Page 6 - Faces O fBusiness 2017

Faces of Business Anytime Fitness
WaB
yne and Marie Ball Have a Business Plan That’s Working Out
oth Wayne and Marie Ball know what it’s like to be in some- thing for the long haul and to surmount a host of challenges along the way.
Indeed, Wayne is what’s known as an ultra-trail runner, which means he specializes in distances beyond — make
that well beyond — a traditional 26.2-mile marathon. He’s
run races of 50 kilometers, 50 miles, and even 100 miles. He’s participated in two ironman triathlon competitions (a 2.4-mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike ride, followed by a marathon
An already solid membership base has grown by nearly
15% in that short time, and the Balls have set goals to further increase membership and provide more training and wellness offerings to their members by year’s end. Meanwhile, they are making additions to the staff and the programing that should certainly help them achieve their goals — while also helping members achieve their own goals.
These additions include a nutritionist, who will work with members on a consulting basis, as a well as a small-group
instructor and a second personal trainer.
“We’re looking to bring on more staff to help sup- port our members and assist them with their various
needs,” said Marie. “We want to make sure to take a holistic approach to serving our members.”
Turning back the clock more than a year as he relayed the story of how he and Marie came to be entrepreneurs, Wayne said they had long been look- ing at various types at investments and were care- fully mulling over various options. They were lean- ing strongly toward real estate when Wayne came across a notice that the Anytime Fitness franchise in Agawam (one of about 3,500 nationwide) was on the market.
After much consideration, they became serious about not only making this 24/7 fitness center (hence the name) work, but taking it to new places and new heights.
Looking back on their decision to acquire the Anytime Fitness franchise, Marie said it was a natural fit in every aspect of that phrase. It fit their schedule (sort of), as well as their appetite for entrepreneur- ship. And it also fit into their desire to give back to the community and help those in it better their lives by improving their overall health and well-being.
“We’re both very passionate about helping people become fit and focus on their personal journeys of finding health and wellness,” she explained. “And we’ve been involved in the Agawam community for many years — we live here, and we both grew up
here.
“We’ve helped get some 5K races up and running in the
community, for example,” she went on, citing just one exam- ple of multi-faceted involvement. “Helping get people active and interested in exercise and activity is very important to us. So it all aligns; everyone has busy schedules, so this business model at Anytime Fitness allows people to get fit on their time.”
As noted earlier, the Balls have experience with long hauls, and that’s what they expect this investment to become — something for the long term.
As Marie noted, this venture is a natural fit for the couple, and an exercise (there’s another business term) in entrepre- neurship as well as community involvement.
George O’Brien
Wayne and Marie Ball
run) and completed the second in just over 12 hours.
Marie, meanwhile, is also into running — she’s done some
50-kilometer events, and her ‘day job,’ as she calls it, is in learning and development at a large financial-services organi- zation, where, among other things, she trains individuals for everything their chosen career will throw at them.
So they believed they had the stamina, and the stomach, for going into business for themselves — which, as anyone who’s done it will say, is a lot like running a marathon — with an Anytime Fitness franchise in Agawam.
To clarify things, they’ve gone into their own business on top of their day jobs — Wayne has one as well, as an IT man- ager. But eight months into their venture, things are ... well, working out, as they say in this business.
6 MAY 2017