316. Opening a Gym: Franchise or Build Your Own Brand?

In this episode, host Jack Thomas breaks down the real trade-offs between opening your own gym and buying into a franchise. He walks through the questions you need to ask yourself around risk, control, systems, creativity, and skillset, so you can find the path most likely to lead to success. SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram

Host Jack Thomas is joined by Susie Millen, founder of My Vocal Fitness, to unpack how widespread vocal damage is in the fitness industry, why it happens, and why it should be on every coach and manager's radar. They break down how the voice actually works, what's going wrong when instructors shout to be heard, and the simple habits coaches can adopt to protect their voice before, during, and after sessions. Susie also shares practical guidance on being heard clearly without shouting, when to use a mic (and when you don't need one), and small changes managers can implement to protect their team, reduce burnout, and keep coaches performing at a high level. SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram GUEST RESOURCES Susie Millen on LinkedIn Article from Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups- 2024 Journal of the Voice- Group Fitness Questionnaire, 2013 Extra reading on some basic vocal tips SOVT warm up straw- OOVO Wireless headset - Amazon  

Host Jack Thomas takes you through a five-step process on exactly how to increase your prices so that you minimize complaints and maximize sales. January 1st is the best time to do it, so now is the last chance to prepare. SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram

Jack Thomas welcomes Mitch McGinley of Boutique Fitness Broker, who specialises in helping boutique fitness studios sell their gym for the best price possible. Every gym owner must consider what selling looks like one day, so we dig into how to position your business for maximum value, what buyers and investors really look for, and the common mistakes and pitfalls.   SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram   GUEST RESOURCES Mitch McGinley on LinkedIn Boutique Fitness Broker

Host Jack Thomas shares how you can turn Black Friday into one of their biggest sales days of the year. Jack breaks down his proven strategies to maximize revenue, create urgency without discounting too deeply, and build long-term loyalty, rather than short-term buzz. SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram

Grab your tickets for CJ's upcoming Fitness & Wellness Business Virtual Summit happening on the 15th - 16th November 2025 Get Tickets Here: https://summit.movenation.asia/ We welcome CJ Lee, co-founder of MOVE Private Fitness to the show to talk about how they've empowered coaches with ownership options to help fuel their vision of becoming Asia's biggest international personal training company.   SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram   GUEST RESOURCES CJ Lee on LinkedIn MOVE Private Fitness

We welcome back Pete Hull, founder of Australian fitness franchise Fitstop. Joined by Singapore franchisee Clarence Teo, we discuss Fitstop's global growth, their push into the US that started in the heart of LA's fitness scene and the current state of Singapore's boutique fitness market.   SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram   GUEST RESOURCES Pete Hull on LinkedIn Fitstop

Host Jack Thomas' gym went through a full, anonymous 'experience evaluation' by The Fit Guide. In this episode, Jack shares the full truth on what the report revealed and how it's helped him improve his gym's experience, training and systems. SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram

Russell Harrison, founder and CEO of EliteFit, has decades of experience in both recruitment and as a fitness leader. In this episode, he shares his insights into how to find the best executive talent, as well as how to land top roles in the fitness and wellness industry.   SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram   GUEST RESOURCES Russell Harrison on LinkedIn EliteFit Advisory Contact EliteFit

The fitness industry is addicted to discounts and sales. In this episode host Jack Thomas tells you how this is damaging your business, and what to do instead. SHOW SPONSORS Our sponsors are helping us to raise the standards of Asia's fitness industry. Show these great companies some support! Hapana, our preferred gym management software Ezypay, our preferred subscription and payment solution   NEWSLETTER For fitness business tips, insights and news - subscribe to The Fit Guide Newsletter   THE FIT GUIDE The Fit Guide helps you find and experience the world's best fitness clubs and studios; and helps clubs create incredible, five star client experiences every time. Visit The Fit Guide The Fit Guide on LinkedIn The Fit Guide on Instagram   SHOW RESOURCES Jack Thomas on LinkedIn Fitness Business Asia Website Fitness Business Asia Instagram