When Brendon Levenson and his wife Cristy took over an old gym on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast the last thing they expected to find was an idea for a new franchise. Then, when they discovered that the previous owner used to let some members use the gym out of hours, they started thinking about what people really want.

Inspired to do some research, they asked people in their target market what they disliked most about regular gyms.

“The main complaints were over-crowding, contracts, inconvenient opening hours and pushy sales staff,” says Levenson. “So we decided to do the exact opposite.”

The result was Jetts, a 24-hour gym with capped memberships, a no-contract policy and no sales staff.

“The clubs offer a ‘get in and get out’ approach to exercising and staying healthy,” continues Levenson. “The majority of our members just use cardiovascular equipment such as treadmills and bikes then complete their workout with resistance machines and free weights. Here, that’s exactly what they pay for — they don’t have to subsidise things like extensive change rooms, saunas, pools and other services they never get time to use. As a result, we’re able to keep their costs right down.”

While members can choose to exercise at any time, and at any club in Australia, qualified fitness professionals are on hand during normal club hours.

In the three years since its launch, the Jetts franchise has grown to a network of 73 clubs around the country. For most franchisees this is their first venture into the fitness industry; more important is experience in middle management or small business. Capital investment ranges from $180,000 to $250,000 plus equipment leasing costs and, in return, a franchisee receives everything he or she needs to run a profitable club: IT and administration/management systems; the integrated security access and monitoring system; shop fit out and signage; plasma screens and computers. There is also a comprehensive training program and ongoing support, including in sales and marketing.

“All billing and processing procedures are handled by Jetts Corporate,” says Levenson. “That way, our franchisees can focus on engaging and supporting club members and building their own successful business.”