How A Plane Crash Led To A Franchise Startup
Most people start a new franchise company based on an existing business, while some may have an idea or concept that lends itself to the franchise. It's rare when a franchise like Pilates ProWorks arises out of a business that grew out of a personal situation like a plane crash.
It was 1994 and Oscar Sanin was on a single-engine four-passenger plane traveling from Bogota, Colombia when the engine failed. Oscar told of his experience: "the plane landed on a street and then crashed into a house. Fortunately, everyone survived, but my fellow passengers and I suffered serious injuries. After spending two months in the hospital recovering, I undertook a rehabilitation program.After being on the show for a few years, Oscar said he felt better, except that his back began to ache and the pain made it difficult for him to walk. His doctor told him that he most likely needs surgery, but before committing he suggested that Oscar should try Pilates. "Within a week, I was surprised to see the positive impact Pilates had on my back. I started a Pilates regime and was amazed at the strength and improvement I gained in such a short time.”
However, being 5'10" Oscar did not like the machines he was working on. I felt they were uncomfortable and the lessons expensive. Considering the business potential offered by Pilates, Oscar met with the largest manufacturer of a Pilates machine. The company was not willing to work with Oscar on making a different model, so Oscar hired the services of a fitness consultant and an industrial architect to create a new machine. The result was the FitFormer ™ a longer, wider and more comfortable machine designed for full body training and patented by Oscar. "I decided to try the FitFormer at a friend's studio in Palm Springs, California. After a few weeks, my friend told me that there was a great response to my machine and his customers were struggling to use it.This result led Oscar to start Pilates ProWorks in 2009 and open a studio in San Francisco with his wife Taylor Carter. "I grew a large following for classes in San Francisco that eventually opened five other locations in various cities. One major reason I opened in different cities was that San Francisco is a pretty unique market, so I wanted to test the concept elsewhere.Despite franchise requests, Oscar was reluctant to lose control over his brand and business. In 2015 Oscar finally decided to launch his franchise program. However, even with the release of the new franchise, he remained somewhat reluctant to award the franchise to others.
Oscar Sanin PILATES PROWORKS
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"It took me a few years to gain confidence in the new franchise project, and now, as of mid-2017 we have 17 franchise locations with one in development in Seattle. We lost a location in Sonoma due to the severe fires. Our goal is to open 2 units in the next 6 months and we are simultaneously working on an area representative option that we hope to start in November. We are very excited about what follows!"
The investment in a Proworks Pilates franchise ranges from $ 167,470 to.567,203 excluding re costs and a studio can range from 2,400 to 4,000 square feet.
After 35 years in the franchise industry, I have witnessed many unique situations, however, Oscar Sanin emerging from surviving a plane crash to building a new exercise machine and launching a successful franchise concept is number one.
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