Multi-site Franchise Owner Spotlight - Fitstop Coolum & Noosa

Open day - 16 November 2019

Location - Fitstop Coolum, QLD

When you speak with the owners of Fitstop Coolum, Ryan and Amanda, straight away it’s evident why they run a successful franchise business; their sheer passion and love for their community, and commercially, they know their numbers. Together, Ryan and Amanda work incredibly well as a team and continue to drive a very successful and profitable business. I sat down with Ryan and Amanda as we took a deep dive into the success that is Fitstop Coolum.

What were your individual backgrounds before owning your own Fitstop?

Ryan: “I’ve been in and out of the health and fitness industry since I finished school. But over the years I would always find my way back to fitness, because like many, I have a true passion for it. Having had stints in the defence force and a previous career in sales, I always maintained vested interest in my own personal health and fitness. Growing up, I also played representative football, played a key role in calisthenics in Australia and have also been a professional dancer. Naturally, fitness has always been a big part of my life.

Commercially speaking, I grew my savvy mind and acumen when I stepped into sales. As a rookie trainee I was hungry and grew into a General Manager role within three and a half years; my progression was the quickest growth into that position the company had seen at that time. I would attribute the core of my sales success to maintaining a customer-centric mindset which more often than not, always led to a high percentage of repeat business. I personally pride myself on having a growth mindset and don’t believe in the word no - I’ll do my best to find a way to make things work and overcome any hurdles”.

Amanda: “I started out from school as a Beauty Therapist for almost 12 years, while also immersing myself in the fitness industry working in a gym for the last 8 years. I’ve also had a decent amount of time working in the print industry, and have lived abroad in Canada for the good part of a year.  

I personally used exercise and training to help build self confidence. My main desire to open a gym was not to be a trainer, but to be able to provide the welcoming space that people could go to where they could exercise, learn about fitness and training, in an environment where they could feel comfortable, not judged and a part of something special”. 

What do you believe the key success drivers have been for building your Fitstop community? 

We lead by example. We practice what we preach and set the standard for our members; from the way we train, stretch and perform, along with taking rest days. We stay true to the Fitstop method.

We consistently take the time to check in with our members. We enjoy going that extra mile and ensuring that element of connection and care, especially when we know things may not be going well for some (personal life, training etc.). We want all of our members to feel valued and reassured.

We continuously ask for feedback about how we can improve. We also continue to always reflect on things we can do better or more to step up our game. 

We give our members the best Fitstop experience possible. We’re really proud to have built the community that we have and pride ourselves on not only delivering the perfect session, but creating a vibe that is so incredible, that our members simply can’t resist telling all their friends about Fitstop Coolum! 

Let’s talk numbers

What has been your growth rate since you opened?

Our community was growing rapidly at an average net member movement (NMM) of 25.5 members per month until COVID-19 lockdown hit - then our attention was turned to maintaining our current members and pivoting our services online via the Fitstop App.

Post COVID-19, we have reverted back to rapid yet sustainable growth after rebuilding our membership base from sub 100 back to above our original 100%, and well past it. Currently we hold an average net member movement of 29 per month and an attrition rate of less than 2%. That said, last month we grew by a huge 61 members!‍

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How did you recover from COVID-19?

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Our recovery from COVID-19 was hard and gruelling, but it was a case where we knew we had to "get our hands dirty". We monitored the numbers really closely, we made sure we were in touch and accountable to our community and didn't lose that connection. We stomped the pavement and built out some amazing business to business relationships, ensuring we were helping as many people in the local community as possible.
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We stayed connected with our members inviting them to return at their own pace when they were ready. It was a clean slate for everyone, new and original members. 
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What are your conversion rates and business focuses?‍

We maintain above a 50% conversion rate from lead to sale which we really pride ourselves on.
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We have an amazing community; we educate and inform our members with all available knowledge and inform them to make the most out of their training. Alongside, we have supportive brand partners and B2B's that help keep our members accountable and on track, rewarding hard work. Our focus and something that we believe makes us different, is we care about every single person that walks through our doors. It doesn't matter if you are big or small, fit or unfit, strong or not strong, young or old... everyone is treated with the same level of care.

We always do the one percenters; working on Sundays for 3 hours, reflecting on the week, along with contacting leads and trials from the week for re-invites/follow up as we find this is the best day to encourage them to set up for the week ahead. 

We also surround ourselves and continuously reflect on our business with other Fitstop Business Owners and take ideas and suggestions onboard at any and all available opportunities.

Final words from Ryan 

“I believe that hard work and dedication is the reason people in business are successful - it's not built on sheer luck or just a "good product", you need grit, willpower and perseverance. Put simply, nothing worth having in life comes easy.”

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If you'd like to find out how owning your own Fitstop can align with your goals, enquire today at fitstop.com/franchise where you'll receive your Free Info Pack and our friendly team will be in touch to chat further.