Civvy Life – From waves to wellbeing
Former submariner, Steve Covus, runs a Hitsona fitness franchise in the USA.
What’s your Military background?
I originally joined the Royal Navy in February 1989, as a weapons engineer on submarines. I did that for about seven years then got voluntary redundancy. I spent five years in civvy street as a chef, then joined up again in 2001 as a chef and left again in March 2020. So, I’ve been a submariner for 26 years. I finished my career as a Petty Officer.
How was resettlement?
It was good. Because I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, it was just a matter of finding things that would work for me. I managed to get time away to do the things I needed to do and try to get things organised.
I wanted to get into fitness, having already qualified as a personal trainer. I’d been using a different facility in the USA while I was stationed down in Virginia Beach in the city of Norfolk. My original plan was to run a kickboxing gym.
That’s the franchise I spent a lot of time researching but they wanted an awful lot of money. It was funny because lockdown was just starting to happen in 2020 and I was waiting to fly back to the UK when Hitsona came up while I was searching for fitness franchises. I read about it and I thought, actually, that’s more me. It’s more about helping people rather than just operating a fitness centre; it was actually being a coach and improving people’s health and fitness. It was more like what I wanted to do.
You’ve been with them since 2020…
I signed the agreement in May 2020, which was quite amazing because with lockdown, I had no way of doing it in America without a visa. I didn’t have a visa at the time because you can’t get one until you’re ready to open. Steve at head office said: “So you want to operate in Kentucky, you’ve got no visa and you’ve got no way of opening.” He said, “OK, I think we can make this work”! It’s been an amazing journey – the best thing I could ever have done for myself.
You run the business and the coaching…
I’m an owner operator. I operate the business and I’m the head coach. It depends on the day of the week and the time of the day, as to what hat I’m wearing.
The business side of it runs itself for the majority of the time. There is very little that needs hours of attention all at once. I do daily social media and then meeting potential members and getting the business.
Why do Veterans have such a good reputation for success in franchising?
I think it’s because of our discipline, and our training. We are used to being told what to do and obviously, if you join a franchise, there are instructions to follow. They’ve already worked out how to make the business succeed. Hitsona had been going for about six years when I joined them, and they weren’t just handing out franchises to anybody and everybody. They’re very careful about who they let run their business. But they give you a blueprint regarding how to run it, so why would we change it?
Business isn’t always straightforward. What are some of the obstacles that Veterans might come across?
From my point of view, having never run a business on my own, there’s always that thought of, can I ask them the simplest question? But if the people you speak with are genuine about wanting to help you succeed, then yes, you can.
Hitsona is amazing. You’re not on your own. It’s not just the franchisor that you can reach out to, it’s the other franchisees. So, you’ve already got a network of people, and I suppose if you were starting up on your own, you wouldn’t necessarily have that.
Does your Military background give you an edge over other franchisees?
Possibly. I do follow the guide. I jokingly say that because I’m in America with an English accent, that that’s what makes the difference. I’d love to go back to the UK and work in one of the studios for a week and make some calls and do some consultations to see if it is just that or if it’s because I’m what it says on the tin. I honestly do think the Military training plays a big part because the coach always needs to be totally present.
What do you miss from the Armed Forces and what do you most appreciate in your current role?
I used to say ‘The last working day, because that’s payday’. But being a franchisee, there isn’t that guaranteed cheque at the end of the month; you have to make that.
I miss the people I worked with. I miss that connection we had; especially on submarines, because obviously, it’s a very close-knit family but I think I’ve got some of that with the fitness studio.
What’s your takeaway for other Service-leavers going through resettlement right now?
Follow your passion. There’s always something out there that will fit with what you want to do; you just have to look for it. Make sure you carry out due diligence just like you do in the Military. Regarding franchising, if people don’t want you to talk to their franchisees, there’s obviously a reason for that.
Look properly at your options.
