About this episode
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.
Chapters
- 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