PickUp USA stands out in the gym industry because of our unique specialization,” says Jordan. Jordan Meinster is the Founder and President of PickUp USA Fitness, which is a fitness club concept operating in the United States and aims to create a better way for people to play basketball. In the company, Jordan is accountable for developing high quality business strategies and plans to ensuring their alignment with short-term and long-term objectives. He is overseeing all operations and business activities to ensure they produce the desired results and are consistent with the overall strategy and mission.
Basketball is an immensely popular sport, and has very strong participation rates with over 30 million annual participants. PickUp USA is the only basketball focused fitness club, so for those consumers that play basketball, the company is a natural choice. Jordan asserts “we provide fun yet challenging basketball boot-camps and results-oriented private training sessions for our athletes to learn and develop their skills to achieve their goals.” Another key differentiator is the company’s organized and Officiated PickUp Games. The members have the opportunity to play in daily competitive PickUp Games that retains all of the fun aspects of pickup basketball yet cuts out all of the hassle. The company combines these basketball services with full weight/cardio rooms, and deliver a true full service fitness club to its members.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between Insights Success and Jordan Meinster:
Describe your background and what did you do before you started or came into this business?
In high school, I worked in restaurants, as a window washer, and at a Jiffy Lube. I put myself through college managing a fine dining restaurant. This is also where I met my wife, Casey. She was the cocktail waitress. After college, I worked in banking and finance positions at College Loan Corporation, HSBC, and Citibank. I served in a variety of roles, including as a licensed financial advisor. In 2011, I left corporate America to launch PickUp USA – a business concept I had been developing since I was 19.
What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you?
My colleagues in the corporate office and our team of franchise owners have a strong influence on me. It’s a powerful thing to watch these individuals relentlessly work to bring PickUp USA to communities across the country. I can take credit for the idea of PickUp USA, but we would be nothing without the corporate team and franchise owners continuing to help refine the business and deliver A Better Way to PlayTM to our customers across the country.
What is the operating philosophy that the business has been built on?
PickUp USA Fitness is for the basketball lovers. PickUp USA was founded to create a better way for people to play basketball. PickUp USA puts the customer first. Every decision we make is in the interest of being as customer friendly as possible. This creates a positive reputation for our clubs that allows word of mouth and referrals to really take off. When you take care of the customer, they will take care of you. We go out of our way to wow our members and guests in every interaction with them, and they have referred friends and family, and the result is a continuously growing business.
What are some of the vital attributes, in your opinion, that every leader should possess?
Being passionate about your business is incredibly important to succeed as an entrepreneur, but if you can’t get your team to operate with that same level of passion, you will not reach your potential as a business owner. Being able to recruit, train, and continuously motivate and develop a team is key for success.
PickUp USA seeks individuals who really believe in our concept. What we do is unique, and there is a huge market for our services. We spent years refining our brand before offering franchise opportunities, and we are looking for franchise owners that will be as passionate about our product as we are. We also look for individuals capable of building and developing a strong team for their club. The staff at PickUp USA is critical to the customer experience, and it is very important for our club owners to select and develop team members that will deliver world-class service to our customers.
How do you maintain balance between your professional & personal life?
I’m very fortunate to have a job that I love. It’s a lot of work, and there are certainly challenges, but I love what I do, and I truly “look forward to Mondays.” With that, I don’t feel compelled to deliberately set boundaries so that I can escape work. I do always ensure that I have time to get “off the grid” whether that’s a hike, playing basketball, or a getaway with my wife. Those quick refreshes keep me on my game.
As a CEO/leader, describe a challenge you overcame.
The development process that brought us from an initial concept to where we are now has been a challenging yet valuable journey. We’ve learned countless lessons through the rough road of trial and error as to how to best meet our customer’s needs and thrive as an independent gym. Name an obstacle and we’ve probably overcome it. From site location to construction, to scheduling, to staffing, to training, to sales; we’ve encountered the whole gamut of challenges and can now confidently implement our tried and true system to fitness entrepreneurs looking to avoid those same pitfalls. Most importantly, we have learned from the customers and always structured our services based on what the consumers are demanding. After seven years of operating experience, we have a business model in place that has been crafted through experience and adapting to consumer preferences.
Jordan Meinster | Founder & President | PickUp USA Fitness
