Everyone enjoys basketball, which is one of the most popular sports. Many clubs provide potential players a fitness regimen that is entirely tailored to developing their basketball skills and physical fitness.
PickUp USA Fitness, a club dedicated to offering basketball players the greatest fitness regimens, is breaking preconceptions and giving something fresh to all the players.
Get insider information on the history of the company in this interview with CEO Jordan Meinster.
Tell us about PickUp USA Fitness. What made you decide to launch the business?
Dedicated to basketball, PickUp USA Fitness is a full-service gym. In Irwindale, California, we opened our first gym in 2012. After ten years, we have granted 43 franchise licenses and opened gyms all around the nation.
My experience growing up playing PickUp basketball served as my inspiration for founding PickUp USA Fitness. I like playing, but the disorganization at the gyms I frequented always irritated me.
We founded PickUp USA as a gym that offered PickUp basketball referees in order to address the problems I encountered at other gyms. To set up the games, we created a unique queue system, and two referees oversee each of our matches.
Today, in addition to having complete fitness facilities, group and private basketball training, basketball competitions, youth development programs, and more, our gyms also offer the PickUp USA Fitness games.
What goods or services does the business prioritize? How do your services differ from those offered by competitors?
Our business is entirely devoted to basketball. Every one of our gyms has a full weight room, a cardio area, various basketball courts, Dr. Dish shooting ranges, Vertimax trainers, and other amenities.
All of PickUp USA Fitness’ basketball-related services. We offer daily PickUp basketball with officials, weekly competitions, and training for basketball for adults. Youth Development leagues, one-on-one coaching, and other programs are available.
The biggest chain of basketball gyms in the US is PickUp USA Fitness. Our top-notch facilities, industry-leading customer service, and sole concentration on basketball are what make us unique.
Tell us a little bit about your team.
At the corporate office, I oversee a team that manages every aspect of our franchise program.
Our development staff is on the front end. They weed out more than 200 queries a month from organizations looking to franchise with us. To ensure a good fit, they choose the best individuals and put them through a thorough exploration process. Those chosen are given a region and are welcomed on board by our development team.
Our finance team assists our franchise owners in securing funding for their project once they are on board. We offer conventional and unconventional financing options, and we are well-known across the country for our franchisee assistance.
After obtaining finance, the franchise owner works with our real estate experts to choose a location for their club. We devote a lot of resources to this process and have a proven track record of providing our franchisees with a variety of facility options, assisting them in negotiating a lease or purchase, and obtaining terms that position them for long-term success.
Our operations and marketing teams work closely with the franchise owner to build out their club, run a successful pre-sales campaign, perform a soft and grand opening, and work with the franchisee following their launch after the franchisee’s funding and facilities have been secured.
We have a committed team with years of experience that works with our franchisees from the moment they first contact us through discovery, financing, and site selection, and stays by their side throughout the entire business venture with us. When it comes to support, we are absolutely unrivalled.
Tell us a little bit about your professional background.
I had several occupations before launching PickUp USA Fitness. I had jobs throughout high school at Jiffy Lube, restaurants, and window cleaning. My first experience with franchising was with Jiffy Lube, and I was always fascinated by the concept.
I paid for college by running a fancy dining establishment. My wife Casey and I met here, and she eventually joined me in founding PickUp USA Fitness.
I held a variety of banking and financial positions after graduating from college, including vice president at HSBC and business banker at Citibank. As a result of my understanding of the banks’ point of view and my ability to guide our franchisees through the financing process, this expertise has been beneficial to me at PickUp USA Fitness.
I quit my job in finance in 2011 to launch PickUp USA. Before handing over control to a manager to begin franchising the idea, I managed our initial location for a number of years. I currently serve as the PickUp USA Fitness Franchise Company’s CEO.
What major accomplishments have you made in your business life?
Opening the first site has been one of the biggest victories in our journey. We have a history, strong franchisees, a good reputation, ten years of experience, we’ve never closed a site, we survived COVID, we’re a fast-growing brand, and more when we establish locations today. That makes creating a PickUp USA much simpler than it was when I lacked a reputation, a brand, and resources.
Do you have any memorable client experiences you could share?
One of our earliest franchise owners, Erick Acosta in Houston, is someone I’d really like to recognize. Erick is the club’s best performer and has played a significant role in many of our endeavors. We are where we are now because of franchise owners like him, whose attitude, work ethic, and grit are outstanding.
Which of these quotes is your favorite?
“In the battle, lessons are found”
In other words, quit procrastinating and just do it! As you go, you’ll learn.
