Your PT’s Aaron McCulloch & James Lorey complete MBO

Your Personal Training (Your PT) has completed a management buy-out (MBO) led by directors Aaron McCulloch and James Lorey. The pair have now become the sole owners and operators of Your Management Solutions Limited – the parent company of the personal training brand

WellNation spoke to McCulloch and Lorey about the business and its future

Tell us about Your Personal Training Aaron McCulloch: Your PT is the UK’s leading personal training brand, delivering a world class personal training service across over 400 gyms, driving success through training, education and excellence in the sector. We deliver end-to-end management of the entire PT process for operators, including recruitment, onboarding, education, qualifications, upskilling and sales and marketing support. We are genuinely passionate about making PT a valued career, we’re the only brand out there ensuring we lead the sector in terms of welfare and progression, recognising there’s so much more that can be improved in the industry; we are completely dedicated to improving the quality and longevity of the PT offering in the UK and beyond.

How did the two of you become involved with the company? James Lorey: Aaron and I were initially involved in Your PT as personal trainers back in 2009, we then worked in a consultancy capacity recruiting and mentoring PTs. Authenticity is a big priority for us as a company – all of our PT mentors have already been highly successful PTs themselves. In 2020, Aaron and I became directors and shareholders of Your Management Solutions Limited [YMSL] and bought the brand in a bid to support personal trainers to navigate a post COVID-19 pandemic environment. We felt compelled not to let down the colleagues we had supported for so many years and believed that PTs had a vital part to play in our sector’s recovery post-COVID. Since we joined, the business has enjoyed a dramatic surge in growth, with PT bookings and enquiries increasing by 300% since 2019, along with a revenue increase from £170,951.42 in 2021 to £2.074 million in 2023.

What motivated YPT to pursue a management buyout? AM: Your PT was already well-regarded, but we see untapped potential that could only be realised through ownership. We have this vision of what the company could become – one that requires more control over strategic decisions. We are confident that by taking 100% control, we can drive more innovation, expand our services, and ultimately take Your PT to new heights. We are now able to execute on a 10-year strategic plan we have been developing to make sure that Your PT is not just keeping up with the industry but continues to lead it.

What sort of involvement have investors had in this process? AM: Our investors played a crucial role in the first 2.5 years of our involvement with YPT. They provided not just financial backing but also expertise and mentorship, the original agreement projected that they would recoup their investment in five years, but due to our rapid growth, we achieved that in less than 2.5 years.

JL: Just over a year later, we’re in a position to complete a full buyback, making us the sole owners and operators of YMSL.

Now the MBO is complete, what changes can we expect to see? JL: We now have even more freedom to drive the company forward, allowing us to launch new ventures like Your Academy, Your Recruitment, and Your Wellbeing and even expand internationally. The focus back in 2020 was to own the personal training space and we will continue to do just that, only bigger and better. We have a clear long- term vision, focusing on strengthening and expanding our services, investing in new innovations and emerging tech and continuing to solidify our position as the market leader.

Tell us more about the rebranding to Your Management Solutions Group (YMSG) AM: The rebranding to YMSG reflects how much we’ve diversified since 2020. We’re no longer just a personal training company. We’ve established Your Academy to create a continuous pipeline of industry-ready personal trainers and expanded into international recruitment and master trainer support services.

JL: We’re also opening a new head office in Swansea this September, which will allow us to expand our workforce and bring in more specialised roles like PT admin support and digital marketing.

Before we took over, the company didn’t have a formal set of values. We’ve made it a priority to create a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. This has been especially important as we’ve shaped the business to be more inclusive, bringing more women into leadership roles and creating opportunities for growth across all levels of the organisation.

What does the future hold for YMSG? AM: We’re focusing on further investment in emerging technology and talent. We aim to expand our services across 1,000 clubs in the UK and continue growing our academy to provide gold-standard education and training globally. We are now focused on supporting more customers by providing master trainers, on-site services and high-calibre training days with top-quality personal trainers.

JL: We’re also exploring new ventures and acquisitions that will allow us to diversify our business. The future is full of opportunity. We’re committed to pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the fitness industry.