Founded in 2004 by Jorden Gold, Stretch Zone is a brand that was built with heart. Revolutionizing how we all approach stretching, the brand is on a mission to improve the quality of life for communities by utilizing their proprietary tables and patented strapping system to assist in achieving long term results.

With more than 380 locations open throughout 41 states, this brand has seen incredible growth since its start and has no plans for slowing their momentum, receiving national recognition for their growth in the 2024 Inc. 5000 and Entrepreneur’s 2024 Fastest Growing Franchises. Stretch Zone is looking for experienced franchisees that are passionate about the health and wellness industry and are committed to making a positive impact in the communities they serve.

With a 25-year career spanning major franchises, Jordan Levine serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Stretch Zone and brings unparalleled expertise in operations and franchising to the brand. From early involvement at Cold Stone Creamery to leadership roles at Massage Envy, Amazing Lash Studio, and most recently, Sola Salons, Levine has been instrumental in growing brands and driving profitability.

Franchise Chatter (FC): Stretch Zone has seen impressive growth. What factors have contributed most to its rapid expansion?

Jordan Levine (JL): Stretch Zone’s growth has been fueled mostly by two main factors.

First, the industry is growing as awareness for the need of our categories grows. Whether sedentary or active lifestyles – everyone needs to stretch. At Stretch Zone our first visit is always free! That drives the general population to initially try our services and from there, the product sells itself. Between signing up new members every day and the word of mouth of our members, the sky is the limit.

Secondly, our franchisees continue to grow from within the brand. Franchisees see the opportunity in front of them to continue to grow their own portfolios. A multi-unit franchisee sees incremental savings and efficiency with the growth of existing units.

FC: What markets are you targeting for expansion in 2025, and why?

JL: At Stretch Zone, with almost 400 units opened, we’re in this sweet spot as a brand. We’re large enough to have brand recognition, but small enough that we still have great white space opportunities for a new franchisee. So, it’s less about targeting a specific market and more about being able to provide great markets for new and existing franchisees to enter.

This is a special and unique time in our brand’s history where we strike the delicate balance of opportunity with our size. We benefit from size and scope – greater brand recognition, more marketing dollars, robust corporate support team, etc. While also having incredible markets available.

FC: How does Stretch Zone support new franchisees to ensure their success in new markets?

JL: I believe Stretch Zone provides a world-class store opening experience for all franchisees entering the brand. This starts on day one. Upon signing a new franchise agreement, each franchisee is assigned a Store Opening Specialist. This team of individuals is highly trained on all aspects of store openings – from helping the franchisee navigate the tricky waters of finding a site, to the world of construction and buildout, to grand opening marketing and staffing. The Store Opening Team is our secret sauce for white glove treatment of store openings for our franchisees.

From there, franchisees attend in-person classes in our Fort Lauderdale training center where a team of professionals trains on a wide array of topics – from how to market the business, to being able to impact a Stretch Zone P&L (profit & loss), to creating leading culture and retaining the best employees.

Finally, we deploy a Master Practitioner to each store upon opening to ensure each Practitioner and Sales Associate is set up to deliver the highest of quality experience in both the actual stretch and hospitality for our members.

FC: What challenges have you encountered in scaling the brand, and how have you overcome them?

JL: If there’s one constant in business, it’s overcoming the challenges of the day. And there’s never a shortage of challenges. The key is always to approach each challenge with a solution-oriented mindset. I challenge our teams daily to be open minded. The way it’s always been is not the way it always has to be! If we keep that in mind, the sky is the limit. All too often, folks approach challenges with a closed-minded, myopic perspective — that’s the kiss of death for any brand.

The biggest challenge we face as a brand is the same challenge all great brands face – how do we continue to build great teams and great culture? Nothing is more important than this. If we have great people that love their craft, our membership will continue to grow — it’s that simple. This has been where we have really invested a great deal of time and energy over the past year.

One example of this has been rolling out a new online-based learning platform which we have affectionately named Stretch Zone University. Stretch Zone University combines the best of adult learning and gamification – doubling down on the “why” in all of our training. I believe when you teach the “why,” the “what” happens naturally.

FC: What kind of training and ongoing support do franchisees receive?

JL: This past year, we rolled out two important initiatives to better support our franchisees.

The first is the creation of a new team within the organization – the FBC Team. Our Franchise Business Coaches are exactly that – coaches. The folks on this team help support a wide range of the business – essentially becoming a one-stop shop for our franchisees. But most importantly, this team really is meant to help a franchisee grow their top line revenues and dive into the P&L’s to drive bottom line savings.

The second thing we rolled out this year is a new business training class for our Regional Managers. Our RM’s are a critical part of this business. It’s important that they know how to be successful in managing their portfolios. In many ways, a RM is more akin to a franchisee than anyone else in our business – so they need to be trained as such. This new two-day training program is meant to help them learn all aspects of the business – from hiring and onboarding the best talent, and creating world class culture, to understanding the KPIs and drivers of the metrics, to being able to read and more importantly, positively affect the P&L, and to being able to create a marketing plan … this training is meant to cover everything.

We are very proud of the strides we’ve made in this past year to continue to improve franchisee support and store performance.

FC: Assisted stretching has gained popularity. How does Stretch Zone differentiate itself from competitors?

JL: Stretch Zone is truly different. My perspective on the difference between Stretch Zone and the competitors comes from my unique personal experience. Before I ever heard of Stretch Zone, I was a member of another stretch brand. First thing I will say, all stretching is good. But it wasn’t until I started at Stretch Zone and I went through the training that I really got it.

Stretch Zone is protocol-based. That means that every member, every day, gets the same quality, effectiveness, and safety from our stretches. That doesn’t happen by accident. Our protocol is our differentiator. The very fact that we are protocol-based enables us to train with purpose against our protocols – enabling all new hires to learn our techniques quickly and with a very high level of quality.

Finally, our patented strapping system allows our highly trained practitioners to be even more effective while delivering a stretch. This is a true difference maker. The straps stabilize the body on the table – which allows the practitioner to focus on giving a deeper stretch. In real talk, that means the straps do the work of an extra set of hands — where you can really feel the difference.

FC: What trends do you see shaping the wellness and fitness industry in 2025, and how is Stretch Zone adapting?

JL: There will always be trends and there will always be new entrants into the market. So, how do we stay ahead of the curve? We can’t forget what got us here … the highest of quality stretch treatment and unmatched hospitality. If we get those two things right, we will continue to lead.

All too often companies are guilty of “bright shiny object syndrome” where they are constantly chasing their tail on the next big thing. We are fortunate that stretching has been around for a long time and will continue to be a basic human need. We just have to continue to offer those two big things: the best stretch and unwavering hospitality!

FC: How do you see the role of technology evolving in the wellness franchise sector, and is Stretch Zone implementing any innovations?

JL: Technology is an important part of innovating the business. Technology is important in helping us develop a better experience around the service. From communicating with members and guests to providing a seamless experience throughout, technology can and will continue to be our best friend.

We are in the process of rolling out a new app over the coming months. We just recently rolled out Systemwide Access to our members – which couldn’t have been done without a technology investment. We are proud of the most recent innovations and must continue to look ahead for what is going to come next.