From One Studio to 170: The Real Truth About Scaling a Fitness Franchise

Jan 6, 2026

53:55

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What does it actually take to build a franchise that lasts, not just through the hype years, but through market shifts, Covid, competition and real growth pains?

In this episode of Geronimo Unfiltered, we sit down with Peter Hull, Founder & CEO of Fitstop, to unpack the unfiltered story behind building one of Australia’s fastest-growing fitness franchises, from selling his wife’s car and leasing a tiny industrial shed, to scaling across four countries with 170+ studios.

This is a raw, honest conversation about resilience, leadership, franchising realities, and why the pilot matters more than the plane when it comes to building a million-dollar studio.

Here’s what we’re covering:

-The moment Fitstop almost didn’t happen, and why quitting felt like an option every single day

-The brutal realities of franchising (and why most people shouldn’t do it)

-Why you need at least 75 studios before a franchise model actually works

-The traits of the highest-performing Fitstop owners, and what holds others back

-What Australia can learn from the US, and what the US is behind on

-Why multi-site owners are the happiest, most profitable operators in the network

-The mindset shift required to build $1M+ studios

-Why playing defence is killing growth, and how to start playing offence again

… and a whole lot more

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