We are pleased to announce that the HOTWORX Franchise has opened the 700th location in Hanford, CA! The opening of this studio is a testament to teamwork with a solid effort from the three partners who are the franchisees, Lorenzo Neal, Kayla Wilson, and Scotty Munster. Here’s their story.
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It takes boldness, tenacity and a never give up attitude to win in business. In the face of many development obstacles including permitting issues, funding issues, dealing with California regulations, and even theft of 4k worth of merchandise, this studio still managed to open and surpass over 500 members on the first day, which is one heck of a start for any new fitness studio, not to mention being the 700th HOTWORX studio to open! This franchisee team came together and each partner brings their own important role to the table. Lorenzo brings the star power and finance, Kayla brings the operational firepower, while Scotty wheels and deals memberships & retail as the studio GM.
Let’s take a closer look at this franchisee partnership dynamic…
Lorenzo is a man on the move as a retired NFL player, leaving an incredible run of sixteen pro seasons as a fullback. Prior to that he left an outstanding college career at Fresno State and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in 1993 in the fourth round of the NFL draft. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selectee and three-time All-Pro, and is considered one of the best blocking fullbacks in NFL history. He blocked for a 1,000-plus-yard running back in eleven straight seasons from 1997 to 2007. He holds the record for most blocking yards in the NFL history! Lorenzo is married with a son who just graduated from Purdue and has twin daughters, who are 18. About HOTWORX, he states that, “being an athlete my entire life I have tried many new things to stay in shape. The older I get, the harder I feel it. HOTWORX gave me that great cardio burn without the pain afterwards. After one workout, I knew I wanted my own.”
Wow, what a testament to the power of HOTWORX 3D Training and the best active “recovery workout” in fitness. If it works for an NFL athlete, it will work for anybody.
Kayla Wilson fell in love with HOTWORX the first time she went. In her own words, “I loved the workout, the heat, but the concept was what made me want to look into a franchise. I loved being able to go whenever I wanted. I slept better than I had slept in a long time. My performance outside of HOTWORX also improved greatly. Running those stadiums didn’t take my breath away like it used to do before joining HOTWORX.” As for her business partnership, she says the key is, “Always remaining positive and solution oriented, this team always found creative ways to maneuver any obstacle thrown their way, and they did it together.”
I always like to point out that teamwork is one of the most important components of franchising success, and the 700th franchise location owners have shown once again just how critical working together is if you want to experience big time success.
Kayla is a Health Educator and teaches a mandated curriculum in 17 school districts and 30 schools. She teaches over 3000 students every year in Fresno County. She has three sons, ages 31, 28 and 25, and is the proud grandmother of a beautiful baby girl, Remington.
Scotty Munster is from Clovis, CA. He proudly declares that, “Fitness is my business!” Here is Scotty’s HOTWORX story in his words:
I have loved lifting weights and working out since my Freshman year in high school. I grew up overweight and was 270 lbs. by my Freshman year in college at Fresno State. I lost 80 lbs. that year and never looked back. After graduating college, I moved to Orange County and decided to pursue my passion for helping others/Fitness. I started my own Personal Training business and ran it for over 15 years! COVID-19 (2020) hit, and I had to shut down my personal training business and private gym. I decided to move back home to (Clovis) in June 2020 and was still determining what I would do. I found HOTWORX (Clovis) in November. I applied for the General Manager position and got the job (2020). Although I did not know much about HOTWORX, I was excited to get back into fitness and change lives! Little did I know that I would fall in love with the brand, the concept, and the workouts! I instantly loved the infrared benefits and was able to help build it to a top 3 location quickly and received GM of the Year in 2022!
That said, I had the opportunity to become a partner while remaining the general manager for a new location. I am beyond blessed for the opportunity and beyond PUMPED to be the 700th location to soft open with 500+ members! Besides that, I'm all about Faith, Family, and Fitness! I am happily engaged to an amazing woman and enjoy spending quality time with my adorable puppy, Aspen June, and my family! I love working out, and "I am always ready to get sweaty!"
I asked the franchise performance coach, Ianna Sherman, to tell us a little more about the reasons for the success of this location. As for building momentum during their pre-opening membership recruitment phase, she held high marks for the GM partner Scotty Munster. She describes it like this.
Scotty is very relational & passionate about fitness - he brings so much energy & life everywhere he goes. He IS what a GM should be for HWX. And it goes to show that with the right staffing choices, you can really make the magic happen. Additionally, Scotty had previously worked with another HWX studio - so he was very well versed on HWX and the product that we offer. So, this is another key element that product knowledge and coaching/developing your team on all the HWX offers is SO important so they can speak to our product in the right way - reaching [the target market] “Eileen’s” [Eileen is the name that the company has given to the ideal customer avatar as it is referred to in marketing] pain points and providing solutions!
Here’s a little background of how the Hanford, CA partnership was formed. Scotty was formerly the General Manager of the Clovis, CA HOTWORX. Lorenzo & Kayla were members there (where they met Scotty), and after absolutely falling in love with the concept, Kayla & LO decided that they wanted to pursue their own studio.
Kayla & Lorenzo then purchased 3 HOTWORX licenses.
Ianna explained to me that at that time, “Scotty was crushing it in Clovis & making (infrared) waves in his local community. After finding out that LO and Kayla had invested into HWX, he saw an opportunity to expand the brand…, making his community healthier, one member at a time. He approached LO & Kayla to inquire if he could partner with them on their new venture so that he could expand his reach. They gladly accepted.”
Ianna points to the fact that a successful studio launch requires (1) the right play, and (2) the right talent. Without a doubt, executing the franchise playbook at the highest possible level is key, and it take the right franchise “players” to make that happen!
According to Ianna:
Scotty "ran the play" if you will. He painted the town HOTWORX in pre-marketing- going to every single Eileen centric business (and beyond) locally with fliers, business cards & a SHINING & contagious personality. He was boots on the ground every day, out there making connections & forming relationships with the community. When you do pre-marketing right, presale falls into place. He always asked people for referrals & to follow on Instagram. They currently have 1300 Instagram followers! He never tried to do anything fancy, or new, or different - he ran the freaking play. There's no secret sauce to this! JUST RUN THE PLAY!!!!
In reference to the right talent, Scotty is a long time health and wellness professional with years of experience in the industry. His background in the field made connecting people to HOTWORX that much easier. BUT! Not only did he come with years of experience, he always brought the right attitude, the right amount of competitive spirit & the right URGENCY.
Scotty is a man who went out there and MADE IT HAPPEN. He never waited around for people to walk in the door, which is a fallacy some fall into.
Additionally, Scotty, Lorenzo & Kayla understood deeply that the effort you put into pre-marketing & pre-sale determines your business trajectory forever. Pre-marketing & pre-sale is not the time to rest, it's the time to HUSTLE!
Cheers to Lorenzo, Kayla and Scotty for their incredible success thus far in opening the 700th HOTWORX franchise location!!!
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