Rags to riches
Published: 22 December 2017
Due to the successful clubs Solan Fitness owns in the south of England, the business has released its franchise model to the UK market.
Owning multi-award-winning gyms, as well as having an extremely profitable business model, Rachelle and Josh, the founders of the brand, decided to scale the business and franchise their Solan success, as they are committed to helping entrepreneurs have financial freedom. The husband-and-wife team are dedicated to spreading their knowledge and experience, as well as mentoring their franchisees to help create wealth and success.
Rachelle says: "We believe entrepreneurs can turn their passion into profit and we can show them how. We have got first-hand experience in every aspect of running your own club from a business owner's perspective; we understand the frustrations and problems. However, if you have the solutions and systems in place, business is profitable, rewarding and fun!"
Solan Fitness is a true 'rags to riches' story within the fitness industry, as the duo started their dream with just £400 back in 2008 with no financial funding and support, no formal education and no industry experience. However, throughout the years, they worked hard and studied their industry, competitors, and thriving businesses. Their passion, resilience and relentless work ethic led to the success of their first club, based in Orpington, Kent. This funded their second club, and they now have laser-focus attention on helping others achieve success within the fitness industry.
Josh grew up on a council estate in South East London and comes from a working-class background; his mother was a cleaner and his father worked in manual labour jobs. At the age of 14, after being diagnosed with dyslexia, Josh left school and was labelled a dropout. He put all his focus and energy into his martial arts, which he had studied from the age of six.
Rachelle and Josh's major business accomplishment has been to develop Solan Fitness from a complete startup, that was organically grown, into a systematic and a turnkey business that is producing healthy, profitable results. They received multiple awards for having one of the UK's best gyms and they are now focusing on scaling the company nationally and internationally.
Rachelle and Josh are not from a privileged background. Rachelle was born in a deprived part of the Philippines and livied in severe poverty until she was four years old. She was raised by a single mother, who was a qualified nurse. Since the opportunities for work were not great in her home country, her mother left Rachelle in her grandparents' care and came to the UK to work as a nurse. Rachelle later came to the UK when she was four to begin a new life, and she appreciated the opportunities the UK offered.
Josh says: "We build gyms around the members' needs, focusing on achieving results, and we only believe in delivering the best equipment with the best service. Being priced within the middle market and adding the value to the members' experience, our first club grew from strength to strength, which allowed us to open our second club. We saw the opportunity to provide strength training gyms aimed at the mainstream."
When the couple met, they shared a passion for fitness and business, and aimed to create clubs that are results-focused, the place to be, and where everyone unites to train as a squad.
Rachelle adds: "Many people underestimate the fitness industry; as people love training, many think it's easy to operate and run a gym. That is far from the truth! Even if you are a businessperson in other industries, fitness is very different, as trends change, and you must constantly be upgrading and studying your industry inside out"
Solan Fitness released its franchise model in October 2017 and has already had several hundred enquiries. It's currently secured four franchisees, who will open their gyms in 2018. Solan Fitness is the only fitness franchise to offer a millionaire mentorship programme.
"Just like training, business is all about the mindset," says Josh. "If the mindset is strong and capable, you can achieve anything – nothing is limitless."
Rachelle concludes: "We're on target to open over 200 clubs in the UK and we have had a lot of interest in Europe and the Middle East to open more clubs. We aim to expand in the UK market, spread to the EU, Middle East, Asia, and go global!
"We know there are many fitness franchises out there; however, with the Solan Fitness formula, we have key ingredients that ensure our clubs are profitable."
Act now to find out more and secure your location: www.solanfitness.com/franchise
