From estate housing to a fitness empire: The story of Steve Ankers

Steve Ankers grew up in housing commission in Western Sydney in the 70s. Today, he’s behind 20 Anytime Fitness clubs in the country (and counting) and is looking abroad to launch a further 20 plus across Indonesia and Thailand.

Steve Ankers is at the helm of 20 Anytime Fitness franchises across Australia – and is about to embark on a global expansion strategy throughout Thailand and Indonesia, with a further 20 plus gyms set to launch. And while the fitness mogul, who says he lived in housing commission in Western Sydney until he was 20, didn’t have a smooth ride to success, he had passion.

“My parents were typically working class,” he says, “But I mean, I started working when I was eight. I wanted to earn money as I believed this was the only way to break the cycle.”

Delivering milk before and after school turned into creating his own routes to deliver newspapers when he was 13. By 15, Ankers was DJing under-18 dance parties; by 18, he managed a video retailer full-time and completed his Bachelor of Commerce full-time.

By 2000, Ankers had his own Civic Video, Top Video and Video Ezy franchises throughout Sydney’s western suburbs. It’s right about now he’d experience his first hold-up – literally and figuratively.

“I’d had 11 armed hold-ups in our Punchbowl store,” he recalls. “After two-and-a-half years, I just thought, ‘I can’t do this anymore’.” Ankers packed up to sell but was robbed once again while in the middle of a deal, causing his buyer to pull out. For the first time in a long time, Ankers decided he needed to change industries and work for someone else.

He spent nearly a decade with Telstra and became the national sales manager before the entrepreneur within started to become restless. Ankers switched gears to self-employed, launching three Telstra Business Centres before another, brighter opportunity emerged: fitness.

While the global fitness industry was relatively nascent in the early 2010s, Ankers saw an opportunity. (Today, the global health and fitness industry is growing at a compound annual growth rate of roughly 7.5% and is set to top US$126 billion by 2023, according to Customer Market Insights.)

He hedged his bets, investing in an Anytime Fitness franchise in 2011 while working as a retail manager for St George Bank and later Westpac. But by 2014, he decided to focus solely on his career as a franchise operator for Anytime. At the time, Ankers says Anytime Fitness was the new kid on the gym block, straight out of the United States.

“I was definitely an early adopter, and Anytime was a market disruptor,” he says. “I remember I was paying $30 a week at Fitness First back then, and here was Anytime offering a 24-hour gym, with a low-touch, low-staffing model, for $12 a week.”

This no-frills attitude to fitness is what Ankers says sets Anytime apart from its gym rivals, like high-intensity group fitness operator F45, which had 151 gyms ‘in distress’ at the end of the last year.

“Different types of gyms come and go that rely heavily on a strong sales approach,” Ankers says. “A lot of functional training gyms are great when you’re motivated to be there, but I think people tend to operate in a cycle, and if you’re not attending the gym, you don’t want to stay a member, particularly if they’re charging $60-plus a week.” Ankers says Anytime Fitness, in his experience, operates outside this realm.

“We’re providing a general service that covers the core basics of gym: cardio, strength and resistance training. That services 95% of the market.”

Steve Ankers

In the 12 years since his commitment to Anytime Fitness, Ankers’ 20-something clubs service 25,000 members, and he claims all his clubs are in the top 50% in performance. He also owns two of the top 10 clubs in the country.

“Profits we made early on – everything was reinvested in the business. We have a line of credit for equipment finance, and we only have that to ensure our rates are the cheapest possible. All our gyms are majority self-funded.”

His success has now led him to global expansion. Ankers says the company wants to expand into the APAC region with 20 plus clubs throughout Indonesia and in Thailand. (His first Anytime Fitness outside of Australia opened in Indonesia earlier this year). If Thailand performs well, Ankers will look to open a further 20 throughout Thailand over the coming years.

Outside of Anytime Fitness, Ankers is a true entrepreneur with multiple projects on the go, including a major property development in Cairns, an underwear brand launching and a play centre franchise in Campbelltown, Sydney. He also says one of his passions in life is investing in people.

“I like helping others realise their dreams and businesses as well,” he says, adding he’s backed a passionate sommelier in Queensland and opened two bars. “I really like the thrill of finding new opportunities, so I don’t get bored. I’m always on the lookout for something new and exciting.”

Along the way, Ankers says it’s been important to surround himself with passionate people – both employees and peers.

“I think that’s been key to my success,” he says. “Being around others who strive to be successful and achieve things in life motivates me.”