More than 90% of all franchise fitness studios operating in Canada today are foreign entities. Meaning upwards of $50M in franchise fees flow out of the Canadian economy every year.
I’m acquiring foreign franchise fitness studios to take care of Canadians.
Perhaps because I grew up in the era of Donavan Bailey and Wayne Gretzky, and that ‘I Am Canadian’ beer commercial, I have been a passionately-proud Canadian for as long as I can remember.
This timeline also makes me a true millennial – the generation known for demanding more meaning in their work and aspiration in their careers.
Whatever the circumstances, I chose to pursue a career in health and fitness because I could think of no better way to contribute to Canadians’ well-being. As well as my own.
And for 20 years since, I have acquired the education and experience needed to build a Canadian fitness enterprise that improves the well-being of Canadians above and beyond the (enormous) power of exercise alone. And Canadian independent well-being has never been more important than it is right now.
Every time What’s Good Canada acquires and flips a foreign franchise fitness studio we make four important things possible:
1. We offer Members superior fitness programming
Our programming offers more appropriate warm ups, cool downs, and progression (in terms of both exercise intensity and movement complexity).
And we habitually solicit feedback from members and coaches to continuously improve it.
Furthermore, we leverage the athletic training principle of periodization to strategically vary programming every three months (“season”) to help members avoid injury, plateaus and, frankly, boredom!
As a result, our programming is far superior in both outcomes and experience to one-trick-pony fitness franchises.
2. We offer Coaches rewarding career opportunities
Many fitness professionals exit the industry shortly after entering it because the hours are irregular, pay is modest and unreliable yet simultaneously a great deal of energy and continuous education is required to deliver great service.
(I, myself, left the industry to pursue a career in business for these very reasons.)
We know that the longer a fitness professional stays in the industry – accumulating experience and education – the more valuable they are to the people they serve.
So What’s Good Canada is structured to prioritize the long-term health and wealth of our coaches by offering them more sustainable, predictable work (shifts not sessions) and greater earning potential (via shares in the company).
(And our members feel good knowing their membership fees take care of the people who take care of them.)
3. We offer Franchisees a sustainable path forward
Typically, the corporate enterprise grows and profits by selling “territories” and over-priced equipment and a long list of other unnecessary things to passionate, hard-working people interested in entrepreneurship.
These passionate people take on debt, work long hours, and don’t always pay themselves, while the corporate enterprise extracts tens of thousands of dollars from them year after year.
Given the fact the programming is inferior and community members value the passionate local person far beyond the corporate franchise brand, this is a grossly unfair trade of value.
We give these passionate Canadian people a way forward that lightens their financial and operational load and rewards them for the work they’ve done to build a healthy, happy community.
4. We cut-off the stream of money flowing from Canadian pockets into foreign hands
The moment we flip a foreign fitness franchise into one of our community fitness clubs, we redirect those tens of thousands of dollars back into the Canadian economy every year.
We’re able to offer our members lower fees (yet higher value), our coaches more hours and have unbridled freedom to build partnerships with local Canadian vendors and collaborators.
Why am I acquiring foreign franchise fitness studios?
Because I want better for Canadians, and I know Canadians better.
The driving force of my entire career has been to offer what’s good for Canadians.
It’s difficult for a global business to do that from afar as well as we can from up close.
So I am here in Canada, protecting and promoting Canadian well-being through group fitness.
And simply by participating as a member, you are doing the same.
