The Yard Expands

Jan 1

Franchising Now Available

*Daniel and Tiarne Bova, Founders of The Yard Gym*

Lifestyle. When you sit down with Dan Bova, Founder of The Yard gym, you’ll hear him passionately refer to The Yard as a lifestyle, rather than just a gym. Selling out of their foundation memberships within the first 24 hours back in 2020, there was no doubt Dan was onto something. Thinking back to when The Yard first opened compared to now, you can still hear that passion and enthusiasm in his voice. So when we recently learnt he was franchising the business come January 1st 2022, we were excited.

In fact, Dan shares that some sites have already been locked in. Five to be precise. We can’t give you their exact whereabouts just yet, but we can tell you they’re in Greater Sydney and are expected to open early this year. Having only been running The Yard for 18 months, Dan has already ticked some big things off his list.

“To start a brand and within only 18 months have franchises sold, even to just have a franchise system set up, it’s very quick. It all happened very organically and we never expected the brand to move as quickly as it did which is very exciting.”

Dan has a long history in the fitness industry, which he attributes the success of The Yard to date. “After six years of running three successful F45 studios, I sold all three in January 2020 when the opportunity finally arose to open my own gym. I had a new model for group fitness and team training in mind, taking the best aspects of functional fitness, crossfit, body building & hypertrophy.”

Dan’s wife Tiarne has also played a major role in the luxe feel and monochrome aesthetics of the space. “Tiarne has always loved interior design and had a clear vision for the marketing, aesthetic and merch since the start. The ‘one percenters’ as I like to call them, truly makes the space stand out.”

The unique, chic and minimal interiors is something we have come to know and love about the Caringbah space. So we were glad to hear that it is staying. “All spaces will be the same aesthetic. It’s really important. The space is designed to inspire members to achieve in all aspects of their life.”

What would you say is The Yard’s biggest point of difference in comparison to other gym franchises?

“The level of lifestyle the brand brings is a lot greater than other gyms in terms of franchising. The brand itself is very universal and covers a big part of everyone’s lifestyle, not solely their training, from member interaction to merchandise and social content. Plus, offering principle-based training, means we cover all demographics.

I would also say the ability of the business model to really generate great financial profits for the franchisee. With my background in franchising as an F45 owner, I understand how to maximise square footage and profits per m2. For me, it was really important to ensure a huge potential for profits with the business model.”

Dan has spent 12 months setting up the franchise system, with a big focus on technology, communication on all levels and finding the right brand ambassadors.

“We have some really exciting ambassadors coming on board that are going to be heading up the education and performance side of the company. Mentoring all trainers is extremely important.

I have placed a huge focus on innovative technology, to ensure processes are as streamlined as possible. Our franchise system allows for continuous and direct communication from up top to each trainer. It’s very interactive and communication-based.”

So The Yard franchising is finally here. Where can we expect to see The Yard over the coming years?

“The goal is to have a facility in all major cities of Australia.

There’s a lot of potential in the UK as well, so that’s a bit of a work in progress but there are some exciting talks happening there. At the moment, I just want to get the word out there.”