HUNT STRIDES INTO FRANCHISING

HAVING claimed the title of the largest personal training business in Queensland, in the face of his belief that "gyms suck", Scott Hunt is now making strides in Sydney.

The Gold Coast local, who had an ambitious plan at 19 years old to shape a national success story with his entire net worth at the time of $400, has signed on his first Sydney franchisee for Fitness Enhancement Personal Training at Bondi Beach.

Hunt set his national expansion plan in motion last year when opening a franchise in Melbourne, less than a year after registering the company as a franchise.

He says his success partly comes from his unique stance on fitness and gyms.

"Most Australians think gyms suck," says Hunt.

"Most are full of posers, judgment - and the staff are often the worst - and the vast majority of members fail miserably and don't go, which makes the gym really happy when over half their members pay for something they never use."

Fitness Enhancement Personal Training has grown at an average rate of 30 per cent over the past three years, despite industry supply and demand travelling in opposite directions, especially in its heartland at Nerang.

When Hunt is asked how he has managed to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment, he says it comes down to a personal touch that he has maintained since day one. He says due to this, many clients have been with the company for more than five years, some for more than a decade.

Private sessions cater to individuals or small groups through studios at Fitness Enhancement branded stores or mobile personal training sessions.

"To me, personal training means it should be personal, so the client feels like they are more than just another number in the business," he says.

"My is based on 100 per cent private studio sessions, so there are no crowds, no waiting on equipment, no distractions and no posers - just 100 per cent focus on the client and their results.

"I developed this concept from scratch, and none of our competitors have since tapped into the huge market of people who dislike the traditional gym scene to the extent that we have.

"Less than one per cent of Australia is into strutting it at the gym like a bodybuilder, yet 63 per cent of the country is overweight or obese, and the number is partially that high due to the one per cent scaring people away from gyms that really need help.

"I really don't care what the 1 per cent thinks if I can help 63 per cent of people who may have fallen through the gaps with other services."

Hunt says he has taken a small step back from training clients in the past five years increasingly leaving that to his 27 employees - to ensure he has applied due diligence while transitioning his business model.

"It got to a point where I had to work on the business more, rather than in the business, in order for it to progress to the next stage," says Hunt.

"The business has always been completely self-funded so it has taken a while to grow it into what is today, especially because I'm wearing two hats at the same time.

"I don't want to compromise my training expertise for my business growth or vice versa."