Passion drives franchisee’s portfolio of fitness clubs

Having opened 20 Anytime Fitness studios in the past 10 years, franchisee Rhys Cutifani is expanding his facility portfolio with the recent opening of three new Orangetheory Fitness studios.

The new franchises - in the Melbourne CBD, South Yarra and Hawthorn - sees Cutifani now owning and operating five Orangetheory studios across Victoria and ACT.

With an aggressive growth strategy in place, Cutifani plans to open a further 12 Orangetheory studios in the next three years.

Cutifani’s recent launch of his Orangetheory Fitness studio in Melbourne’s CBD has seen great success, with membership numbers growing steadily month on month.

Speaking about the studio, Cutifani explains “our 7am classes have been opened up to a third group every day after being heavily waitlisted for some time now. We have also just had to do the same in our lunchtime classes; they have both been hugely popular.”

Cutifani attributes much of the success of his studios to the time he puts into helping his staff, advising “not enough owners spend enough time communicating and working with their teams. My wife and I constantly communicate the big picture, goals, and what the business stands for to our team, so they too, are engaged and invested in our success”.

What has stood Cutifani in good stead is investing in his staff and providing them with training to improve. “We want our employees to understand how their role affects the business in a positive way, so we can all work together and enjoy the benefits”.

The move to Orangetheory
Adding sibling brand Orangetheory Fitness to Cutifani’s network has advanced his presence in the Australian fitness industry.

He states “the difference between a boutique program like Orangetheory and a mainstream gym is the science behind the workout and the way it is delivered. Every single workout is painstakingly designed and tested to provide the most effective session, varying each and every day, but it’s how our coaches utilise the technology available to us in order to ensure our members get the results they are here for”.

Cutifani explains that he doesn’t see many other fitness brands offering clients a workout using heart rate-based technology in the same way Orangetheory Fitness does. This feature allows their members to work out at the intensity required to achieve results, but not overdo it.

Advising that further investing in the Melbourne market was made after much consideration, Cutifani advises “the Melbourne market and consumer is perfect for the Orangetheory model. There is a great community culture in Melbourne, which we are trying to continue to build into each new studio.

“Investing in the Melbourne market was not a decision Cutifani made lightly. “We wanted to buy and own an area to ensure all our members have a consistent experience across all studios, which we can now manage.”

From the beginning, Cutifani has been able to set up all of the systems and structures early on, so he can scale up to 20 and more locations in Melbourne in the near future.

He recalls “when we started investing in Anytime Fitness gyms, we didn’t have a longterm growth mindset, but that has since changed and we aren’t stopping anytime soon”.

Both Anytime Fitness and Orangetheory Fitness brands sit under Collective Wellness Group, Australia’s leading fitness franchise management company.

Cutifani concludes “being a franchisee with the Collective Wellness Group gives me access to a network of peers that both challenge and support me, driving my team to constantly improve our business’ performance.”

Having peaked at 15 fitness units, Cutifani still operates six Anytime Fitness studios around the country as well as his five Orangetheory studios. He was named Anytime Fitness 'Franchisee of the year' in 2010.

Rhys Cutifani’s business growth will feature in an upcoming issue of Australasian Leisure Management magazine.