Going forward, what are the top business goals for the
company?
Rich: Completing the buildout of our ADA; figuring out what
we all want to be when we grow up.
Jason: Keep member satisfaction our top priority; develop a
sustainable cultural foundation that we can scale as we grow while
always focusing on member satisfaction.
Kristi: To stay true to the brand, and to give back and
contribute to the local community in which our businesses are
located.
Robin: Teamwork, honesty and being an open, hardworking,
well-respected franchise group.
What is the best piece of business advice you have
received?
Rich: Work hard, be the most prepared guy in the room, and
stay true to your character. Show up, show up on time, and don’t
say anything stupid.
Jonny: The best piece of advice is to invest and build the foundation of your business so you are prepared and scaled for growth.
With a fast-growing business, you have to identify and build good
leaders, never miss an opportunity to learn, and continue to evolve
and mold business
process to match current
times.
Jason: General
business advice: Never
stop learning and
growing. Planet Fitnessspecific advice: Follow
the Planet Fitness
recipe and do not try to
reinvent the wheel. The
model works.
Kristi: We’re going
to make mistakes. It’s
not all about the mistake
itself but what we learn
from it and how we
move on from that point.
Robin: Stay organized. Customer service and the team come
first. Focus on your business goals. A good leader is doing what is
right when no one is looking.
What is the biggest industry change since you started?
Jason: The biggest change in our industry since we started is
the use of technology to track and enhance one’s healthy lifestyle.
The company that can figure out a way to integrate their health
club with technology and healthy living will surpass their peers.
Robin: New clubs have started to pop up that are copying
PF’s $10 a month with all these amenities. However, can they stay
open with only charging $10 a month? Staying true to our model
with simple amenities will hopefully help us stay on top as a wellrespected fitness club and continue to see happy customers.
Tell us about your
family.
Rich: Our family
is something that is
really special. Our
entire immediate family
is involved with our
business. Our parents,
Candy and Kevin, guide
us to success from their
many years of experience. Without them
none of this would have been possible. Beyond them, my children
and nephews use every opportunity to help out and be present in
the business.
Tell us about your personal interests.
Rich: Beyond business, we all enjoy family activities and are
avid outdoor enthusiasts.
Jason: We enjoy skiing, biking, hiking and enjoying as much
time as possible in the Adirondacks with our family.
If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be...
Rich: Banging my head on a cubicle.
Jonny: Not enjoying the blessing of spending this much time
with family.
Jason: Stuck in a rut.
Kristi: A pastry chef!
Robin: A dog walker. G
GearedUp | 2016 Issue 3
What advice would you extend to franchisees working
with family?
Rich: Make sure you all like each other, try to leave emotions
at the door, and remember this is business and family always
comes first.
Jonny: Have the difficult conversations upfront, and do not
be afraid to have them as you grow your business. Evolve and
prepare for growth. If you are not growing and evolving, you are
going to get left behind.
Jason: Enjoy every minute of it; not everyone is blessed to
work with his or her family.
Kristi: Have clear and defined roles and responsibilities for
each person.
Robin: There is no “I” in team. Always remember to smile.
What do you feel is the biggest challenge currently facing
franchisees?
Rich: One of the biggest challenges that I see every day is
finding and securing the right real estate to build clubs. This is an
area where I have had many conversations with other franchisees
throughout the country. There are some key characteristics in a site
that have huge contributions to our success. Unfortunately, there
are many other businesses out there that also share the same key
characteristics, so we need to stay ahead of them and be smart
and aggressive in our real estate transactions.
Jonny: The biggest challenge facing the franchisees could be
the growing number of copycat models and competition in our
local markets. We must stay unified and continue to find ways
to keep our value proposition as the best in the industry. Planet
Fitness has a very strong franchisee community, and we must
continue to improve every aspect of our businesses and find the
best ways to collaborate with our franchisor.
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