Today we’d like to introduce you to Willy Banos and Angel Banos.
Willy and Angel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
A: In 1986, I first walked into Gold’s Gym Venice and was immediately intrigued by the group of fitness enthusiasts that I had read about in magazines. The gym clearly set out to inspire those individuals to become stronger, fitter, and healthier.
Already an avid fitness enthusiast and weightlifter myself, I became enthralled with the Gold’s Gym energy. Formerly the owner of a women’s shoe store, I saw the real retail opportunity in actually owning a Gold’s Gym franchise of my own. So, I immediately got talking to my younger brother Willy and asked what he thought about going in together to own a Gold’s Gym of our own.
Willy’s sharp business mind was obvious to me at a young age, and I knew that we would work well as partners. So, we decided to take a leap of faith and invest in a franchise opportunity to open our first location in North Hollywood in 1988. Little did we know that we would go on to open another 23 locations over the next 35 years and counting, including one of the most famous gyms in the world, Gold’s Gym Hollywood.
W: It all started with Joe Gold. In 1965, he opened the first Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California. It was a modest gym, but it wasn’t long before it became THE place for those who are serious about their health and committed to building their physique. Thus began a tradition of commitment, passion, and dedication that is now practiced at more than 600 independent locations across the globe. When Angel first told me he wanted to open a fitness facility, he asked me to consider joining him in the venture. “I felt such unrivaled energy in that place,” he told me. “I heard the clinking and clanking, and people just working out, and walking around showing off muscles. People talking about nutrition and everything, I just said, ‘wow.’ This is like being in New York City for the first time.” Angel’s excitement about the prospect lit a fire in me, and the rest is history.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A: I don’t think there’s such a thing as a totally smooth road when starting a new business, especially when family partnerships are involved. But with each challenge came new opportunities for growth and success. One of the things I struggled with was going from being a hands-on entrepreneur handling all aspects of the business to learning to lean on and trust your team to do the job as you would do it. I had to become very much multitalented at the beginning, playing owner, businessperson, accountant, lease negotiator, construction manager, contractor, HR expert, payroll manager, general manager, maintenance, and so on. This was very challenging juggling many hats, and I had to learn to hire subject area experts to help me. We were growing at such a fast pace by the time we opened our second location in Hollywood and third in Downtown Los Angeles.
W: We faced many multiunit management challenges while growing our business. Security and systems needed to be put in place. Service processes set up. Just general running the basics while expanding to offer more for our growing membership base. We had to focus on how to keep our brand consistency and brand promise.
A: When we first opened our first Gold’s Gym location in 1988, the struggles we experienced weren’t typical. In fact, the only real struggle we could say for sure was the size of the club. Our first club was very, very small — at just 8,600 square feet. From day one, it was a very successful gym. We ended up being very busy, to full capacity on most nights. So, the struggle was actually the size, and that was a big challenge for us. So that’s when we knew it was time to expand to other communities in the SoCal area.
As you know, we’re big fans of Gold’s Gym SoCal. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
A: A focus on creating the best service, creating the best workout experience in the world, and with the best trainers is what made us different from our fellow competitors.
What hasn’t changed over the years has been the ability to rely on a brand. Just having the well-regarded name itself has definitely given us a huge edge in our market. It differentiates us from our competition by just having that name. The expectations our members have are different. It isn’t just the name either – scratch the surface and they know we reliably supply them with great equipment that works, great products, great services, and great group exercise. I feel that having that name entitles us to give the member a different experience than the competition because it makes us work harder by giving us the potential and an end result that puts us in a place that gives the best workout experience in the world.
The end game for everyone involved on the staff is about giving the member the greatest workout experience on the planet. We don’t keep it a secret, we get everybody involved. Having that plan, when they wear the brand, they buy into it, and they are proud to be part of the family. Having the brand and being part of it is what makes us the best.
W: Wanting to take the Gold’s Gym brand to higher levels, Gold’s Gym SoCal locations have everything you need to get in shape. You’ll find leg press machines, Olympic squat racks, lifting platforms, kettlebells, flat benches, dumbbells, cables, treadmills, ellipticals, The Playground, our signature indoor and outdoor functional training turf, The Escape Room, Posing Rooms, Platinum Personal Training Studios, Massage beds, pools in many locations and so much more to help you reach your fitness goals.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
A: In 1963 as a young child, having come from Cuba via Florida, I can recall driving into Los Angeles and being in awe of one of the greatest cities in the world. I worked hard to become a citizen while growing up in the greatest country in the world. Fond memories include cruising Sunset Blvd in the 1970s dreaming of how to make the American Dream a reality. Learning the aspects of vast cultural differences Los Angeles had to offer was amazing.
W: I was 20 years old at the time Angel approached me about opening our own gym. When I first heard the idea, there was an unreal feeling because who was in the health club business? It wasn’t typical like it is today.
I had some retail background from working in our prior business together and I’m a communicative person, meaning I can talk to anyone about anything, so I took the challenge and just had a sense that it was going to be great. I immediately went into designing flyers and announcements for the opening of our first Gold’s Gym. I sat there with Angel, and we went through our heads on how it was going to look, how it was going to be laid out, what was the best spot for everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.goldsgym.com/markets/socal/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldsgymsocal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldsGymSoCalGroup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoldsGymSoCal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVsX_iZKvTycNTMyLoPLzYQ
- SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/user/31wly7evsgpddydgfvipwauo7efa
Image Credits
Gold’s Gym SoCal
