Brands I’ve built, operated within, or supported
I help founders launch, grow, and systemize clubs, studios, and premium wellness and hospitality concepts. Eighteen years operating, seventy-plus locations built, one exit.
What I help with
From high-volume big-box gyms to boutique studios to franchise systems, I have built across the full range. Where an engagement needs a specialist, I bring one from my own bench, from class programming to marketing to build-out.
Track record
Brands I’ve built, operated within, or supported
The advisor
Eighteen years inside the business, not beside it.
I am Justin Kanawyer. For eighteen years I have launched, scaled, and systemized premium fitness and wellness brands, including a licensing program grown past seventy locations and a senior operating seat at Club Studio. I work with a small number of founders at a time, hands on, on the decisions that move a concept forward.
Justin KanawyerPrincipal Advisor
Justin Kanawyer has spent more than 18 years building and operating fitness and wellness businesses across nearly every model in the industry.
He started in personal training, driving revenue across 65 In-Shape Health Clubs in California. From there he owned and operated Max Muscle Sports Nutrition stores in Northern California, exited profitably, and later owned Sequence Fitness in Panama City Beach.
In Georgia, he founded Solcioty Fitness and built the programming, systems, and franchise infrastructure behind it. That work led to a relationship with LA Fitness and a proprietary group training and licensing program that grew past 70 locations before Fitness International acquired it in 2021.
After the acquisition, Justin became the first employee and Executive Vice President of Club Studio, building the premium brand from the ground up: the team, the operating systems, the presales, and the vendor and technology stack. He helped lead design and construction, opened the first two locations, and planned the next 14.
Today he is the founder of Salt Fitness Collective, a premium concept bringing fitness, wellness, and recovery together in one experience. He also works hands on with a small number of founders building in fitness, wellness, and hospitality.
He has built the businesses, operated them, and lived with the results.
Justin lives in Atlanta with his wife, Tiffany, and their two daughters.
Engagement options
$997
For a specific decision or a sharp second opinion.
$2,500 / month
For founders who want a seasoned partner in their corner every month.
Custom scope
For a full launch, presale, or licensing rollout.
Common questions
Fitness and wellness concepts across the full range: big-box clubs, boutique studios, group training, recovery, and premium hospitality-based concepts. If it has memberships, a floor plan, and a P&L, I have likely run a version of it.
The earlier the better. The most expensive mistakes get made before opening day, in the model, the lease, and the presale plan. That said, I work with concepts at every stage, from an idea on paper to operators several locations in.
Both. Roughly half the work is launches, and the other half is existing businesses that need sharper pricing, stronger retention, a staffing reset, or a path to their next location.
It depends on the engagement. The Growth Audit is analysis and a plan you run yourself. Advisor keeps me in your corner while you execute. Launch Partner is hands on, and where a project needs a specialist, I bring one from my own bench.
If there is a fit, I recommend the engagement that matches your situation and send a simple scope to review. If I am not the right person for it, I will tell you that, and where I can, point you to who is.
Discovery call
A 15-minute call to get to know you and what you are building. I take on a small number of founders at a time, so I keep these conversations few and focused.
Schedule a Call