Anyone own an Anytime fitness here?

[swole79]

Hey guys, One open up in my nieghborhood about a year ago and seems to be doing fairl well. I have run gym in the past and have been wanting to start up my own business for a while. These franchises seem low cost to start and easy to manage and run. Do any of you guys have any experience on how well they suport you along the way with getting your franchise off the ground or have any other useful advise as I have never actually owned my own club, just managed a few. Thank you for any adice.

 

[Amazon Doll]

I have a friend who has one. He says it is getting tighter on what you can do on your own and what you have to buy from them.

I like these gyms!

 

[strongrhino]

Arent they a chain? Not franchise? I could be mistaken I have 1 a mile from my 12 yr old facility. Has zero impact to be honest. Their trainers are on different level then mine. And they charge more.

 

[ferd]

They are franchised.

 

[ericraven2003]

Know a guy that owns three. He said if he could do it over he wouldn't have done it. Says the profit per club is just plain pitiful.

He was division president at a largre builder and quit to open these as a dream. Well it was a night mare for him. Just found this out last week.
This guy went from making 500k a year to crap. He said since the pricing is so low, that you have to have shit load of members to make any real profit and thats hard since the big chains get the majority.

That really sucks.

 

[Amazon Doll]

^^^^ Eric is right, the company has tightened up it's requirements to franchaze owners making it real tough to turn a healthy profit.

 

[strongrhino]

Thanks- wasn't sure. Their overhead must be crazy. My places are a fraction of the size and my overhead nears 10G/month. Thats their power bill alone! One thing is that I own my equipment outright. I understand they lease with buyout option. Franchises suck IMO. 20-30% goes to the house for not much support. Never an option here. Cant see how they make $. Just sayin.

They are franchised.

 

[swole79]

Thanks guys, keep it coming. Actually their franchise fee is only about $500 per month, flat fee. And since their are fairly low staffed and low maintenance overhead should be alot lower comparitively speaking.

 

[ericraven2003]

Thanks guys, keep it coming. Actually their franchise fee is only about $500 per month, flat fee. And since their are fairly low staffed and low maintenance overhead should be alot lower comparitively speaking.

Its not the fee. Its the amount of members it takes to make money, real money. Its a freaking lot. I would actually go visit about 5-7 of the places, and try to get the real scoop from owners.

Just be careful.
It sounds like you have made up your mind.

 

[The Beast]

I was the charter member at the anytime in Keokuk Ia, and let me tell you I fckn hated it. To many old woman who walk on a treadmill at 1/2 a mile an hour and bitch about everything. I proudly cancelled my membership and now go the YMCA. The Y I belong to is pretty hardcore and they encourage power lifting, chains, being loud, and all the other shit you can't and aren't suppose to do at anytime. Not to mention you don't have a owner that looks like 100lbs of chewed bubblegum tryn to tell you how to lift.

 

[j18extreme]

very true!! alot like snap fitness) just look at the whole picture before taking the leap.

Its not the fee. Its the amount of members it takes to make money, real money. Its a freaking lot. I would actually go visit about 5-7 of the places, and try to get the real scoop from owners.

Just be careful.
It sounds like you have made up your mind.

 

[strongrhino]

Dificult to believe to be quite honest. I know how the game works and that seems rather low. But if thats what it is then thats reasonable. I just like making the rules in my place, setting fees, and not having to answer to anyone except myself. Its not just the monthly franchise fees, but guaranteed you must use their vendors for everything. Not to mention follow their exact protocol on everything. Their are positives an negatives for sure so do your resarch accordingly. And again i must reiterate those fees you quoted seem low, as Im sure a % is thrown in there somewhere. The devil is in the details as they say and I would have a good business attorney review any documents prior. GL to you in your decision.

Thanks guys, keep it coming. Actually their franchise fee is only about $500 per month, flat fee. And since their are fairly low staffed and low maintenance overhead should be alot lower comparitively speaking.

 

[growing1221]

I just got done interning at an Anytime Fitness gym a little bit ago. Learned alot about it.

 

[ferd]

An Anytime Fitness is about to open in the area I live. There is a very good regional chain here already with rates comparable to AF, although the hours are not. There are two community centers that have decent facilities within 1-5 miles of the new Anytime Fitness. I have been a member at the regional chain for some time and, due to the convenience, I recently joined one of the community centers (85,000 sq. ft.), cost $60.00 per year. I give this AF a year.

 

[carter]

sorry

 

[walker11]

one of my training partners/close friend/mentor owns an anytime fitness and he regrets it. lost a lot of money trying to get the place going and hasn't made much of his initial investment back. however, the Golds just a few miles away is doing great, don't know why becuase my friends gym has better equipment and a better training staff.

 

[c3bbing]

When I first joined, it was in a small town and it was a great 24hr gym to train at. Then I moved about an hour away to a very snobby, upper class neighborhood and the Anytime here blows...if I didn't need a 24hr gym, I'd be gone. A machine leg press, one flat bench, no place to do dips, the cable stacks go up to 100lbs!, db's I think 95lbs, ONE flat bench station! No squat racks! I have to unrack from the seated shoulder press station! Thank god a new 24hr gym is opening soon! But for the business aspect, the place is loaded with rich old ladies and snotty prissy young girls, rich older men and young punks that think they are king shit. When I returned to the gym after having a pulmonary embolism and being in the icu for a long time, I was down to 214lbs and VERY weak, and nobody bothered me at all. Once I got back up to 280lb range and started doing 5 to 6 plates a side dead, etc, I started getting dirty looks, lil side comments that they think you can't hear. You can tell they don't want a serious bber there. But the owner is making a lot because the upscale clientele all go to this gym, because they want to be part of the 'in' crowd and they all get massages, tanning, buy way overpriced supplement drinks from the credit card operated vend machine, etc, etc, so he is making more than just memberships each month. So maybe in a rich, upscale neighborhood you could open one and make money, BUT do you really want to own a gym where you have to turn your back on your fellow brothers and sisters in iron? Then again business is business... Good luck in whatever you decide to do, and I wish you great success