From Franchise Exhibition Visitor to Business Owner

For Paul Carter and his wife Marcia, a visit to the British & International Franchise Exhibition was the first step in a journey that would ultimately take them out of long-established corporate careers and into business ownership.

Today, they’re the owners of Anytime Fitness Didcot. But when they first visited the exhibition in January 2024, they had no firm idea what their future business would look like.

“We didn’t really know what we wanted to do, so we just went to get a feel for what was on offer,” says Paul.

He’d spent nearly 40 years working in financial services as an accountant, while Marcia’s career included corporate law and project management in the pharmaceutical industry. Both had successful careers… and both wanted to do something different.

Their first exhibition gave them the chance to explore what franchising could offer. They returned the following year with much greater intent.

“We were much more serious about our next steps, that we really wanted to start a business. So we had a much more in-depth look at the exhibitors at that event.”

Finding the right business – and the right people

The variety of opportunities at the exhibition helped Paul and Marcia start narrowing down what mattered to them.

They knew they wanted a business with a relatively lean staffing model and were attracted to the fitness sector because of their own love of the gym. Franchising also offered something particularly important when entering an unfamiliar industry: an established structure, infrastructure and support network.

But Paul’s experience of the exhibition also taught him that choosing a franchise isn’t simply about choosing a business model.

“We spoke to a lot of people there. We saw a lot of presentations. We met a lot of the teams. And all of that was really important because that’s where we actually started to get a feel for each of the businesses and what they had to offer and the people that were behind them.

“So that’s really where we started to formulate who we wanted to work with, not just what we wanted to do.”

It was at the 2025 exhibition that Paul and Marcia first encountered Anytime Fitness, which almost didn’t happen: they were on their way out as the exhibition was coming to an end when the Anytime Fitness team caught them for a brief conversation.

The business development team contacted Paul the following day and the couple quickly saw a fit between what they wanted from a business and the Anytime Fitness model.

From first conversation to franchise agreement

The 24/7 proposition appealed to them as gym users, while the focused staffing model addressed one of their biggest considerations as prospective employers. Paul also saw an opportunity to bring something different to their home town of Didcot.

Just a few months after first meeting the Anytime Fitness team, they committed.

“The exhibition was in January 2025,” Paul explains, “and we signed our franchise agreement in the April.”

What followed was the process of finding the right property, negotiating with the landlord, designing the club and completing the build. Around 15 months after that first exhibition encounter, Anytime Fitness Didcot was open.

The club secured 500 members during its 10-week presale and Paul says membership continued to grow after people were able to see the finished facility for themselves.

Now, only months into ownership, Paul and Marcia are already looking ahead. Paul is exploring ways to develop the existing club further and is considering territories for sites two and three.

“I’ve learned I love this industry. I’ve learned I want to keep investing in this industry,” he says.

Paul’s advice to future exhibition visitors

Having gone from browsing opportunities to owning the business, Paul recommends approaching an exhibition with a plan – but also with an open mind.

“Have an idea of what areas you want to look at and pick out the businesses that you think are going to interest you.

“When you’re there, really get a feel for the team, because those are going to be the people that support you on your journey, and they represent the organisation you’re going to become part of.”

For Paul and Marcia, one conversation towards the end of an exhibition became the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

Interested and want to know more about Anytime Fitness?

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