How Taylor Scott is Winning with D1 Training Franchise

Our Fitness Franchise Taps Into a Growing Demand for Professional-Level Athletic Training and Workouts

When Taylor Scott was in college at Central Arkansas, he knew one day he’d own a business. A lifelong athlete, he knew one day his career would end and he would need a way to earn a living. That’s when he found D1 Training.

Taylor joined the company as an employee of the Tampa facility before D1 began franchising. Over the years, he’s seen the transition from a young startup to a mature fitness franchise, and so he never thought twice about purchasing the Tampa location. Beyond the business potential he saw in the brand, Taylor had another reason to join up.

“For myself and most of the other professional athletes involved in D1, the one common denominator is the resources that are available to younger athletes,” Taylor says. “I wanted to get involved with D1 because I wish I had had this kind of resource when I was a kid.”

D1 Training franchise is a membership-based gym and boutique fitness franchise that provides individual and group training classes in a state-of-the-art facility, the likes of which are normally found on the campuses of the biggest schools and in the training centers of the best teams. Our trainers provide instruction in basic athleticism, advanced cross-training and fitness, and targeted workouts to improve overall performance. D1 trainers provide advanced athletic training for clients of all ages, from team conditioning for the junior high football team to strength and endurance classes for individuals looking to improve their overall health. D1 Training is the advanced gym for the whole family.

That starts with youth athletes in our Rookie Program, which prepares athletes between the ages of 7 and 11 for the rigors of competitive sports and lays a solid foundation for an athletic life. Programs continue all the way through the professional level, and D1 Training offers NFL Combine programs, as well.

D1 Training franchise stands out from the crowded gym-in-a-box field through its quality of training, personal attention and a unique combination of training and sports medicine that helps athletes achieve their personal goals. Other group fitness franchises may provide a few classes, but none are able to deliver a comprehensive health and training strategy typically only found in the top Division I sports programs or in the facilities of the nation’s top professional sports teams. Also, D1 owners have the option of providing sports medicine and physical therapy services on-site, further enhancing the brand’s position as the premier destination for athletic training.

“D1 offers both athletic training and sports medicine, in a package that’s all wrapped in therapy, with medical care,” Taylor says. “That’s the opportunity with D1 — to let you create it as you want it to be within your community. It hits on so many different spectrums.”

When Taylor began to consider his business options, he knew he wanted to remain in the sports and training industry, and when he began to look at other fitness franchises, he found them all lacking in some key way. Taylor explains.

“Why buy a D1 franchise over the other franchises? You might as well ask why you would buy into a D1 over a McDonald’s franchise,” Taylor says. “They’re almost that different. A D1 is not built to just within an industry and make a dollar. It’s also there to make an impact within the community.”

D1 owners and trainers alike know how they measure that impact: one athlete at a time. That’s why D1 Training calls its members athletes, and it trains them like the athlete they want to be. It’s a hands-on approach to health and fitness that is absent from your run-of-the-mill keycard gyms, where a 4,000 sq. foot facility might have 2,500 members or more.

“In those kinds of places, the best member is one who pays dues and never shows up. That’s not the D1 concept,” he says. “Our product is the result of each individual who walks into our building, who they want to be and how we get them there. Each individual is going to be treated like they are a professional athlete.”

In other words, Taylor says members become accountable to one another and to their D1 coaches, who are working out with them and guiding their progress. The result is a higher-cost membership with fewer, more dedicated members. D1 Training becomes a community hub for youth sports teams, local schools, athletic families, and former competitive athletes, all of whom are seeking to maintain their best possible physical shape. For Taylor, it’s a great reminder of his time in the NFL.

“I have an MBA, I was an athlete, and I knew I wanted to be in business,” Taylor says. “I also recognized early on that I enjoyed the training aspect of being in the NFL during the off season almost as much as the season itself. That’s why I love owning a D1 Training franchise.”