In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with David Ramos — President & Owner of StretchLab First Coast and a mission-driven tech executive who’s led global platforms at Aetna/CVS, Rakuten, and high-growth startups… and then chose to build a local, family-owned wellness portfolio in Northeast Florida.

David has lived both sides of growth:

- Boardrooms, M&A, platform scale, and AI in healthcare and insurtech

- Front-line ownership inside StretchLab studios serving St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Atlantic Beach, and Mandarin

This conversation is raw, honest, and uncomfortably relevant for any franchisee, founder, or multi-unit owner trying to balance faith, family, tech, and local unit economics without losing themselves in the process.

🔍 In this episode, we cover:

- How a corporate layoff and identity reset became the launchpad for StretchLab First Coast

- What it really looks like to open, turn around, and scale multiple wellness studios

- The operating system David uses to run both code and cash flow with intention

-The 3–5 metrics he actually uses to manage his StretchLab portfolio week-to-week

-How faith, calling, and pressure show up when a studio is on the edge

-Were owners get punched in the mouth financially — leases, build-outs, and cash-flow gaps

- How a tech/AI background changes the way he looks at unit economics for a single studio

- Where AI can practically support franchise and studio operators over the next 3–5 years

Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness, Wellness & Franchise Brands

I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.

I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M+) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio and territory.

👉 Book a CFO Strategy Call

If you want CFO-level clarity on your numbers:

https://calendly.com/albertramosjr-strategointel/youtube-podcast

📘 Free Resource – Stratego CFO Playbook (Fitness & Wellness)

Get the exact framework I use with owners and franchisors:

13-week cash flow structure

Location-level unit economics template

Core KPI dashboard for studios & franchise systems

🔗 Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook:

https://forms.gle/M9QSgEz9VqiqkHVv6

🎙 More from The Owner Seat

The Owner Seat is where fitness, wellness & HALO owners talk cash flow, growth, and the messy middle of operating real businesses with real stakes.

🕗 New episodes every Monday & Friday at 8:00 AM CST.

✅ Subscribe to the channel:

/@theownerseatpodcast

▶️ Binge past episodes: operator deep dives, franchise growth stories, and real P&L conversations

📧 Stay in the Owner Seat (Newsletter)

Get weekly breakdowns on:

Fitness & wellness unit economics

Multi-location and franchise cash flow

AI-powered finance workflows for operators

🔗 Subscribe on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7288029005239267328

Learn More

Fractional CFO services (Stratego): https://www.StrategoIntel.com

Connect with Albert on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr

Today on The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Tanner Holmes to go inside what multi-unit, multi-brand franchise ownership actually looks like — not the Instagram version, the real one.

Tanner Holmes is a multi-unit, multi-brand franchisee, investor, and Area Developer across Illinois and Wisconsin, building a portfolio under Impact Brands LLC with concepts like Perspire Sauna Studio and Sola Salon Studios.

He’s the operator a lot of people think they want to become:

➡ Multiple territories

➡ Multiple brands

➡ Expansion bets on the table

But behind that is the part nobody posts about:

cash pressure, leadership strain, and the constant question — how fast is too fast?

In this episode, we unpack:

• What first-year franchise ownership really feels like
• Why “one foot in, one foot out” quietly kills operators
• How Tanner thinks about expansion pacing across multiple brands
• The operator reality behind Perspire Sauna Studio ownership
• How “longevity” fits into a real P&L — not just a trend deck
• The culture decisions that either hold the business together… or crack it

If you’re a franchisee, area developer, or franchisor trying to scale without drowning in chaos — this is required viewing.

📊 Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness & Wellness

I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.

I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio.

🎧 Watch more episodes of The Owner Seat

👉 https://www.youtube.com/@TheOwnerSeatPodcast

📩 Subscribe to the newsletter — The AI-Powered Finance Guide

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7288029005239267328

...

📘 Request the CFO Playbook for Fitness Founders

👉 https://forms.gle/nY1QDj8p2wQ2XT6cA

...

💡 Fractional CFO Services for Fitness & Wellness Brands

👉 https://www.StrategoIntel.com

🤝 Connect with host, Albert Ramos

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/

If you want cash clarity before your next deal,

If you’re tired of guessing on breakeven and unit economics,

If you need a finance system worthy of investors…

👉 Hit play below.

Take your seat back.

In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with Ali Orleski — Operating Partner at Momentic Studios, former VP of Franchise Development at Pause Studio, and former national operations leader helping scale Orangetheory Fitness Canada with FSO.

Ali has opened 137+ boutique studios across two continents and now sits at the center of a multi-brand expansion engine with SweatHouz and STRONG Pilates, with a mandate to open 100+ locations in four years.

If you’re a franchisor, area developer, or multi-unit operator in fitness, recovery, or wellness, this conversation is a playbook in disguise: real estate, launch sequencing, owner behavior patterns, culture at speed, and the financial blind spots that quietly kill growth.

This one is sharp, honest, and deeply tactical.

🔍 In this episode, we cover:

- How Ali helped build the operational backbone behind 100+ studio launches

- Why most franchise systems think they’re ready to scale — and why they’re not

- The hard truths she wishes every first-time franchisee heard before signing

- The most underestimated step in launching a studio (that always bites people later)

- Where franchisees get blindsided financially and operationally

- How to read the early warning signals when a studio starts slipping

- What real culture and brand stewardship look like when you’re opening at speed

- How multi-brand ecosystems like Momentic Studios will shape the next era of wellness franchising

- The role data, systems, and AI will play in supporting franchisees over the next 3–5 years

Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness, Wellness & Franchise Brands

I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.

I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M+) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio, territory, and brand.

👉 Book a CFO Strategy Call

If you want CFO-level clarity on your numbers:

https://calendly.com/albertramosjr-strategointel/youtube-podcast

📘 Free Resource – Stratego CFO Playbook (Fitness & Wellness)

Get the exact framework I use with owners and franchisors:

• 13-week cash flow structure

• Location-level unit economics template

• Core KPI dashboard for studios & franchise systems

🔗 Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook:

https://forms.gle/M9QSgEz9VqiqkHVv6

🎙 More from The Owner Seat

The Owner Seat is where fitness, wellness & HALO owners talk cash flow, growth, and the messy middle — without the fluff.

New episodes every Monday & Friday at 8:00 AM CST.

Subscribe to the channel:

/ @theownerseatpodcast

Binge past episodes: operator deep dives, franchise stories, and real P&L conversations

📧 Stay in the Owner Seat (Newsletter)

Get weekly breakdowns on:

Fitness & wellness unit economics

Cash flow and multi-location scaling

AI-powered finance workflows for operators and franchisors

🔗 Subscribe on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7288029005239267328

Learn More

Fractional CFO services (Stratego): https://www.StrategoIntel.com

Connect with Albert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/