Gym owner says persistence, social media helped revive failing Anytime Fitness

Tyler Hartley, owner of Anytime Fitness in Steuben County, said he took over a failing club, rebuilt membership over several difficult years and used social media during the COVID-19 shutdown to maintain connections with members.

In an interview on the Success Stories in Steuben County podcast, host Casey Kellett asked Hartley about running the gym and the obstacles he faced. Hartley said, “The freedom is a huge part of that. I'm able to come out and do things like this,” and added that flexibility and responsibility motivate him.

Hartley told Kellett that the gym was struggling when he took it over and that the first three years were “an uphill battle.” He described wearing “many, many hats” early on — from cleaning and marketing to training — because there was little extra money to hire help. Hartley also said the club was shut down for “2 whole months” during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the business with ongoing expenses while memberships were paused. “We relied very heavily on our social media,” he said, describing instructors posting free workout videos to keep members engaged.

The outreach paid off, Hartley said: he believes the club reopened in May and saw a large influx of new members. He described the reopening as “a breath of fresh air” and said the club’s work during closure “really paid off.”

Hartley discussed practical challenges of running a gym, including equipment maintenance and parts delays. “I hate seeing out of order signs. That's a pet peeve of mine,” he said, noting that broken machines can be down for a week or more depending on part availability.

He described the tradeoffs of operating a franchise: some systems and programs are provided, including a membership platform that offers 24/7 access to Anytime Fitness locations worldwide, but local owners must accept franchise design and operational requirements. “In the beginning, you know, I had my design, my layout of the facility... They obviously made their changes,” Hartley said, describing a lengthy design process that required compromise.

Hartley traced his professional background to an internship at the local YMCA, which he said began in “02/2006,” and to later facility leadership. He said he has worked in the field for 19 years and credited hands-on experience with preparing him to own a gym. He also noted that the club received Anytime Fitness’s Club Purple Award in February 2017, an honor the franchise gives to its top 100 clubs in the United States.

Hartley said the most rewarding part of the business is working with members. “We have anywhere from 2 to 300 people come through the door every day. It's really rewarding to see these people... hit their goals,” he said. He added that corporate member-satisfaction surveys show high ratings for his staff.

The interview covered no formal votes or policy actions; it was a profile conversation about a local small business owner’s experience running a franchise and serving the community.