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What are the behaviours of a top performing franchisee?

Sarah Stowe

Warren Millar proves franchising is suitable for people of all ages – he purchased three Anytime Fitness clubs in October 2011, at the age of 22.  

He is the sole franchisee of all three gyms, and operates a fourth club in conjunction with a business partner.   

Successful behaviours 

Warren, who was recently recognised as the brand’s 2014 Emerging Franchisee of the Year, explains that to be successful in business, franchisees need to:

  • Believe in themselves – initially everyone will doubt you.
  • Never give up and don’t take no for an answer.
  • Be prepared to put in the time, work all hours of the day or night, and on weekends.
  • Be a good networker and people person – if you can get people to believe in your dream your half way there.

It is vital franchisees build a healthy working relationship with their franchisor. To develop such a relationship, Warren advises they: 

  • Always stay in communication.
  • Always tell the truth.
  • Ask for help when needed.

“The franchisees that make the most positive noise tend to be the most successful,” he adds.

Funding the franchise

Warren came up with the funds to purchase his first franchise at such a young age as a result of hard work and sheer determination. “I pulled together everything I had, lived with my parents, borrowed money at low interest rates, borrowed money at extremely high interest rates, leased equipment and took out credit cards.

“I literally gave it more than everything I had and could get.” 

He says the return on investment (ROI) period has varied with each club; however the average has been between 12 and 18 months.

When it comes to ROI, Warren advises new franchisees: “be patient, go without and put the time in, don’t just sit back when you see it start to grow – make it grow faster!”

Due diligence tips

Warren outlines how he went about the due diligence process:

  • I started off by researching the brand online, through Facebook and news articles.
  • I enquired online, and had a long phone conversation before agreeing to a meeting.
  • I made sure to obtain P&Ls, projected income statements and start up budgets.
  • After our first meeting I went and looked at existing Anytime Fitness Franchises and analysed the competition (I also looked into buying a franchise with the competition).
  • I spoke to existing franchisees about the true costs of the business.
  • The biggest area besides researching the actual brand was working out how to secure the finance – I got knocked back by three of the four big banks. I didn’t take no for an answer and luckily had the fourth approve me.

Why Anytime Fitness? 

Warren expains brand recognition, as well as the passion of Anytime’s people played a major part in his investment decision.

“Anytime Fitness was able to give me the step-by-step guide to ensure my first business was a success. The best benefits are you know the system works, you know where to look for help and support as well as having brand recognition – people want to join our gyms before they have even seen inside due to the brand consistency.

“I visited many Anytime Fitness clubs, met with the franchise sales team and met with other 24/7 gym franchises in Australia. I loved the model of Anytime Fitness but the biggest selling point was the passion of everyone else already involved with the brand. I could see a young, strong and growing culture – I knew the brand was for me,” he adds. 

A rewarding business

Warren explains he enjoys endless benefits as an Anytime franchisee. “I run a business that makes people feel better, get healthier and enjoy life.

“I’m able to take inexperienced staff members and train them to be super competent and key to the business – it’s rewarding seeing your team members grow.”

He adds the business fosters franchisee growth and a well-balanced lifestyle. “On a personal level I’m part of a brand that allows me to build multiple business units, have an amazing work life balance and surround myself with people with the same drive and passion to succeed.”

Overcoming the challenges

Before joining Anytime, Warren worked in the corporate world, and admits he had little experience in running a small business.

“My biggest challenge was my lack of experience – I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and had never started or run a small business before.”

He explains he overcame the challenge through proactivity and constantly asking questions, and advises other franchisees do the same.

“I made sure to surround myself with those that did [know about running a small business] and learned from them. I never stayed silent and always asked for help. I feel privileged that other franchisees now ask me for help,” he says.

“Do your research, work out your strengths and identify what type of people you need to surround yourself with – they are the key to your success. Never take no for an answer, find a way to make it work.”

The training 

Warren explains franchisees receive initial and ongoing training. “Initially we spent one week at franchise training, it was a great start to learning of the business.

“We also have a periodic online ‘phase program’ giving us the steps of club operations throughout our five year franchise [the initial franchise term].

“Further to that we have a sales training course named ‘vitals,’ which empowers the team with tactics on how to successfully prospect and sell memberships,” he adds.