Carlos De La Cruz Jr. is a retired veteran whose dream was to open a 9Round Fitness franchise. From the military, he knew the benefits of having structure in his life, so being a 9Round trainer fits him well. He and wife Annette decided to buy a 9Round fitness franchise in San Antonio since they found the other seven 9Round fitness franchises there had been successful. The fitness center offers a full body workout with an emphasis on kickboxing and personal trainer guidance. Members get their workout at their leisure and complete the circuit in 30 minutes. They are the 8th franchise in San Antonio and are located in the northeast side of the city. Carlos and Annette shadowed an existing 9Round Fitness franchise for a few months so they would get an idea of how it runs. They needed assistance in researching and finding an ideal location for the gym. They engaged with FranNet prior to getting in contact with the SBDC, so they were aware of the franchise opportunity. They had a preliminary business plan that was provided by the franchisor, but they needed help in getting it into a format that would be acceptable to a bank. They met UTSA SBDC Senior Business Advisor Lisha Garcia at a franchising business class. At that time, they were seeking a loan through their bank, and they had also already attended several small business workshops at the UTSA SBDC. Lisha assisted with initial market and territory analysis, and developing a business plan and projections.
Also, with the assistance of SBDCNet (SBDC National Information Clearinghouse), Carlos was able to research and locate his franchise in an ideal territory. The SBDC further assisted with a business plan and projections to secure a 7a SBA loan. The SBDC helped them start the business in 2018. Carlos is at the business full time. Annette is a full time nurse and works in the operations side of the business. The business began with four employees and has now grown, in just over a year, to nine employees. Carlos has employed a successful marketing strategy to meet his area needs with targeted marketing in his territory. His sales grew significantly in 2018, and in 2019 they are projected to double his 2018 results. The SBDC continues to work with Carlos on his goals for 2020, including purchasing more equipment to continue to expand his business offerings.
