Oakville Businessman Makes Working Out Work

Kevin McCauley is a man who has all the necessary ingredients of a successful business owner. He has solid financial sense and a passion to help people. And like many entrepreneurs, McCauley was just looking for a way to control his own destiny.

“I was a partner in a national CPA firm and I just kind of got tired,” McCauley said. “(I wanted) to do something else and earn money and have fun at the same time.”

For McCauley, fun meant being physically active. As student at , McCauley was a multi-sport athlete. Before graduating in 1980, he wrestled and played football.

“It was part of my training for sports,” he said. “I like to be fit. It just makes me feel good to be in shape. The endorphins start going and it’s kind of a charge. For some people, it’s a chore. For me, it’s a love.”

In a quest for a life more fulfilling, McCauley drew on the passion he knew best – physical fitness. He approached his long-time friend, accounting client and fellow fitness buff, Paul Tinkham, with the idea of opening a health club.

He and Tinkham were in high school together. Tinkham graduated in 1983 and he too, was an athlete. Their friendship continued after high school and grew into a business relationship when McCauley was working as a CPA.

“Both of us were fitness enthusiasts. We worked out together. We used to belong to gyms together. And we had friends in the industry who sold equipment,” McCauley said. “We just knew a lot about the industry.”

That was in the mid-90s. After a two-year process of finding the right location and learning as much as they could about the business side of fitness, was formed.

They opened in December of 1998 and are still located at 5571 Oakville Shopping Center.

As with most new businesses, there were some challenges. Learning how to leverage the income obtained from memberships against the docket of fixed costs was among them.

“You’re not selling a product. So you have to get revenue, and it takes quite a while to grow your membership base,” McCauley said. “But once you meet those fixed costs (rent, utilities, payroll), everything else is kind of gravy.”

McCauley’s gravy took about three years to make. He and Tinkham eventually “lowered the barriers” for people to join and went to a month-to-month plan.

In that time, they also learned about the art of the employee. Through trial and error, they have found people who help create the clean, friendly and fun atmosphere they are looking for.

“When you have a club like this, people spend most of their time at work, at home and here. So you’ve got to be friendly. If you don’t want to talk to people, this is not the right place,” McCauley said.

Tribulations aside, he contends that each person defines their own success and he revels in being a part of that.

“Seeing members change their lives, transform their bodies, getting self-confidence – it feels good,” he said.

Despite their current success, there is no plan to expand The Workout Company. McCauley said there is too much supply right now.

“We feel like we’ve fit our niche. It’s too much to go out and risk the capital,” he said. “You’ve got to use your head and your heart at the same time. It’s got to be a balance.”

McCauley and Tinkham have found the perfect blend of passion and finance. And in the end, McCauley got just what he was looking for.

“It’s fun to come to work every day,” he said.