A great way to become a business owner is to buy the business from your boss.
This is exactly what Martin Connor from Harden The Fat Up did. He became a business owner almost accidentally and never considered owning a business until this opportunity came knocking on his door.
He has since shaped this business into a unique, family friendly, outcome focussed fitness community.
Business model and points of difference
Harden The Fat Up is housed in a huge warehouse, with loads of space. Perfect for social distancing! This is a fitness studio with a difference as there is even a place to leave and watch your children.
As busy parents come for their workout sessions, they can forget about additional child drop offs, calendar juggling with partners or asking friends to help so they can participate in fitness. In and out in 45 minutes.
The other point of difference with this fitness studio is its sales / client acquisition approach. HTFU likes to get their new members engaged in a 6 week fitness challenge where participants commit to establishing great fitness habits to get them the results they want.
They take these consults seriously and have a dedicated consul role - Danna, who herself started as a member 3 years ago, and is the exact type of client they have - a mum with young children.
The pros of buying a business (vs starting from scratch)
There are lots of pros in taking on an existing business, and Martin doubts he would have otherwise started this business.
- The key ‘operations’ of the business, and it’s viability had been proven.
- The venue was settled and the equipment purchased.
- As a primary trainer, he knew the daily operations, knew the clientele and had a great rapport with them.
- Martin still gets to be able to work in an industry he feels very passionate about.
Some cons
While he saw mainly Pros for purchasing a business from his boss, the process was not without its frustrations.
There was a considerable period of time between when the initial conversations about purchasing the business were started and when it actually came through and settled. It was frustrating for Martin to work in a business he was taking on without being able to implement the things he knew he wanted.
The challenge of the shutdown, and reopening
One of Martin’s frustrations was having to wait while the previous owner was deliberating about selling the business. Then there was an excruciatingly long time that everything took until settlement day - the 18th of March 2020 - just days before the lockdown.
Martin had so many things he was ready to start rolling with and all of a sudden he had to re-think everything.
He adapted first by offering outdoor classes while this was still permitted, and then during the main 8-10 weeks of full restrictions, he moved all the classes online and also allowed his members to take equipment home to use (as it was not being used in the gym).
Once they re-opened, they had the same numbers as when the lockdown started, so this just shows the strong community they have created.
Growth plans
Now that there have been a few months of relative stability, Martin has employed a couple more personal trainers so that he can finally focus on running the business. His aim is to have 130 members - and he does not plan to outgrow his current premises. His growth will be around opening up more time slots, eg 'mums and bubs' classes mid-morning to accommodate all of the clientele.
He has now refreshed the logo and branding and is rebuilding the website to match his brand - professional, friendly, and focussed on results.
Martin has recently accessed our Business Support Program to help plan and rebuild a website which reflects the business and helps feed into his sales process for new members, and he is looking forward to launching it soon.
Join the Charles Sturt Business Community and follow our Facebook Page
Sign up to the Western Business Leaders to access news, events and information (and you'll receive our monthly e-newsletter too). Tell us about your business and areas of interest so we can best assist your business in the future.
Have a story to share? Get in touch with us.
Urszula Richards
Business Marketing Advisor - Urban Projects
E: urichards@charlessturt.sa.gov.au