How Daniel Broke Even In His First Month As A Franchisee
Meet Daniel
Daniel Hotchkis has been in the fitness industry for over 10 years. Before Stepz he was running Group Fitness classes out of a small warehouse. The members loved the classes but the facilities were less than desirable. Without air conditioning, summer was so hot to train, and Daniel also missed out on the reoccurring memberships that a 24/7 gym provided.
Although Daniel, has a successful transport business, without equity in a property he knew it would be difficult to get a loan. Despite this, he set out looking for a gym franchise that was within his budget, has access to finance and catered for group fitness and 24/7 gym under one roof.
Daniel’s Goal
Daniel wanted to open a brand new gym and functional group training business, obtain finance to fund the project and create the most successful gym in the Dapto and Woollongong area.
After looking at other options, Daniel, quickly realised that Stepz Fitness Franchise was the only one who could achieve these goals. After meeting with the franchisor, he knew he could become successful and instantly fell in love with the Stepz Fitness brand and its ethos. Read on to see how he broke even in just his first month as a franchisee.
How he Did It
Step 1 - Discovery Meeting
Daniel enquired with Stepz Fitness and met with the franchisor to discuss the brand and its hybrid model. After an exciting meeting, he decided Stepz was the perfect fit for him.
Step 2 - Site and Territory Selection
After meeting with the Franchisor, Daniel chose his territory and secured it with a $10,000 refundable deposit, then the Stepz team provided the analysis and site selection criteria.
Step 3- Financial Information & Loan
After finding the territory, the Stepz Team helped Daniel prepare a financial model, business plan to obtain funding through the Stepz Broker network.
Step 4 - Sign Agreements
Once finance was obtained Daniel, signed the Franchise agreement and secured the lease for a site in Dapto which was negotiated by the Stepz Leasing team. With everything ready on paper, it was time to get moving!
Step 5 - Building and Design Phase
Daniel worked with the Stepz building designers and the franchisor to design a state of the art facility. Then Stepz secured the builders who could create the gym within budget and maximise the customer experience.
Step 6 - Pre-Opening & Marketing
Daniel worked with the Stepz marketing team to create hype and a pre-opening campaign. He had a huge grand opening and was able to generate income from day one of being open, and proceeded to break even after 1 month.
“Stepz Has Changed My Life for the Better.”
"The Stepz Fitness franchise model has changed my life for the better. I am so happy to be a part of a dynamic and leading brand. The Franchisor assisted me to open my first gym within my budget. That went on to turn a profit in the first month. In 2021, I opened my second gym with Step Fitness and plan to keep going."
— Daniel Hotchkis
The Results
Daniel opened Stepz Fitness Dapto in December 2019. In the first month, the business broke even. This exceeded Daniel’s expectations. He saw the model worked and his local community loved training at Stepz Dapto. Using his profits he opened Stepz Shellharbour within 2 years. He plans to open more Stepz Fitness locations.