From CrossFit Storage Room to Six Clinics: The Bootstrapped Playbook

Five years ago, we kicked this thing off in the most glamorous spot possible: the back of a CrossFit gym. And by "glamorous," I mean a space where gym equipment went to die. It was a storage room, not a spa. And to make things even more polished, I was rolling up to in-home visits in a 2005 Ford Ranger with manual roll-up windows. Yeah, those still existed.

The reason I’m telling you this? You don’t need to be fancy to get started.

A lot of people think they need to launch with some fancy office: floor-to-ceiling windows, herringbone floors, and lighting that makes Instagram influencers jealous. That mindset? It’s why most people don’t make it.

We had one simple goal when we started HIDEF: grow without taking on debt. That meant paying ourselves less (sometimes literally zero) and reinvesting everything into the business. Fast forward five years—we’ve doubled every year, sometimes 3-4x. It gets harder to keep those numbers up as you grow, but that’s just proof that if you focus on building something great and make sure people know about it, you’ll win.

Neither Mitch nor I were born with special business abilities. Mitch? He got a business degree in supply chain management, and he’ll be the first to tell you it didn’t help him one bit here.

So, what’s actually worked over the last five years? Here are the top 3 things I’ve learned:

1. Relationships > Referrals. You’re not hunting for referral sources—you’re building relationships. Your network is everything. You want people to think of you first, not because of some formal agreement, but because they know you. Your network is your net worth.

2. Do More With Less. Don’t throw money at every problem. I joke that "there’s nothing more money and a positive attitude can’t fix," but let’s be real—sometimes all you have to give is the positive attitude. So, stretch what you’ve got and get creative.

3. Be Effective, Not Just Busy. In the early days, I filled my schedule with endless tasks. I obsessed over every stat, checked the same numbers hundreds of times a day. Sure, measuring is important, but it can become an unhealthy time suck. Focus on the things that move the needle. That said, I still think brute force and sheer will can get you through the first three years. Just make sure you don’t burn yourself out.

That’s how we went from a storage closet to six locations. If we can do it from the back of a Ford Ranger, you can too.

-Zach

P.S. We just recorded a podcast on this. Check it out here