Dynamic Business

Focusing on the business

Simmons gave up training people himself years ago to concentrate on the business and leadership side. The Vision PT Franchise Foundation takes the best trainers from within its studios and offers them business training, marketing education, sales training and support. But franchisees also come from outside the Vision family and Simmons personally works with budding entrepreneurs on the road to successful business ownership.

“We’ve found the best thing about franchising is that people really appreciate the support and the fact that there is a system that is not only tried and tested but proven successful. It takes away the anxiety and fear of business; you simply follow the system and get results.”

Australia’s health problems

Simmons, whose successful book Fat Loss: Take Control has sold over 40,000 copies, is on a mission to impact on Australia’s obesity and diabetes epidemics. “After I had the system in place and a program that effectively produced results, I just wanted to get it out there,” he says. “There are so many Australians suffering unnecessarily from obesity, diabetes and the follow on affects such as depression and lack of self esteem. I know what works and we have seen people achieve amazing results.”

Simmons believes most of his success is down to that passion for getting people results, but he had to teach himself business skills along the way too. “I always believed that if I just focused on achieving awesome results with people than the business side would flourish.” And he was partly right but he needed more knowledge.

Business basics and coaching

Simmons had an exercise science and personal training background but no business experience or education when he started out. He started reading business books and speaking to businesspeople and he didn’t stop. These days he still has a business coach and this is something he believes has been extremely important.

“Recently, my coach asked me if I only had five more years left in this business, would I grow it any faster than I currently was doing. Of course I said yes, and that’s where our latest growth plans have come from. It used to be our aim to have 110 studios across Australia by 2012. Now it’s to have 225 across four countries by 2013!”

He now has a new business partner, Mark Capelin, who just happens to have been the very first Vision franchisee. “I always knew I didn’t want to do this on my own and having Mark on board is great because he’s as passionate about what we do as I am.”

What recession?

Some might say that now isn’t the most sensible time to make big plans for growth, but the fitness industry in Australia is not yet showing signs of being under strain. In fact, Simmons thinks the recession is working in his favour: “In the last couple of recessions the fitness industry has actually boomed. When people get retrenched they take a long hard look at themselves and want to improve themselves.

“We’ve got no shortage of people wanting a part of the franchise. Our biggest problems is that all the banks have tightened up on their lending so getting them the finance can be a problem. Finding premises has always been hard for us because you need quite a bit of space for a training studio, but with people going out of business, more premises are becoming available for lease.” He adds: “With 62 percent of the country overweight or obese, there are still a lot more people who need our services.”

No finish line yet

Simmons is proof that when you do what you love, follow your passion, learn from mentors and conduct business with integrity, you can achieve everything you want. As he says: “If you provide a great service, then you can’t fail”. And he has no plans to slow down any time soon. With such ambitious plans for growth, and going international in the face of a recession, Vision will be a very interesting franchise story to watch in the next 12 months.

So, are all personal trainers vain, buff blokes with not a lot going on in the brain department? You work it out.

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