Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heath Norton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Heath, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

In 2021 we had the idea to move away from the Franchise we had been apart of for almost 10 years and go independent. There were many steps we had to take to navigate this successfully. From managing legal issues, to rebranding, to operation changes. Lastly we had to find a way to finance it all. Before we could do any of this we took time to envision what our own brand would look like. How would we build upon the things we created as apart of a Franchise and add to it as a now independent operation. It took many hours of thought and the support of an amazing team but we did it!

Heath, 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?

I have been apart of the fitness industry since 2012. We were an operator for a large boxing fitness brand. Myself and my business partner have always been entrepreneurs. I started off as a member of the Franchise that I was apart of and then saw the potential as an owner/operator. We were NOT well capitalized at the time so we had to get very creative to raise funds to purchase the Franchise rights and have money to open. At the time my main job was as an investment wholesaler so I had pretty good working knowledge of investments and ways to raise funds. My business partner worked as a lender for a regional bank so he was well versed in that area. We created a Private Placement Agreement and raised about $14K from friends/family. We then used our retirement funds to do a Self Directed 401K. Lastly with those dollars as collateral we were able to secure a business loan.

I say I run a gym but in reality we are way more than that. Since we rebranded we have really started to lean into the Wellness area. Ours is a place for a kick ass workout for sure, but it is also a place of healing I believe. Physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. Our community is supportive and diverse and our staff truly care about every person that walks in. Our tag line is ‘Boxing is a Team Sport’ we are always there to support our members as Coaches, Teammates and Friends. I am most proud that we have been blessed to be open for 11 years in a hyper competitive market and that we are stronger now than day one.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2019 we had to shut down our business because our lease issues. We were gym homeless for 5 months. Our team navigated that super challenging environment by being creative, savvy and resilient. We found a new gym home, built it out and reopened with MORE members that we closed with

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my business partner in college. We pledged the same fraternity and then were roommates after college. We work extremely well together. I tell people he is the savviest, smartest business man I know but you wouldn’t know it because he is pretty reserved. To use a rap analogy. He is the Big Boi to my Andre 3000. He is understated and underrated but crucial to the success of the unit.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saintlouisboxingclub.com
• Instagram: heathalex1

Image Credits
Paul Nordmann (He’s the best)