Michael Scaff had always wanted to own a business with his father, but his father was in the oil and gas industry, so Scaff built a career in the financial industry. After working his way up to regional vice president of Jackson National, Scaff decided it was time to move back home to Colorado and make co-owning a business with his father a reality.
“I was an Anytime Fitness member at the time, loved the model, and my father and I have always loved the fitness industry,” said Scaff. The two joined the franchise and bought their first club in an existing location that was struggling. They turned the location into a successful store and bought a second location, building a 9,500-square-foot facility. A plan is in the works to grow the franchise to at least five to ten locations over the next five to seven years.
Anytime Fitness is in the fitness industry and strives to help its members and community live their best lives through training, nutrition and recovery.
“When we took over our first location, it was in bankruptcy, had only 374 members and was losing thousands a month,” said Scaff. “After a year and a half, we grew that store to over 615 members, a true community-based gym and a cash-flowing location.”
Under Scaff’s leadership, his clubs have been awarded Club Platinum Status which recognizes the top 100 clubs in the U.S., and Club Purple status which recognizes the top 400 clubs in the U.S. He and his father also formed a local marketing co-op with a dedicated group of franchisees who are committed to increasing the brand awareness of Anytime Fitness. The co-op started with only Scaff’s clubs and has grown to 23 out of 48 locations as part of the group.
“I have been in this industry for only six years, and I have done everything in my power to learn every aspect of the fitness industry – from connecting with the most successful Anytime Fitness owners, understanding and shopping our competition, understanding how to be a good leader for my teams to making sure we are on top of our financials,” said Scaff. “You can’t be a titan in the industry that you’re in unless you are in the trenches with your teams, and you show them leadership; leaders lead from the trenches and empower their team members to be the best versions of themselves.”
