From Military Service to Building Confidence: USA Ninja Challenge in Conroe, TX

I was in the military for 12 years and moved around a lot. Then my wife and I decided we wanted to become entrepreneurs because I started missing a lot of events and things for my kids. I was in Afghanistan, 1,700 miles from home, and my two-year-old got really, really sick. The military gave me a hard time getting home. My son needed life-saving surgery, and we almost lost him. At that point, I was done. I didn’t want to be that far from home ever again.

In 2014, I got out of the military and decided to become a full-time entrepreneur. I started doing all kinds of different things: I wrote a book, joined a couple of network marketing companies that were really successful and even started managing some downtown Nashville Airbnbs.

Sam Robins, a buddy of mine I met at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was a big influence. We ended up moving to Texas after visiting Sam and his wife, Lori. We loved the area and decided to move a mile down the road from them. One morning at the gym, Sam suggested starting a franchise together. I was on board because I had the time and love all things business. We started working with a broker to explore different options.

Discovering usa ninja challenge

As we were going through the process, I came across USA Ninja Challenge. My son had been attending a USA Ninja Challenge for two years, and Sam’s two younger boys had also started going there. We decided to look into USA Ninja Challenge more deeply, especially after discovering that the location we attended was for sale.

That became our top choice. We got to know the owners and explored other options, but ultimately decided to move forward with USA Ninja Challenge. About a year ago, we finalized our decision.

After some back and forth, we officially took over the Woodlands location on September 1, 2024. It’s been about five months now, and we’re having a lot of fun.

• I like that flexibility, being able to move without being tied down.
• I like to scale things.
• One of the things I love about franchising is being able to have a partner.
• Even if we both needed to be present, I could be there Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while Sam could take Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, or whatever schedule works.
• The franchise model is appealing because of the support from the franchisor.
• They provide a blueprint, which was incredibly helpful for Sam and me since we’d never run a traditional business before.
• Having that structure made the process much more approachable.
• We also leaned on other team members, like Roman [Madrid] in Katy, Texas, who runs a great gym and is ranked number three in the entire franchise system.
• He was a great resource for us as we got started.

My youngest son is 14, and his dream is to be on the American Ninja Warrior show. I thought, well, he could just come to the gym whenever he wants, and Sam felt the same way.

Health and wellness focus

As former military guys in our 50s, we’re more focused on health and wellness than ever. I love health and wellness, I love leadership, and this franchise really encompasses everything that’s important to Sam and me — our health, our children and our family.

For us, it’s exciting to go in and support our kids. Now my son can go to the gym four or five times a week if he wants, and he’s improved so much, so quickly, since we took over. That part of it has been incredibly exciting.

It also keeps me young, being around all the kids and having the chance to play a small role in their lives at this moldable stage. It’s rewarding to be a positive influence on them and their parents. So far, we’ve got about 200 families and over 220 kids in our program. We’re excited to double that, maybe even triple it.

Growth and goals

Our goal is to reach at least 300 to 350 kids by the end of this year and then grow by at least another 100 next year. That’s our initial goal. We’d like to be at 250 by the end of next month. Right now, we’re at 221 individual kids, and we have about 10 to 12 kids who come twice a week, which puts us at roughly 230 enrollments. By the end of the year, we’re aiming for 300 enrollments. The big goal is to double where we are right now by the end of next year.

Just that anybody can do anything. I was listening to a quote this morning, and it basically said, “From testimonials and personal experience, we have enough information to conclude that it’s possible to design and live an extraordinary life.”

For me, designing and living an extraordinary life means freedom — especially time freedom. We homeschool our kids, and I love that I can take vacations when others can’t and build a schedule that aligns with my priorities. For me, that alignment is God first, then my wife, my kids, and business after that.

Being able to schedule my life this way gives me plenty of time to do what we need to do — pay the bills, make money and everything else — without sacrificing the things that matter most. You don’t have to live a life where you dread Mondays and live for Fridays. You can enjoy every single day equally if you design your life intentionally.

I would say it’s okay to be a copycat — as long as you copy the right cat. When becoming a franchise owner, find a franchise that’s successful where people are truly winning. You can learn a lot about that by reviewing the franchise documents.