FRANCHISE PROCESS

Athletic Republic is the nation's largest performance sports training operator, and we are actively looking for qualified individuals to help expand our presence in North America and abroad.  With our proprietary equipment, evidence-based athletic improvement protocols,  a comprehensive training and education curriculum, top-line marketing programs which drive bottom-line performance and strategic alliances with the world's leading sports brands,you have an opportunity to make a difference in the development of aspiring athletes in your community by owning and growing your own sports franchise.

"Part of our consideration in awarding an Athletic Republic franchise includes a prospect demonstrating the capabilities to satisfy each of the following six criteria: (1) Passion for helping local athletes develop; (2) Commitment to the business of performance sports training; (3) Access to capital to fund business start-up; (4) The right location; (5) The start of team that will staff the training center; and (6) a reasonable timeline to opening the training center."

                                                                        -- Brad Gorder, Athletic Republic HQ

Athletic Republic directs the new franchise owner / operator through a five step process to help them translate their passion for athlete development into the operation of their very own Athletic Republic performance sports training center.  The time it takes to progress from one step to another depends on the individual and the motivation, but the steps have remained consistent as we grow with each new franchise.

Step 1.  Discovery- You have already initiated your own discovery process or due diligence of the performance sports training category. Through your research you've visited one or more of Athletic Republic's 155 training centers, met an Athletic Republic representative at an event and/or spent time on our website reviewing our 20 year history, learning about our Test-Teach-Train approach to athlete development, or checking to see if your favorite players have trained on our system in the 110% Club. This would be a good time to continue the education process by contacting our Vice President of Sales, Brad Gorder at 888-226-FAST (435-729-7233 Direct) and completing the Request For Information form.
If you are a qualified franchise investor / owner / operator, Brad will send you our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) a weighty document  full of  business details, disclosures, the Franchise Agreement, schedules and audited financials that are required and have been approved by each state for Athletic Republic to award new performance sports training franchises.

Step 2.  Build a Business Case- You have a passion for helping athletes develop a competitive advantage, but do you have the capability to develop the business? Building a business case will help you better understand  the demand for advanced training services in your community; determine the area you wish to locate the training center; identify the skill set your management team will need to possess in order to deliver a positive athlete training experience; understand the investment requirements to start-up and operate the business; establish the source(s) of capital you'll utilize to fund the investment; verify base line performance metrics; and create an economic model which will support your investment, by determining the number of athletes the center will need to train per open hour to meet the financial projections.
While we are not permitted to make projections about future franchise performance or share with you detailed operating economics, we can provide guidance on the best practices our existing centers follow and encourage you to talk with our existing training center operators and Advisory Council members.

Step 3.  Make Franchise Commitment- We'll work with you to finalize your training center location, trade market, Franchise Format, and a list of required and recommended equipment, as you complete and file a Franchise Application. After completing the necessary background checks and addressing any remaining concerns you may have, we'll agree to award you the franchise and send you the Franchise Agreement. 

Prior to completing the Franchise Agreement you'll want a Franchise Attorney (a lawyer with specific experience in franchise law) to review the document on your behalf. With the document review completed, you'll sign and return the Franchise Agreement to Athletic Republic along with a check for the initial financial commitment.

Step 4.  Initiate the Business Acceleration Program- Our Business Acceleration Program [BAP] begins the day you sign the Franchise Agreement and continues until your training center is open for business. We've assembled a week-by-week process that will guide you from start-up through success, based on the experiences we've gathered over the past two decades of assisting training centers through the process of opening their doors.
The comprehensive Business Acceleration Program leads you through site selection, training center layout, developing the branded athlete experience, equipment selection and ordering, trainer education, business planning and financial modeling, sales and marketing support and operations management in order to deliver a powerful training experience that will have a positive impact on both the athletes' and your business' performance.

Step 5.  Open for Business- With the equipment is preferably scheduled to arrive 4 - 6 weeks prior to your official opening date, we'll have the opportunity to have HQ team member(s) on-site to complete the education process and allow the center team time to get comfortable with the equipment, technology and training athletes.  The time is also used to showcase your new training center and allows you the opportunity to introduce our Test-Teach-Train approach to coaches and key prospects. We refer to this period as a 'soft opening' when the center is running, but public relations and marketing efforts are still in the initial awareness building and outreach phase.

While many athletes train year-round in our centers on various programs to match pre-season, in-season, post-season and off-season requirements, the majority of our training centers see demand for pre-season training services increase the months leading up to the season. Since there are a higher number of athletes playing Fall and Spring sports, centers are the busiest during December, January, February as athletes prepare for baseball, softball, soccer, track & field, lacrosse and tennis in the Spring; and May, June, July and August as football, soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball players prepare for the Fall season. Hockey players typically complete their off-season and pre-season training May - August as individuals and train in the center with their team once per week as part of their off-ice conditioning during the season. 

When possible, new training centers will look to maximize operating cash flow by scheduling equipment delivery and finishing the build-out, so they begin their 'soft opening' phase 4 - 6 weeks before these peak training seasons commence — Late October / early November soft opening to prepare for training spring sport athletes; an April soft opening for the summer training of fall sport athletes; and a July soft opening to meet the demands of hockey teams booking off-ice conditioning during the season.