“No one else is doing this; we are disrupting the fitness business”

GYMGUYZ UK's first crop of franchisees tell us how they initially encountered the leading in-home, on-site and virtual personal training franchise

GYMGUYZ UK launched its first territories in Brighton, Kingston-upon-Thames and North West London. With 260 territories in the US and Canada, GYMGUYZ is set to expand rapidly in the UK.

This is what the current crop of franchisees had to say about embarking on their GYMGUYZ UK journey.

Laura Plaster, franchisee Brighton

Working as an immigration officer Laura wanted to start a business. She said: “I started my journey a few months ago and started looking at GYMGUYZ. What better way to start my journey in business and represent GYMGUYZ. No one else is doing this; we are disrupting the fitness business. We bring the workout to you at your home. We got the van, the equipment, motivated trainers and everything is ready to achieve whatever goals you would like to achieve.”

Shad Straker, franchisee Kingston

As an entrepreneur, Shad was looking to invest in a business. He said: “We were at The Franchise Show in Olympia. We were not even looking for an opportunity and did not know what would have come out of it. Never been to a franchise show and found GYMGUYZ absolutely amazing and spoke to Laike. Can’t ask for better GYMGUYZ mentors.”

Victoria Deborah, franchisee Kingston

Victoria has a degree in sports science and was looking to start a business with her cousin Shad. “I was in Birmingham doing personal training on social media, hoping to compete on stage and track and field,” she said. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I would own a franchise. We found GYMGUYZ at The Franchise Show with a group of young people and here we are. We are here with influencers, our coaches, on YouTube and a big bright van is coming your way.”

Selina Mantori, franchisee for Elstree & Borehamwood

As GYMGUYZ provides a new concept to the UK to a scale of this size, Selina, while being equipped with 35 years’ business experience in various fields including interior design and real estate, wanted to take on a new challenge that fit in with her way of life. “As my husband is the master franchisee, I have been quite involved with the brand and quickly recognised the benefits on how it fits in with my lifestyle and decided that becoming a franchisee was a great opportunity,” said Selina.