Danielle Danault (R in red coat), founder of Outdoor Fitness, instructs a cardiovitality class in the Parc regional de Longueil, on January 19, 2010.Christinne Muschi
After a six-hour drive home to Montreal from a fitness conference in Toronto, Danielle Danault had no interest in working out in a stuffy gym. So she went to the park.
The company she founded on the heels of that inspirational moment now boasts 20,000 members who get fit in 76 locations.
Her decade-old business, Outdoor Fitness, has 35 franchises in Quebec, it opened one last year in Nova Scotia, and it is looking to expand to New Brunswick and Ontario.
"At first, I started off small," Ms. Danault says. "I had only 16 people in my first season. Then 45 the next season and then 90."
Outdoor Fitness enables members to exercise in fresh air, in a group setting, using local parks and green spaces as aerobic and weight-training centres.
One of its most unique features is that the company is a home-based business, so there are no fixed costs. Franchisees make an initial investment of $20,000 for the rights to use the brand and to get instructions on how to promote the franchise, how to negotiate with parks and cities, and how to offer good customer service. They agree to sign on for five years, paying Ms. Danault annual royalties of 5 per cent, in addition to user fees for most of the parks, an arrangement made with individual municipalities.
Clients sign up online and they meet at a designated park anywhere from one to four times a week. A VIP membership, which is the most flexible, allows clients to choose as many courses as they like for $197 per 10-week session. Individual classes are $6 for those who want to try it out.
The formula has worked: The company's annual revenue is about $1 million.
Franchise owner Daynah Savage started off as a participant. "I loved the concept. I was seeing results."
She became a fitness instructor and in 2006 she met Ms. Danault at a conference. She voiced her interest in opening a franchise on the West Island of Montreal. Three weeks later, she made a major career move.
"The first session was low, I only had 45 participants."
Three years later, Ms. Savage has between 100 and 200 participants a session. Peak seasons are spring and fall. The program has a 70-per-cent retention rate, with the majority of her clients being women.
Ms. Danault does everything she can to ensure her franchisees are successful. "I train my people and I try to develop new concepts and programs."
New franchise owners also get a lot of support from the company.
"I help them to become good managers. I show them how to promote the business locally and how to negotiate with cities and parks. We also give good customer service."
Jackie Moore is one of the clients. "I stopped smoking three years ago. Even though I was doing yoga, I needed to keep busy and burn some calories to keep the weight down. I saw an ad in the local paper and decided to give it a try. I've been hooked since."
She started off with two classes a week, now she takes three.
A typical workout consists of a five- to seven-minute warm-up, three minutes of leg exercises such as lunges and squats, followed by 35 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of strength training. Then a short walk to cool down.
There are courses for new mothers or fathers and their babies. Cardio stroller allows parents to work out with their babies. For three seasons, they push the babies in strollers. In the winter, they pull them in sleds.
They are some of Ms. Danault's favourite clients. "Every time I see a group of moms I feel so happy."
While traditional gyms focus on appearance, loud music and young people, Outdoor Fitness gets back to basics. Participants are outside, they are in-touch with nature and more likely to socialize with one another.
Personal trainer Laura Morrison is a believer in the concept. "It suits people who aren't comfortable in the gym. It's a good compliment to a traditional workout and it gets people outside."
Ms. Danault now has her sights set on the international market. Outdoor Fitness is slated to open a master franchise in France in September. And she will be meeting with potential investors in Munich in a few weeks.
She has also joined forces with an active-wear company to further promote her concept.
" Lolë asked us for a partnership, because we have their target clientele: active women between 30 and 40," Ms. Danault says. "We believe that this partnership will help us develop new franchises at a faster pace, because Lolë will give us exposure in their 1,600 stores across North America.
"Outdoor Fitness can be exported anywhere. We have beautiful parks all over the country. We need to get outside like we used to when we were kids."
Special to the Globe and Mail