From Manchester Oxford Road to Scalable Fitness Assets

A Personal View of the Jetts Journey

The first time I walked into a Jetts gym was at Manchester Oxford Road.

I was meeting James Garner, the Managing Director, 17 years building Starbucks from 50 to 850 outlets, one of the founders of Jetts UK.

It was one of those occasions where something quietly clicked……

It was partly the branding.
It was partly the equipment.
It was partly the location.
It was partly understanding that James knew EVERYTHING in that gym.

Mostly it was the model.

Seeing It Before It Was Obvious

Even at that early stage, a few things stood out:

• The simplicity of the operation

• The absence of unnecessary staffing layers

• The clean, repeatable layout

• The focus on members rather than footfall

It felt… efficient.

Not in a cost-cutting way — but in a designed-for-purpose way.

At the time, most gyms still followed a fairly traditional structure:

• front desk teams

• multiple layers of staff

• complex pricing

• heavy operational overhead

Jetts was doing something different.

The Model Beneath the Gym

What becomes clearer over time is this:

Jetts is not really a “gym business” in the traditional sense.

It is a recurring revenue model with operational leverage.

At its core:

• Membership income is predictable and repeatable

• Staffing is deliberately minimal

• Personal trainers operate flexibly (often rent-based or hybrid)

• Sites can be standardised and scaled

This creates something powerful:

👉 a business that is designed to scale without scaling complexity at the same rate

Why That Matters

In many industries, growth brings friction:

• more people

• more management

• more cost

• more inconsistency

But models like Jetts are built differently.

A typical site may operate with:

• one or two staff

• strong member retention

• consistent layout and systems

As additional sites are added, owners often transition from:

• operator → portfolio builder

At that point, the conversation shifts from:

• “running a gym”

to:

👉 building a multi-site, cash-generating asset base

The Bigger Picture

This is where it becomes interesting.

Because the principles behind Jetts are not unique to fitness.

They are the same principles that underpin:

• scalable technology businesses

• well-structured franchise models

• high-quality recurring revenue companies

And ultimately:

👉 assets that attract strong exit multiples

From Business to Assets

Over the years, I’ve been involved in:

• building and exiting technology companies

• investing in growth businesses

• working with different operational models across sectors

What Jetts represents — at its best — is a modern expression of those same fundamentals:

• clarity of model

• repeatability

• scalability

• and optionality

Today

The fitness sector continues to evolve, but the underlying opportunity remains:

• strong demand

• community-driven engagement

• predictable revenue streams

Combined with the right model, that creates:

👉 not just a business — but a platform for long-term value creation

Final Thought

Looking back at that first visit to Manchester Oxford Road, it’s clear that the real story was never just about the location.

It was about recognising a model that:

• simplifies where others complicate

• scales where others struggle

• and quietly builds value over time

And those are exactly the kinds of models worth paying attention to.

Chris Windley

UK Cyber Security Group was delighted to be invited to comment on the Ministry of Defence hack on GB News.

The interview was with Jacob Rees-Mogg – Conservative MP for North East Somerset.

I also noticed that Philip Ingram was interviewed by the Times Frontline on this and other matters.

By the time of my interview it had been announced that the victim of the attack was Shared Services Connected Limited ( SSCL ) who were ” the largest provider of critical services to the Government, MoD and Police. ”

SSCL was also found by us to hold the Cyber Essentials Plus Certification which a supplier of this nature should have.

Grant Shapps had made a statement that the attack was by a ” malign actor ” and it could not be ruled out that it was a ” state actor “.

There were indications in a number of news reports that it was likely to be China or a proxy for China.

Also there was a report that SSCL had been in trouble of this nature before – putting prison staff data at risk in 2019.

The matter had been reported to the Information Commissioners Office ( ico ) and there will be an investigation and a verdict. ( Grant Shapps ordered a ” specialist investigation ” ).

We have previously reported on and discussed the ico investigation of construction company Interserve which resulted in a £4.4 Million fine for failing to get the fundamental Cyber Security defences in place.

So the picture is not looking good for SSCL but again let’s focus on the attackers and not the victim.

As Philip Ingram says we are being attacked by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea continuously and we need to direct our attention to defending against them and also appropriate responses.

One of the reasons that UK Cyber Security Group works closely with a number of Ukrainian companies is that Ukraine is on the frontline of kinetic and simultaneous cyber attacks.

In regards to Interserve the ico said that they and all companies need to pay attention to:

• Cyber Essentials
• Training of staff
• Having an appropriate detection and remediation system
• Keeping software up to date with the latest releases and patches

Cyber Security is not just about Technical solutions, it is also about People ( Training ), the right Processes AND Leadership from senior management – ensuring the cyber awareness culture is embedded in the organisation.

We talk about Cyber Essentials, Insurance, Assurance ( People and Processes ) and increasingly, Cyber Compliance.

As we are on a war footing we must cyber secure each and every element in the supply chain.

This particularly means the 99% or so of UK Businesses that are SME’s but supply Government, MoD and Police and other business’s.

We are only as strong as the weakest link in the supply chain.

We therefore say, in summary:

• China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are attacking us and they are our enemies we must defend against them in every way including attacking them where necessary.
• We must get the fundamentals right as described above and as reiterated by GCHQ, NCSC and the ico.
• We must learn from Ukrainians – who are battling Russians every day and have the necessary battlefield Knowledge and experience.

Obsessed with Oleksandr Usyk’s outfit from the fight? Me too! Here is some background on a traditional Hetman of the Cossacks warrior outfit which holds both cultural and historical significance. ◦???????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????:

by Slavie @yarochenko on twitter

◦The Cossacks were a group of fiercely independent warriors who originated in Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine. ◦They played a crucial role in defending their lands against invaders, including Ottoman Turks, Tatars, and other hostile forces. ◦Usyk’s outfit pays homage to this warrior tradition, symbolizing his Ukrainian roots and pride in his heritage. ◦The Warrior Attire: ◦The Cossack outfit typically includes a long coat adorned with intricate details and contrasting trim. It’s often paired with gloves and patterned pants. ◦Usyk’s attire reflects this historical style, emphasizing strength, resilience, and fearlessness—the very qualities associated with Cossack warriors. ◦Proof of Lineage: ◦In an interview, Usyk explained that the earrings he wears are not merely a fashion statement. They represent his Cossack lineage. ◦He stated, “It’s Ukrainian warrior, Cossack. They were the people who defended my country from our enemies for many years. This is just the proof of my Cossack lineage.” ◦For Usyk, it’s not about aesthetics; it’s a connection to his ancestors who never lost to anyone in battle. ◦Origins and Emergence: ◦The story of the Cossacks begins in the 15th century. ◦They originated from the Slavic people and emerged along the Dnieper River in what is now Ukraine. ◦These early Cossacks were a mix of runaway serfs, adventurers, and others seeking freedom from the rigid structures of Eastern European societies. ◦Semi-Nomadic and Semi-Militarized Lifestyle: ◦While nominally under the suzerainty of various Eastern European states, they enjoyed a great degree of self-governance in exchange for military service. ◦Their way of life persisted through direct descendants and acquired ideals, shaping both Ukraine and parts of Russia. ◦Organizational Structure: ◦Cossack groups were organized along military lines, with large autonomous units called “hosts.” ◦Each host had a territory consisting of affiliated villages known as “stanitsas.” ◦They inhabited sparsely populated areas in river basins such as the Dnieper, Don, Terek, and Ural. ◦Enduring Influence: ◦Despite societal changes during the Russian Revolution, Cossack traditions persisted into the 20th century. ◦Many Cossacks migrated to other parts of Europe after the Soviet Union’s establishment, while others assimilated into the Communist state. ◦Cossack Woman is King -Leadership within the Family: ◦Historically, Cossack men often fought in wars far from home, leaving women to take on significant responsibilities. ◦When men were away, women stepped into leadership roles within the family, making crucial decisions and managing household affairs. ◦This unique arrangement allowed Cossack women to wield considerable influence and authority. ◦Defenders of Villages and Towns: ◦Women were not merely passive caretakers. They actively defended their villages and towns from enemy attacks. ◦When threats arose, Cossack women picked up arms, stood alongside their male counterparts, and protected their communities. ◦This contrasted sharply with many other societies where women were excluded from military and leadership roles. ◦Marriage Practices: ◦During earlier periods, Cossacks often married women from diverse backgrounds—Turkish, Persian, and Circassian—captured as spoils of war. ◦These marriages contributed to the rich cultural tapestry of Cossack society. ◦The Cossack way of life embraced this diversity, allowing for intermarriage and integration. In summary, Usyk’s choice to wear the #Cossack warrior outfit is a powerful statement—a fusion of history, pride, determination and #Ukrainian identity on the world

M&A Rainmaker and Google and Linkedin Top Digital Sales Expert, Chris Windley, is excited to be working with the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre and Business Resilience International Management to build a unique and powerful fusion of around 400 east Midlands businesses and organisations in the next year or so.

This aligns perfectly with Chris’s work with LuJam Cyber Security.

Both organisations work really closely with #GCHQ #NCSC and #IASME and both are determined to improve the business and cyber resilience of all businesses but in particular SMB and Micro businesses.

The Main Board and the Advisory Panel are being built at the moment  – see

https://www.emcrc.co.uk/post/expression-of-interest-invited-for-board-advisory-group-members-for-east-midlands-cyber-resilience

and the Main Board will comprise of senior members of the local #Police #Academia #BigBusiness and #Government.

There has probably never been such a meeting of these organisations in a Board other than in the existing Scottish, Manchester and North East Business and Cyber Resilience Boards and centres,

See here the latest #CyberSecurity advice from the Head if NCSC and above

MilliOnAir Global Magazine held it’s first Launch Party in the World in London at Alfie Best’s fabulously refurbished Vinyl Bar on Tuesday 31st January.

Chris Windley and Millie Cooper .. Editor and Investor/Strategist/cofounder – there from Day 1.

The event brought together the MilliOnAir Team ( Investor and Strategist Chris Windley, Business Partner and Investor Mariett Ramm and Millie Cooper ) , guest speakers and inspirational people and brands from all around the world many of whom have appeared in the magazine and some have graced the front cover.

Photo Credit to Gibson Blanc for many of the photos included here. Contact Him.

Photo above: Millie with USA Business Partner and Charlie’s Last Angel – Lori Mixson – who writes the Mixsonitup pages in MilliOnAir.

This Launch party celebrated the release of the February issue 09, sporting a new logo, with cover star Tony Schiena – featured in Lori’s Mixsonitup pages.

Beginning with photograph’s in front of the sponsor board there was a champagne reception and canapes.

On to the speakers and Olympian and former MilliOnAir cover star Jamie Baulch praised Millie and the MilliOnAir Team for what they had achieved over the past 8 issues. Jamie and I have become firm friends since we met online a few months back.

Photo above: Jamie Baulch and Mark Llewelyn – who brought Channel 4 TV stars from SAS Who Dares Wins. Harry Reid from Eastenders was also amongst the guests.

The next speaker was International Speaker, Mentor, Success Coach and Business Partner of and Investor in MilliOnAir Global, Mariett Ramm who was followed by TV Personality Claire Smith who interviewed Millie. Claire did an amazing job of finding out where Millie saw MilliOnAir going in the future and controlling the excited audience !!

Photo above: Claire Smith and Mariett Ramm

On stage also was Jenny Lee Holt, Co-founder of sponsor Spectrum Telecoms.

Above pic: Jenny and Millie

Celia Sawyer is an inspiration and support to many .. certainly she is to Millie and Kira !!!

After the speeches came some fabulous singing by Liss Jones, star of The Voice, X Factor, Big Breakfast and Stars in their Eyes.

Above pic: Liss Jones

Liss was followed by another The Voice star Hannah Wildes who gave a brilliant performance. ( 2nd left below )

Photo above: Hannah Wildes

Of course the Vinyl Bar’s owner Alfie Best was there with World Champion cage fighter Tony Giles. Many thanks to Alfie for the use of the bar.

Photo above: Alfie Best and Tony Giles.

STOP PRESS !!!!! Over 6 Million views of #MOAGlobal as at 5th February ..

Another headline sponsor was Assil Skaiky, Fashion Designer, with Stephen Smith TV Celebrity stylist and author.( Below )

We want to give thanks to Canada based Melanie Layer – one of our International sponsors !!!!

Also at the launch was Amy Christophers, sports broadcaster and journalist ( below

left )

Adrian Silas award winning event planner to A listers, Metin Salih Artist ( below )

More amazing guests ..

Giles Cooper ( above )

Lucy Hall ( above )

The next planned #MOALaunch is the LA Launch in September.

All donations and funds raised went to Mending Kids which is a charity that Millie has supported for many years and intends to support in the future.

Millie and I want to thank – very much – the sponsors of the MilliOnAir Launch event – you are all awesome !!!

Wyldecrest Parks ( Alfie Best )

Vinyl Bar ( Alfie Best )

Spectrum Telecommunications. ( Jenny and Simon Holt )

Richtopia ( Derin Cag )

Bid-in ( Jamie Baulch )

Sandy Bay London 

Assil Skaiky

Mary Kurek 

Mariett Ramm 

Neil Tucker 

Maiya Designs

Melanie Layer

Chris Hill 

Sally Chiwuzie

Charity we are fundraising for – Mending Kids

Find out HOW MilliOnAir grew so fast >>>> https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-made-millionair-take-off-so-fast-chris-windley?

Article by Chris Windley .. cofounder/investor/strategist .. there from Day 1.

In the last few days I have been talking to various people about magazine launches and in particular online magazine launches and why most of them flop but MilliOnAir Magazine went global really fast.

The second issue was the Lori Mixson cover story – a key issue.

( Not appearing above ).

It is worth thinking back to before MilliOnAir was launched ( June ). Then ( from January 2016 ) we had been focused on building the Millie Cooper brand and The Branding Initiative network ( the Global Co-operative Network as I call it ).

From January when I met Millie until now we have been building Millie’s personal brand globally together.

The analysts that I spoke to said that this was a key factor because often ( typically ) magazines are launched by people with no personal brand and no network.

Both Millie and I had pretty strong personal brands ( Millie after I helped her with it ) and I already had a huge, global network.

The first issues in particular drew heavily from my network and were promoted by a combination of my huge network, Millie’s network and The Branding Initiative network.

There was no cover star on the first issue.

Above pic: Early version with May on it – see below for later version with June on it – both issue 01.

Or at least no ” known ” cover star.

In fact – as I am reminded now – I was the nearest thing that issue had to a cover star !! Along with The Rolls Royce Dawn.

We worked on that first issue closely together – Millie creating the design and content and me proof reading until we were both happy with it. Of course it had all of The Branding Initiative co-founders in it , Kelly Ann and Melanie MJ Jones and other friends.

Issue 02 was the one featuring Lori Mixson who was a long standing member of my global network. Based in Texas Lori wanted to be promoted globally and I told her that MilliOnAir was one way to do that.

I was a ” digital ghost ” for her Linkedin and twitter accounts while she was recovering from illness and looking after her children and family. It was a delight to see her pleasure at being on the front cover and she must have bought about 14 hard copies to distribute to her family and friends.

The analysts that I spoke to said that this was a pivotal point. Although at the time it didn’t drive huge amounts of views and shares.

Issue 03, Celia Sawyer came from my connection Derin Cag. Celia being our first big TV star,

Issue 04 Ange Loughran – again from my network.

Issue 05 – ahhh my friend Jamie Baulch from South Wales. Olympian and all round fabulous guy.

Issue 06 – Niyc Pidgeon – a connection from Ange.

Issue 07 – Mariett Ramm – an introduction from Mary Kurek and our second ” Business Partner ” after Lori and our first external investor. Mariett also part financed the launch party along with me and other people that we got to contribute.

Issue 08 came from an event that Millie went to.

Issue 09 came from Lori.

Around the 2nd issue I could see that a global franchise could be established and the way to do this was for the ” Business Partner ” or ” Country Manager ” to start to build feature pages in the main magazine to start ie ” The Mixonitup pages ” and then move on to e.g. MilliOnAir USA magazine.

I also could see multiple ways of generating revenue which I highlighted in business plans and investment proposals that I wrote.

Mariett in particular understood exactly where I was headed,

The media analysts and I have decided to produce detailed case studies on MilliOnAir as quite clearly the foundations have been laid for substantial future growth.

so .. more soon …

Find Out About the London Launch Party with more than 10 MILLION VIEWS of #MOALaunch … https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/millionair-london-launch-31st-january-2017-chris-windley

I really had not thought about it much until a beauty blogger friend of mine put pictures on facebook of how her cosmetics had arrived recently.

This box arrived with this product wrapped up in all this packaging….

To replace this bottle that had been delivered earlier.

and I just thought … after carefully selecting the cosmetics product that you wanted from a catalogue or online you would actually be waiting in anticipation of that product arriving at your doorstep. We all know that logistics/delivery companies can be a nightmare and – aside from selecting the ones that you use carefully and monitoring the service that they provide – as a manufacturer or retailer/etailer you don’t have that much control of them.

There are things that you can control though e.g. the time you take to deliver products ( Motives ships in 24 hours typically and arrives within 2-3 days ) AND the quality of the packaging and what you put in the box’s to protect the product.

That’s when it hit me that I had been taking the deliveries, that regularly arrive home from Motives and Shop.com, a little too much for granted.

They all come in nice box’s like this ( I have already had this one open and the product out ) ….

which are padded with brown paper like this…..

and the products themselves are wrapped in bubble wrap …

and when you open them the actual product casings are very high quality and you get an itemised list of the products that you ordered together with a couple of brochures on other products from Shop.com that you might be interested in.

To achieve this actually takes a lot of planning and care and I think it really is a reflection of the planning and care that goes into everything that Motives and Shop.com do.

Of course there is a lot of experience behind this with Motives’ parent company Market America having shipped product like this in America and globally for 20 years.

For more information about Motives and Shop.com connect on twitter @cwindley , skype me on chris.windley or call me on +447881 500002

Building business value is one way, building recurring income streams another. Using digital sales and marketing to automate income is also key

School 

When are we first taught that to get money we have to put time in ?? Maybe in school where they give you maths questions like ” If Joe got paid £4 per hour for 10 Hours work and Jane got paid £3 per hour for 12 Hours work how much did they get in total”.

Early Work

Maybe it was when I worked at the Spar supermarket for whatever it was per hour and I knew that the more hours I worked the more I got paid.

Later Work

That equation got a bit altered when I joined the Navy – we never really thought much about how much we got paid and we also didn’t think much about how many hours we put in. We just did what had to be done and we got paid what we got paid. In the end one of the reasons why I left the Navy was because  I realised that although I was always going to be ok – actually, well off – as a middle to high ranking officer I was never going to be a millionaire !!

After the Navy I went into High Tech. sales. Salespeople don’t get paid by the hour – aside of a basic salary they get paid on results. Obviously you have to put time in to meet your targets and get your commissions but there are the beginnings of a disconnect between time and money.

Of course we all also become aware that you can get paid more money for time depending on what you do – doctors earn more than supermarket workers and military people. People that work in the City get paid telephone number salaries that are largely related to the profits that their firms make. Of course doctors and City types work long hours and it is very demanding work.

Your Own Business

We started LanSwitch ( a computer networking company )   in the early 90′s with £2000 ( £6000 total )  on each of our credit cards and we sold it for £65 Million !!! We only paid ourselves a modest salary for the 7 years that we had LanSwitch ( became Voyager Networks and Internet ) but if you divide £65 Million by 7 I guess that is a pretty good annual/monthly/weekly/daily salary !!

It was probably after the sale of Voyager ( to Ronald S. Lauder Communications ) that the concept of the P.I.G. ( Passive Income Generator ) became clearer to me and it became so from the voice side of the telecommunications business.

Part of Voyager’s value was it’s pretty secure, recurring income stream. ( From e.g. Maintenance, Line and call revenue ). However when we started attending the Board Meetings of RSL Communications we learnt about the income that their voice resellers were earning from fixed line and mobile rental and calls. The way this works is that once you sign up a customer as a reseller of a telecommunications companies services ( eg BT or some other Telco ) then you get a small but recurring revenue as commission from those customers for as long as you keep them as customers. As a reseller you don’t have to go and build a telecommunications infrastructure – the Telco already did that. So you don’t have a massive capital outlay but you get an income which, aside from your time and effort involved in getting the sale, is all profit.

Let me just go back to the £6000 becoming £65 Million. This is, in some ways,  fairly common. Early investors in e.g. Google, Apple, Cisco, Facebook and Twitter all ” leveraged ” their investment so that e.g. a $10,000 investment became worth a $Million or even more. To achieve it you must have ” risked ” some money by investing in a company whose value might grow from nothing to something considerable. Everyone who starts their own business probably hopes that one day it might be worth a lot of money. Of course not everyone succeeds in this.

Certainly there was a lot of time that went into this – along with skill, knowledge and innovation. However the value created is not directly related to time. Although over the years I have found that typically it takes around 7 years from starting something to it becoming valuable and I have tested this with other investors and looked at a variety of companies to check its validity.

The telecommunications resellers also put a lot of time ( effort, skill etc etc ) into getting their customers as well. However once they got them they could go lie on a beach, sleep, race cars or whatever and the money kept rolling in.

Many of these resellers have ” sold their book ” to other, usually larger, resellers and Telco’s but you can bet that they never forgot about the PIG’s that they built and which they finally sold for some number times the revenue or profit that they made.

Of course these PIG’s were pre-Internet to some extent. ( Actually the same basic model still exists today and I have friends and business colleagues that still operate it ). I suppose I mean that the money comes in in a traditional way – you send out a bill and it get’s paid. It is not money from an ” Internet ” business although it may be money from the ( telecommunications ) infrastructure of many businesses.

Let us think about other PIG’s …… People write songs and the royalties from those songs come in forever no matter what. Authors write books and the royalties from those also come in forever. ( Think Harry Potter !! ). People invent things and the licence fees last forever. How did the richest people in the world make their money ?? There’s an overview HERE . Typically they built High Tech. businesses; they invested in property; they provided products or services to millions of people.

Even small amounts of money from millions of people are millions of dollars, pounds or whatever.

Some Internet Marketing companies and specialists ( sometimes called Online Marketing or Digital Marketing ) know how to get many people to purchase products and/or information online.  Companies like the Six Figure Mentors ( also called the Digital Experts Academy and PRO U in the USA ) automate the process of acquisition of products from being found or discovered on the Internet to placing an order with eg a credit card. They know that the best formula is to get small amounts of money from lots of people ( say $20 for an entry fee ), slightly larger amounts from fewer people ( eg a monthly $100 membership fee ) and then larger amounts from a few ( eg $2-20,000 for Internet Marketing Training ).

Other companies like Market America / Market United Kingdom combine income from online portals – with huge arrays of products at different prices ( e.g. Motives and Shop.com online shops ) – with multiple membership and training fees. This combines automated  online purchasing with physical recurring income from many people.