btone Fitness Eyes Nationwide Growth

Athletech News spoke with btone Fitness CEO and founder Jody Merrill on the boutique fitness franchise’s plans for expansion

Slow movement, fast results — that’s the credo of btone Fitness (officially branded as btone FITNESS), a rapidly growing resistance training, yoga and Pilates franchise hailing from Boston. There’s an undeniable fervor for all things strength and Pilates , the ideal landscape for btone, which plans to have 25 studios established by the end of the year and nearly double that by the close of 2025.

Founded and led by Jody Merrill, the boutique fitness concept is set to go nationwide, building on its momentum that grew btone to 20 locations in the New England area in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Opening this month is btone’s latest studio, found in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, which marks the start of the brand’s western expansion. A Salt Lake City, Utah, studio is slated to open later this fall.

Athletech News spoke with Merrill, a Cape Cod resident, about btone’s expansion plans, the brand’s conscious approach to franchising, and its dedication to its franchisees and instructors.

Multi-Unit, Big Results

Having passionate franchisees who “think big” is elemental to btone’s expansion plans, and the enthusiasm is paying off. Current partners have either opened their second or third studios or are scouting their next location, Merrill tells ATN.

btone’s “Slow Movements, Fast Results” mantra is reflected in its approach to franchising — a strategy that btone appears to have perfected as it prepares to scale.

“All of our new openings are extremely mindful and carefully chosen with partners who not only see our vision for what btone is today but also believe in what btone strives to be in the future, and that is a leader in the group fitness industry,” Merrill shared.

“We know that the btone Fitness model works best for our owners when they think about and approach their openings with a multi-unit approach.”

Pointing to btone’s successful growth in the New England market, Merrill notes that the brand takes its time to make the best decisions for btone and its franchisees. The hybrid resistance training-Pilates-yoga fitness brand is also leveraging its partnership with commercial brokers at Locate, so franchisees can unlock the best locations and territories for the quickest path to profitability.

“They have been able to use our 13 years’ worth of data to help us replicate the success we have had in the New England area,” Merrill said of the commercial real estate firm.

“Instead of going with our gut, which admittedly and thankfully has proven quite useful for the past 13 years, we can now use proven data so our franchisees have a slam dunk when it comes to choosing the best possible location for their new studio. If they have a successful first location, another location is inevitable.”

Just as btone clients receive the utmost attention and care, Merrill says the same applies to franchisees.

“We have always maintained a laser-focused approach where we are committed to not growing too quickly,” Merrill explained. “We are able to hyper-focus on new areas and locations while keeping the bigger picture in the forefront of our minds. Every decision is made with our clients and franchisees in mind. It has always been a quality-over-quantity approach.”

The Concept

btone whole-body classes are 45 minutes and intentionally small for a true boutique feel, with a typical class size of 10-12 clients who each have a dedicated custom machine (referred to as TONEy).

“No two classes are ever the same,” Merrill said of the thoughtfully curated fitness program. “When our instructors don’t have to think about the routines, this gives them time to hone their craft of teaching and connecting with clients.”

Franchise partners also have support through an online training portal where btone hosts one training per month (and sometimes more) to support owners and instructors.

“We know that our instructors can and want to grow with us, and we have many who have made a career out of working exclusively for btone,” Merrill added.

btone’s “come as you are” approach to clientele has served the brand well, ensuring every exercise, class, and instructor is leveling up (or down) to meet the unique needs of its members.

“This seems simple, but a lot of times when I would personally take classes, this was just not happening or was not the case,” Merrill said. “When we train properly and provide this customization, it allows us to instruct the likes of professional athletes who are training right alongside someone who is just beginning their fitness journey. Without needing to level our classes differently, it makes scheduling much easier for not only us but for our clients, who tend to enjoy the level mix our classes offer.”

Future Growth Plans

Looking ahead to the end of 2025, Merrill says that btone expects to have a total of 40 studios open. The brand has new reservation agreements signed for Florida, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

“btone would never have been able to grow to this number without our growing and amazing corporate team,” she said. “We continue to expand our corporate team, and we have hired and trained a team of six full-time employees who spend their time assisting, training and guiding our franchisees up to their openings and also offering day-to-day operational support once a new studio comes online.”

The training is so comprehensive that by the time a new studio opens, Merrill says they are close to being fully independent.

“Every owner that comes on board with us is a part of the bigger, strategic picture,” she said. “With each new person that joins us, we know we are furthering our mission to deliver a highly efficient and effective workout in a welcoming, inclusive environment. This lets us continue to improve and empower the lives of our clients. By maintaining our focus and staying true to who we are, btone Fitness is well on its way to being known as one of the most well-respected and successful leaders in the group fitness industry.”

Check out ATN’s roundup of the best Pilates brands to wear to your next reformer class .

The post btone Fitness Eyes Nationwide Growth appeared first on Athletech News .