Entrepreneur Magazine Rates CKO Kickboxing One Of The Year's Hottest Franchises!

HOBOKEN, N.J., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CKO Kickboxing sold its first franchise only three years ago. But today, it is one of America's hottest franchises according to industry standard.

Entrepreneur Magazine broke into the Franchise 500 list of best franchises -  an unheard-of feat for a franchise that is less than five years old, said owner Joseph Andreula. The magazine also rated CKO Kickboxing, http://www.ckokickboxing.com, as the 48th hottest new franchise in 2011.

There are 23 locations in the New York/ New Jersey Area, and now the company is planning to expand these successful fitness group class franchises nationwide. Andreula is looking for quick expansion - but not at any cost.

"Before we choose a location, we choose a key person who we know can shine. Our franchisees must be passionate, inspirational and want to help others," he says. "Many of our franchisees started as club members. One woman lost 80 pounds at one of our gyms! She bought a franchise. She didn't expect to change her life. Our franchisees strive to do the same thing for other people. Our people want to help people."

That extends to a key difference between CKO Kickboxing and basic gyms.

"Gyms want to sell you a membership and then they don't want you to return. We actually count on people coming in and getting results," he says.

Another key factor in selecting franchisees is that they must be coachable, as Andreula sees the training program as a coaching program, which also sets this franchise opportunity apart from others.

"We provide a three-week training program to cover every important part of the business. But then we do so much more. It's not a model. It's a coaching program that adapts to each person's needs and the issues they face with their business. One person might be competing against a low-priced gym. Another person might be competing against a high-priced gym. We make weekly group calls and individual coaching calls as well. We check up on people and make sure they are doing what needs to be done. Knowing what to do means nothing if you're not being held accountable for doing it. We make sure they are doing everything they can to be successful," he said.