#37: Kate and Brandon Couden: The Real Business Behind a Great Gym

Kate and Brandon Couden are the husband-and-wife team behind CrossFit Grandview in Columbus, Ohio. Brandon started the gym in 2009 after taking over the old Rogue Fitness gym with almost no resources, a small private loan, and only 14 members. Kate brought 13 years of experience at Lifetime Fitness, where she built a foundation in personal training, nutrition, and understanding what strong fitness culture can look like.In this conversation, we talk about building a gym from the ground up, growing from survival mode into a real business, and creating a community that can evolve with people through different seasons of life. We also get into the economics of gym ownership, payroll and equipment costs, buying a building, working together as a couple, making decisions when you disagree, and avoiding burnout in a people-based business. Subscribe for more conversations like this.Join the newsletter: https://substack.com/@steveseger Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@Steve_Seger2 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pieces-of-impact/id1851467002 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2IGYfTSYNvsD96UjUqqCJt?si=f5abdaf2294c4a35 Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/steveseger CrossFit Grandview: https://crossfitgrandview.com/ CrossFit Grandview Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossfitgrandview/00:00 Building Something That Compounds 02:08 Kate’s Path From Lifetime Fitness to CrossFit Grandview 03:17 Brandon’s Path 05:58 Starting With Almost Nothing and 14 Members 08:38 Early Traction and Getting People Into It 09:55 Moving to Grandview and Building a Bigger Vision 11:48 Nutrition, Childcare, and Keeping Members in the Community 13:41 Barbell, Power Hour, HYROX, and Training for Longevity 18:00 Day-to-Day Ownership and Avoiding Burnout 23:08 Working Together as a Couple 28:34 The Economics of Running a Gym That Lasts 36:23 What They Would Do Differently