Personal Gym Franchise 'T-balance' Accelerates Growth with Support from WithMo

Franchise Expansion Accelerates with WithMo Support

WithMo, Inc. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kazu Ogura) has been supporting franchise development for the subscription-based personal gym chain 'T-balance'. While the chain had zero new franchise stores for 1.5 years prior to the partnership, it has achieved 16 new locations in just 7 months since WithMo's intervention began in July 2024. Furthermore, with 8 stores scheduled to open simultaneously across Japan in May 2025, the company has entered a growth phase aiming for 400 stores within 3 years.

Addressing the Franchise Stagnation

T-balance boasts an exceptional track record of 40 corporate stores and zero closures in eight years. With a subscription fee of 30,000–50,000 yen per month and HQ-led acquisition and recruiting services, the conditions seemed perfect for rapid expansion. However, franchise growth had been stagnant.

WithMo representative Kazu Ogura analyzed the situation: "Having a strong business model and building a franchise system are entirely different skills. They lacked the fundamentals of an FC headquarters and had no system to proactively address the anxieties of potential franchisees."

The Key to Rapid Growth

Starting in July 2024, WithMo implemented reforms in three main areas:

- **Redesigning the Sales Process**: Systematizing proposal formats, hearings, and the closing process. - **Quantifying and Visualizing the Revenue Model**: Presenting clear investment schemes and concrete revenue/profit data from active franchises. - **Area Design and Training Systems**: Establishing area exclusivity and clearly defining training support to foster franchisee confidence.

Advantages of the Subscription Model

Unlike the ticket-based systems adopted by many gyms, T-balance utilizes a subscription model. This avoids accumulated service obligations for unused sessions, leading to stable cash flow. The fact that the HQ handles all advertising and recruitment, allowing owners to focus on service quality, has been vital to their zero-closure record.

Moving forward, the company is intensifying branding efforts to increase search volume and accelerate the virtuous cycle of expansion.