Franchise of the Day: This Franchise Knows It's Not Just About The Workout

Workouts aren’t the only thing you’ve got to keep in mind to get that bod looking fresh and nutritional supplement franchise GNC knows that.

GNC, originally called Lackzoom, the health-food store was founded in 1935 by David Shakarian, with its first shop in Pittsburgh. Though he only earned $35 on the first day, the business began to expand to six other stores in the area. It began franchising in 1988.

As the trend for natural food and health became more prominent, Shakarian opened even more stores and decided to change the franchise name to General Nutrition Centers, or GNC.

Now, with more than 1,000 locations in the U.S. and with its own products and supplements, GNC is currently ranked as No. 15 on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list.