3:1432;103-1534">Before he built one of the biggest names in youth sports training, Will Bartholomew was a walk-on at the University of Tennessee trying to survive fall camp with a quarterback named Peyton Manning. In this episode, the D1 Training founder sits down with Eric Malzone to trace the whole arc — training athletes in an open field back in 2002, opening a patio-carpet-and-turf gym with racks he screwed together himself, and slowly turning that into a franchise system now closing in on 220 locations nationwide. Will gets honest about the messy middle: no point-of-sale system at location two, why D1 doesn't open on Sundays, selling off 27 real estate properties and a physical therapy business to go all-in on the gym he actually loved, and the advice from his father that changed everything — "never scale anything until you've scaled it yourself." He also digs into what makes a great youth strength coach today, how D1 uses radical transparency and scorecards to keep coaches bought in, why he thinks the $115 billion youth sports market is still in its first inning, and the balance every sports parent is chasing between competing hard and keeping the game fun. Whether you're a gym owner thinking about franchising, a coach trying to build a real career in strength and conditioning, or a parent navigating the youth sports world, this conversation is packed with hard-earned lessons from someone who's lived every side of it.
5:21;1536-1556">🎯 Key Takeaways
- 17:148;1558-3327">
- 7:212;1558-1769">🏈 Will's path ran through a state wrestling title, a full ride to Tennessee, a national championship alongside Peyton Manning, and an NFL knee injury that redirected him straight into the weight room business
- 8:163;1770-1932">🌱 D1 Training started in 2002 in an open field before opening its first real location in spring 2003 — patio carpet, hand-built racks, and burned CDs for music
- 9:159;1933-2091">📈 32 corporate locations opened between 2003 and 2015, fueled partly by real estate deals and a young Peyton Manning as an early, hands-on business partner
- 10:178;2092-2269">🧭 A mentor's blunt question — "what are you actually the best at?" — pushed Will to sell off his real estate holdings and his physical therapy company to focus entirely on D1
- 11:167;2270-2436">🤝 D1 didn't start franchising until 2017-2018, after spending a full year rebuilding the business model around real footprint size, staffing, and consumer behavior
- 12:157;2437-2593">📊 Radical transparency drives coach retention — weekly scorecards, EOS-style meetings, and 90-day reviews so coaches always know exactly where they stand
- 13:160;2594-2753">💰 The addressable market for youth sports and strength training now sits around $115 billion, and Will believes the industry is still in its "first quarter"
- 14:154;2754-2907">📱 D1 is investing heavily in tech, including its own app, athlete testing verification, and partnerships with recruiting platforms like On3 and Rivals
- 15:133;2908-3040">⚖️ On competitive youth sports, Will's take is simple: keep it fun, because burnout comes fast when winning becomes the only point
- 16:139;3041-3179">🎙️ Will also hosts "The Turf," a show spotlighting coaches and athletes who've shaped the training world, from John Gruden to Tim Tebow
- 17:148;3180-3327">🚀 The mission driving everything: put inspiring, motivating strength coaching in every community in the country — not just another gym franchise
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