Hey, wanna open up a gym? That was the question Eric slid through the doorway after a full day of training clients at SportsClub/LA, a once-fancy health club that Equinox later bought. He carried a plate of egg whites and, in that moment, Cressey Sports Performance began.
Eight years ago, with Pete Dupuis, we jumped headfirst into gym entrepreneurship. The odds were stacked against us. If you looked at the stats—about 8 out of 10 new businesses fail within 18 months, with around 80% not making it—you’d think unicorns would fly out of a volcano before we’d succeed.
We were three young people: two 25-year-olds and one 30-year-old, with no track record in business. I was balding, which I’ll admit was a petty worry amid bigger ones. Eight years later, the outcome speaks for itself: we survived. We made it. We beat the odds.
The road wasn’t easy. We logged long hours, six to seven days a week, dealt with sleep deprivation, scarce time with loved ones, and plenty of growing pains—from buying and assembling equipment to lease negotiations, lead generation, marketing, payroll, and keeping the gym clean. We also spent countless hours on assessments, program design, coaching, and arguing over the stereo.
Yet we didn’t just survive—we thrived. What began as a 2,200-square-foot gym inside an indoor batting cage with broken windows and a dodgy bathroom has grown into a 15,000-plus-square-foot flagship facility that many regard as one of North America’s premier training centers, if not the world. Not bad for a place in tiny Hudson, Massachusetts.
We could list all the things we did right—work ethic, a client roster from Day One, starting small and expanding only when it fit, hiring within our means, launching an internship program, and recognizing an underserved niche—baseball players—that we could own. All of it mattered.
I’m especially grateful for the people who’ve joined CSP over the years. Our first hire, Brian St. Pierre, went on to a successful career with Precision Nutrition. Today we have eight coaches who are not only devoted ambassadors of the CSP brand but have also built their own fitness brands. I’m grateful every day to work somewhere that’s not only fun but pushes me to improve.
Most of all, it’s about the people we work with daily. I still pinch myself at the number of pro athletes I’ve met—many of whom I once traded baseball cards with as a kid. But it’s the everyday athletes and clients who embody CSP’s #CSPFamily culture: Gerry, a 60-something man who came to us after heart surgery and now trains three times a week with determination; Emma, now 20, who started with us because her father did and is training for her third powerlifting meet; and the many campers of all ages and abilities who come in and give their all week after week.
Eight years in, Pete and I often reflect on the difference between vision and reality. Many coaches dream of starting a gym but don’t consider what’s actually doable. Pete never imagined CSP as a 10,000-square-foot mecca. His goal was simply to have his own office—somewhere to close the door, skip the front desk, and let us bicker about the playlist. He finally got that office in year five.
Thanks to everyone who’s supported us over the years. And thank you, Lisa—my wife—who has always been my biggest cheerleader. Pete, fresh from earning his MBA from Babson College, recalls the voicemail from Eric while he was on the golf course: “Dude, shit hit the fan at the previous gym. Are you still interested in what we discussed? Want to open a gym?” And yes, I’m lucky to have found someone who digs bald dudes.
