Franchisor News, Vanguard Key Clubs
In more than 30 years of managing and owning gyms, and now franchising an innovative gym concept, Craig Annis has learned a few things. “I just kept coming up against a lot of obstacles and I kept pivoting out of necessity,” he says. In developing Vanguard Key Clubs, Annis has eliminated staffing issues and reduced overhead as a result. And, he’s able to operate as a semi-absentee owner.
The 24-hour, seven-days-a-week gym concept has no on-site staff. Members, who have monthly subscriptions, use electronic key cards to gain access to any Vanguard Key Clubs, which now include six corporate locations in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. Contractors provide maintenance, cleaning and equipment repair. Personal trainers pay a monthly fee to gain clients through Vanguard Key Clubs and work with them at the gyms. Enrollments are done online and, if members forget or lose a key card, they call the franchisee or an offsite manager who remotely buzzes them in.
All locations are outfitted with cameras and courtesy phones for security. “Obviously, the gyms are fully surveilled,” Annis says. “We can log in any time just to see what’s going on. Also, if a member brings up a concern that we need to research, like somebody left 12 45-pound plates on a machine, which is inconsiderate, we’ll look at the cameras to track the person down. If a member has a concern, it’s important to us. We’re only a phone call, text or email away.”
Optimal Work-Life Balance
Annis says a Vanguard Key Clubs franchise is ideal for anyone who seeks to work when and where they want. “We’ve nailed down the business model in a way that you can remotely run full-blown, 10,000-12,000-square foot gyms,” he says.
In reaching the decision to franchise, Annis partnered with his daughter (pictured together above), Dailyn Annis, who serves as operations manager. Dailyn, 23, is a recent graduate of Adelphi University with a business management degree.
With her background – growing up around Vanguard Key Clubs, being a student athlete in college and having a business education – joining her dad in the business was a natural decision, she says. “I love going to the gym, so not only is this something I’m passionate about personally, but now I feel like it’s a good fit for me career-wise, as well,” she says.
Craig Annis points out that he was 23 and fresh out of college when he started working part-time at a gym. That job led to managing a larger gym, then buying his own small gym with financial help from his dad. He made ends meet in those early days by giving up his apartment and sleeping on a futon in the office at the gym. “I thought, heck, I have bathrooms, I got TVs, I can work out whenever I want. So, I would get up and clean the locker rooms at 5 in the morning, open the doors at 5:30, be there until 9 o’clock, kick everybody out of my living room, wander back into my office and crash on the futon. I was determined not to fail.”
Demand for Fitness and Convenience
The global health and fitness club market size is projected to grow from $112.17 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.83% to $202.78 billion by 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights, which attributes the growth to increasing health consciousness and prevalence of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
With increased sedentary life- and work styles, consumers want to be able to squeeze in a workout when they have time. So, being open round the clock fulfills that need, Annis says.
Before coming up with the key card concept, when he had someone at the front desk, he found that clients would be waiting in the parking lot even before the gym opened. After converting to key-card access, clients thanked him for eliminating the front-desk person. “I realized that the front-desk personnel set the tone for the business, and if that tone is not friendly or welcoming, you’ve got a problem. So, we’ve eliminated that possibility.”
The Vanguard Key Clubs Franchise Opportunity
While people interested in fitness are ideal franchise candidates, Annis says others might be attracted to the work-life balance the Vanguard Key Clubs franchise offers or have other reasons for investing. For instance, he says, there might be a developer who owns a commercial plaza. Having a 24-hour gym as a tenant could be a win-win for the developer, providing revenue while increasing traffic that benefits other tenants, as well as activity at off-peak hours that might deter crime.
Annis says he will consider franchise locations anywhere in the U.S. He will provide support at every step of the process, from finding a location and negotiating a lease or converting an existing facility, to helping find contractors for cleaning, maintenance and equipment repair. But he also plans to provide some flexibility to franchisees – he won’t require that they buy new equipment on a regular basis if the existing equipment works just fine. Flexibility and freedom are at the heart of the Vanguard Key Clubs model.
“We’ve learned a lot of lessons over the years,” he says. “And those lessons are what we offer to anyone who wants to invest in a Vanguard Key Clubs franchise. I don’t want anybody to have to sleep on a futon in their office like I did. I want them to be able to help the brand and help themselves. I want them to be able to meet their kids at the bus stop and coach the kids’ baseball team. I want them to have a quality of life.”
For more information, visit https://www.vanguardkeyclubs.com/franchise.
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