🎯 CFO: I help companies achieve their talent acquisition goals! - Chief Financial Officer that values PEOPLE over FINANCIALS. Helping companies find THE BEST talent, and job seekers find THE BEST career

👋 I’m Albert Ramos — a Fractional CFO for $500K –$30M fitness, wellness, and HALO brands that are scaling fast but flying blind on cash.

I work with owner-led and franchise brands that need a real finance partner, not another spreadsheet or “fractional advisor” who’s never run a P&L.

What I help fitness & wellness operators fix
• Clean up messy multi-location QBO books and cash blind spots
• Build AI-powered 13-week cash flow + KPI visibility for every studio/location
• Prove unit economics by modality, campaign, and location
• Turn “we think we’re fine” into investor- and board-ready numbers

I’m the Fractional CFO behind fitness, wellness, longevity, and franchise brands that need both finance leadership and AI-powered FP&A — cash flow, forecasting, and dashboards that operators can actually use.

I also host The Owner Seat Podcast (formerly The Valisights Podcast), where founders, franchisors, and studio owners talk openly about the real P&L, debt stack, and unit economics behind the highlight reel.

Why people trust me with their numbers
• 16+ years leading real businesses with full P&L accountability
• Area VP of Ops, Lori’s — 130+ stores across 12 states (PE-backed)
• Director of Ops & Finance, Life Time Inc. — 16 large clubs, 70K+ visits/month
• $200M+ revenue, $75M profit, and $45M EBITDA under direct oversight

Who I’m best for
• Fitness & wellness studio owners scaling past 3+ locations
• Multi-unit HALO and longevity/IV chains backed by PE or private investors
• Franchisors and franchisees between $500K–$30M who need a Fractional CFO, not a bookkeeper

Start with the framework I use with clients
🎁 Get the free Stratego CFO Playbook for Fitness & Wellness Brands
👉 https://forms.gle/bJo3BZJv6KWTFkwb7

Ready to see if we’re a fit?
📞 Book a CFO Strategy Call (cash flow, unit economics, and next steps):
👉 https://calendly.com/albertramosjr-strategointel/about-linkedin

I've been working in the Fitness and Wellness industry for over 16 years. 

Here's what I've learned....

2026 will be the year of RETENTION

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

Albert Ramos Jr.

Albert Ramos is an accomplished turnaround Chief Financial Officer with 15 years of senior executive enterprise leadership experience, including implementing step-by-step Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Automation strategies for corporate, franchise and start-up ventures. His robust career spans across prestigious roles in private equity-backed, publicly traded, and employee-owned organizations. Albert is known for his strategic prowess, financial and operational excellence, having led revenue and operational breakthroughs that substantively enhanced the value and customer experience for large-scale businesses. 

As the Chief Financial Officer for MK Search, Hunter+Sage, and SageTech, Albert brings expert financial guidance to the innovative recruiting firm. Leveraging extensive experience in strategic finance, including 3 Statement Financial and LBO Financial Models, Albert is committed to driving growth, enhancing operational efficiency, and ensuring financial integrity across both organizations including being the change-agent in the industry leveraging automation and A.I.

Albert is THE Texas CFO, helping small business owners with their financial strategy and achieving economies of scale. Albert is also the Chief Financial Officer of Parthenon, an AI-powered, 🧠 intelligent fitness💡elite coaching app, and Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Stratego Intel Consulting - a cutting-edge consulting firm powered by Gen A.I, Machine Learning and Automation that specializes in providing strategic intelligence and innovative solutions to wellness and fitness franchise businesses.

In his role as Director with Life Time Inc., Albert has been instrumental, steering operations across a dynamic 16-unit mix of premier country clubs and innovative co-working spaces, as well as responsible for 3000 team members. His acute financial acumen is evident through his stewardship of impressive figures: managing close to $200 million in annual revenue, achieving $75 million in profit, and commanding a robust $45 million EBITDA. 

Albert's track record boasts deep experience in translating business strategy into tangible results. He has established and communicated strategic directions for major divisions, ensuring alignment with the company's vision. His skill in fostering strong collaboration with c-suite executive leadership and Board of Directors has been pivotal

THE CFO for Fitness & Wellness Brands | Host, The Owner Seat Podcast | CFO @ Stratego | CEO @ Valisights | AVP Ops, Lori’s

Fitness media isn’t broken. It’s bought. 

Most fitness + wellness “news” is a pay-to-play machine dressed up as editorial.

And it’s quietly warping what owners, coaches, and consumers think is “working” in this industry.

On The Owner Seat Podcast, I sat down with Elisa Edelstein — Editor-in-Chief of Coach360 and we went straight at it:

✅ How media actually makes money (and what that business model rewards)
✅ The uncomfortable truth: the loudest brands aren’t always the best brands
✅ Where “editorial” ends and sponsorship influence begins
✅ Why coach burnout + retention get under-covered (because it’s harder to monetize)
✅ What operators are getting dead wrong about pay, career pathing, and the coaching economy

Here’s the part that should piss off every operator:

When coverage is tied to ad dollars, the industry gets flooded with highlight reels and growth theater… while the real problems keep compounding (this is why I LOVE Coach360, they are real, raw, and authentic):

- churn
- staffing instability
- low coach pay
- weak onboarding
- inconsistent client results

If you’re building a real brand, you need to know what game is being played and who’s paying for the scoreboard and the "awards"

This episode is a must-watch if you’re tired of:

“Best Of” lists that feel suspicious
PR narratives that don’t match the floor reality
Coaches leaving and everyone acting surprised
Media platforms pretending they’re neutral when they’re not

FULL EPISODE in the comments

📌 Make sure to register for Career Lab by Coach360 if you're looking to level up. 

[I'm totally getting banned from a ton of media and conference companies after this post....]

Some women don’t “climb the ladder." They carry the ladder through rooms that weren’t built for them.

On The Owner Seat, I sat down with Lisa Marie Semerly, CRO at Halotherapy Solutions, President of the World Halotherapy Association, and a multi-modality spa operator who’s lived the difference between talking wellness… and building it with credibility.

But what hit me hardest wasn’t the title.

It was her story.

Lisa came up in male-dominated industries where you don’t get handed trust

you earn it in public, every day.

15 years in pharma (including over a decade at Merck in respiratory), navigating rooms full of skeptics, clinical standards, and the pressure to perform with precision.

Then life tested her in a way no boardroom ever could:

Breast cancer.

And she still showed up.

Not with motivational quotes.

With grit. 

With discipline. 

With perspective.

A lot of that strength traces back to what she was raised in:

A strong Italian mother who didn’t teach “confidence” as a vibe, she taught it as a responsibility.

The kind of upbringing where:

you handle what’s in front of you

you don’t ask permission to lead

you bring standards into every room, even when it costs you

This episode is for the women who are:

leading teams while carrying invisible weight

building careers in industries that still don’t make it easy

fighting battles privately while performing publicly

trying to build something real in wellness without turning it into hype

If you’re a woman leader who’s ever felt alone in a room full of men, this one will hit home.

Comment STRATEGO for my FREE CFO Playbook for fitness and wellness owners

FULL EPISODE IN THE COMMENTS

Most fitness studios don’t have a revenue problem. They have an execution problem, and here's how it’s quietly killing retention.

On the latest episode of The Owner Seat, I sat down with Ben Ludwig 

Ben’s thesis is simple… and it should make every owner uncomfortable:

If your team isn’t executing, it’s usually not “a people problem.”

It’s unclear expectations, weak onboarding, and data that never reaches the front line.

Here’s what we got into, operator-level:

✅ “Efficiency” isn’t doing more. It’s doing what matters at 5pm on a Tuesday.
 ✅ Onboarding is either an apprenticeship… or your slow-motion culture leak.
 ✅ Dashboards fail when staff can’t use the data in real time.
 ✅ Seasonality doesn’t kill retention — bad member onboarding does.
 ✅ Most owners don’t actually know their true economics (pricing, margin, retention).

If you’re heading into 2026 trying to grow, expand, or stabilize your studio…

This episode is a reality check.

And a blueprint.

FULL EPISODE IN COMMENTS

Learned something new today. 

And I may have developed a new hobby

Any recommendations on where I can purchase a cost effective but good quality bow?

I like shooting a gun

I realized I LOVE shooting a bow 

But I also realized my dumbell row game needs to dramatically increase in weight

Most franchise systems will fail in 2026. They will be tested

Here is what the BEST fitness and wellness franchise systems are doing in 2026...

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

Most fitness brands are about to get disrupted… and it won’t be by another studio down the street.

It’ll be by AI + compute + connected systems turning “personalization” into a commodity.

On The Owner Seat, I sat down with Garrett Marshall— CEO & Founder, Wellbuilt Ventures, former President at Xponential Fitness, former CEO of Fitness On Demand, and a builder who’s been inside two IPOs and repeatable SaaS growth at scale.

This wasn’t “AI hype.” 

This was operator truth.

Here’s what we get into (and why it matters if you’re an owner, franchisee, or franchisor heading into 2026):

Compute is changing discovery — and it will reshape wellness products, demand cycles, and consumer expectations fast

“Personalization at scale” sounds sexy… until you try to ship it and realize the constraint isn’t the model; it’s data, adoption, incentives, and workflow

Simplicity wins — and the “one app for everything” pitch is a trap that creates bloated stacks and broken execution

Agentic work is coming — browser-native assistants, workflows happening inside the internet itself, and a massive advantage for operators who standardize their processes now

If you run a multi-site business, here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Your competition won’t just have better marketing.

They’ll have better systems

and lower labor drag

because AI will be embedded into the workflows you’re still doing manually.

Comment STRATEGO to get my FREE CFO Playbook for wellness and fitness owners

FULL EPISODE in the comments

The rumor in the fitness and wellness space is that this innovation will make or break everyone

If true, it's going to be a BIG DEAL...

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

Most people ask me what do they do to improve Retention?

Here is what you need to do in 2026...

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

Opening 100+ Studios Isn’t the Flex — Keeping Them Profitable Is

If you’ve ever launched one studio, you know the weight.

Now imagine doing it 137 times. 

Across multiple continents. 

With two brands. 

In four years.

That’s the world of Alicia Orleski, the latest guest on The Owner Seat Podcast and Operating Partner at Momentic Studios, the team scaling SweatHouz and STRONG Pilates at breakneck speed.

Your P&L isn’t the problem.Your cash flow is.

Most studio owners don’t fail from “no demand.”

They fail from invisible drift:

• payroll creeps up (quietly)
• software stacks pile on (silently)
• retention slips (monthly)
• owner pay becomes “maybe”

That’s why I brought on Paul Roch, CPA to The Owner Seat Podcast

He’s not just a finance guy.

He’s an operator inside complex systems.

In our Owner Seat episode, we hit:
• profit leaks that destroy confidence
• how payroll drift happens unnoticed
• the 5 numbers that predict profit
• a simple 13-week cash forecast cadence

If you’re still making decisions off
your bank balance…

you’re leading blind.

This episode gives you clarity
without the chaos.

Drop STRATEGO in the comments and I’ll reply with my FREE CFO Playbook

Full Episode Link in the comments.

The Real Threat to Your Studio Isn’t Tech—It’s Stale Thinking

What if your gym’s problem wasn’t engagement, revenue, or even retention?

What if it was your philosophy?

I don't need you to focus more dollars on luxury in your fitness and wellness boutique. 

I need you to create a consistent experience. 

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

You have to check out this podcast

I am a huge fan and respect Eric Von Frohlich so much

Eric and Todd discuss the day to day realities of living and competing with Parkinsons Disease (PD)

My favorite part of this podcast is the focus on leadership and mindset. so powerful! 

Please share with those that battle with PD, what an inspiration. 

📌 PODCAST LINK in the comments

Most Fitness Founders Don't Need Another Studio. They Need a Financial Story That Scales

You know your product.

You know your members.

You’ve built something that works.

But if you want to scale into multi-unit success, you need a financial story that actually influences decisions.

What features are you adding to your fitness and wellness ecosystem?

I'm curious if these are the ones...

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

Most gyms don’t have a “revenue problem.” They have a broken accounting system pretending to be a finance function. Here's what I mean...

And it’s the silent killer of profitability because it doesn’t show up as a crisis…

It shows up as confusion.

✅ Bank balance becomes the scoreboard
✅ Stripe/Shopify becomes the “P&L”
✅ Excel becomes the system of record
✅ Dashboards don’t match each other
✅ Meetings get louder… decisions get slower
✅ Owners lose conviction even when sales are up

That’s not “growth pain.”

That’s financial plumbing failure.

In Episode 43 of The Owner Seat, I sat down with Bill Dillmeier and we went straight at the uncomfortable truth:

Better forecasts don’t fix broken infrastructure.

If the foundation is weak, every forecast is guesswork.

Every “AI insight” is a liability.

Every growth decision is a coin flip.

Here’s the line that should scare every operator:

If revenue, costs, and timing don’t live in ONE place… you don’t have visibility — you have stories.

And stories don’t protect margin.

If you’re a fitness + wellness owner scaling locations, adding modalities, or stacking software tools…

this episode is required listening. 📌 FULL EPISODE in comments

Comment “STRATEGO” and I’ll send you my FREE CFO Playbook for Wellness and Fitness Owners

#TheOwnerSeat #FitnessBusiness #GymOwner #UnitEconomics #CashFlow #Accounting #FractionalCFO #Operations #Profitability #Franchise

"Albert we are hiring you to build a KPI dashboard."

No, I'm not doing it. Here's why...

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

How are you integrating automation and AI into your fitness business?

Are you doing this?

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

I'm never going to build you a KPI dashboard.

Actually here's why I'll probably do it anyways...

Enjoy the video

Comment STRATEGO if you want my free CFO Playbook that I use for Wellness and Fitness owners.

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