A Business Model For Anytime Fitness Success

Paying attention is one big reason why Feras and Mohammade Musleh have been able to build an Anytime Fitness empire.

The brothers listen to what members have to say, closely follow trends in the fitness industry, and learn from every franchise that they open. That number now stands at nine Anytime Fitness locations spread throughout northwest Indiana and the Chicago suburbs. The Musleh brothers have plans to own around 20 locations five years from now.

“We staff our clubs. We’re hands on,” explained Mohammade Musleh (pictured on the far left). “We’ve learned the day-to-day stuff and built the company from there. We always listen to our members and hear what people are looking for.”

Their newest location exemplifies that. The gleaming 7,000-square-foot facility in Munster, Indiana has a large area devoted to Hammer Strength and Life Fitness strength equipment that dwarfs the cardio section of the club. A large patch of purple turf signifies the performance group training area that features a Hammer Strength Perimeter rack as the centerpiece.

“Right now the industry is changing a little bit,” said Musleh. “It’s more about group training. People like the group environment. At (the Munster location), we were emphasizing our group training during presales. With your membership you have an option to choose unlimited training. We have different packages and see what works for everybody."

The Beginning

The brothers opened their first Anytime Fitness in LaPorte, Indiana in 2013. The two had been members of a nearby location and saw the need for more, so they branched out from the family grocery business.

“Getting involved in this market was great because there wasn’t too much competition,” said Musleh. “We started with one location and learned the business. The support from corporate was phenomenal. We started looking for territories that were available. After our first location we were still in the grocery business, but we left it after our opening our third location.”

Keeping Things Current

The Muslehs invest in their facilities and their members. They’re adding the purple turf performance area to some of their existing locations. And the Munster location is just one example of how their Anytime Fitness facilities are anything but a simple 24/7 workout option.

Exercisers at Munster receive a fitness consultation and body scan. Members can follow up on their body scan in the future to determine the progress they’ve made.

“We try to focus more on giving our members results, rather than just ‘sign up here and come in as you like,’” said Musleh. “We promote our facility as a coaching facility now. We’re no longer just a 24-hour gym. We want to be a one-stop shop.”