Small Business Success Story - Scorpion Fitness
Each year the New York Small Business Development Center recognizes outstanding small businesses in a variety of ways. This Success Story from the Midtown Manhattan SBDC appears in our 2015 Annual Report.
John Shams is a strength-and-conditioning coach and personal trainer. He has worked with New York's elite and is on the list of Gotham's annual 100 most successful bachelors list. In other words, John's expertise in the fitness arena has been well documented and he is not new to the fitness game. With the fast growing trend of boutique gyms in New York, which includes the likes of Soul Cycle and Barry's Bootcamp
John saw there was an opportunity to provide a service that was not being offered by most boutiques. He found that the most successful boutiques offered a great experience but there was minimal focus on what really matters - results. With a wealth of expertise unmatched by most of his potential competitors, John became focused on establishing a dual studio boutique that would offer an unparalleled experience through music and lighting, with amenities that rivaled the most luxurious health clubs, and workouts based on tested sports science and research.In the spring of 2014, John visited the Baruch SBDC with a concept and a name - Scorpion Fitness. Scorpion Fitness would help its clients develop lean, fit, aesthetically balanced physiques by optimizing the 5 principle domains of fitness: strength, power, speed, core strength, and endurance. With the help of Business Advisor Jesse Karasin, John fine-tuned the details of his business plan and secured a loan from NYBDC for $475,000. Jesse and John went to work to identify a premier location near New York’s Madison Square Park. The SBDC and NYBDC provided all the support John needed to get through the lending and negotiating processes.
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