Nikki: First, congratulations on the 7-year anniversary! That is quite the accomplishment, especially in the ultra-competitive fitness industry. What do you attribute to the gym’s staying power, and of what are you most proud?  

Coach Jason: I know it sounds obvious and corny, but Hard Work, and Determination is what keeps us open. It’s been 7 years of non-stop hurdles. Since day one we have been presented with obstacle after obstacle. I’ve always met them head on, and treated them like learning experiences. The goal is to set the gym up to not keep running into the same obstacles over and over. I think we have done a good job of that.

Owning any small business is going to come with its challenges. So they weren’t unexpected. I will admit though that I thought when we made it to the end of the lease at our Bowie location, we were headed for smooth sailing. I truly believed there was nothing left that could be thrown at me that we hadn’t already beaten. I was incorrect haha.

We attempted to negotiate staying in the Bowie location, but that property management company is impossible to work with. Luckily, we had some time to figure things out. The location we had decided to move to was in Upper Marlboro. I honestly wasn’t super happy about the location, but the actual facility was set up very similar to our gym in Bowie. So, I thought that would be an easy transition for the students. Our Bowie gym was a really cool spot, and I know our members, staff, and even I wouldn’t be happy in a location that wasn’t similar. All of a sudden, the owner of the property we planned to lease just vanished on us. So, to be safe, I started looking again but we were short on time. So, I had to figure something out quickly.

I had looked at the location we were in now, but wasn’t really sold on it. It was completely different. A bunch of walls were going to have to come down, another bathroom was going to have to be built, etc. They assured me the work could be done fast enough for us to move in though, and I liked the location much better so I decided to move on it. We signed the papers, and started getting ready to move, then the next obstacle, they needed to get a bunch of permits that were going to bring the work to a halt. Initially they said it still would only be about a month. So, I convinced our Bowie location Property Management to let us extend for one month, which they made as difficult as possible.

Then the month went by, still no permits, and no way to extend again, I started looking for temporary locations for us to run our classes out of until they could get things done. Beco our current Property Management Co. did step us and set us up with the temporary spot we were in until they could get us moved. That location became another obstacle being that it was not at all what people were accustomed to. We lost a major chunk of our membership during our time there. We were only supposed to be there a month or so, but ended up being over 6 months. We limped through that one, looking forward to moving into our permanent location by January, and looking forward to having our members come rushing back into the new location, and also get all the new members we typically get at the start of a new year. Unfortunately, the gym wasn’t ready in time for that, but we still were excited to make our final move when the time came.

In the middle of March, we got our latest obstacle. The COVID scare at first to me seemed like something that was being blown out of proportion. I didn’t plan to close at first, but after speaking with some friends in Italy about how bad things were over there, I realized we were in for some trouble. A few days after the Pandemic started Beco gave us the keys to our new facility haha.

That’s been the story of the gym off and on, obstacle after obstacle, but like I said, I faced them head on, and kept pushing forward until I beat them. I’m very grateful to my wife Erin who stepped up tremendously during this time. Without her I wouldn’t have made it this far into this obstacle, and we are still in it. But I think we are navigating it pretty well. We are rebuilding the team, and running the gym in my opinion better than it’s ever been run before.

So I think what I’m most proud of is the fact that we are still here. I don’t think very many people would have made it this far facing what I have faced. I believe with all my heart that it would break most people, and the proof lies with all the people that quit along the way. For me, I feel like I made a commitment to this team I built, and I plan to see it through no matter what. I’m proud of that.

Nikki: As a small business owner, I assume you must be nimble and always plan for the unexpected. But I also assume a global pandemic was not on your list of worries for 2020. How has the pandemic changed the gym and how have you reimagined the gym and its classes in the “new normal?”

Coach Jason: Like I said above I definitely was not prepared for this Pandemic. The silver lining though is the Virtual Classes. I don’t think it’s something I would have ever thought to do on my own, but I think it’s a great addition to our gym. I’ve always heard from people over the years “if you had a gym in (insert random town here) I’d come there to train ”. So these Virtual Classes have made that possible.

The other thing I really like about it is the added value it brings to our current members. So now if you get stuck at work, or if you are sick, you can either tune in, or participate from anywhere in the world. Or if you aren’t able to make it at all, the classes are recorded and then emailed at the end of the week. So you can go back through them if you want to do them on your own at home, or if you missed them you can see what we did. Or even if it was just a class you really liked, and you want to practice it more you can do that.

Nikki: What makes the Level Up community so special?

Coach Jason: To me what makes it special is that I feel like people feel comfortable being themselves there. I really like how many Comic Book, Video Game, Anime, etc fans we have. I hoped that the name Level Up would be like a beacon to people, and it definitely has been over the years. A quick scroll through our social media and I think people know what to expect.

At the same time, we are one of the best Muay Thai and Kickboxing gyms in the US, and even the World. Not to mention by far the best in Maryland, and we don’t just claim it. We have the accolades to prove it. We have won more State, National, and International titles than any other gym in Maryland, by a lot. We are the only gym to win medals at the IFMA Muay Thai tournaments in Maryland. I could go on and on about what we have accomplished in a short 7 years. That is something else that makes me proud, and what makes us special is that we are a group of people that like what we like unapologetically, and can fight our asses off.

Nikki: Where do you want Level Up to be in 7 years?

Coach Jason: In 7 years we will have checked off the last few things on my list of achievements as a coach. There will be a few more Level Up gyms being run by students that came up here at the HQ. And last but not least, we will be crushing whatever obstacle 2027 has in store for us.