Keys to Operating a Training Facility With Patrick Nolan

Patrick Nolan is the owner and founder of Pivotal Sports Performance located in Denver, Colorado. His number one mission working with all athletes is to leave an impact that will last longer than any scoreboard. In addition to operating Pivotal Sports Performance, Patrick is the head strength and conditioning coach at Ponderosa High School in Parker, Colorado.

Patrick served as the Colorado State Director for the National High School Strength Coach Association (NHSSCA) from 2018–2020 and was named Rocky Mountain Regional Strength Coach of the Year in 2018. Patrick has worked with hundreds of athletes ranging from 7-year-olds to professional athletes (NFL, MLB, NHL, PLL, NLL). He has worked with athletes who have gone on to earn NCAA D1 scholarships along with athletes participating in the NFL Scouting Combine.

Freelap USA: Since most coaches opening up their own facilities are mainly coaches first, what’s the importance of finding people/mentors who are more business- and money-savvy to help with that side of things?

Patrick Nolan: My first piece of advice is: you can’t do it alone and you shouldn’t do it all by yourself just to save money. The term “you need to spend money to make money” is very real. At first, I thought I could handle point-of-sale, bookkeeping, etc. to save some money. But in reality, I was losing money because I had clients that owed me money that I never tracked—juggling all the sales as well as coaching was a lot.

At first, I thought I could handle point-of-sale, bookkeeping, etc. to save some money. But in reality, I was losing money because I had clients that owed me money that I never tracked, says @coach_pman. Share on X

That all changed when I hired an assistant to be in charge of all that and handle the administrative side. This also helped keep my relationships strong with clients by not being the one to ask for money, which is an understated benefit. Secondly, I have joined mentorship groups, signed up for consulting, and after a couple years of doing that I have figured out what works best for me as a business owner.

You won’t know what works for you until you try out a couple solutions, see what works for you, what doesn’t, etc. It’ll cost some money up front, but over the long-term the return on investment is worth it. Even with the courses and consultants I didn’t like, I still got value out of them by learning what didn’t work for me. To this day, I still have one consultant that I work with weekly and he holds me accountable and understands where I want to get to, a big part of my business success.

Freelap USA: You knew you were going to settle in Denver. Within a metroplex, what’s the process like for finding a good location for a facility and how did you manage that?

Patrick Nolan: Yes, I had my mind set on Denver! Nothing to do with my profession, I just always wanted to live in Colorado because of what the outdoors has to offer here. My process of finding a good facility was to research as much as possible.

First, I checked out each social media account, each coach at every facility I found, the website, the type of athletes walking in their doors, etc. Second, I visited each gym. I actually moved out to Denver without having a job—I had a couple offers/opportunities, but nothing set in stone. However, that was fine because I didn’t want to commit to something that didn’t align with my goals and values and take a job just to take it. The last thing I did before making my decision was watch the coaches coach athletes—the head coach, assistant coaches, all of them. I stood on the floor like a visitor and just watched! After all that, the decision was pretty easy! So, I started coaching at a high school out here to get my plans set for opening my facility.

Freelap USA: Being known for training lacrosse players—although that’s probably a relatively small percent of your clientele—what advice would you give facility owners on whether or not to niche down to more “sport-specific” training?

Patrick Nolan: It’s funny because I actually didn’t play lacrosse, contrary to what someone might think when looking at how I developed that sport-specific niche. And I hear that a lot from club teams and high school teams—they ask me to train them because I played lacrosse, but I tell them the same thing: I didn’t play, but I understand the game and have studied the movements.

I constantly talk to some of the best lacrosse players in the world about the game, what they see, and their insights, which has given me a new perspective on training movement for lacrosse players. But I guess that’s a good sign when trying to create a niche market—make others feel like I played that sport since I can speak that language and be relatable to the athletes. However, I would recommend NOT niche-ing down, especially starting off! I did not open Pivotal Sports Performance thinking it would be solely lacrosse athletes coming in. If a niche market happens, let it happen, but don’t chase it. In the private world, athletes come and go, so you never know what market you can hit big with next.

I would recommend NOT niche-ing down, especially starting off! I did not open Pivotal Sports Performance thinking it would be solely lacrosse athletes coming in. If a niche market happens, let it happen, but don’t chase it. Share on X

Freelap USA: What are some of the “off the clock” responsibilities and non-revenue- generating things to do as a facility owner that have a big return on investment for the business?

Patrick Nolan: The off-the-clock hours are honestly some of my favorite hours, for a couple reasons. One, I get to go watch my athletes in action! Going out and watching your athletes perform is a huge part of building relationships and a huge pet peeve of mine when coaches won’t make the time to do so. Go support them, watch them move in their actual sport, and see how you can improve the training. Just wait until the smile after the game, win or lose, when they see you! It makes it all worth it.

Going out and watching your athletes perform is a huge part of building relationships and a huge pet peeve of mine when coaches won’t make the time to do so. Just wait until the smile after the game… It makes it all worth it. Share on X

But going to games also gives you opportunities to be around other athletes and their parents. That’s been the biggest return on investment—talking to the current parents and have them hype up the business and training in front of other parents. That is the biggest hook, line, and sinker when it comes to sales, basically live “word of mouth.” Secondly, the off-the-clock hours are fun when you go to community events and get involved to learn about other people’s businesses. That has a huge impact on developing the adult clientele. And last, the third responsibility is going to schools, clubs, and organizations to meet coaches directly.

The main reason I do what I do is because I love sports, and this way I get to talk about sports with coaches and get them really talking about their passion as well, teaching me something about their sport and their philosophy, which is fascinating and educational. That, in return, builds a connection whether the team will train with me directly or that coach becomes a referral source by recommending me to others because we have built that rapport.

Freelap USA: As a business grows and develops over time, how do you know when it’s time to upgrade equipment, upgrade a facility, or anything like that? Basically, if you’re caught in the middle of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” when is it time to decide that new things could help the business more?

Patrick Nolan: In terms of upgrading equipment and facilities, you have to know your budget, first and foremost. As the gym owner, you’ll need to figure out trends of busy months and slow months, as well as a need/want/wish list! Then you can plan ahead to match spending with income, prioritize the needs first, determine if upgrading stuff will require more time from you, make sure to do it when it’s slow, etc.

Starting off, I needed dumbbells, plates, squat racks, and bands to consider opening a gym. As we started making money, my needs list turned into wants in order to progress our training and provide the best opportunity for our athletes to succeed. In order to get to the wish list, I needed both goals and a budget to make that happen. I use a method called “Profit First,” which I highly recommend for gym owners when budgeting and allocating money for certain things.

Once you hit those budget and profit goals, then you can make the purchases from the wish list. In terms of upgrading facilities, you really need to make sure your finances are in line, because that’ll be a huge commitment. My thought process before upgrading my facility was that I wanted my original gym to be bursting at the seams with clients before upgrading. Then, I needed the new facility to truly fit our system. I checked out multiple buildings to determine if the size and layout worked, if the location to current clients was reasonable, and then I checked to see if the price was worth it. Once you decide to move forward on a bigger and newer building, the equipment process then starts all over. Start with needs, then go to wants, then budget and set goals for wishes (which can include a facility).

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