Most people who become D1 Training franchise owners don't start out looking for a franchise. They set out to solve a problem.
That was the case for Ben and Darcy Milsom, owners of D1 Training Westchase. When the couple noticed a lack of organized, high-quality athletic training in their community, they knew they needed to create a solution.
So when they went looking for serious training for their own kids, they expected it to be simple.
It wasn’t.
"My wife and I started looking for a place for our son Cooper, who's 15, to train, and my daughter Parker, she's 13," Milsom said. "We couldn't find a good option, or at least one that we felt would suit them."
"We just said, 'All right, well, we can either create one, or we can continue to bang our head against the wall,'" he said.
That gap, and the decision to close it themselves, is what led the Milsoms to franchise ownership. It's a story that plays out again and again across the D1 system: the owners who build the strongest businesses are usually the ones solving a problem for their own family first.
Once they connected with the D1 team, Milsom said, the decision was effectively made.
"For us, we weren't like, 'Oh, well, let's look at different franchises and decide which one we want to do,'" Milsom said. "We got introduced to D1. We met the people there. We met the brand. We dove deep into it and said, 'This is what our community needs.' And we went all in. So there was no comparison."
"The way the business was run and the values just aligned with what we had," he said. "We just felt compelled to serve the community, to serve the needs of our community."
For prospective owners weighing D1 against other options, that's a common thread: it's rarely a drawn-out comparison. It's a values match that becomes obvious fast.
Ask Milsom what separates D1 from every option his family passed on, and he doesn't point to equipment or curriculum first. He points to people.
"The other great thing about D1 is the franchisees and GMs and head coaches are always willing to really help, and you don't get that in a lot of other brands," he said. "We really try to be involved and listen and help people achieve their goals. That constant engagement is what separates us from everyone else. What makes D1 Training so unique is the accountability and the relationships. We care. We dive in."
That same accountability shows up in Milsom's own routine, not just his members'.
"D1 has been so impactful for us and for me," he said. "I feel like I'm in the best health of my life, and I think it's because of our coaches at D1 and the accountability and the people in your class. If you're not there, they're asking you about it, and they're holding you accountable. It's a special community that really helps everyone."
For franchise owners, that same accountability loop that keeps members coming back is also what builds retention and word of mouth, the two things every fitness business depends on to grow.
For Milsom, the clearest sign D1 Westchase is working isn't a spreadsheet. It's the conversations he has with parents at pickup.
"The impact we are making on people's lives has been amazing," Milsom said. "When we walk into D1 Westchase, we are surrounded by members and families who are motivated to get better and coaches who truly love what they do."
"When you hear the parents say, 'My son is different,' or 'My daughter is different. My son was getting bullied at school, that's not happening anymore. My son is more confident in what he's doing in his schoolwork and in his sports,' that's what this is all about. That's the core of all this. Kids in our community are going to be better as they get into young adulthood because of this place."
It's that belief that keeps Milsom thinking beyond his own facility.
"D1 should be in every community because we've seen the impact it's made in ours," he said. "It's made such an impact on our area that whenever that spreads throughout the country, and maybe even beyond, I think we're going to be better off for it."
Since connecting with the D1 Training leadership team, Ben and Darcy have been transforming lives in Westchase. What started as a search for the right training for their own kids has grown into a facility their whole community relies on, and it's a reminder of why so many D1 owners describe their decision to open a location the same way Milsom does: not only as a business calculation, but as a commitment to the people around them.
Ben and Darcy's story is one of dozens across the D1 Training network. Want to hear directly from more D1 franchisees about why they chose to open a D1 in their community? Visit our franchisee testimonials page to hear more real stories from real owners.
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