Former Olympic rower, Stephen Stewart, has joined the Workout World franchise as co-owner and store manager of the Tuggerah store.

Stewart, who worked for the fitness equipment retailer while he was training and competing, became a franchisee in early August, 2009.

According to Stewart, the best thing about being part of a franchise is “being involved and working towards something rather than just working for something. You are actually working towards owning a business and running a business and it’s a lot more challenging than just working to make money.”

Having experience in the sporting world allows Stewart to offer Workout World customers advice on a range of exercise related topics ranging from equipment selection to fitness and exercise regimes.

“Here at Workout World we are all fitness equipment specialists and having a background in sport has helped me communicate that to the general public,” he said. “I’ve got a degree in sports science but having some practical skills to teach that to the community is a good selling point.”