Snap Fitness - George Henry

I am very excited to present our entrepreneur of the month. When I first spoke to George, I just knew I had to share his story with you. Some people spend their entire life looking for the perfect business and sometimes it just sneaks up on you. 

 

George reinvented himself as he was entering his retirement years, and he did it in a Snap. He's the perfect example and inspiration that you're never too old to change careers or pursue your dreams.

 

Congratulations George, and welcome back to the world of Entrepreneurship!
 

 

 

George Henry   George Henry had a full career as a high school health and physical education teacher, principal, athletic director, football coach, college professor and the owner/CEO of the first wellness center built in Minnesota. At the age of 64 he moved his family from the St. Paul area to the small town of Somerset, Wisconsin, where he envisioned enjoying his retirement with his grandkids, dogs and as much golf as the Wisconsin weather would permit. But like Colonel Sanders of KFC fame, George had another career brewing. He just didn't know it yet. George took good care of himself. He worked out regularly at a large "big box" health center four days a week. Unfortunately, it was a 40 mile round trip. One day George received a post card in the mail for a new fitness center that had just opened in his town of 2,000 people. He decided to check it out, but acknowledged that he thought it would have substandard equipment. In George's own words; "I clearly remember my first thought upon walking in the front door. WOW!  Somebody has come up with a great idea, a fitness center for a small town. The model may have been small but the equipment was the same quality I was using at the big box. The membership was half the price; it was useable 24 hours a day and was ½ mile from my house. Little did I know that I would begin a journey with Snap Fitness that has given me everything that I dreamed about and a spark and purpose that should hold me in good stead for the next 30 years." After experiencing Snap Fitness, George knew he wanted to own one. He did some investigation and found out that the headquarters was right across the border in Chanhassen, MN. He called the president of the company and made an appointment. Because George had owned a wellness center for 15 years, he thought that perhaps Snap might be interested in some of his programs and he could find out about franchise availability. The meeting with Peter Taunton, owner of the Snap Fitness, was exciting and life changing for George. Both men found an immediate connection. Peter described his vision of taking Snap Fitness nationally. He presently had 50 stores and wanted to be in all the states in 5 years. He asked George if he would put his franchise ownership plans on temporary hold and help him grow the business as his first franchise sales person. "It took me 10 seconds to say YES to his offer. What a perfect fit for me in terms of experience and passion and part time to boot. I certainly didn't envision at that time where this would lead and that the journey would be so rewarding and so much FUN." It is now four years later and George is National Sales Director for Snap, plus he owns 18 units of his own. George runs his business as an absentee owner living in Minnesota with his clubs being in Indiana. "I tell people that the reason I don't manage any of the clubs myself is that at age 68 I'm simply not willing to work as hard as I did when I was 28. I have developed a good management structure that includes sharing the profits, a quality marketing strategy and wellness programs that attract and retain members. I run my franchises from my home with a cell phone, remote viewing and high expectations for the work ethic of my general manager. In the final analysis, Snap Fitness succeeds because of gorilla, grass roots and neighborhood marketing. I tell my general managers that I don't want to spend very much money on marketing but I will buy them two pair of shoes each year." George has helped sell over 500 Snap Fitness franchises to individuals like you and me so they could experience the American dream. "People tell me all the time that they chose Snap Fitness over other franchise opportunities because they don't have to be married to the business, and they have just one employee. Snap does all the billing and collecting for them. The industry is only going to grow in the future and there is an opportunity for a great return on their investment and they're helping America get healthy. As one new franchisee told me recently, 'Does it get any better that?'."    George has a true passion for what he does. He loves the Snap Fitness model and loves helping people stay healthy. This is a semi-absentee business model, which means you can build the business on the side while you keep your job.   George shares his passion and experiences with a conference call every Saturday at 10:00 CT. Just reply back to this e-mail and I'll forward the conference line number and pass code.   If you'd like to reinvent yourself and pursue your dream of business ownership, it can be done in a snap. All it takes is a phone call to get started. You're never too young or too old to learn about your possibilities.