September 2012
| Business World Magazine | 73
brand’s low failure rate –
less than four per cent of
their stores fail annually.
“
That’s a testament and
validation to the success of
our brand and the support
we give our franchisees,”
Taunton says.
COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
At Snap Fitness, they’re
actively involved in their
communities. When they
open new stores, it’s com-
mon for the organization
to sponsor little-league
sports teams or differ-
ent social functions. The
smaller the community,
the more important their involvement is,
Taunton says.
“
A lot of small communities don’t have
a lot of thriving businesses and they have to
rely on each other to make that community
a shopping destination,” he says. “It’s an im-
portant part of showing your commitment
to that community as a business owner.”
DISCIPLINED AND
RELEVANT
As for what’s next, Snap Fitness is continu-
ally opening new stores domestically and
internationally – between five and 15 new
locations every month. In 2011, the brand
opened more than 150 clubs worldwide. A
few years from now, Taunton sees the com-
pany with 1,500 to 1,600 locations and
growing. “Every year we add about 100 to
150
new stores to our mix and that’s good
growth,” he says.
The brand’s growth is strong and steady,
but Taunton clarifies they are not in any
rush. “It’s not a race for us,” he says. “We’re
very disciplined in our movements toward
expansion. We continue to grow, but more
importantly we want to continue to stay rel-
evant with our customers’ needs and expec-
tations.”
“
At the end of the day, the members that
come into our clubs want results. It’s up to us
to help design a program that’s going to yield
a result they’re looking for,” he concludes.
“
You have to have a product people want.
When you’re able to accomplish that, then
you’re going to have a franchise system that
will succeed.”
