CHAPTER 2 On Location

If running is the basic unit of exercise, the gym is the fitness industry’s local headquarters. Walk a few blocks in any city, or drive a few miles in any suburb, and it’s virtually guaranteed you’ll see some sort of fitness chain nestled in a strip mall.

The ubiquity speaks to the gyms’ importance in this fitness economy—for us as consumers, and for those looking to make money in our space. Fitness is front and center, and unashamedly so. Gyms aren’t hidden from you. On the contrary, fitness centers are in the same complexes as supermarkets, shoe stores, dry cleaners, and pizza joints. They’re a key part of our consumer habits.

That’s what excites investors. Just as Moelis’s Kapoor found herself directing more of her ...

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