Click here to hear Jake tell his own story!
With the assistance of FranNet, Jacob Dent became the owner of a Fitness Machine Technician franchise operation in Oceanside, Calif. Below, in his own words, he shares his FranNet journey…
Background
“I did 12 years as an active-duty member of the U.S. Marines. I did some time in the reserves after that and also spent a while working mainly in industrial sales.”
On Becoming an Entrepreneur
“I wanted to have more control of my own life, get out of Corporate America and not have to listen to a boss every day. I guess I’ve always kind of been the independent-minded sort, so it eventually became a natural decision.”
Why Franchising?
“There are definitely parallels between military life and franchise ownership. I’m kind of used to having people under me in the chain of command and being in charge. Just the same, there were other things I wasn’t used to doing when I became a business owner—stuff like filing my state sales tax forms and lots and lots of paperwork. I now have an accountant and a bookkeeper and they’re worth every penny.”
How FranNet Helped
“Roxanne helped me through the personal assessment, and we ended up looking into a couple of other franchise concepts before I narrowed down my choice. There was a water damage and remediation concept and a pest control business, which is a pretty competitive business in Southern California. Neither of those business opportunities really spoke to me from a customer service standpoint. The franchise I went with, Fitness Machine Technicians, was a great match for me because I’ve always really been into fitness and being able to work with that concept every day really made sense to me.”
Where Do You Stand?
“At first, I think I underestimated how much work it would be right off the bat. I was working full time and starting the new franchise business and it required a bit of an adjustment for sure. When Covid hit, my regular job really eased up and slowed down, which gave me the opportunity to focus on getting my Fitness Machine Technicians franchise up and running. Unfortunately, gyms and fitness centers were hit hard by the closures. However, the residential side of the business really took off—everyone started buying treadmills and exercise equipment! So, once we got through those initial months, work picked up to the point where I had to add a new technician, and then another. Now, California is back open again and my preventative maintenance requests are really high. Right now, we’ve got two full-time technicians, an administrative assistant, and we’re staying busy with our repair, warranty work, and a lot of other new business calls. I’m concentrating on industrial sales calls right now and doing my best to continue growing my own business.”
For more information, please visit Jacob Dent’s Fitness Machine Technicians site on the internet.