Building Elite Entrepreneurs: Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs Offers Entrepreneurs a Franchisee-Led, Multi-Brand Business Opportunity to Dominate the Booming Wellness Industry in Their Market

Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, the 19-unit emerging fitness concept under the Fit For You Franchising umbrella, was truly created with franchisees in mind. Started by franchise industry veteran Jason Markowicz, Fitness Premier was built on a foundation of support, community and continual growth, providing franchisees unique turnkey solutions, back office support, development opportunities and flexibility that are not found in other fitness concepts.

“I’ve been on both sides of the franchisee-franchisor relationship,” said Markowicz. “I have been in every situation that franchisees have been in. That is why, despite the challenges of the past few years, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs has continued to stay strong thanks to our proven business model and solid support infrastructure. As we look to the future, we are confident that our clubs will continue to succeed as we work to expand in new markets across the country.”

Now, with the increasing awareness of the importance of an active lifestyle, both Millennials and families are seeking high-quality fitness experiences, and Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs offer franchisees the opportunity to bring a holistic wellness club to the communities — both big and small — that they serve.

Franchise background

Most franchisors haven't experienced life as a franchisee themselves, but Markowicz's background spans a wide range in the franchising realm, from franchisee and consultant to franchisor. Prior to taking the helm at Franchise Fit For You, a franchisee advisory consultancy that is also the multi-brand franchisor behind Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, fitWAVE and The Carpet Chemist, the hustling entrepreneur had already faced the highs and lows of the franchise industry.

Markowicz embarked on his franchising journey at the young age of 22, landing a position cleaning gym equipment for a local fitness chain. By 32, after weathering the economic turbulence of the early 2000s and 2008, he had accumulated enough resources to become a franchisee of Massage Envy and a partner with the fitness brand.

As a partial owner of Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, Markowicz leveraged his own franchisee experiences – both positive and negative – to expand the brand. Subsequently, at the age of 39, he made a successful exit from Massage Envy and shifted his attention towards the growth of Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs.

“Becoming a franchisee with Massage Envy taught me a ton. I learned what I loved about the franchisor and the things I would do differently from a support standpoint,” Markowicz said. “Being a franchisee twice has helped me give my team the tools to make sure we are offering a best-in-franchising opportunity, where we can provide scaffolding to franchisees in areas that need the most support.”

Today, Fitness Premier has expanded to include nearly 20 locations across the country and shows no signs of slowing. Last year, despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, Fitness Premier saw impressive revenue increases, with same-store sales up about 8% year over year. The brand also opened 3 new locations.

With the backing of Markowicz, Fitness Premier is currently led by a team of franchisees — a whopping 70% of the Fitness Premier team is made up of franchise owners — who understand what business owners need to succeed in their market.

Business model

For one, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs boasts a hybrid model, combining the approaches of big box gyms that feature millions of dollars worth of equipment and can be difficult to run with boutique fitness models, which can be more specialized, expensive and difficult to access.

While other boutique fitness clubs focus on one core service, Fitness Premier reaches a wide range of needs, offering everything from group workouts, team training, personal training, nutritional coaching, cardio and strength equipment, child care, recovery, hydromassage, cryotherapy, saunas and more. This drives both membership and service revenue, providing franchisees with a flexible, multi-brand opportunity to dominate the $4.2 trillion dollar global wellness industry in their area with Holistic Wellness Solutions for Everybody.

“We believe the biggest opportunity in the fitness industry is in a lower-investment and more lifestyle-flexible concept,” Markowicz said. “We found a way to provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs who shared my grit and hunger for success but may not have had the capital to open their own traditional fitness center.”

The average community size where a Fitness Premier goes has between 15,000-20,000 in total population in a 5 mile radius. By targeting smaller and more affordable markets, Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs keeps its startup costs lower than those of its competitors. Start-up costs range from $264,350 to $585,000, which grants owners access to helpful start-up guides outlining every step of the process.

Franchisees also only pay an annual royalty fee of six percent, which provides them with a host of benefits such as group vendor savings, staff support, social media support, administrative support and more.

“You can own a gym and serve your hometown, even if it is a smaller market,” said Markowicz. “Our philosophy has been to approach more niche markets, even tertiary markets, which are both underserved and typically a little bit less competitive. We’ve developed a niche within these towns, and our franchisees really can become a centralized part of the community.”

Notably, the lower overhead costs also mean Fitness Premier 24/7 Club owners can offer their customers more affordable and flexible gym membership prices. Today, people are prioritizing their health and wellness more than ever before — 62% of Americans believe their health is more important to them than before the pandemic, Ipsos reports. But they need affordable options. With Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs, franchisees have the opportunity to satisfy this growing demand with the help of a low-cost build-out, innovative programming and lucrative business model.

The Fitness Premier team also supports franchisees with all aspects of the business, running club support, overcoming member issues, equipment licenses, back office billing and ongoing marketing/promotions. The team takes the headache off of the franchisees so they can focus on building the club, working with clients and enjoying their careers.

“Fitness Premier is all about helping people take the first step towards success, as that is always the hardest step,” said Markowicz. “Whether it be helping clients reach their fitness goals or helping franchisees reach their entrepreneurial goals, the Fitness Premier culture is all about individualized support.”

Franchise support

And with such a supportive culture, it is no wonder so many Fitness Premier franchise owners were previously either members of the corporate team or loyal clients. Fitness Premier VP of People Development Mike Orwig operates three units of the Midwest-based fitness franchise. Orwig, started off as a trainer at Fitness Premier, climbed the ranks to assistant manager to operating partner and finally, franchisee.

“This is my favorite story of all time,” Orwig said. “I started out as just a trainer and a front desk manager.” He quickly became close with Markowicz and was excited to hear about growth goals. “I trusted them, for lack of better words,” he added. “I left my background in education in 2011, took over a full-time management position at a gym in Manteno, Illinois, and the rest is history.”

Despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fitness Premier has continued to see systemwide revenue increases and has also rolled out several initiatives to cut down on costs and increase average ticket sales.

For example, the company adopted a new entrepreneur operating system (EOS) that Markowicz says has been “a real differentiator” for the brand. The platform teaches franchisees how to run their business through a systematic planning approach, from organizing meetings with their team to setting annual goals. Fitness Premier is also about to start rolling out a new hiring tool called a culture index, which helps match suitable candidates to the right jobs within the brand for their skillset.

Similarly, the brand recently rolled out a Path to Ownership program for employees. The approximate roadmap Fitness Premier has laid out to franchise ownership includes: Assistant Manager (6-12 months), Operator (12 months), Operating Partner (24 months) and Franchisee. During each phase, the prospective franchisee will have displayed several qualities such as commitment, obtaining personal and professional metrics, growth, investment capabilities and more.

“The investments we've made are going to be great tools at the franchisee level,” said Markowicz. “Operators will be able to manage the business more effectively and become more profitable. One of our primary focuses has been to help everybody work through this inflationary time. More efficiency and unit level profitability will equal more growth in the franchise system.”

Fitness Premier has also continued to innovate with new technology and proprietary systems. This not only creates a better experience for the customer, but also a better experience for the owner-operator. For example, as part of a new Express Model launched in 2023, the brand is in the process of rolling out self-serve kiosks, which not only make the sign-in process smoother for guests, but also cuts down on labor costs for franchise owners.

As it continues to grow, Fitness Premier has added new key players to its team, including Jillyan Morris as Franchise Success Manager and Emily Janssen as Growth Development Officer.

Now, fueled by all of this recent momentum, the Fitness Premier team is looking to open 50 units over the next three years, with available territories in markets all over the country, including the Midwest, North Carolina and Georgia.

“We’re very excited about the recent growth that we’ve seen,” said Markowicz. “Much of our success can be attributed to the investments we have made into our franchise system this year and from day one, and we can’t wait to keep growing in the future. If you've always wanted to own a business or are passionate about health and wellness, the time has never been better to join Fitness Premier 24/7 Clubs and bring a business to the community that you can be proud of and that answers a need for quality and diverse workout and wellness options.”

The total initial investment necessary to begin the operation of a Fitness Premier Club Model is $279,849 to $575,499, including a $39,999 franchise fee. For more information, visit: *