Franchisor News, Vanguard Key Clubs
Dailyn and Brady Annis (above with dad Craig) grew up around the fitness business founded by their dad more than 30 years ago. Or, more accurately, the business, now called Vanguard Key Clubs, grew up around them. During family vacations, school events, and their field hockey or baseball games, which dad Craig Annis coached or watched from the sidelines, the semi-absentee business just hummed along, almost running itself. All the while, Craig was honing the concept, which now has evolved into an emerging, unstaffed, 24/7 gym franchise and a lasting family legacy.
“We’ve nailed down the business model in a way that a franchise owner can remotely run full-blown, 10,000-12,000-square-foot gyms,” says Craig, who serves as president and CEO. “Franchisees are always connected, like any business owners, but they have a lot of space in between, so they can do life.”
Vanguard members, who have monthly subscriptions, use electronic key cards to gain access to any of the six corporate locations in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. Locations are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are equipped with video cameras and phones for security. Contractors provide maintenance, equipment repair and cleaning. And personal trainers pay a monthly fee for referrals and use of the gyms to work with clients.
“So, while my kids were growing up,” Craig says, “I was able to get them on the bus, pick them up from school, go to their school events, see their games, take family vacations. And if a gym member forgot his key tag, he’d just call me on my cell phone and I’d buzz the door to let him in.”
A Family-Run, Semi-Absentee Gym Franchise
Today, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in marketing, Dailyn serves as Vanguard’s operations manager, as well as vice president of franchise development for the parent company, Key Club Development. Dailyn considered other career paths, such as law or corporate business. But, as a college athlete with a passion for the fitness industry and a desire to work in a managerial role, she recognized that the family business was the best fit.
The summer before her senior year at Adelphi University, Dailyn did an internship of sorts with Vanguard Key Clubs. Craig gave her the least desirable responsibility — collections — which her mom, Danielle, once handled. In addition to doing the work without problems or complaints, she confirmed her interest in joining the family business.
Dailyn admits the work-life balance afforded by the semi-absentee business model has been a big plus: “I can work out in the morning and play golf later. Yesterday, I sat on my balcony for two hours and was doing my work outside, answering phones and tanning at the same time,” she says.
Dailyn is not alone in prioritizing work-life balance. A recent Randstad survey of 27,000 workers worldwide showed they’re more likely to value work-life balance (93%), schedule flexibility (81%) and mental health support (83%) over career ambition, or the ability to progress in a job (70%).
In her current role, Dailyn has taken over Craig’s responsibilities in managing the six corporate-owned locations, responding to calls from Vanguard members and processing their enrollments online. She also handles marketing, and has initiated processes to streamline operations and internal communication, such as holding regular meetings with Craig and their facilities manager. Craig is now free to focus exclusively on franchise matters, including providing 24/7 support for franchisees, if needed.
“All my time now can be given to franchisees and to helping them develop,” Craig says. “What support do they get? They get me. I’m not building a franchise on the backs of franchisees. I’m building it alongside them. These are partnerships. I’m a gym owner first, and I’m going to help franchise owners, with a gym-owner-first approach, in opening and running their facilities.”
‘Building a Family Legacy with Family’
Dailyn’s brother, Brady, is a finance major entering his final year at Tampa University. Like his sister when she was younger, Brady has performed various work with Vanguard over the years, recently researching a new CRM (customer relationship management) system. He’s also helped with construction during facility buildouts, and even cleaning gyms when Vanguard was in between cleaning contractors. “Cleaning is not his superpower by any means, but he did it,” Craig says.
Brady and Dailyn recently joined Craig in showcasing Vanguard Key Clubs to prospective franchise owners at the International Franchise Expo in New York. “I think that showing prospective franchise owners that I could be there at the expo working with my adult children while we’re simultaneously operating six of our own gyms sparked some interest,” Craig says. “The work-life balance — being able to own and operate a Vanguard Key Clubs franchise and not miss out on family events — is very attractive to a lot of people. And it’s especially appealing to those like me who want to build a business with our adult kids that we can then transfer to them. We’re building a family legacy with family.”
Dailyn’s take on legacy is more layered. “I’d say it’s not only about building a family legacy, but also creating a legacy in the fitness industry with a business model that’s different from other gym franchises. There’s also the legacy that franchising helps create for other families, enabling them to build businesses they can pass on. And I’d say that the other part of it is that being in the fitness industry, we’ve seen how members have put in the time, made a positive difference in their lives, even overcome some health struggles, creating their own legacies. And we’ve been part of that.”
Craig adds: “There’s a sense that you’re doing some good, in a way, and we’re trying to do that not only for the customer but for the owners. And I think Dailyn gets that.”
For more information about franchising, visit Vanguard Key Clubs.
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