Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Duncan.
Hi Evan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After high school I served 8 years in the Marine Corps as a Martial Arts (MCMAP) and Fitness Instructor, among many other things, and had tours to Iraq and Africa with Special Operations Forces. I decided to take what I learned leading, training and motivating Marines and use it to start an all-military veteran personal training company, Tough Fitness in 2012 .
Since then, Tough Fitness has become the one of the most recognized personal training companies in Dallas.
I’ve always been someone who picked apart businesses and thought of what could be done better or differently. For 4+ years I’ve had a vision of what I thought gyms should look, feel and operate like. I knew there was a huge opportunity to do things different and revolutionize an industry that had remained unchanged for decades. I spent 4 years pitching to hundreds of investors in an attempt to make my vision a reality. Over this period I became all but broken from my inability to secure funding for what I knew would be an amazing success, but I never quit. In hindsight, it was a true blessing that I was forced to wait.
I do my best in chaos, and I always see opportunity in every situation. COVID brought Taylor and I the opportunity of a lifetime. While we’re not done yet, what we’ve created with Recess thus far is extraordinary. After many accolades including our current “Best Gym in Dallas” title – I believe Recess is the best fitness club and brand in Texas. Sure, I’m biased.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been anything but smooth – which is what makes everything so fun. We originally had 18 of our fellow trainers (who were also close friends), sign a contract saying they would be willing to move their training businesses to Recess if we opened it. We thought we would be opening the doors with 180 members and at least 13 of those 18 trainers paying rent. Not a single one of them moved over after we signed a 10 year lease on 18,000 square feet of prime real estate.
We ended up having to sue our general contractor, for a number of reasons. We couldn’t afford an attorney, so I studied law for a couple weeks and wrote up our lawsuit.
We have people try and defame us over things we have absolutely no part of, on multiple occasions.
We started Recess with almost nothing. We had enough to make a security deposit and first months rent. We had many Mondays when we needed $50,000 by Friday to survive and somehow made it.
It’s been a wild ride.
As you know, we’re big fans of Recess Fitness Club. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Remember the days? For most of us, Recess represented that one time of day that we could all look forward to. It represented a simpler time filled with sweat and freedom, where you could make friends and have fun.
Well… we want to bring that back for all those who believe, like us, that they could use a little Recess in their life.
It’s our promise to build a gym for the people that is constantly developed and improved. We’re here to provide a community for those who are committed to constant improvement and like to have a little fun along the way!
Recess is a beautiful place to workout, with natural lighting, timeless design and amazing community of people.
What’s next?
We plan on expanding Recess to multiple locations in the near future. We’ve also expanded into Recess Rx, which is our platform for concierge medicine, including GLP-1 weight-loss, TRT, Peptides, Blood Panels and more. This month we will be rolling out Recess Physical Therapy as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.recessfitnessclub.com
- Instagram: @recessdallas
- Youtube: @recessfitnessclub
