Franchise Opening Success with Fitstop Gladstone

Fitstop Gladstone, owned by the incredible Hannah, has taken the Fitstop world by storm. Not only is Hannah a passionate Fitstoppper, trainer and now owner, but she used this passion and dream for her future to open Gladstone incredibly successfully, with over 200 paying members from day one. 

From networking with other business owners, hosting bootcamps and following processes to a tee, there's a lot to learn from Hannah's opening journey and what's possible with Fitstop. But don't take our word for it, read our interview with Hannah below! 

What has your career been to date? 

I have been a qualified trainer for just over 13 years. During that time I have been in and out of the industry during that time however have managed a 24/7 gym, ran my own PT business and coached at a group fitness facility. Before opening Fitstop, I was working in an Occupational Health Project Coordinator role.

What inspired you to explore Fitstop as a franchise opportunity?

I had followed along the Fitstop journey for quite some time from back in the day when Pete Hull (Founder) had his P2P group training and gave creating an energy drink a shot! I had never seen anything like the communities that Fitstop was creating and I wanted to be a part of it. I had never experienced a Fitstop session but loved everything I saw on socials from programming to community.

What was your opening journey like?

I signed the Franchise Agreement in March this year, then we took the time to find the right space for our community to thrive and for negotiations to take place. During our pre-opening journey, we had been running free community bootcamps and run club every week as well as being involved in doing public events in the community which were very successful.

What role does technology play in your day-to-day operations as a business owner?

Technology is a vital aspect of all parts of our business. We rely on it for everything, including monitoring members, leads and follow-ups and keeping track of our financials. A huge pro about Fitstop is that because our systems are managed by Fitstop it is really easy to sort out any issues or connect with someone to answer any questions.

What do you think your biggest strength was in the pre-opening process?

I think my biggest strength was that I networked with other Fitstop owners and learnt from them throughout the pre-open process. Given they have all been through it themselves and all experienced different challenges along the way it was so helpful to learn some do's and don't's from them. I also think another strength during the pre-open process was my team. I found my team quite early on in the process, so they were able to be involved in the bootcamps and at times the sales process almost the entire way through and this allowed them to have already formed relationships with our community.

What is your team structure, and how did you find and familiarise your trainers with Fitstop?

I am the owner/manager and I have 3 trainers. I aim to coach approx 10 hours of classes per week and the coaches do the rest. I wanted to keep my team small so that our members can form relationships with the coaches and be familiar faces to them all. 2 of my trainers were colleagues of mine from another group fitness studio we worked at together and I loved who they were and their coaching style and my 3rd coach sought us out when he heard we were opening and sent us an email with his resume. 

Our nearest Fitstop is over 100kms away so 2 of my coaches had never even stepped foot in a Fitstop so it was important that we got as much experience as we could before we opened. I reached out to Olivia and Zoe at Fitstop Yeppoon and took my team there for 3 days to train, shadow, coach and learn from the best. This experience was invaluable and gave us a real head start. I also took my team to any upskilling/trainer days that were available in our lead up to open. I wanted them to be confident in delivering the perfect session before we opened.

How have you found Fitstop HQ’s support?

Fitstop's support has been incredible the entire time in all aspects. I am sure that almost everyone I have dealt with along the way will be glad to be rid of having to deal with me and my constant phone calls/texts/emails/nagging!! No one ever made me feel like I was a hassle and was always happy to help or find someone who could help me.

What’s your advice for someone looking to open their own Fitstop? 

Do it. It is going to be hard work, but if you have a passion for Fitstop and helping others then you will love being the owner of your own Fitstop and having your very own community. I totally understand the fear of betting on yourself but the view from the top is great.

What’s next for you in your Fitstop journey?

In 2024 I would like to grow Fitstop Gladstone to 300+ members and continue to be involved in and have an impact on our community. Once I get to a place where I am earning a healthy return on my investment (which I am sure will come soon) I would like to look into opening another Fitstop! 

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