WRITTEN BY: AMI KOCHENDORFER

A Franchising Road to Finn & Gray

As we are #figuringitout and forge down the path of owning a creative agency, it's important for us to remember our franchising roots and reflect on what paved the way, ultimately getting us here today.

Seven year itch? Nah.
For seven years we worked alongside each other — first as strangers, then designers, co-workers, and quickly friends. Anytime Fitness was our home away from home in so many ways (mine for 7 years and Amanda’s for nearly 10!). We each grew up there.. said goodbye to our 20s, got married, had babies, and ultimately built a solid foundation for our future as Finn & Gray. 

Grit & Grace

At Anytime Fitness, we had the unique opportunity to be super scrappy and wear many hats while learning all the nuances of a franchise system as we launched and dove deeper into our careers. It was also a place co-workers were like family and work was so damn fun. And you better believe we are continuing with that mindset at Finn & Gray!
 
Anytime Fitness grew quickly, first acquired Waxing the City and a few years later, Basecamp Fitness, all positioned under the Self Esteem Brands umbrella. We grew with it, eager to use our scrappy work ethic and skills for brands we admired and valued. Did I mention we also learned the importance of killer brows and how to get them (thanks Waxing the City)! 
 

We worked alongside many other talented individuals, collaborating with the entire marketing team to bring branded campaigns and visions to life. For a portion of our tenure, we were the only two designers in house, developing all creative expression for the brands through design and photography.


Creative Collateral

Social content creation
Full brand campaigns
Annual conference theme design
Print ads
Billboards + car wraps
Studio signage
Packaging design
Brand photography
Product photography
Headshot photography
Stand-in modeling:)

design sampling mockups

7,194 projects in seven years.* 

In addition to our every day design task list, we assisted in creative strategy for all brands, franchise development campaigns as well as brand photo + video shoot production. Oh, and there was that one time we assembled and installed industrial shelving in a storage room on a Friday night. 
 
It’s been a wild ride, on a windy road through low valleys and high peaks, all which lead to this new place we envisioned many years ago. In the wise words of [one of] our former fearless leaders, Chuck Runyon — earned, not given. 
 
*Estimate based on rough data & White Claws.
four ladies on purple background
group of people jumping in air
group photo on white backdrop holding workout equipment
three fitness people in gym
selfie of 3 people in storage room
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group of people posing in corporate office