within franchising is always an area of innovation and market opportunity. The beauty of sports and fitness in general is that the market segment is timeless, gender-neutral and completely non-specific to a particular category of customer.

People from all age ranges, demographics and profiles have a sports and fitness brand or franchise that fits their needs and interests. Toddlers and young children have sports and intramural activity franchises which have grown significantly in recent years while adults have specialty studio fitness service franchises. The franchise market for Sports and Fitness has been in an extreme growth mode in the recent 5 years in a wide variety of categories. There are some key drivers to this paradigm, the first being that many Sports and Fitness businesses make money.

The Fitness market has gone through a pretty significant transition to more community based models that are tightknit and smaller in nature. They offer more personalized attention and a much closer relationship between members.

One fitness franchise owner mentioned to me how closely connected their members were and how much they all interacted both in and outside of the gym. I thought about my experience with gyms and how little interaction I ever had with anyone at the facility, everyone just seemed to walk around with headphones on and not say or look at anyone else. There are some compelling statistics out there about traditional gym and fitness businesses, one being that 95% of gym memberships don’t use their membership more than one time per month. This embodies what traditional gyms had become and possibly was at the

root of what caused the traditional gym business model to slow down in growth.

The community based model helps keep people engaged and accountable and feeling like they want to be there so to avoid disappointing their “colleagues in fitness”. Today’s fitness brands that are seeing significant growth are community oriented, smaller in nature and fit a much different business model. They also require a much lower initial investment and don’t need the same level of operating overhead to make the model work.

Sports franchises have come into the mainstream with attention being paid to how much professional sports teams have come to be worth in today’s marketplace.

It is not uncommon to see professional teams in Basketball, Football or Baseball exceed $1 Billion valuations on a regular basis. The power of a well-managed and structured franchise organization has never been more evident than that of the NFL where professional football franchises are valued at an absolute premium. More and more children-related sports franchises have also come to market and made headway in growing their networks. This trend was initially started with I-9 Sports offering an intramural league franchise concept that has grown exceedingly well and transitioned into a wide variety of other markets such as soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis and other sports categories. With today’s current scenario in youth sports where everyone is more and more competitive and needs every advantage offered to them for their particular sport, people are willing to spend to help their children advance in a sport. Hoop To Hoop is a new brand that offers basketball skills training and guidance and certainly fits this profile.

People enjoy sports and fitness, the idea of making a living while doing something that you love is at the core of what creates immediate excitement around the market segment. What makes today’s franchise models even more exciting is the good ones put forward impressive numbers and in some cases significant ROI’s for a franchise offering. What drives the good models vs. the poor sports and fitness franchises are similar to that of any

Chris Conner

other market segment; a good franchise marketing system and lead generation mechanism needs to be in place that finds customers and drives revenues. Solid operating structure with technology, documentation, manuals and franchise training platforms all need to be in place and well defined allowing new franchisees the ability to replicate a successful sports and fitness business model. The Franchisor needs to be focused, dedicated and committed to the success of the franchisees in their network. Many times, I have interacted with potential franchisees of given brands with interest the Sports and Fitness market and my guidance to them is to be diligent in reviewing the business aspects of the franchise and confirm that there is value in the system.

Particularly in Sports and Fitness, it might be easy to let emotions get in the way of good business decisions. Before making an investment in a franchise, it is imperative to affirm that you are getting a good business, not just a nice lifestyle.

Christopher Conner is the President of Franchise Marketing Systems and has spent the last decade in the franchise industry working with several hundred different franchise systems in management, franchise sales and franchise development work.

His experience ranges across all fields of franchise expertise with a focus in franchise marketing and franchise sales but includes work in franchise strategic planning, franchise research and franchise operations consulting. www.franchisemarketingsystems.com

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Brian Sanders, President & CEO, i9 Sports

A Changing Environment and the Business of Youth Sports

Little players, big business Summer’s here, and with the warm air come the exuberant screams of kids of all ages making their way down to the soccer field, basketball court, or a football sideline or two. Some are probably picking the dandelions of America’s outfields as well.

It should come as no surprise that youth sports involvement continues to be one of the most popular summertime activities, helping kids get together with their friends and their favorite coaches. In fact, 60 percent of kids play sports outside of school, and that number is expected to jump in the near future. The United States Census Bureau projects the number of children under age 17 will grow to record levels in the next 15 to 20 years. With that projection comes an increase in the potential for youth sports participation, an already staggering market that currently exceeds $9 billion by recent estimates, with nearly 42 million youth athletes across 14,000 different organizations.

Traditional youth sports may be flawed Unfortunately, with growth come hiccups for the typical town league. Anyone with a ball and a whistle can offer a sports league, and plenty of organizations offer mediocre programs because a lack of incentive to provide better. Often with these programs, families face disorganization, a lack of communication, and inconvenience, with over-scheduled young athletes required to attend multiple practices each week and parents serving as no more than a glorified shuttle service.

Perhaps a bigger issue is the destructively competitive, highly political culture that sometimes accompanies youth sports.

These behaviors turn sports into a negative experience for kids and erase the potential

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“Youth sports were created to serve the kids that play, but it’s up to the adults to change the game.”

positive life skills like self-discipline, determination and teamwork instilled by youth sports participation. Not to mention the pressure put on kids to specialize in one sport with the hopes of an athletic scholarship and a big payday. In fact, of the 42 million American kids who play sports each year, research suggests that more than half drop out by age 12 because it’s no longer fun or has become a negative experience.

The problem is not with the kids; it’s with the adults. Put simply, youth sports have evolved from a simple way for kids to have fun and build athletic skills into adult sports played by those kids that consume time and money while causing immense stress and frustration for children and parents alike.

Offering an alternative The time is ripe for the reinvention of local youth sports. This reinvention starts with a format that puts the athlete and his/her family at the center of a more service-oriented model. To successfully change the culture of youth sports leagues, organizations that operate as a business (versus a non-profit or association), have a distinct advantage because they survive and grow based completely on the degree to which they meet the needs of those they serve.

The key in this changing environment is to pair potential financial returns with a core purpose for the people operating the programs. The combination of

financial incentive with the ability to make a difference in the lives of others is incredibly powerful.

The youth sports experience itself must be radically transformed. The number one reason kids play sports is to have fun, so it’s not surprising they quit because they stop enjoying it. This requires a transformation of the adultification of youth athletics from programs that offer hyper-competitive, win-at-all-costs cultures to those offering better ageappropriate instruction that’s fun for kids and convenient for today’s busy families.

To do so, programs should be built around teaching skills, good sportsmanship, and healthy competition, instead of focusing solely on who plays what position and the final game score.

The experience should start and end with those core values, but it’s also important to understand that coaches and those operating the leagues must be provided resources to truly deliver a topnotch experience. For example, technology is an essential element in the new youth sports league model. Surprisingly, software is the underpinning of the reinvented youth sports model because of the efficiency it provides in roster building, scheduling, and league communication. When the headaches of league operations can be taken away with the touch of a button, everyone can focus on enjoying the experience with the kids and making memories that truly last a lifetime.

There’s no doubt the business of youth

sports is booming. But, with tremendous growth has come consequences. To leverage the opportunity while preserving the core values that youth sports are built on means walking away from the stale, outdated youth sports mindset and prioritizing instruction, fun, and safety over the “win-at-all cost” mentality that dominates many programs today. Youth sports were created to serve the kids that play, but it’s up to the adults to change the game. It’s time to reclaim youth sports for the kids. See a league parent that’s raucous and toxic? That’s old culture. Notice a lack of core values in a league? That’s bad management. It’s time for a change – there’s a better way. Commit to betterment for the sake of our children, and let’s play ball.

Brian Sanders is one of the original architects of the i9 Sports Experience, and is the president and CEO of i9 Sports. Brian is responsible for setting the company’s vision and strategic direction and working with the leadership team to translate the company’s vision into system-wide growth strategies that increase customer registrations and help make each franchise more successful and profitable. www.i9sportsfranchise.com

Brian Sanders

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Brandon Bean, CEO, Gold’s Gym

The Business of Fitn

Thanks to the rise of national discourse on healthy eating and the positive impact of exercise on overall health, more consumers are joining health clubs and making fitness a central focus of their lives.

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According to a recent report from IBISWorld, the gym and fitness franchise industry is experiencing robust growth as consumers educate themselves and become more well informed. Due to this health-conscious climate, health club memberships have steadily been on the rise, benefiting gym franchises in particular as greater demand from a larger gym-going demographic is encouraging franchise expansion.

larger client bases and respond to the

Many franchisors, in an effort to develop

and expanding.

growing popularity of boutique gyms, have offered more franchise opportunities over the past five years.

As the business of fitness continues to grow and evolve, it is imperative that fitness franchises stay competitive

through a multitude of strategies, from

specialized service offerings to strategic

partnerships, in order to continue growing

ness

“At the end of the day, fitness is a member-focused business that should revolve around customer service.” the reputation of your brand.

While business acumen should always be at the top of the list of requirements for new franchisees, a passion for the fitness industry is an undeniable added benefit.

Operators that love the industry and are excited about growing your brand are in the best position to succeed.

Focus on Service: Process Whether your brand is a big box or boutique concept, service needs to remain the number one priority for your franchise in order to build a loyal customer base and sustain growth. At the end of the day, fitness is a member-focused business that should revolve around customer service. From the moment a member steps through the door, they should be treated respectfully by the front desk workers, personal trainers and whoever else comes in contact with them. There are too many health club options for customers to choose from today to be treated poorly at your business.

Specialized Offerings: Programming

Strategic Growth & Partnerships: People As you look to expand your brand, be diligent and selective about the franchisees that you bring on board. Ensure that they are people you will want to do business with for years to come, and focus on the quality of the franchise versus quantity.

A small number of franchisees that are the right fit for your brand will be more successful than a large number of unqualified operators who could tarnish

It is very important to understand how the fitness landscape is changing due to consumer tastes, and to be open to developing additional offerings in order to meet your members’ needs and demands.

Whether it’s adding new group fitness classes to the mix or changing up the types of classes offered at your gym, customers today are looking for new workout options that will help them most effectively achieve their fitness goals.

health of their employees, and are creating corporate wellness programs as a way to encourage employees to work out consistently. Workplace wellness programs are now used by more than two-thirds of U.S. businesses and it has become a $6 billion industry.

The health outcomes of corporate wellness programs are many, including smoking cessation, weight loss and obesity prevention, diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol management.

This, in turn, benefits businesses by lowering absenteeism, increasing job satisfaction and work productivity, improving employee retention, and lowering health care costs. Gyms and health clubs should be taking advantage of this rise in corporate wellness programs as an additional revenue stream beyond memberships.

If you are in the business of fitness, you must keep an open mind and be adaptable.

Our consumers are always changing, which means that we should be, too.

Gold’s Gym has built a winning strategy by offering a fitness product differentiated by our people, our process and our programming, and it’s imperative to have a strategy built around a core belief that drives your organization every day.

Brandon Bean is the CEO of Gold’s Gym, the world’s trusted fitness authority since 1965. From its humble beginnings as a small gym in Venice, California, Gold’s Gym has grown into a global icon with more than 700 locations serving 3 million people across six continents each day. www.goldsgym.com

Corporate Wellness Programs Businesses are also taking note of the benefits that regular exercise has on the

Brandon Bean

Franchising USA

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T he S tacked Pick le

How Gary Brackett Went from Super Bowl Champion to Restaurant Entrepreneur and Franchisor Backed by his team of experienced restaurant operators, Brackett has expanded the restaurant into a nine-unit chain with each location thoughtfully placed in and around the Indianapolis market – and he is looking for aspiring franchisees to expand the operation on a national level.

Gary Lawrence Brackett rose to national fame when he was picked up as a free agent for the Indianapolis Colts in 2003. Since joining the Colts, Brackett went on to play for nine seasons.

During his tenure, he was most noted for winning Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears. During this season, he was named defensive captain of the Colts and had over 120 tackles. Throughout his career, he was twice named AFC Defensive Player-of-theWeek.

Most football players come to the end of their career asking, “what next?” This was not the case for Brackett, as he always thought about his post-NFL aspirations -even when he first entered the league. He took advantage of executive education and internships provided by the NFL, which provided a foundation for him to take

Franchising USA

advantage of after his career in football.

A large part of this mindset came while obtaining his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University, where he developed a business skill set that he knew would be of value during the next phase of his career.

After retirement from the NFL, Brackett went back to school, earning his Masters of Business Administration from George Washington University and ventured into restaurant management, in the city of Indianapolis.

Brackett is now the owner of The Stacked Pickle Restaurant franchise, and launched Brackett Restaurant Group. The Stacked Pickle has become Indianapolis’ favorite neighborhood restaurant and sports bar – as they proudly serve fresh and affordable food with legendary customer service.

The Stacked Pickle’s full bar offers over 15 draft flavors and daily drink specials.

This has become the go-to spot for lunch, happy hour, dinner, and late-night bites.

Throughout Indiana, The Stacked Pickle currently has locations in Carmel, Fishers, West Carmel, Westfield, Indianapolis, Greenwood, Southport and West Lafayette.

Aspiring franchisees/entrepreneurs will get the chance to take part in the following advantages if they join the Stacked Pickle team: (1) Training – franchisees will be provided with ongoing support and training before and after launching their own Stacked Pickle, (2) Site selection our team provides assistance with site selection, lease negotiation, and construction to ensure efficient opening and (3) Marketing programs – franchisees can grow their business in any particular location through the company’s overall branding and marketing strategy. Other advantages include: access to training manuals and programs, access to sales, marketing, and administrative materials, existing customer and supplier relationships, technical support, and exclusive territories.

The owner/operator for a Stacked Pickle franchise must be personable and have some experience in leadership and management. A franchisee must be a “people person” who is outgoing and can communicate effectively with the customer base to establish credibility and trust within their community. Other qualifications would include high personal standards, effective communication skills, willingness to operate with complete integrity and within the core values of the company.

Aspiring franchisees can get more information at buildthepickle.com.