Andre Janse van Vuuren - owner of Coachman’s Crossing Shapes for Women, and Jani Verster – owner of of Brackenhurst Shapes for Women, have both found fulfillment and fun in the process of opening their own franchises.

Andre Janse van Vuuren
From journalism and launching a fashion label to owning the Coachman’s Crossing Shapes for Women, Andre Janse van Vuuren is a man of many talents. Like many of the other Shapes for Women owners, Andre always wanted his own business. As this was his first venture, his priority was to look for an affordable and uncomplicated business model that would fit all his criteria. Knowing that he could not have direct access to his members didn’t dissuade him from following his dream. Andre’s solution to owning a women-only gym was simple: through supporting, motivating his staff and performing all the marketing duties, he’d run the business from the sidelines. Andre said that the hardest thing he had to do in his business was raise the capital to buy the franchise.

Apart from learning to juggle the cash flow, he had to be exceptionally creative when it came to explaining to the bank manager why he needed the money. Andre offers the following advice to anyone who is looking at starting a business. Before you jump into a venture, you need to think deep, be realistic and ask yourself if you are the type of person that can truly cope with the responsibility of owning and running a business. Be a bit cynical, make your projections, do the sums and your homework. Have a preconceived idea of what the business entails; listen to your clients and give them what they want, not what you think they want. Most importantly, be prepared! While Andre’s biggest challenges are staying in touch with his members, ensuring their expectations are always met, and (because he doesn’t deal with his members directly) finding a way to sort out problems before it is too late, he believes that together with his dedicated team they can solve these issues.

Jani Verster
Jani Verser, owner of Shapes for Women in Brackenhurst, always knew that one day she would fulfil a life-long dream and own her own business. This dream became a reality when, after losing a substantial amount of weight and searching for a way to share her feelings of euphoria with other ladies in the same situation, she came across a Shapes for Women advert in a magazine. She said that the advert was a sign to leave the full-time engineering job that she had dedicated a large portion of her life to. While the decision was one of the hardest she’s ever had to make, Jani doesn’t regret it for one moment.

The diversity of the people, the vast age differences, the friendships that are born, the perseverance, self confidence and renewed energy and zest for life she sees in her members makes her decision worthwhile. Jani acknowledges that there are challenges in her business. In fact, her greatest challenge is to keep her members so thrilled with their workouts and their progress that they will never want to stop coming to the gym. Together with her staff, she continuously introduces variety into the gym. Her reasoning is that none of the members should ever feel bored. Jani’s words of wisdom run true. Her advice is to believe in yourself and your dream - no matter what anybody says. She says that all businesses are started by ordinary folks with ordinary abilities. If they can do it, so can you. Hang in there and see it through – the rewards are worth it.

Her future: The excitement of life lies in not always knowing what the future holds. Jani would like to grow the gym and make it the best it can possibly be. She is looking forward to discovering just how far they can go.

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