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When you hear stories about overnight success, they rarely include the messy middle—the setbacks, the fear, the moments where quitting would have been the easier option. Paul Casey’s journey is different. It’s raw, honest, and deeply human. From a childhood marked by instability to spending a decade in prison, Paul’s path to founding A Better You Fitness in Hayward, California, is not just a business story—it’s a story of transformation.
What makes Paul’s journey so powerful isn’t just where he ended up, but how deliberately he built his life and business, one hard decision at a time.
A Childhood That Could Have Defined Him
Paul grew up in a broken home. His mother struggled with drug addiction, and his father was verbally and physically abusive. At a young age, Paul began using drugs himself and eventually cycled through juvenile hall and boys’ homes. That trajectory ultimately led to a 10-year prison sentence.
For many people, that would have been the end of the story. For Paul, it became the beginning of a new one.
While incarcerated, Paul discovered fitness—not just as a way to pass time, but as a way to reclaim control over his body and mind. He worked out religiously, but more importantly, he studied. He read fitness books, magazines, and anything he could get his hands on. He trained other inmates and started to see fitness not just as a passion, but as a future.
“I don’t have a lot of work history from all my time of being incarcerated,” Paul shared. “So I decided while I was in there… that I was going to get out and start a personal training business.”
Even behind bars, he was planning forward. He checked out business books from the prison library and wrote his first business plan—a bold idea for a mobile gym that would bring training directly to clients.
Starting Over After Prison
When Paul was released, he knew he needed experience and credibility. He got a job at Orangetheory Fitness, coaching group classes and sharpening his skills. He learned how to manage people, run programs, and create results in a structured environment.
Then the pandemic hit.
Gyms shut down overnight, and the stability Paul had built disappeared. Instead of waiting it out, he made a decision that would define his future: he went all in on his dream.
Paul started an LLC during the pandemic and hired a business coach. The cost? Nearly everything he had.
“His program was $3,000. I had $3,500 in my bank account and my rent was $800,” Paul said. “I pretty much emptied my bank account.”
He didn’t have money for food. What he did have was belief—and a willingness to bet on himself.
Building a Business From Parks, Backyards, and a Garage
Paul began by training clients online, but soon people asked for in-person sessions. He met clients in parks and backyards, carrying a few pieces of equipment at a time. His original vision of a mobile gym was coming to life, just not in the way he first imagined.
Eventually, he set up a tent in his backyard and began building a small gym there. When a neighbor complained and the city forced him to take the tent down, Paul adapted again. He worked out an arrangement with his landlord to use half of a garage and moved all his equipment inside.
His neighbors parked their cars on one side while Paul trained people on the other.
“That’s how it grew,” he explained. “I built this gym in half a garage.”
At the same time, he returned to Orangetheory Fitness as they reopened and eventually worked his way up to head coach, gaining firsthand experience in running a larger facility.
The First Real Facility—and the Leap of Faith
With growing confidence and demand, Paul moved into a 550-square-foot commercial space. It wasn’t glamorous. There was a barbershop next door and people living above him, but it was the next step.
The business kept growing. Paul reached a point where he was making more money from his own gym than from his job. That’s when he made another leap of faith—walking away from a guaranteed paycheck to fully commit to his mission.
There were moments when he considered scaling back, even closing the facility and returning to garage training. But once again, opportunity showed up at the right time.
A boxing coach approached Paul about renting space. Together, they decided to move into a larger facility and split it. Four months into a five-year lease, the boxing coach realized entrepreneurship wasn’t for him and walked away.
Paul was left holding the bag—and the opportunity.
From One-on-One to Community-Based Fitness
Instead of shrinking, Paul expanded. He took over the entire space, bought more equipment, and went deeper into debt. Then he made a strategic shift that changed everything: he launched large group training classes.
“One-on-one could only serve a certain amount of people per day,” Paul said. “So I started running large group classes.”
About 15 months ago, A Better You Fitness began offering structured group training alongside one-on-one personal training and online coaching. Paul also invested in mentorship, hiring Gym Launch to help him refine systems, marketing, and operations.
The results were real and measurable.
Today, the gym serves 86 members and continues to grow. Paul has built a team that includes multiple coaches, a virtual assistant in the Philippines handling backend operations, and staff dedicated to nurturing leads.
“My goal last year was 50 members,” he said. “When we passed 50, I put a one in front of it. Now my goal is 150.”
What’s Next for A Better You Fitness
Looking ahead, Paul’s vision is clear. In the next year, his focus is on reaching 150 large group members and introducing semi-private training—small groups of four to six people with more individualized programming and hands-on coaching.
Beyond that, Paul wants to build a coaching ecosystem.
His goal is to help up-and-coming trainers develop their skills, whether they want to work for him, run personal training sessions he markets for them, or build their own businesses using his facility. He understands firsthand how hard it is to do everything alone—and wants to be the support he never had early on.
Marketing With Purpose
Paul takes a proactive, disciplined approach to marketing. He posts on social media three to four times a day, focusing heavily on reels, outreach, and conversations. He also runs paid ads managed through Gym Launch, constantly reviewing metrics to attract the right people.
Every potential client starts with a free fitness consultation.
“I get to know them,” Paul explained. “First, determine if they’re a good fit for our facility. Second, if we can even help them.”
It’s not about selling everyone—it’s about serving the right people.
Advice for Aspiring Gym Owners
When asked what advice he would give to someone thinking about opening a gym, Paul didn’t hesitate.
“Start.”
Then he added the hard-earned wisdom: start small. Don’t rush into expensive spaces or high rent until you absolutely have to. Every move Paul made was intentional, driven by necessity and sustainability—not ego.
Even now, he turns down opportunities to expand too quickly. His philosophy is simple: grow only when the demand forces you to.
A Life—and Business—Built on Resilience
Paul Casey’s story isn’t about fitness alone. It’s about redemption, patience, and choosing growth when giving up would be easier. From prison to parks, garages to group classes, A Better You Fitness is the product of relentless belief and disciplined action.
And for Paul, this is just the beginning.
You can visit A Better You at their website at https://abetteryoufit.com/
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