World Domination Begins in a Van

Josh York, founder and CEO of GYMGUYZ, based in New York, talks bold and he definitely delivers.

He started his franchise personal training business 1½ years ago and he already has 39 locations and 12 franchisees. Worldwide domination seems eminently doable.

It was during his high school days playing hockey that Josh developed a passion for fitness. He worked as a personal trainer in gyms on Long Island while earning his bachelor’s degree. In 2007, after graduating from college, Josh began working for a marketing firm and continued helping people as a personal trainer in the evenings. It was during these nights at the gym that the light bulb went on. Josh noticed that gym members were inconsistent and had too many excuses not to show up to work out. He set out to fix that with special, customized workouts that come to the clients.

“People are passionate about what we do," Josh says. "We provide excellent service. Our most important business model is our 3 Cs: convenient, customized and creative workouts,” he says. “We can help customers anywhere – the home, office, pool, park, hospital, anywhere."

The GYMGUYZ recognizable red vans have 365 pieces of equipment to tackle any workout need and to allow for customized training. The coaches are committed to finding workouts that fit the client's needs and goals.

Josh is proud of what he's accomplished, and rightly so. When asked if he has been surprised by his fast success, he says no, not really.

“We work hard. I knew we would grow quickly. I have a strong work ethic. I do whatever it takes. I will clean toilets if I have to do that,” he says in his rapid-fire tone. You get the feeling that if he were training you, you wouldn’t dare to slack off — and you’d get results.

His dedication and passion show his team that he is with them and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get things done.

“From day one, I portrayed what it takes to be a leader,” he says. “Everyone is part of the family. The culture is what drives this business.”

The growth potential for the brand is enormous as physical fitness that fits into people's busy lives becomes more and more popular in today's time-challenged world.

“People have no excuse not to work out when we bring everything to them," York says. "You have a tiny apartment? No problem. You wanna work out in a closet? We can do that.”