“In our first 12 months of operating, our revenue was over £235,000”

Lish Metekingi first discovered Body Fitness Training when it came to New Zealand in 2019. Since then, she’s become a successful franchisee with the brand.

Every fitness franchise brand wants its franchisees to be passionate, motivated, and committed to providing the best training services to their members. These are all qualities Body Fit Training (BFT) Hamilton East’s franchisee owner, Lish Metekingi, has in abundance.

After the launch of her New Zealand territory in January 2021, only the third territory to launch in the country, Lish’s determination and un-rivalled work ethic have seen her BFT franchise go from strength to strength with more than 350 members signed up just two years on from opening and continuing to grow.

“I first found out about BFT in 2019, when they were new to New Zealand,” says Lish. “The first studio was Hamilton North – just a few miles from where I live. My friends and I were training at another group fitness facility at that time, but we decided to try out BFT as it seemed to be all everyone in Hamilton was talking about. Once we tried our first class, I was sold and enquired about purchasing the last remaining territory in Hamilton – Hamilton East.

“I’ve always had a passion for helping people. Before joining BFT, I ran a few local childcare centres. After a few successful years, I managed to move up the career ladder and oversee a group of childcare centres to ensure they were delivering quality education. However, during the pandemic, I decided I wanted to help people in a different way… this time through health and fitness.

“I was so invested in BFT because when I was younger, I found myself in a dark place and exercise was my outlet. I couldn’t believe the drastic positive change working out had on me. It helped me so much and gave me the hunger and drive to want to do that for others who may be struggling. After attending a few sessions and experiencing BFT’s range of workout programmes first hand it was clear to me that this was a business I wanted to be a part of.”

BFT’s programme uses proven, scientifically validated training methodologies to develop 13 varied programmes into eight-week progressive training blocks. Each training block’s foundation uses validated periodisation principles and progressive overload to provide BFT members with the best chance to achieve their health and fitness goals. These are the same principles and methodologies that are employed by conditioning coaches around the world to train elite athletes.

“One of the reasons we have been so successful is because all our coaches live and breathe BFT, and this passion filters down to our members,” says Lish. “Proof of this is that in our first 12 months of operating, our revenue was over £235,000. As well as this, we still have so many of our foundation members still with us two years later. This is a testament not only the training methodology of BFT, but to the people we employ.

“We have adopted the mantra: ‘Come for the results, stay for the people’, which is something we swear by here. Despite having a wide variety of people in our gym; young, old, different ethnicities and fitness levels, everyone feels safe and welcome, which is all I ever wanted.

“Since we joined the network, the BFT head office has always been a phone call away. From the initial training to the day-to-day support two years down the line, the help we receive by the team has been fantastic. And despite there now being so many BFT locations across the globe, we are still able to connect with the founders, Cameron and Richard, whenever we need to. It feels like one big family.

“Our focus on providing a great community atmosphere is the foundation of our success for any studio. If you have a strong community, retention of members and staff will never be an issue. Because the importance of community is driven from the very top in head office, it filters down to our studios which is a massive differentiator from many other gyms.

“For anyone in the UK fanatical about helping people, joining BFT could change your life. Nowadays, I can’t imagine myself in any other career. Seeing my members thrive makes me so happy and knowing my centre has become a safe space where new friendships have formed and so many goals have been achieved, gives me an unbelievable sense of pride. It’s the best journey we could have taken.”