The Owner Seat (formerly The Valisights Podcast) is where fitness & wellness owners step out of the whirlwind and into the numbers. Host Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands, sits down with studio owners, franchisors, and finance leaders to break down cash flow, unit economics, and the messy middle of growth.
Book a call with Albert Ramos: https://calendly.com/albertramosjr-strategointel/30min
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#34: The Yard LIVE Case Study: Should You Open Location #3? Learn From Joseph Cicero First
Season 2 · Episode 34
Friday, December 26, 2025 • Duration 01:11:19
Today on The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Joseph Cicero to talk about what it really takes to scale a brick-and-mortar fitness brand without the façade — just utilization, discipline, and the emotional grind most owners never admit out loud.
Joseph is the Founder of The Yard, a strength-forward training model with two high-performing studios in San Francisco and Mill Valley — both profitable, both growing — built on relentless focus on utilization, financial discipline, community, and consistency.
And yes, you’ve probably seen his work: from the viral story of the 72-year-old vegan powerlifting nun that hit ABC News, to the hundreds of newsletters and nearly 400 posts documenting the real operator journey. But behind the scenes? This episode is about the part nobody posts: the wins that last 2 minutes… and the anxiety that lasts days.
The real operator tension:
SF is pushing the utilization ceiling — and that creates an expansion/risk decision most founders mis-handle.
Mill Valley is tracking SF’s curve (which becomes a powerful model for forecasting + staffing + capacity decisions).
The Yard grew 44% YoY… and Joseph still doesn’t feel “safe.” That right there is the founder brain. In this episode, we unpack
The emotional reality of growth (and why it never feels “done”).
Utilization and margins as the real growth engine:
How Joseph evaluates “maxed out” capacity + the financial signals that prove it.
Expansion decisions: remodel vs. add a 3rd location, capital risk, and the first spreadsheet tab he builds.
What most fitness founders get wrong about marketing, pricing, ClassPass, and capacity modeling.
Why “consistency in storytelling” is a revenue lever (nearly 400 posts + 100+ newsletters).
Leadership + culture: building a place where members, trainers, and community actually thrive. If you’re a founder trying to scale without drowning in chaos, this one is required.
📊 Work with Albert — Fractional CFO for Fitness & Wellness
I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M) build cash visibility, utilization modeling, pricing structure, and capital planning—the stuff that keeps you alive and makes you investable.
🎧 Watch more episodes of The Owner Seat
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@TheOwnerSeatPodcast
📩 Subscribe to the newsletter — The AI-Powered Finance Guide
💡 Fractional CFO Services for Fitness & Wellness Brands
👉 https://www.StrategoIntel.com
🤝 Connect with host, Albert Ramos
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/
🗓 Episodes drop every Monday and Friday at 8:00am CST.
If you want cash clarity before your next expansion…If you’re tired of guessing on capacity, pricing, and...
#33: How a Global Tech Exec Bet It All on StretchLab - with David Ramos
Season 2 · Episode 33
Monday, December 22, 2025 • Duration 01:10:43
In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with David Ramos — President & Owner of StretchLab First Coast and a mission-driven tech executive who’s led global platforms at Aetna/CVS, Rakuten, and high-growth startups… and then chose to build a local, family-owned wellness portfolio in Northeast Florida.
David has lived both sides of growth:
- Boardrooms, M&A, platform scale, and AI in healthcare and insurtech
- Front-line ownership inside StretchLab studios serving St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Atlantic Beach, and Mandarin
This conversation is raw, honest, and uncomfortably relevant for any franchisee, founder, or multi-unit owner trying to balance faith, family, tech, and local unit economics without losing themselves in the process.
🔍 In this episode, we cover:
- How a corporate layoff and identity reset became the launchpad for StretchLab First Coast
- What it really looks like to open, turn around, and scale multiple wellness studios
- The operating system David uses to run both code and cash flow with intention
-The 3–5 metrics he actually uses to manage his StretchLab portfolio week-to-week
-How faith, calling, and pressure show up when a studio is on the edge
-Were owners get punched in the mouth financially — leases, build-outs, and cash-flow gaps
- How a tech/AI background changes the way he looks at unit economics for a single studio
- Where AI can practically support franchise and studio operators over the next 3–5 years
Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness, Wellness & Franchise Brands
#32: The Truth About Franchising and Why Most Owners Burn Out— with Tanner Holmes
Season 2 · Episode 32
Friday, December 19, 2025 • Duration 01:01:02
Today on The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Tanner Holmes to go inside what multi-unit, multi-brand franchise ownership actually looks like — not the Instagram version, the real one.
Tanner Holmes is a multi-unit, multi-brand franchisee, investor, and Area Developer across Illinois and Wisconsin, building a portfolio under Impact Brands LLC with concepts like Perspire Sauna Studio and Sola Salon Studios.
He’s the operator a lot of people think they want to become:
➡ Multiple territories
➡ Multiple brands
➡ Expansion bets on the table
But behind that is the part nobody posts about:
cash pressure, leadership strain, and the constant question — how fast is too fast?
In this episode, we unpack:
What first-year franchise ownership really feels like
Why “one foot in, one foot out” quietly kills operators
How Tanner thinks about expansion pacing across multiple brands
The operator reality behind Perspire Sauna Studio ownership
How “longevity” fits into a real P&L — not just a trend deck
The culture decisions that either hold the business together… or crack it
If you’re a franchisee, area developer, or franchisor trying to scale without drowning in chaos — this is required viewing.
📊 Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness & Wellness
I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.
I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio.
#31: Before You Buy A Franchise: Pause Studio, SWTHZ, Orangetheory & STRONG Pilates with Ali Orleski
Season 2 · Episode 31
Monday, December 15, 2025 • Duration 01:17:56
In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Ali Orleski — Operating Partner at Momentic Studios, former VP of Franchise Development at Pause Studio, and former national operations leader helping scale Orangetheory Fitness Canada with FSO.
Ali has opened 137+ boutique studios across two continents and now sits at the center of a multi-brand expansion engine with SweatHouz and STRONG Pilates, with a mandate to open 100+ locations in four years.
If you’re a franchisor, area developer, or multi-unit operator in fitness, recovery, or wellness, this conversation is a playbook in disguise: real estate, launch sequencing, owner behavior patterns, culture at speed, and the financial blind spots that quietly kill growth.
This one is sharp, honest, and deeply tactical.
🔍 In this episode, we cover:
- How Ali helped build the operational backbone behind 100+ studio launches
- Why most franchise systems think they’re ready to scale — and why they’re not
- The hard truths she wishes every first-time franchisee heard before signing
- The most underestimated step in launching a studio (that always bites people later)
- Where franchisees get blindsided financially and operationally
- How to read the early warning signals when a studio starts slipping
- What real culture and brand stewardship look like when you’re opening at speed
- How multi-brand ecosystems like Momentic Studios will shape the next era of wellness franchising
- The role data, systems, and AI will play in supporting franchisees over the next 3–5 years
Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness, Wellness & Franchise Brands
#30: Climbing Mt. Rainier Taught Me More About Private Equity Than Wall Street Did - Casey Minshew
Season 2 · Episode 30
Friday, December 12, 2025 • Duration 30:28
Today on The Owner Seat, we go inside the dealmaking model that’s reshaping lower middle market M&A — with someone who’s mastered it.
Casey Minshew, Managing Partner at Equity Launchpad, has acquired legacy industrial businesses like H&M Plating and Mercer Controls — and rebuilt them with bolt-ons, culture transformations, and CapEx-forward growth.
He calls his blueprint the SWOT Team:
➡ Operators who know the business cold
➡ Investors who move fast and stay aligned
➡ Deal partners who create clarity instead of chaos
In this episode, we unpack:
Why the independent sponsor model is exploding
How to build trust with family offices without a fund
The right way to structure layered capital stacks
When culture beats financial engineering
Real examples from industrial platforms scaling fast
If you’re a founder, owner, or operator who wants to grow without giving up control — this is required viewing.
#29: Inside the Launch of YourFitPrint — How Gyms Are Entering the Longevity Market w/ Devon Baldino
Season 2 · Episode 29
Monday, December 8, 2025 • Duration 01:03:22
Today on The Owner Seat, host Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO of Stratego, breaks down how YourFitPrint is transforming local gyms into full health hubs and why this shift will define the next decade of boutique fitness.
Our guest Devon Baldino is the Executive Director of Vendor Relations & Women’s Health + Founding Board Member at YourFitPrint.
She’s building the partnerships that help gyms:
- Add 30% revenue-share without CapEx
- Offer GLP-1 + hormone care ethically
- Drive retention beyond class packs
- Compete against big-box & digital giants
- Future-proof against price-driven churn
If you own or operate a gym — this is a must-watch.
🎧 Watch more episodes of The Owner Seat
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@TheOwnerSeatPodcast
📩 Subscribe to the newsletter — The AI-Powered Finance Guide
💡 Fractional CFO Services for Fitness & Wellness Brands
👉 https://www.StrategoIntel.com
🤝 Connect with on LinkedIn
#28: The Next Revolution in Boutique Fitness: Women, Culture & The Courage to Evolve - with Beth Potter
Season 2 · Episode 28
Friday, December 5, 2025 • Duration 54:41
In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Beth Potter — Franchise Owner of True Movement®, former VP of Sales at Walla, and former Chief Experience Officer at Studio Grow.
Beth has spent over a decade inside the heart of boutique fitness — helping studios all over the world design businesses that actually scale and feel good to run. Today, she’s building her own chapter as a True Movement® franchise owner while writing openly about motherhood, identity, and leadership through Beth’s Journey Unfiltered.
This conversation is candid, human, and uncomfortably useful for any fitness or wellness owner trying to grow without burning themselves out.
🔍 In this episode, we cover:
How boutique fitness is maturing — and what real leadership looks like in this next era
Why culture, care, and connection will outperform clever marketing every time
What Beth learned from Walla, Studio Grow, and global studio work — and why she chose ownership
How motherhood, movement, and leadership intersect in ways most owners ignore
What “a studio that scales” actually looks like in operations, team, and numbers
Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness & Wellness
I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.
I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio.
Free Resource – Stratego CFO Playbook (Fitness & Wellness)🎙 More from The Owner Seat📧 Stay in the Owner Seat (Newsletter)🌐 Learn More
#27: The Day I Died — and What It Taught Me About Building a $5M Business (Without Losing My Soul) - with Travis Pomposello
Season 2 · Episode 27
Monday, December 1, 2025 • Duration 01:15:17
In this episode of Season 2 of The Owner Seat – formerly The Valisights Podcast – Fractional CFO Albert Ramos sits down with Travis Pomposello, a creative leader who’s lived multiple professional lives at the very top of media and then chose to completely redefine what success looks like.
Travis is the former Chief Creative Officer at Paramount Global, Co-Founder of EPIX, and Founder of Bella Vita Creative, where he scaled his agency past $5M+ in revenue serving clients like Netflix and Amazon. He’s also awarded more than $100M in contracts to agencies — so when he talks about what scales and what quietly kills a shop, it’s from both sides of the table.
But the real turning point is what happened after all of that: a near-death, flatline moment that forced him to confront burnout, identity, and what actually matters. Today, through the Creative Agency Accelerator and his mentorship work, Travis helps agency founders scale with systems instead of chaos, and build businesses that don’t destroy their health or relationships.
In this episode, we dig into:
What 30+ years across MTV, Nickelodeon, Letterman, Discovery, EPIX, and Paramount taught Travis about storytelling and leadership
The “quiet killers” of agency growth – and how to fix them before it’s too late
The real playbook for going from $500K to $5M+ without burning every bridge (or yourself)
How a flatline on an operating table changed his definition of success, ambition, and energy
Why systems, not hustle, are the real driver of long-term creative growth
How to protect creative integrity while chasing big contracts and big logos
The mindset shift founders in their 40s and 50s need if they’re afraid to start over
If you’re an agency owner, studio founder, or creative leader trying to scale without losing your health or your voice, this conversation will hit home.
🔗 Work with Albert / Get the Playbook
Want to be on the show or explore working with Albert Ramos?
#26: How Groe Solutions Is Redefining Fitness, Readiness, and the Future of AI - with Alan Thompson
Season 2 · Episode 26
Friday, November 28, 2025 • Duration 45:05
In this episode of Season 2 of The Owner Seat – formerly The Valisights Podcast – Fractional CFO Albert Ramos sits down with Alan “The Train” Thompson, Founder & CEO of Groe Solutions, to unpack what happens when you combine Marine Corps discipline, data science, and human performance.
Groe Solutions is a fast-rising B2B SaaS company working at the intersection of gyms, the military, and health systems – using AI, behavioral science, and community design to drive real-world performance outcomes, not just more dashboards.
Alan is a Marine Corps veteran turned data scientist who went from preparing to open his own gym to building infrastructure for the next decade of human performance – across defense, VA, and commercial fitness.
In this episode, we cover:
How the Marine Corps shaped Alan’s approach to leadership, pressure, and execution
What it’s really like to raise capital as a veteran founder in the early stages
How Groe Solutions is building the data + AI backbone for the “new war on fat”
The reality of pitching investors when you’re the underdog – and what actually gets their attention
How Groe connects DoD, VA, and commercial wellness into one performance ecosystem
Why Alan believes wearables are overhyped – and how Groe focuses on behavior change and community instead
The leadership lessons from leading Marines and leading engineers, and how trust gets built in both worlds
#25: The Fitness Rollup Nobody Saw Coming: How SupaFitGrow Is Building an AI Empire - with Benji Donhardt
Season 2 · Episode 25
Monday, November 24, 2025 • Duration 51:17
In this episode of Season 2 of The Owner Seat – formerly The Valisights Podcast – Fractional CFO Albert Ramos sits down with Benji Donhardt, Co-Founder & CEO of SupaFitGrow, to talk about what happens when you combine M&A, AI, and an operator’s mindset to rewrite the rules for fitness growth.
SupaFitGrow is building one of the most aggressive roll-up platforms in the fitness and marketing ecosystem – consolidating agencies that sit behind some of the strongest brands in the fitness, wellness, and HALO economy.
What started as frustration with a noisy, fragmented support landscape for gym owners has turned into a blueprint for giving “small” operators big-league leverage: shared services, AI infrastructure, and real economies of scale.
Benji’s path runs from military and Special Forces work in Australia, to owning multiple gyms, to acquiring and integrating agencies that drive acquisition and retention for studios and franchises around the world. His obsession is simple: make sure owners don’t get wiped out just because they were too slow to embrace systems and AI.
In this episode, we unpack:
Why the fitness support ecosystem is broken – and how SupaFitGrow is stitching it together
How M&A and roll-ups can turn boutique agencies into a scalable, efficient portfolio
The way AI avatars and automation are changing content, lead gen, and pipeline velocity
What it really means to “productize” a creative or marketing service
The leadership operating system behind a fast-moving, acquisition-heavy team
The owner playbook for going from “stuck and scared to scale” to executing on the next level
If you’re a fitness, wellness, or HALO operator wondering how to scale without losing your soul (or your cash flow), this one is for you.
🔗 Work with Albert / Get the Playbook
Want to be on the show or explore working with Albert Ramos?
→ Book a CFO Strategy Call
I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.
I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M+) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio and territory.
💡 Fractional CFO Services for Fitness & Wellness Brands
👉 https://www.StrategoIntel.com
🤝 Connect with host, Albert Ramos
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/
If you want cash clarity before your next deal,
If you’re tired of guessing on breakeven and unit economics,
If you need a finance system worthy of investors…
👉 Hit play below.
Take your seat back.
I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.
I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M+) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio, territory, and brand.
→ Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook for Fitness & Wellness Brands and see how Albert builds 13-week cash flow, unit economics, and AI-powered finance systems:
https://forms.gle/eJEEtCPdQ3tkWqb96
🌐 Connect with Albert
→ Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/
→ Learn more about Fractional CFO services for fitness, wellness, HALO, and multi-location brands:
https://www.strategointel.com/
If you’re a $1M–$30M fitness, wellness, HALO, or multi-location operator and you’re serious about fixing cash flow, cleaning up QuickBooks, and getting real finance strategy (not just bookkeeping), this is where you plug in.
👤 About the Host – Albert Ramos
Albert Ramos is the Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting, a Fractional CFO firm built for fitness, wellness, HALO, and multi-location brands. He helps owners and finance leaders:
Fix cash flow leaks with 13-week cash forecasts
Clean up and rebuild their QuickBooks + finance stack
Use AI to automate reporting and forecasting
Build investor-ready financials for growth, M&A, and roll-ups
Albert has led $200M+ P&Ls, overseen 200+ locations, and managed 3,000+ employees across the fitness and wellness ecosystem — blending financial precision with AI so owners can scale without losing control of their numbers.
If you care about the future of performance – from soldiers to athletes to everyday members – and how AI can enable it without losing the human element, this episode is for you.
🔗 Work with Albert / Get the Playbook
Want to be on the show or explore working with Albert Ramos?
→ Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook for Fitness & Wellness Brands and see how Albert builds 13-week cash flow, unit economics, and AI-powered finance systems: https://forms.gle/EEhiyiw1K4EkvDQc9
🌐 Connect with Albert
→ Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/
→ Learn more about Fractional CFO services for fitness, wellness, HALO, and multi-location brands:
https://www.strategointel.com/
If you’re a $1M–$30M fitness, wellness, HALO, or multi-location operator and you’re serious about fixing cash flow, cleaning up QuickBooks, and getting real finance strategy (not just bookkeeping), this is where you plug in.
👤 About the Host – Albert Ramos
Albert Ramos is the Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting, a Fractional CFO firm built for fitness, wellness, HALO, and multi-location brands. He helps owners and finance leaders:
Fix cash flow leaks with 13-week cash forecasts
Clean up and rebuild their QuickBooks + finance stack
Use AI to automate reporting and forecasting
Build investor-ready financials for growth, M&A, and roll-ups
Albert has led $200M+ P&Ls, overseen 200+ locations, and managed 3,000+ employees across the fitness and wellness ecosystem — blending financial precision with AI so owners can scale without losing control of their numbers.
→ Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook for Fitness & Wellness Brands and see how Albert builds 13-week cash flow, unit economics, and AI-powered finance systems:
https://forms.gle/MigGLzuCaDkrApBa7
🌐 Connect with Albert
→ Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/
→ Learn more about Fractional CFO services for fitness, wellness, HALO, and multi-location brands:
https://www.strategointel.com/
If you’re a $1M–$30M fitness, wellness, HALO, or multi-location operator and you’re serious about fixing cash flow, cleaning up QuickBooks, and getting real finance strategy (not just bookkeeping), this is where you plug in.
👤 About the Host – Albert Ramos
Albert Ramos is the Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting, a Fractional CFO firm built for fitness, wellness, HALO, and multi-location brands. He helps owners and finance leaders:
Fix cash flow leaks with 13-week cash forecasts
Clean up and rebuild their QuickBooks + finance stack
Use AI to automate reporting and forecasting
Build investor-ready financials for growth, M&A, and roll-ups
Albert has led $200M+ P&Ls, overseen 200+ locations, and managed 3,000+ employees across the fitness and wellness ecosystem — blending financial precision with AI so owners can scale without losing control of their numbers.
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