The mission of THE MAX Challenge has always been to help others live happier, more fulfilled lives. This objective stands for both members and franchisees alike. In an effort to make business ownership more accessible to highly motivated but perhaps financially unready individuals, THE MAX created the Managing Partner Opportunity. The Managing Partner Opportunity is a business plan that has been used by current franchisees to achieve full ownership status and is also being used presently by multiple individuals who are on their way to owning their MAX Challenge Center outright. THE MAX Challenge Founder and CEO Bryan Klein believes that drive and passion are the true indicators of success when it comes to business ownership, and thus he does not wish to limit opportunities based on current financial accessibility. 

Bryan is hopeful that the Managing Partner Opportunity will continue to grow and allow many passionate people the chance to own their own MAX Challenge center. He is eager to share the origin of the Managing Partner Opportunity, as well as the finite details that make this business venture so successful. 

What inspired you to create the managing partner opportunity?

The reason why I took action and moved this idea is over the past 18 months or so while we were in quarantine, I started to look back on what worked in the past to get us where we are today.

When I look at what’s really working, I see people who have a passion for helping others benefit from fitness, nutrition, and motivation. They get THE MAX Challenge. People who truly get extremely high levels of satisfaction from the experience of helping others are the ones that do the absolute best in our system. And upon further examination, I came to realize that those people don’t always have the financial means to start their own MAX Challenge center from scratch. They don’t have the capital to do a build-out, to hire the employees, to get through all of the expensive but necessary start-up costs. But they do have the intellectual capital. They’ve either been in the industry for a period of time and have relevant experience that would help them to do extremely well, or they’ve been with THE MAX for a period of time and have the experience with marketing, sales, and member fulfillment to really knock it out of the park. This managing partner opportunity gives those individuals the opportunity to ultimately own their own business without that initial capital

Tell us a little bit about the managing partner opportunity and what makes it different from owning a franchise outright?

When you go to open up a franchise outright, there’s significant capital involved that could range anywhere from $60,000 all the way to $300,000, depending on the model that the individual chooses. This includes either the express model, which is a lower-cost opportunity, or the standalone model. Many times there are individuals who have the money to open up a franchise, but they don’t have the time to commit to running that franchise with the level of attention that’s necessary to make it the incredible place that each MAX Challenge has become known for. These are individuals who have the financial capital, but they don’t have the time. 

Then on the flip side, we’ve got an army of people throughout THE MAX Challenge system; instructors, membership experience leaders, and managers. Not to mention the many people who qualify for this program from other brands throughout the fitness industry. So the marriage of these two components; people who have the money and the desire and individuals with the time and the relevant industry experience is a winning formula. It becomes what I like to call a win-win-win-win. It’s a win for the members because now they get the absolute best experience executed by a dedicated person. It’s a win for the managing partner because they get to enjoy some of the benefits of business ownership including a portion of the bottom-line results they work so hard for. It’s a win for the company because we get a fantastic franchisee. And finally, it’s a win for the franchisee because they get an engaged team member who has a vested interest in seeing the success of their individual unit. 

Who is the managing partner opportunity best suited for?

I think the individuals best suited for this opportunity fall into two different categories. Category one is for the people who have the time to truly commit to this business from inception, and have direct experience with THE MAX Challenge as an instructor, a membership experience leader, or a manager. Category two is for individuals who have relative experience in the industry. Someone who’s managed a big box gym or another small group fitness concept. Someone who has direct relevant experience with membership sales and customer satisfaction. This is the perfect opportunity for somebody who has always dreamt of being in business for themselves but may not have the capital or the roadmap that gives them the opportunity. 

Moving forward, how do you see the managing partner opportunity growing and developing?

I see so much opportunity for people in THE MAX Challenge community and outside THE MAX Challenge community, people with a real desire to help others live happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives. People who really want to contribute to their communities. I see this opportunity giving way to dozens of success stories, just like Randy who started out as the managing partner of Marlboro, NJ,  like Mark who’s the managing partner of Clinton, NJ, and Mike who’s the managing partner of Mill Basin in Brooklyn, NY. I see dozens and dozens of managing partners signing on for this opportunity in the near future. This is going to become an integral part of our expansion plans. This will help people to live happier, healthy, more filled lives, not just the members, but the managing partners and the franchisees as well. I see this becoming a big cornerstone of our future expansion and growth. 

THE MAX Challenge is extremely optimistic about the Managing Partner Opportunity moving forward. They encourage anyone who may be interested to start an open conversation with the corporate office. Their staff has been trained to guide and encourage budding entrepreneurs to reach their full potential, and follow the path best suited for their individual success.