We recently connected with Siavash Fashi and have shared our conversation below.

Siavash , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I was born in Iran in 1980. It was a time of war. I was surrounded by pain. There was no escaping it. To make things worse, I was getting bullied at school. Everywhere I looked, there was struggle.

One day, while playing soccer in the dirt with my friends, a friend showed me a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was in awe. He represented everything I wanted to be. He was strong. He was happy. He wasn’t hungry. I wanted to be just like him.
I started lifting weights in the back of a wrestling gym with a barbell and a couple of plates. I wasn’t making much progress because there wasn’t much food to eat, but I fell in love with training.

Unfortunately, at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with cancer in my right eye. Everyone thought I was going to die, but I refused to accept it. I left Iran and became a refugee. I slept on the streets, slept in pizza restaurants, worked any job I could find, and never stopped dreaming about becoming a bodybuilder.

Eventually, I bought a fake passport and came to America. As soon as I landed, I was arrested and ended up in a maximum-security prison. I spent my first year in America behind bars. After I was granted asylum, I was homeless, walking the streets of Chicago. Eventually, I got a train ticket to California to continue chasing my dream.

When I arrived in Los Angeles, I started working the graveyard shift as a security guard. Three years later, I lost my job. With a $3,000 unemployment check in my pocket, I found a small place on Craigslist and called it SixPax Gym.
I started training people with minimal equipment, just like the days when I trained in the back of a wrestling gym in Iran. It was a full-circle moment.

Before I knew it, people started writing reviews about how I was changing their lives. That’s when I found my calling.
I am proud to say that since opening SixPax Gym in 2011, more than 13,000 pounds of fat have been lost at SixPax Gym, and many lives have been changed—including my own.

Today, I am living the American Dream, and I am giving back through SixPax Gym.

I even wrote a book “Small Gym Big Results” about how I built SixPax Gym into one of the most successful small gyms in America.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that a kid lifting weights with a barbell and a couple of plates in the back of a wrestling gym in Iran would one day build a gym that would impact thousands of lives.

Siavash , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At SixPax Gym, we help busy professionals who have sacrificed their health while building their careers, businesses, and families. Most of our members don’t have hours to spend in the gym, so we created a simple system of 30-minute training sessions that delivers real results in less time.

Our members typically train just two or three times per week while losing body fat, gaining muscle, and feeling better both physically and mentally. We focus on efficiency, accountability, and creating a program that people can stick with for life.
What I’m most proud of is the impact we’ve had on our community. Since opening SixPax Gym in 2011, our members have collectively lost more than 13,000 pounds of body fat. More importantly, we’ve helped thousands of people become healthier, stronger, and more confident.

My mission extends beyond helping clients transform their bodies. I want to help passionate fitness professionals who may not have the capital to open a traditional gym start their own SixPax Gym with minimal equipment and a proven system. I started with very little myself, and I believe you don’t need a massive facility or a huge investment to make a difference.

My vision is to see SixPax Gym in neighborhoods across America, helping people transform their lives while giving aspiring gym owners the opportunity to build meaningful businesses and make an impact in their communities. One gym can change lives. Thousands of gyms can change communities.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn as an entrepreneur was thinking I had to do everything myself.
In the beginning, everything depended on me. As SixPax Gym grew, I realized I could only take the business so far on my own. To grow, I had to build a team and learn to trust others.
Letting go was difficult, but once I did, magic happened. Each team member brought their own strengths, ideas, and perspective. The business became stronger, and so did I as a leader.
Today, I believe great businesses are built by great teams, not great individuals. The biggest growth at SixPax Gym happened when I stopped trying to do everything myself.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I opened SixPax Gym, my goal was simple: train hard, become a professional bodybuilder, and one day win a world championship.

But something unexpected happened. As I started training clients, I saw firsthand the impact fitness was having on their lives. People were losing weight, gaining confidence, improving their health, and writing reviews about how SixPax Gym had changed their lives.

I realized that helping others achieve their goals was far more rewarding than chasing my own. That was a major turning point in my life and career. Instead of focusing on becoming a champion myself, I found my true calling—helping others become champions in their own lives.

That shift in mindset changed everything and became the foundation of what SixPax Gym is today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sixpaxgym.com/
• Instagram: @sixpaxgym
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SixPaxGym/
• Linkedin: Siavash Fashi
• Twitter: @SIXPAXGYM
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SixPaxGym1
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sixpax-gym-culver-city?osq=Six+Pax+Gym&override_cta=Get+information
• Other: https://sixpaxsupershow.com/

  https://smallgymbigresults.com/

Image Credits

The name of my book: Small Gym, Big Results.