Interview with Olivier About How He Runs His 7 Figure Sports Facility Franchise
The first time we heard about Olivier’s business model, we were left scratching our heads. How exactly does one run a 7-figure rec sports facility operation with 100+ staff without owning an actual gym or physical location?
Seems impossible… until you hear how it’s done! So if you’re a gym owner, facility owner, program manager or simply someone with a brick-and-mortar business who wants to increase their foot traffic, then you’ll definitely want to take some notes during this episode. It is jam-packed with tip & tactics you can implement almost immediately!

Guest Bio: Olivier is the co-founder of Activity Messenger, a platform that offers a modern approach to class Management for Gyms, dance studios, swim schools and more. Since 2012, he and his business partner operate multiple location franchises of Sportball which introduce sports to children from 2-12 years old. Over the last 10 years, Olivier and his team grew his business to 7 figures in annual revenues with 100+ part-time staff. He also coaches business owners as a Marketing Consultant.
Resource Links For This Episode
- Activity Messenger: www.activitymessenger.com
- AM’s Facebook: @activitymessenger
- Sportball Website: www.sportball.ca
Show Notes & Episode Guide
- 1:11 – Sahil asks Olivier how his business model works and how he’s able to run a rec sports franchise without owning any physical gyms
- 2:39 – Since Olivier has become very good at filling his programs, Sahil asks what tips he can give to help current gym owners & facility owners to fill their timeslots and increase revenue
- 3:50 – Olivier discusses the power of Facebook ads and how he used them to grow his business (hint: it’s not as hard as you think)
- 5:28 – Sahil discusses how he grew his gym’s email list to a sizeable number in a small town by using this one simple piece of content (feel free to copy it)
- 7:01 – Martin asks Olivier about SportBall and how the franchise model works on a per-city basis
- 7:38 – Sahil asks Olivier the secrets to picking a good location to run sports programs and how to ensure your target customers can actually reach you
- 11:45 – Sahil asks Olivier how he manages staffing and communication between 100+ employees who are mostly part time. This is very valuable insight for gym owners
- 14:35 – It’s one thing to hire staff, but retaining them is just as important. Sahil asks Olivier about strategies to help retain his staff so that they continue to love their work
- 17:35 – Sahil asks Olivier about his relationship with Activity Messenger and what problems this tool aims to solve for gym owners and parents
- 24:05 – Olivier explains how he runs and automates his free trials using Activity Messenger, thus saving him a lot of time!
- 25:00 – Sahil asks Olivier which standalone tools Activity Messenger can replace to save gym owners time and money while reducing their work complexity.
- 27:53 – Sahil asks Olivier about some of the low-hanging fruits that gym owners don’t realize they can take advantage of and gain an increase in revenue practically overnight!
- 32:30 – Sahil asks Olivier about some of the other tools he uses to run his business and make his life easier
- 33:38 – Martin asks Olivier what advice he would give to gym owners who haven an empty facility and need to fill up their space quickly
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