Friday, February 15, 2013

Meet our Franchisee: Zelly Wesson


Zelly Wesson is originally from Portland, OR. He attended La Salle University, earning a degree in marketing and organizational management. He has been playing professional basketball for 14 years in Europe and is currently in his 6th season in Turkey. He also owns three smoothie franchises called NRgize Lifestyle Café which is located inside LA Fitness in Georgia.

How did you learn about the brand?
During the past four years, I have done personal training in the offseason. I was looking at a number of fitness related opportunities and a friend of my wife; who is the Workout Anytime franchisee in Roswell, Georgia, recommended the brand. I went and saw her gym as a part of my due diligence and even worked out there to get a good feel. After looking into every opportunity, I knew this was the right choice for me.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Workout Anytime?
After analyzing my smoothie businesses, it became clear – that as an owner, I depended heavily on my employees. The food service model is the type of business that constantly needs an employee to be on site and run the day-to-day operations. With the Workout Anytime business model, I don’t need someone there all the time. There’s no food involved and members have access to come and go, as they desire. This is appealing to me because I live overseas most of the year. The 24/7 aspect of the business is also appealing to me, personally as a professional athlete – you can literally workout anytime that fits into your schedule.

What makes your business unique in the community?
The biggest reason people will choose us over the competitors is that we are very hands on with the community. We offer free fitness boot camps and have started offering the boot camps even before our business has been open. We’re very passionate about the health and wellness industry. We genuinely care about people getting in shape and educating the community on the importance of fitness and health.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?
We have plans to get more involved with the community and would love to be able to work with the local schools in getting kids active.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?
Educating myself on the importance of nutrition and being healthy has been a challenge. I was a big kid growing up. I know first hand the difficulties a child endures, when they’re not in great shape. I battled weight issues until I was about 22. At that time, I hired a dietitian and began my transformation to really getting in shape. It’s really about discipline, balance and doing the right thing for your mind and body.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with Workout Anytime?
My end goal is to own multiple clubs in the area. We’re taking it one step at a time, but we’re very excited about this opportunity.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?
I like to design! I do a lot of interior decorating. I love creativity and finding unique presentations for new things, new projects and new businesses.

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