Valisights

As Strategic Advisor to Valisights, I lead the go-to-market strategy, sales operations, and financial growth planning for our AI-powered financial intelligence platform—built specifically for CFOs, FP&A leaders, Accountants, Private Equity operators, and Fractional CFOs managing $5M–$500M+ portfolios.

Through my consulting firm, Stratego Intel Consulting, I was brought in during the company’s early-stage development to guide product-market fit, build foundational sales processes, and establish strong market traction. My role bridges strategic finance, AI integration, and high-impact execution—connecting Valisights to decision-makers across SMBs, mid-market firms, and private equity-backed enterprises.

I oversee pipeline development, inbound/outbound workflows, and deal conversion—owning both the messaging and motion to bring Valisights to market. In collaboration with the CEO and founding team, I support investor readiness, strategic partnerships, and scaling efforts through systems-thinking and operational alignment.

Valisights equips finance leaders with real-time insights, predictive analytics, and faster access to decision-ready data. My mission is to ensure those insights land in the hands of the right operators—by building intentional, scalable sales infrastructure and market strategy that matches the urgency of modern finance.

Reach out to me at albert@Valisights.com

Chief Executive Officer

Stratego

Advising small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, enterprises, and startups on finance, operations, and artificial intelligence and machine learning, including AI use cases, data strategies, competitive advantages, organization design and restructuring, strategic planning, business development, corporate development, product development, go-to-market, and building GPT agents. 

Stratego is a a cutting-edge Fractional CFO consulting firm powered by A.I and automation that specializes in providing strategic intelligence and innovative solutions to manufacturing, hospitality, retail, commercial real estate, construction, and health, wellness & fitness franchise businesses. Leveraging the extensive experience and expertise of its founder, Albert Ramos, the firm offers a comprehensive suite of financial services such as accounting, bookkeeping, FP&A, proforma, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, strategic finance consulting designed to help companies navigate complex challenges, execute with precision, operating more efficiently and achieve sustainable growth.. 

The core competencies of Stratego include strategic planning, operational excellence, and financial management, reflecting Ramos's diverse background in private equity-backed, privately owned, franchise and public entities. The firm's approach is rooted in a deep understanding of data-driven decision-making and the application of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to solve problems.

Stratego is committed to empowering businesses with the insights and tools they need to thrive in today's competitive landscape. Whether it's crafting strategies for operational improvement, optimizing financial performance, or harnessing the power of AI for strategic advantage, the firm is uniquely positioned to deliver results that matter. 

https://www.strategointel.com/

Fractional Chief Financial Officer: Finance, Operations and A.I (Contract)

Lori's Gifts

Regional Vice President – Lori’s Gifts

Private Equity Backed: Atlantic Street Capital (ASC)

Scope: California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia

Team: 5 Market Directors, 10 Market Managers, overseeing 125+ stores

As Regional Vice President, Albert is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational excellence, and financial performance of Lori’s Gifts’ South region, spanning over 125 hospital gift shops, coffee shops, and the company’s cutting-edge camera-powered MicroShop/GO Market locations. These MicroShops operate with advanced self-checkout technology, similar to Amazon’s Just Walk Out model.

Albert reports directly to the President of Lori’s Gifts and serves as a key member of the leadership team responsible for driving sales growth, operational consistency, and innovation across the region. Backed by Atlantic Street Capital, Albert plays a pivotal role in scaling Lori’s Gifts

Regional Vice President of Operations

Life Time Inc.

• Led $200M in revenue, securing $74.9M in profit margins, and managing $44M EBITDA
• High-End Property Management: Directed multi-unit operations for 16 high-end units and co-working spaces, averaging 150,000 - 180,000 sq ft
• Demonstrated fiscal leadership decisions, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), finance cash management, forecasting/budgeting and accounting expertise, and finance oversight/reporting 
• Profit and Margin Expansion: Proven expertise in enhancing financial outcomes for expansive operations, ready to scale this success in broader executive roles leveraging eperience in P&L and financial statements, cost optimization as well as identifying trends
  • Strategic Planning and Execution: Excelled in transforming corporate strategies into effective operational plans, setting a clear strategic direction for substantial business divisions to align with company objectives
• Board and Senior Management Liaison: Collaborated with C-suite executives to achieve corporate milestones, including competitive analysis initiatives, with strategic insight being vital for executive-level decisions, executive management and company-wide restructuring
• Executive Leadership: Led and inspired a workforce of 3,000+, fostering an adaptive management style and change champion 

A few of my achievements include:
✅ Significantly improved the Team Member Experience, having one of the top Team Member Engagement Scores, and lowest turnovers % in the company
✅ Secured $7.5M in Capex to reinvest back into the existing portfolio
✅ 12%+ growth in Revenue, and improved Profit Margin from 30% to 45% while investing back into significant employee wage growth to combat Houston COLA
✅ Grand Opened 3 new stores & 2 new Life Time Works
✅ Developed and implemented new financial pricing strategy that led to a price growth of 126%
✅ Saved over $1.5M in cost savings from 2022 - 2023 by implementing a reorganization/consolidation employee structure

Director | Strategic Finance & Operations

Gold's Gym

• Expertly managed a diverse 20-location  portfolio, and led a 600+ staff, including District Managers and a Senior General Manager, to reduce employee turnover rates by 50% and save $2M through strategic personnel reorganizations.
• Exhibited top-tier financial acumen by overseeing $43M in net annual revenue with full P&L responsibility, financial performance, and financial analysis, highlighting robust fiscal governance, in a highly variable business environment, by enacting effective cost cutting measures without jeopardizing delivery of service.
• Pioneered key initiatives such as a General Manager onboarding program and a KPI-centric financial dashboard, driving operational efficiency and corporate coherence by saving $100K on reduced turnover and increasing overall guest satisfaction scores by 10%.Tech Skill: 
-ChatGPT
-Bard AI
-Microsoft CoPilot AI
-Google Gemini AI
-SmartAudit AI
-NotebookLM
-Upmetrics
-Hubdoc
-LivePlan
-Float
-Xero
-Workday (Adaptive AI)
-Quickbooks
-Tascade
-Google Cloud AI
-Anaplan
-Prophix
-ARCGIS AI
-SAP
-Microsoft PowerBI and Dynamics
-Domo BI
-NetSuite (Oracle)
-SAS BI 
-Tableau
-Adobe Sensei
-BluePrism and UiPath
-Lattice
-SQL, MS Access, Cognos, Oracle, SAP

Director | Strategy, Operations, Sales, Finance and Human Capital

24 Hour Fitness

• Strategically managed a portfolio of 22 units across Orange County and San Diego, showcasing regional leadership, strategic initiatives, effective communication and planning initiatives and multi-site operational excellence.
• Held full P&L accountability and financial reports for $85M net annual revenue, reflecting an adept command of financial strategy, cost reduction, and resource allocation, achieving $5M in annual savings.

District Manager | Operations, Sales and People Management

🎯 CFO: I help companies achieve their talent acquisition goals! - Chief Financial Officer that values PEOPLE over FINANCIALS. Helping companies find THE BEST talent, and job seekers find THE BEST career

If you're running a multi-location fitness or wellness business and still asking: "Where the hell is our cash going?" — I'm the guy you call before you bleed out.

I’m Albert Ramos — Fractional CFO, turnaround operator, and financial strategist to some of the boldest fitness and wellness brands in the country.

I specialize in fixing broken cash flow, rebuilding financial systems, and helping $1M - $50M operators scale without burning out or blowing up their margins. Whether you're a franchise group, PE-backed wellness chain, or a founder with momentum and mayhem — I bring clarity to chaos.

▶ Stratego Intel — Fractional CFO for Fitness, Wellness & Longevity Brands

Stratego is a boutique Fractional CFO firm I founded to serve one type of client:
Operators who know revenue is up, but profit feels invisible.

We help you:

Fix your cash flow

Build forecasting that doesn’t lie

Translate KPIs into executive decisions

Get investor-ready or M&A-prepped

Build AI-driven dashboards & GPT agents that actually work


Everything we do is powered by Valisights, where I serve as President. It’s the AI infrastructure behind how I deliver speed, accuracy, and modern finance.

▶ Who I Am Beyond the Logo

I've scaled financial operations across PE-backed, public, and founder-led orgs, with full P&L ownership on up to $200M in revenue, $75M in profit, and $45M EBITDA.

I’ve built FP&A teams from scratch. Automated reporting for national chains. Walked CEOs through cash crises. And I’ve done it all while sitting at the intersection of finance, operations, tech, and sales.

My background includes:

VP of Ops at Lori’s Gifts – 125+ stores across 12 states, backed by Atlantic Street Capital

Dir. of Ops & Finance at Life Time Inc. – 16 large-format country clubs, 70K+ visits/month

15 years of leading real businesses, not just spreadsheets


💥 Who I Work With

Fitness studio owners scaling past 3+ locations

Multi-unit wellness chains with cash flow issues

Longevity/IV businesses backed by PE or private investors

CEOs and COOs tired of not knowing their real numbers


📲 Let’s Fix the Leaks.

If you're scaling but profit isn't keeping up…
If you’re tired of financial "advisors" who’ve never run a business…
And if you want someone who’ll tell it straight and rebuild your finance engine from the inside out…

DM me or click my "Book An Appointment" link to book a strategy call 

www.StrategoIntel.com

Posts are my own. Views don’t reflect past, current, or future employers or clients.

How I'm building Stratego into a $1M+ fractional CFO firm (THE PART YOU DON’T SEE)...here's how:

Everyone sees the client wins and shiny logos.

Some see the podcast clips.

A few click into the website and playbooks.

But here’s how I’m actually building this thing behind the scenes:

It wasn’t:
❌ One viral post
❌ One “secret” funnel
❌ One magic partnership

It was:

Thousands of ignored outreach attempts (even though I saw the little profile logo, "you", view it haha. My feelings only hurt for a little while)

Saying yes to the wrong clients (and fixing that the hard way)

Rebuilding offers, pricing, and positioning more than once

Stratego didn’t grow because I’m clever.

It’s growing because I refuse to stop refining the system and I'm attacking a major pain point in the fitness and wellness industry...

Financial literacy.

Here’s the real engine under the hood:

[and I'm fine sharing it because 98% of those that read this, won't stay consistent enough to execute to see results. But for those that will, enjoy]

1. Hyper-targeted Sales Navigator lists of fitness & wellness operators. In the comments I share my sales tech stack and my intense focus on who I want to work with
2. The Owner Seat podcast where every guest is my ICP and promote to their (my ICP) colleagues. Thank you Guillaume Jouvencel
3. Case studies on my site that are built for Google and AI search "AI SEO"
4. RB2B tracking who’s actually visiting my pages. Thanks Adam Robinson
5. A Partner Program that pays 30% lifetime for referrals Thanks CFO Leadership Council and CFO Alliance and my bank, benefits, insurance friends.....I'd love to partner with Walla or ABC Fitness, it's time.
6. DM outreach that offers value first (free resources, playbooks, frameworks)
7. A CFO Playbook for fitness and wellness brands that turns strangers into warm, educated leads
8. Weekly posts + a newsletter, The AI-Powered Finance Guide, that teach operators how to think like a CFO

It’s messy. 

It’s not linear. 

But every month:
🔹 I chase less
 🔹 More of the right people come to me (although I'm never surprised as I've been following your business for months)
 🔹 Clients stay longer
 🔹 Stratego will cross over $1M+ in 2026

Not because of hacks.

Because of relationships, clarity, and delivery.

That’s why I built Stratego.
 
That’s why I host The Owner Seat.
 
To show operators what it really takes to sit in control of their business, not just their brand.

If you’re in that messy middle of scaling and it feels chaotic, you’re not broken.

You’re just early in the process.

💬 Comment STRATEGO and I’ll send you the exact frameworks I use to:
Clean up multi-location financials
Build 13-week cash flow forecast using AI
And turn “we think we’re fine” into investor-ready clarity.

By the way, have you tried Ramp or Rillet Brad Gustafson and stephen hedlund are THE BEST. I'll be rocking the swag on the show.

Albert Ramos Jr.

THE CFO for Fitness & Wellness Brands | Host, The Owner Seat Podcast | CFO @ Stratego | CEO @ Valisights | AVP Ops, Lori’s

If your CEO’s never been seen, it’s not humility, it’s detachment. Here is who I'm calling out publicly...

Just kidding. I'd never do that. 

But we all know those that are known for never appearing.

No interviews. No conferences. No town halls.

However, all the decisions made at their desk. 

No CMO. No CTO. possibly no HR leader.

That’s not strategy, that’s negligent control.

A fitness brand can’t survive on anonymity when your competitors are scaling personality-led ecosystems.

Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands

I rebuild the org chart from the bottom line up:

Install operational dashboards so financial visibility isn’t optional

Build leadership incentives tied to accountability, not silence.

Integrate finance, HR, and marketing data into one ecosystem, because blind growth always ends in collapse.

Transparency isn’t risky. The lack thereof is.

💬 Comment STRATEGO and call out the absent leader (just kidding, please do not do this. Just laugh and scroll on)

Albert Ramos is an accomplished turnaround Chief Financial Officer with 15 years of senior executive enterprise leadership experience, including implementing step-by-step Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Automation strategies for corporate, franchise and start-up ventures. His robust career spans across prestigious roles in private equity-backed, publicly traded, and employee-owned organizations. Albert is known for his strategic prowess, financial and operational excellence, having led revenue and operational breakthroughs that substantively enhanced the value and customer experience for large-scale businesses. 

As the Chief Financial Officer for MK Search, Hunter+Sage, and SageTech, Albert brings expert financial guidance to the innovative recruiting firm. Leveraging extensive experience in strategic finance, including 3 Statement Financial and LBO Financial Models, Albert is committed to driving growth, enhancing operational efficiency, and ensuring financial integrity across both organizations including being the change-agent in the industry leveraging automation and A.I.

Albert is THE Texas CFO, helping small business owners with their financial strategy and achieving economies of scale. Albert is also the Chief Financial Officer of Parthenon, an AI-powered, 🧠 intelligent fitness💡elite coaching app, and Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Stratego Intel Consulting - a cutting-edge consulting firm powered by Gen A.I, Machine Learning and Automation that specializes in providing strategic intelligence and innovative solutions to wellness and fitness franchise businesses.

In his role as Director with Life Time Inc., Albert has been instrumental, steering operations across a dynamic 16-unit mix of premier country clubs and innovative co-working spaces, as well as responsible for 3000 team members. His acute financial acumen is evident through his stewardship of impressive figures: managing close to $200 million in annual revenue, achieving $75 million in profit, and commanding a robust $45 million EBITDA. 

Albert's track record boasts deep experience in translating business strategy into tangible results. He has established and communicated strategic directions for major divisions, ensuring alignment with the company's vision. His skill in fostering strong collaboration with c-suite executive leadership and Board of Directors has been pivotal

Founders: It’s time to actually sit in the owner seat. I’m launching Season 2 of my podcast: The Owner Seat.

 Built for franchisors, studio owners, and multi-unit CEOs.

 We talk cash flow, unit economics, and real operator pain.

 No fluff. 

No theory. 

Just what keeps you up at night.
 
Every Monday and Friday at 8:00am CST, new episodes.

Expect breakdowns of real P&Ls and messy growth stories.

Guests: owners, CFOs, operators scaling in the HALO space. (check out some familiar names in the comments)

You’ll hear wins, fails, near-crashes, and turnarounds.

So you can make sharper decisions inside your four walls.

If you run a fitness, wellness, or lifestyle brand, listen.

First episode with Benjamin Donhardt from Supafitgrow drops tomorrow

If you think you can handle The Owner Seat and want to apply to be on the show, comment “STRATEGO” in the comments

Most founders don’t lose on the sale

they lose in the structure.

In the Planet Fitness case, and many others, I've seen founders walk away wealthy…

but lost operational control faster than they expected.

No non-compete clauses.

No transition protection.

Board turnover within 90 days.

They sold the business

but also sold their seat at the table.

What I would’ve done differently as a CFO:

Build post-close governance terms before LOI stage.

Negotiate an earn-out structure tied to transparent metrics.

Secure guaranteed capital deployment, not “promised growth funds.”

You don’t need the biggest offer, you need the right structure.

Strategic exits preserve legacy and liquidity.

💬 Comment STRATEGO and I’ll share my “Exit Readiness Playbook” — built from real deals that protected founders like you.

THE CFO for Fitness & Wellness Brands | Host, The Valisights Podcast | CFO @ Stratego | CEO @ Valisights | AVP Ops, Lori’s

Why EOS and Gold’s Should Pay Attention to this....

History doesn’t always repeat

but it does bill interest.

EOS, 24 Hour, and Gold’s Gym are all chasing the same playbook LA Fitness ran in the 2000s

Big boxes. Bigger debt and private equity injection. Endless promo cycles.

It worked when membership was status.

However, it can fail if leadership is not treating experience as the main currency.

The next correction in fitness won’t be from lack of demand, it’ll be from lack of financial discipline.

Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands:

Build unit-level P&Ls that reveal margin decay early.

Reconcile true cash flow, not revenue “hope.”

Model debt vs. equity trade-offs before expansion.

The gym of the future won’t be 50,000 sq ft, it’ll be financially agile.

Both brick and mortar, and digitally. Trust me

💬 Comment STRATEGO and I’ll share my Profit Playbook for Fitness Operators, a simple model that shows how to protect your EBITDA before your next opening.

I only like the BEST, heres what I use...

Working out = Life Time Inc. 

Shoes = NOBULL 

Clothing = Vuori 

Recovery = Hyperice 

Breathing = Intake Breathing 

ERP = Rillet 

AR & AP = Ramp 

Cash Flow = ValiSights 

Ill be repping the above 👆 on my podcast. thanks for the swag! 

What else do you recommend? throw it in the comments 

And if youre looking for THE BEST Fractional CFO for your wellness and fitness busines.....cmon yall! thats too easy 😉

Wellness is the new loyalty program. Here's what I mean

Forget points. 

People stay where they feel better. It's not about the sensory experience at all customer journey points

Hospitality loyalty used to mean perks.

Now it means well-being.

Hotels that partner with Alchemize House aren’t chasing bookings

they’re building ecosystems of repeat guests.

Recovery, connection, and health are now the new rewards program.

Every sauna, plunge, and class drives measurable ROI.

We track it: 

repeat bookings per session

and the data doesn’t lie.

Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands:

Build unit economics per session, not per stay.

Model lifetime value per guest for loyalty ROI.

Design pricing tiers that reward frequency and community.

Prepare financials that banks and investors trust to expand wellness experiences across locations.

Loyalty isn’t a points system anymore

it’s a financial strategy tied to feeling better.

💬 Comment “STRATEGO” if you want me to send you my FREE CFO Playbook for Wellness and Fitness brands.

Independent gyms just got a new advantage.

Today we’re announcing the launch of YourFitPrint

A zero-cost private wellness marketplace for gyms.

Built for community-driven clubs, not big-box chains.

Here’s what partner gyms get:

- New recurring revenue with zero upfront cost
- 30% commission on marketplace net revenue
- Telehealth, recovery, hormones, labs, more
- A members-only wellness portal in your brand

Done-for-you marketing and onboarding

Why this matters:

- Compete with national brands head-to-head
- Boost retention with benefits beyond workouts
- Deepen member loyalty without extra headcount

If you run an independent gym and want to:

Grow non-dues revenue.

Add wellness services without new vendors.

Give members premium benefits at no extra cost.

Let’s talk.

YourFitPrint is now onboarding partner gyms.

Early partners get co-branded assets and support.

Apply to join at www.yourfitprint.com.

Press & partnerships: hello@yourfitprint.com

ANTON CONLON Jennifer S. Dominic Rocha Devon Baldino Murugavezh Natanasabapathi Carey G. 

 #YourFitPrint #IndependentGyms #Wellness #fitness #gyms #longevity

YourFitPrint Press Release

Sauna and contrast studios: your recovery is your revenue

The room temperature doesn’t drive profit

throughput does.

Here's what I mean

Sauna and cold plunge studios win when sessions stay booked and predictable.

But most operators don’t model capacity efficiency per hour.

Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands: 

Session yield per reformer, sauna, bed or plunge

Recovery time vs. labor cost per minute

Pricing elasticity by temperature and duration

ROI modeling on new recovery modalities

Wellness recovery isn’t “soft” business, it’s a financial precision operating model.

💬 Comment “STRATEGO” if you want me to send you my free STRATEGO CFO Playbook:
Recovery Revenue Engine

Really enjoying reading this book

Thank you Chuck Runyon and David Mortensen 

Loving the stories

Loving the practical best practices 

I'd love to have you (both) on my podcast to go through the book, Jocko style.

Anytime Fitness

Franchise & studio owners: before you go do that data digital migration, do this...

But first......Your tech stack is not broken

It’s strangling you with bad logic, and bad data

If you’re considering upgrading to Walla Mindbody ABC Fitness SalesRevv Groe Solutions (some of my favorites)

Or upgrading to a better CRM and/or ERP....do this first

My best advice is that most multi-unit operators don’t need more tools.

They need a clear operating model their tools obey.

On the pod this week, I sat down with Ryan Seifert

Founder & CEO at Teric Technology LLC

to unpack how mid-market brands go from data chaos to clear decisions 

without burning the business down or having that dreaded revenue business disruption.

3 red flags your stack is costing you money: 
-Same metric, 5 definitions (MRR, ARPU, churn = fiction)
-Staff running ops off exports, not systems
-“Automation” that adds steps, meetings, and headcount

What we cover
-A diagnostic to untangle POS/CRM/scheduling/billing in days
-Where AI agents help first (marketing ops, member comms, finance)
-Governance & lineage so AI doesn’t amplify bad decisions
-How to modernize with the P&L (not against it)

If you run a franchise network or studio portfolio and your “stack” feels like a mess, this episode is your blueprint.

🎧 FULL EPISODE in the comments

👉 Want my “Tech Stack Triage” checklist for franchises or studio/gym owners? Comment STRATEGO

The fastest way hotels are entering wellness? Plugging in Alchemize House

You don’t need to build wellness from scratch. Just plug in Alchemize.

Hotels are realizing the clock is ticking.

Guests demand wellness, but the CapEx, compliance, and operating complexity are overwhelming.

Our turnkey model solves that:

Prefab sauna & cold plunge installations (minimal to zero permits)

Modular design + zero construction downtime.

Centralized management + membership integration.

Data-driven financial control per location.

That’s the Alchemize House advantage

wellness on demand, built on finance discipline.

💬 Comment “STRATEGO” if you want me to take a peek at your financials to give you my honest opinions.

Founders: the power is in your hands. Not the investment fund’s. Not the bank’s. Yours. Here's what I mean...

If they want in, you get to interview them.

Franchise and studio owners: read that again.

PE, VC, family office, lender...vet them hard.

Gone are the days they call every shot.

When you treat people like shit, there are now Founder and CFO back-channels that are taking note. Trust me

We have receipts

You can know how investment groups really work, before term sheets.

What I look for as your Fractional CFO:
-Track record in wellness and multi-unit ops.
-Do they scale unit economics, or only cut?
-Who’s on the board and what did they build?
-Debt stack discipline: covenants, DSCR, resets.
 
Retention before acquisition, always.

Value-creation plan in writing, not "we will figure that out later"

Decision rights: where do you keep control?

Questions I ask every investor:
-Show me 3 exits you’re proud of and why.
-Tell me a deal that went sideways and what were the lessons?
-How do you behave when we miss a quarter?
-What’s day-90 after close for you, specifically?
-What’s your stance on pricing, labor, member LTV?
-Who are your operating partners, by name?
-What KPIs will you hold us to, weekly?


Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands: 
- Run investor due-diligence on the fund itself.
- Model scenarios with their debt/terms applied.
- Map governance so founders keep key levers.
- Negotiate performance gates that fit cash cycles.
- Back-channel with portfolio CEOs you pick.

If you want my "Investor Vetting Checklist for Founders", comment STRATEGO in the comments

Owners MUST decide. MUST act. And it’s hard as hell. Here's what I mean...

Most studio owners aren’t failing.

They’re hesitating.

Decisions get delayed.

Hard calls get avoided.
 
And the business pays for it.

Season 2 of The Owner Seat tells the truth no one wants to say:

Ownership is a battlefield.

And today’s episode with Alantheus “The Train” Thompson pulls zero punches.

A Marine.

A data scientist.

A founder who built Groe Solutions out of pure necessity.

We talk about:
 • Making decisions under pressure
 • Choosing action when it’s hard
 • Leading when the plan breaks
 • Raising capital as the underdog
 • And building systems that work even when humans get tired

Business ownership doesn’t reward hesitation.
 
It rewards decisive action when the stakes are highest.

Every studio owner.
 
Every franchisee.
 
Every operator drowning in too many choices, this episode is your wake-up call.

🎙 The Owner Seat
 
Where we talk pressure, cash flow, and courage.

New episode with “The Train” is live now.

Link in comments.

If you haven’t raised prices, you’ve already lost margin. Here's why...

Inflation doesn’t care about your loyalty discounts.

In most cases when I lift up the hood to studios, I notice they can raise prices

Or the other end of the spectrum (i.e Peloton Interactive) overcharged without proof of value.

But most studios undercharge out of fear. (the fear of that classic "petition")
 
Both end up broke for different reasons.

Price should follow proof of transformation, not insecurity.

Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands: 

Run Willingness-to-Pay (or as I call Reservation Price based on demographics) analysis every quarter.

Apply Yield Management with dynamic peak pricing, late fees, limited slots.

Track revenue per class slot and ARPU growth/share of wallet

Reframe pricing as value alignment, not inflation. 

Price is your confidence in numbers. Let finance lead it.

💬 Comment “STRATEGO” if you want me to take a peek at your financials to give you my honest opinions.

Digital is not your backup plan

it’s your margin multiplier.

Today, you can't depend on your On-Demand vertical or digital experience

It's ancillary, it's multiplier

One day digital and virtual reality VR will be far more mainstream, but for now, it's not. 

So “Digital” shouldn’t be your apology for empty classes.

Are you wondering why Peloton is shifting strategy

Peloton’s hardware is fading

they now their content still prints cash.

That’s the clue.

 Digital should expand reach without adding rent or payroll.

If I’m your CFO, we’d execute it this way:

Layer in low-cost digital programs that extend retention. Measurable impact

Tie each feature to a financial outcome — retain, upsell, or acquire.

Report a Hybrid Scorecard (Attach %, Days Active, LTV Lift).

Kill anything that doesn’t move one of those four numbers. Kill it!

Digital done right doubles profit per square foot—no remodel needed

Yet, the Meta wave of V/R will change EVERYTHING. Trust me

💬 Comment “STRATEGO” if you want me to send you my FREE CFO Playbook for Wellness and Fitness brands.

Prove me wrong. Star coaches aren’t assets, they’re liabilities.

Before you block me, hear me out, there's a point

If one coach can tank your revenue, you’re not a brand.
 
Peloton and SoulCycle learned the same lesson:

When your top coach leaves, so does your cash flow.

It’s not a marketing issue. It’s a finance risk.

As your CFO, I’d reduce dependency by:

Tracking revenue concentration per coach. 

Similar to Accounts Receivable (A/R) client concentration. Too much revenue coming from very few customers is a huge risk

And banks will call you out on it

Linking bonuses to retention KPIs, not class counts.

Owning program IP that survives turnover. AI can do this now

When someone leaves, you don't need to lose the "knowledge base"

Training a bench to protect capacity.

A strong brand outlives any one personality.

As much as we love them, need to take care of them etc. 

I'm all about the Team Member experience first. 

But if you're business depends on that one or two people.....

It's like what Mr. Wonderful says on Shark Tank to the lone talent/founder

"If you get hit by a bus, your business completely dies.....you're uninvestable."

💬 Comment “STRATEGO” if you want me to send you my Coach Concentration Risk Playbook

Your landlord might be your biggest silent partner and you don’t even know it.

Did you know?

Planet Fitness used REIT-backed sale-leasebacks to accelerate growth

genius for liquidity, BUT, sometimes it can be dangerous for margin.

When you sell your real estate to fund expansion, your rent becomes your recurring debt payment.

And rent doesn’t flex when membership does.

So it's important you have sensitivity or scenario-based modeling

Here’s what I fix as your Fractional CFO for fitness & wellness brands

I’d have run scenario models like this:

10% membership drop → rent coverage still 2.5x?

Are lease escalators capped below inflation?

How much free cash flow disappears to occupancy over 5 years?

Real estate can be your best friend or worst nightmare

Own strategically. Lease deliberately. Model obsessively.

💬 Comment STRATEGO and I’ll share my “Real Estate ROI Worksheet” to help you understand your true occupancy leverage.

If your studio is burning cash, plateauing in growth, or losing members to “the next new thing” this is why...

 It’s not because your programming sucks.

It’s because your business model is stuck in the pre-pandemic past.

That’s what I unpacked with Justin Campbell

The COO of Gym Tech

This episode is your wake-up call if you're a fitness operator still duct-taping your tech stack, relying on referral discounts, and hoping your aging equipment will last another year.

Speaking of equipment, have y'all heard of Broad Fit Financial and Stephanie Taylor

Here’s what we cover:

- Why “engagement” isn’t the problem — your operating model is
- What Gym Tech is doing with AI + equipment data to build future-proof gyms
- The coming supply chain cliff for commercial fitness gear
- Why most operators over-spend on marketing and under-spend on lifecycle planning
My AI & finance strategies for brands like CrossFit, LLC, Equinox, Life Time Inc. and Justin’s brutally honest take

If you're running a gym, studio, or wellness concept and wondering why growth feels so damn hard lately… this episode explains it.

🎧 Watch the full episode - LINK IN COMMENTS

 💬 Comment below: What’s the #1 thing holding your business back right now.......equipment, talent, data, financial discipline or capital?

#FitnessBusiness #WellnessTech #CFO #FractionalCFO #GymTech #FitnessStudios #StrategicFinance #AIinFitness #Valisights #BeyondTheLedger #FitnessOperators #EquipmentLifecycle #BoutiqueFitness #HealthClubInnovation

Glenn Hopper and I are calling BS on “AI in Finance”, here’s why...

Glenn and I had one goal with this episode:

Expose the truth about what AI isn’t doing in finance, and what needs to change.

Too many vendors are slapping the “AI” label on rule-based automations.

Too many CFOs are trusting dashboards without knowing what’s under the hood.

Too many teams think prompt engineering = transformation.

This episode is a direct challenge to the status quo.

We break down:

- Why most “AI agents” are marketing fluff 

- The security myths that keep enterprises stuck in spreadsheet land

- How “shadow AI” is the new shadow IT

- The governance frameworks no one talks about (but every CFO needs)

And why tools like Valisights are becoming decision engines

This isn’t another AI hype episode. 

This is your CFO survival guide for 2025.

📌 Tag someone who is all in on AI in finance.....I'll start by giving a shout-out to the freshest CFO and CEO ever Chris Ortega


#AIinFinance #FP&A #CFO #DeepFinance #FinanceTransformation #AgenticAI #AIRealityCheck #FinanceOS #StrategicFinance #Valisights #GovernanceFirst

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