In this episode, we sit down with Dan Uyemura, CEO and co-founder of PushPress, a gym management software platform built by gym owners, for gym owners.
After a decade as a software engineer, Dan found himself overweight and going through a divorce—a personal crisis that led him to CrossFit and, eventually, to opening his own gym. But as a gym owner, he quickly realized that existing software solutions were outdated, overly complex, and not built with the needs of modern gym operators in mind. This led to his key insight:
👉 "When software tries to do too much for everyone, it ends up doing nothing for anyone."
Determined to create a better solution, Dan founded PushPress in 2011, bootstrapping the company for nine years before scaling it to a $15M ARR business with 100 employees today.
What truly sets PushPress apart is Dan’s customer-centric philosophy. He believes that "customer support is not a cost, but a go-to-market strategy", a perspective that challenges industry standards. As a former gym owner turned SaaS CEO, he emphasizes their key differentiator:
👉 "Unlike our competitors, we truly understand the struggles of running a gym."
In this interview, Dan shares candid stories about:
✅ Overcoming repeated VC rejections and why investors failed to see the opportunity
✅ Navigating COVID-19 and how the crisis became a turning point for PushPress
✅ Building a company culture rooted in deep customer understanding
✅ Scaling a niche SaaS business while staying true to its mission
From accidentally landing their first customer through a Twitter beef to becoming a major player in the gym management software space, Dan’s journey is packed with valuable insights for founders building in niche markets.
🎧 Tune in to hear how he turned frustration into innovation and built a thriving business by solving a problem he knew better than anyone else.
01:37 Founding Story of Pushpress
07:29 Why First-Time Founders Fail Their Investment
14:01 How to Survive 9 Years Without Investment
16:56 Never Waste a Good Crisis
23:32 How I Built a $15M Vertical SaaS Product
31:57 Real Advice for First-Time Founders
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EO stands for Entrepreneurship & Opportunities. As we’re looking to feature more inspiring stories of entrepreneurs all over the world, don’t hesitate to contact us at partner@eoeoeo.net
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