Corporate Executive Walks Away: Building StretchLab in Florida | David Ramos | The Owner Seat

In this episode of The Owner Seat, Albert Ramos sits down with David Ramos — President & Owner of StretchLab First Coast and a mission-driven tech executive who’s led global platforms at Aetna/CVS, Rakuten, and high-growth startups… and then chose to build a local, family-owned wellness portfolio in Northeast Florida.

David has lived both sides of growth:

- Boardrooms, M&A, platform scale, and AI in healthcare and insurtech

- Front-line ownership inside StretchLab studios serving St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Atlantic Beach, and Mandarin

This conversation is raw, honest, and uncomfortably relevant for any franchisee, founder, or multi-unit owner trying to balance faith, family, tech, and local unit economics without losing themselves in the process.

🔍 In this episode, we cover:

- How a corporate layoff and identity reset became the launchpad for StretchLab First Coast

- What it really looks like to open, turn around, and scale multiple wellness studios

- The operating system David uses to run both code and cash flow with intention

-The 3–5 metrics he actually uses to manage his StretchLab portfolio week-to-week

-How faith, calling, and pressure show up when a studio is on the edge

-Were owners get punched in the mouth financially — leases, build-outs, and cash-flow gaps

- How a tech/AI background changes the way he looks at unit economics for a single studio

- Where AI can practically support franchise and studio operators over the next 3–5 years

Work with Albert – Fractional CFO for Fitness, Wellness & Franchise Brands

I’m Albert Ramos, Fractional CFO and Founder of Stratego Intel Consulting.

I help fitness, wellness, and franchise brands ($1M–$30M+) fix messy multi-location books, build 13-week cash visibility, and prove unit economics for every studio and territory.

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If you want CFO-level clarity on your numbers:

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📘 Free Resource – Stratego CFO Playbook (Fitness & Wellness)

Get the exact framework I use with owners and franchisors:

13-week cash flow structure

Location-level unit economics template

Core KPI dashboard for studios & franchise systems

🔗 Download the free Stratego CFO Playbook:

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Learn More

Fractional CFO services (Stratego): https://www.StrategoIntel.com

Connect with Albert on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr