06/01/2026
Long post, but a post that shows you what has made us and what we have become.
🎉 11 YEARS 🎉
Today marks 11 years since we opened our doors, but the truth is this dream started more than 12 years ago.
It began with a simple vision: create a place where people could truly become healthier. Not just physically, but through total wellness—inside and out. A place that educated generations on what health really means. A place where people wouldn't have to sacrifice their quality of life to achieve it.
When we started this journey, we bet everything on that vision. We took on a million-dollar-plus buildout to give our community the best chance possible to succeed.
And right around the time I had essentially signed away the next 30 years of my life to make this dream happen, Ashley told me she was pregnant with little Miss Bailey.
My first reaction wasn't excitement about the business.
It was panic.
I remember telling Ashley that I was going to call the bank and tell them the deal was off. That I'd go find a steady 9-to-5 job. Something safe. Something predictable. Something that would provide for our growing family without all the risk, uncertainty, and sleepless nights.
But Ashley wouldn't let me.
She looked at me and said, "This has been your dream. I'm not going to let you give up on your dream."
At a time when I was questioning everything, she wasn't.
When I was scared, she was strong.
When I was ready to walk away, she reminded me why we started.
Looking back now, there is no Year 11 without that conversation.
There is no gym, no community, no thousands of lives impacted, and no anniversary post being written today without Ashley believing in this dream when I was struggling to believe in it myself.
Looking back, it's hard to explain the amount of time, energy, stress, sacrifice, and uncertainty it has taken to sustain and grow this business over the last 11 years.
Statistics show that roughly 20% of small businesses fail within their first year, nearly 50% don't make it past five years, and many gyms never make it to their 10th anniversary. Yet here we are, celebrating Year 11.
What many people don't know is what those early days really looked like.
Before we ever opened the doors, Ashley and I traveled through more than 8 states visiting over 20 gyms. We studied layouts, equipment, systems, protocols, member experiences, and operations. We wanted to learn from the best and bring those lessons back to our community.
At one point, we even managed to get our entire Lifetime Fitness corporate membership frozen because they thought we were trying to impersonate an employee at corporate headquarters. Looking back now, it's funny. At the time, not so much.
I worked all day out of my tiny studio below Happy Joe's and then spent most nights at the gym working on the building. Family, friends, and even some high school students showed up to help insulate walls, build rooms, and tackle whatever project needed to be done. The payment plan wasn't exactly glamorous, but there was always free food for anyone willing to show up and work.
I still remember loading over 2,000 pounds of tile into my truck because I thought I was saving money on shipping. Only to find out afterward that an order that size qualified for free shipping anyway.
We had 14 family members and friends helping us roll out and glue down over 50 yards of turf. We went through what felt like 100 utility knife blades cutting rubber flooring until our thumbs hurt. My cousins helped sketch security camera layouts on paper plates—paper plates that I still have to this day.
For the first month, we practically lived upstairs at the gym so we could work every hour possible. Sorry, Adam Hampton... no overnight residents allowed. 😂 Thankfully that was 11 years ago.
During our first week of pre-registration, I sat at the front desk throughout the night activating key fobs while Ashley slept upstairs trying to get a few hours of rest.
I also remember sitting down with our general contractor around Day 30 of the build. Costs were already climbing past budget, and there I was—a 25-year-old kid absolutely freaking out about how any of this was going to come together.
There were nights when I didn't know if we'd make it.
There were moments that were hard, scary, emotional, frustrating, and honestly overwhelming.
I still remember sitting in my parents' basement about six months into this journey telling my dad that I'd sell the entire thing for fifty cents on the dollar just to be done with the headaches, stress, and problems. At that moment, I truly didn't think it was worth it.
It would be easy today to say that I always knew we'd make it. That I never worried. That I had complete confidence every step of the way.
But that wouldn't be true.
The reality is there were plenty of nights where I wasn't sure how things were going to work out. There were times during that first year when Ashley and I drained every account we had just to make sure the doors stayed open another month. We weren't thinking about profits or growth. We were thinking about survival.
If something doesn't scare you, you're probably not taking a big enough risk.
This scared us.
It scared us when construction costs went over budget.
It scared us when bills kept coming in.
It scared us when membership numbers weren't growing as fast as we'd hoped.
It scared us when we sacrificed time with family and wondered if it would all be worth it.
But we took that risk anyway.
And honestly, we still do.
Every year brings new challenges, new decisions, new investments, and new opportunities to bet on ourselves and our vision. The risks may look different today than they did 11 years ago, but they're still there.
Then there was our first year. Ashley was finishing her master's program, and I pretty much lived at the gym.
We were living in a 400-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment. Baby Bailey got the bedroom, and because I was getting up every day at 4:00 AM, Ashley and I slept in the living room.
There are countless stories from those days. Like David Chadd discovering just how many websites our treadmills could access when we first got them installed. Some lessons were definitely learned the hard way. 😂
Over the years, we've made a lot of decisions. Some turned out to be great investments. Others were complete flops. That's business. You live, you learn, you adapt, and you keep moving forward.
Unfortunately, building something that lasts also comes with sacrifices. We've missed family dinners, holidays, school events, vacations, birthdays, and moments we'll never get back. There have been countless long days, sleepless nights, stressful decisions, and difficult conversations—all made with one goal in mind: making sure this business would still be here for our members, our employees, and our community.
When I look around today, I don't just see walls, equipment, turf, and training spaces.
I see thousands of stories.
I see friendships formed.
I see confidence built.
I see goals achieved.
I see lives changed.
I see healthier families creating healthier futures.
That makes every sleepless night, every setback, every sacrifice, and every scary moment worth it.
But none of this would have been possible without the incredible people who believed in us.
To our family who supported us when the dream seemed crazy.
To our friends who showed up with tools, insulation, work boots, and an appetite.
To our employees, past and present, who have helped build this culture every day.
And most importantly, to our clients and members who trusted us with your health, your goals, and your families—THANK YOU.
You are the reason we've made it this far.
Eleven years later, we're incredibly proud of what we've built together. We've impacted thousands of lives, helped families create healthier futures, and built something that means so much more than a gym.
But if you know me, you know we're far from finished.
There's always another idea.
There's always another challenge.
There's always another level.
And there's always an ace up my sleeve.
Here's to Year 11 and everything that's still to come.
Thank you for being part of this journey. ❤️
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