We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jordan Meinster. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jordan below.
Jordan, 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
The idea for PickUp USA started with frustration. I was playing basketball regularly and realized there was no consistent, professional space for adults to play organized games. Everything was either chaotic pickup or expensive leagues with rigid schedules. I thought: What if there was a better way? A gym built specifically for basketball, where adults could play structured, officiated games in a professional environment.
The next step was research. I spent months studying the market—visiting gyms, talking to players, and analyzing what was missing. The demand was obvious, but demand alone doesn’t make a business. I had to figure out how to turn that gap into a profitable model.
From there, I started building the prototype. I wrote out the concept in detail: services, pricing, staffing, scheduling. I asked myself hard questions:
How do we make this scalable?
What systems will keep games organized?
How do we deliver a premium experience without bloating costs?
The first year was all about engineering the machine. I secured a location, designed the facility, and built the operational playbook from scratch—everything from referee training to membership sales scripts. I was in the trenches every day: hiring staff, running games, troubleshooting systems. It wasn’t glamorous. It was long hours, constant problem-solving, and a relentless focus on getting the fundamentals right.
We didn’t rush expansion. For several years, we operated that prototype club and refined every detail—pricing, scheduling, staffing models, cost controls. We learned the hard way that top-line growth means nothing without bottom-line discipline. So we dissected every expense line, built lean operating systems, and stress-tested the model until it was bulletproof.
Only then did we franchise. That patience was intentional. We wanted to offer a business that wasn’t just exciting in theory, but executable and profitable in the real world. Today, that discipline is baked into our DNA. Every new club launches with a proven playbook, engineered for success because we spent years perfecting it before scaling.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
About Me and PickUp USA Fitness
I’m the Founder and CEO of PickUp USA Fitness, a national basketball gym franchise that delivers world-class basketball services to youth and adults. My journey into this industry started with a simple frustration: as a lifelong basketball player, I realized there was no consistent, professional space for adults to play organized basketball. Everything was either chaotic pickup games or rigid leagues. That gap sparked the idea for PickUp USA—a gym concept built specifically for basketball players, offering structured, officiated games in a premium environment.
What We Do
PickUp USA specializes in basketball-focused fitness, and our offerings are laser-focused on what players want most:
Officiated PickUp Basketball Games – Competitive, organized games for adults, with referees to ensure fairness and structure.
Youth Development Basketball Leagues – Professionally designed programs that teach fundamentals and foster growth.
Private Basketball Training – Customized coaching for skill development.
Court Rentals – Flexible options for private use during off-peak hours.
We’ve also built ancillary revenue streams like concessions and branded merchandise to enhance the member experience. Every component of our model is designed for simplicity, profitability, and scalability.
The Problem We Solve
We solve two major problems:
For Players: We provide a structured, professional environment for basketball—something that didn’t exist for adults and was fragmented for youth.
For Entrepreneurs: We offer a proven, streamlined franchise model that’s easy to operate, financially efficient, and purpose-driven. Our system helps franchisees build profitable businesses without unnecessary complexity.
What Sets Us Apart
Dual-Demographic Model: We serve both youth and adult basketball players under one roof—a rare combination in the fitness industry.
Operational Discipline: Our model is lean, focused, and engineered for strong unit-level economics.
Innovation with Purpose: We only innovate where it improves profitability and customer experience, and we test everything at the prototype level before scaling.
Culture of A-Players: We approach staffing like building a championship team—recruiting top talent, fostering accountability, and coaching for excellence.
What I’m Most Proud Of
I’m proud of the impact we’ve created—for franchisees who’ve built successful businesses, and for communities that now have a better place to play basketball. We’ve grown from a single concept to a nationwide network, and we’ve done it with discipline, clarity, and a relentless focus on franchisee success.
What I Want Readers to Know
PickUp USA isn’t just a gym—it’s a movement to elevate the basketball experience. We’re building something that lasts because it’s rooted in real value: for players, for entrepreneurs, and for the communities we serve. If you’re passionate about basketball or entrepreneurship, we’d love for you to be part of this journey.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of the most defining moments in my journey came during the early years of PickUp USA. We had launched our prototype club, and demand was strong—but we were chasing revenue without fully understanding the importance of expense control. At the time, I believed that if we just kept growing sales, everything else would work itself out. I was wrong.
We hit a point where the numbers didn’t add up. Revenue was climbing, but profitability wasn’t. That was a gut check moment. I had two choices: keep pushing blindly or stop, dissect the business, and rebuild it from the ground up.
I chose the hard path. For months, I went line by line through our cost structure—staffing models, utilities, marketing spend—challenging every assumption. We engineered lean operating systems that were both effective and scalable. It wasn’t glamorous work. It was long nights, tough decisions, and a relentless commitment to discipline. But that process transformed our business.
Today, financial discipline is one of the hallmarks of our franchise model. We teach franchisees not just how to grow revenue, but how to do so with precision and efficiency. That resilience—turning a painful lesson into a strength—helped us build a system that’s stronger than ever.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When we launched PickUp USA, the entire concept was built around adult basketball. Our focus was on creating a structured, officiated environment for pickup games—a space that didn’t exist anywhere else. For the first few years, that was our entire business model.
Then something unexpected happened: parents started asking for youth programs. They wanted training, leagues, and a safe, professional environment for their kids to play. At first, we hesitated. Adding a youth vertical meant rethinking everything—staffing models, scheduling, marketing, even the physical flow of the club. It wasn’t a small tweak; it was a full organizational pivot.
We decided to lean in. But we didn’t just slap on a youth program—we built it from the ground up. We created a Youth Development Basketball League, designed coaching curriculums, and engineered systems that complemented our adult programming instead of competing with it. It took years to get right. There were growing pains, scheduling conflicts, and operational challenges. But we kept refining, learning from every club, and listening to franchisees and families.
Today, that pivot is one of the most important decisions we’ve ever made. Youth members now account for roughly half of our total membership base, and the youth vertical is a major driver of revenue across the system. That shift didn’t just expand our market—it made our model bulletproof. We now serve hoopers of all ages, maximize facility utilization, and deliver a community-driven experience that sets us apart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pickupusafitness.com
- Instagram: @pickupusafitness
- Facebook: @pickupusafitness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/pickupusafitness
