82 Business View Magazine - April 2016
cision to go 100 percent franchising, we knew that if
we were going to go that route, we needed to put 100
percent of our attention and focus into the franchise
system and supporting the franchises. So we made a
decision to sell off those stores. Fast forward, twenty-
some-odd years later and we’re in a much different
position. Now we’re revisiting the idea of opening up
a corporate store or more, based on the fact that now,
operationally, we’re in a better position to handle that
without taking away from the franchises. And also, as
Joe said, it’s important for us to know what’s going on
in these stores to help make better decisions for our
franchisees.”
In 2015, Max Muscle awarded 14 new franchises.
While not setting a specific goal for this year, Greene
says that he expects the number to increase “pretty
significantly” in 2016. Wells is clear, though, about
the company’s priorities. “For us, it’s more important
to have 150 successful stores than 300 stores that
weren’t all successful,” he asserts. Aiding Max Muscle
for over 15 years has been BB&T Insurance Services,
Inc., which has provided unique strategies that have
reduced the company’s cost of risk and helped make a
favorable impact on its overall financial strength.
In order to line up new owners, the company’s fran-
chise development team utilizes an extensive network
of franchise brokers in addition to actively pursuing
potential candidates, itself. “But really, our biggest
lead source comes from customers that have been in
stores,” Greene says. “That’s something that validates
your system and validates your model. When we look
at the more successful franchises in our system, that’s
where we tend to see the most leads coming from, be-
cause these stores are doing very well, and I think cus-
tomers sense that – they see the excitement and they
want to be a part of it.”
Greene talks further about Max Muscle’s vetting crite-
ria: “Joe meets every potential candidate during confir-
mation day, making sure we’re getting the right people
in our system. We don’t necessarily require someone
to have any type of service skills or education, but we
do look for people who are passionate about the fit-
ness lifestyle - who live the lifestyle - because that’s
important. We know that the best recipe for a fran-
chisee is that they are passionate about what they’re
doing. That’s certainly true when we look at the top
performers.”
In celebration of its 25th year, as well as its rebrand-
ing program, Max Muscle has decided to waive its new
franchise fees for a limited time. “We wanted to do
