Anytime Fitness

In nineteen ninety-six, Chuck Runyon was frustrated with his gym—it closed at nine. He worked late shifts. Thousands like him existed outside normal hours but had nowhere to go. Runyon bought a treadmill, weight rack, and rented warehouse space. He installed a key card reader and opened twenty-four hours. Demand was immediate. The breakthrough was that Runyon didn't need to be there. He hired one staff member for standard hours. After hours, the space ran completely unattended. Members used key cards to enter, used equipment, and left. This eliminated almost all labour costs after desk hours. A twenty-four hour gym operated at the labour cost of a gym that closed at nine. Runyon franchised this model. Franchisees paid an initial fee of roughly forty-two thousand five hundred dollars. Ongoing royalties were approximately six hundred ninety-nine dollars per month flat fee, not percentage-based.