Short Summary

Hi there! For those who don’t me, my name is Mar; I’m a NASM Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist, AASBC Certified Small Business Consultant, Certified Sommelier, former Restaurant Manager, and most importantly, a transgender man. WHEW.  For those who do know me, I’m sure you can all attest to the fact that I am an overachiever, dream chaser, and champion of underdogs everywhere. All of these qualities and unique life experiences have brought me here today, asking for some help with my newest project – The Pump Room Gym & Juice Bar.

I’ve been running my personal training business, Q GRIT Fitness (www.qgritfitness.com), for the LGBTQ+ community independently since 2019 – previously in Brooklyn, NY and now in Providence, RI. Since then, my achievements have included being one of, if not THE first transgender instructor on a major online fitness platform with Brrrn, as well as being featured in numerous web articles – most notably Them, Yahoo! Life, and Men’s Health Magazine (this coming June). I’ve had the pleasure of working with close to 100 queer and/or trans identified individuals in search of a safe, affirming, and queer-knowledgeable trainer in an industry that has historically regarded their bodies as “undesirable.” This harmful messaging often keeps most people who aren’t incredibly muscular or thin away from gyms or fitness facilities for many reasons, including intimidation and in the very worst cases, physical harm or harassment.  As the demand for more inclusive fitness spaces increases, there are still very few facilities that actually exist that ensure the comfort and safety of queer folks. The state of Rhode Island has exactly ZERO gyms that are owned and operated by LGBTQ+ individuals… until now. 

The Pump Room Gym & Juice Bar is a one-of-a-kind fitness facility and zero-proof bar concept that provides the LGBTQ+ community in Rhode Island with a safe and inclusive space to exercise and socialize without fear of harassment, judgement, or other forms of emotional and/or physical dangers. The facility will be a projected 4,000 square feet of open, airy space on the West End of Providence, RI with stunning ethereal vibes evocative of 1980’s malls, Miami Vice, and 80’s new wave music. The majority of the space will be occupied by the gym, which will provide services such as monthly memberships, personal training, and separate room dedicated to various modalities of group fitness classes. The remaining space will be occupied by the juice bar and lounge area, which will offer fresh house-pressed juices, smoothies, coffee and tea beverages, and specialty juice-based mocktails.

Threats to the physical safety of LGBTQ-identified individuals is at an all-time high, and access to healthcare and wellness spaces is at an all-time low. I intend to use this space to provide an accessible, affordable, and inclusive environment for queer and trans folks, and other individuals who feel afraid, embarrassed, or otherwise apprehensive about joining a gym and allowing them to become active and healthy. The gym will provide folks with an opportunity to become stronger and physically healthy, while the juice bar will provide a gathering space to offer community and positive social interactions within the safety of the gym. There will be gender-neutral single stall restrooms and single stall changing rooms for maximum privacy to ensure the comfort and safety of all members. With your help, we can make this dream a reality.

Check out the landing page for more info and ~vibes~

www.thepumproompvd.com

What We Need & What You Get

This project will cost a projected $180k to get everything up and running. This number sounds scary, and it is, but I have accounted for every dollar necessary for expenses such as gym equipment, renovation costs related to the juice bar buildout, juice bar equipment and furnishings, all relevant business licensing, rent and utilities for up to 4 months during renovations, POS systems, and a reasonable salary for myself while I’m managing the whole ordeal on my own every step of the way.

I am asking for your help in raising $100K of that projected $180k, as I am only eligible and able to finance $80k of that project cost on my own through a business line of credit and small business grants. In a perfect world, I would finance the whole thing on my own with an SBA loan. The honest truth is that in order to even qualify, I’d have to contribute a minimum of 15% down, which would be $27K – which I absolutely do not have at the moment. Since I registered my LLC less than a year ago, lenders consider my business to be less than a year old, despite the fact that I’ve been earning money from my work for close to 4 years, which gives me little to no options in terms of finding loans at the scale that I need. I have excellent credit (795!) and a solid business plan and financial projections with my background in business consulting, but at the end of the day, banks will not allow me to take out a loan that size because I don’t have enough capital of my own to contribute. They also do not consider crowdfunding to be a viable source of personal capital, so they wouldn’t accept a crowdfunding contribution of $27k. 

Due to these barriers, I am asking for help in the form of donations or discounted prepayments for memberships and/or merchandise to reach my goal of $100k. 

Here are the perks!

$5 gets you a day pass to the gym

$10 gets you one smoothie or zero-proof drink of your choice

$18 gets you a logo mug*

$25 gets you a logo T-shirt*

$45 gets you one month of membership

$65 gets you one personal training session with Mar

$100 gets you entry to 10 group classes

$450 gets you one whole year of membership

*anyone who wants merch will receive an e-mail once the campaign has ended, with a link and free coupon code to purchase the item of choice!

If you are out of state and/or none of these perks interest you, but you’d like to donate, any amount helps and is greatly appreciated! Please click the “See Options” button at the top to choose your contribution amount. Alternatively, if you are out of state and would like to sponsor a month or year of membership for a local Providence resident in a marginalized community, please make note of that in a quick email to me at info@thepumproompvd.com so I can make these funds available for folks in the future!

The Impact

With your help, we can make our LGBTQ community in Rhode Island stronger and more empowered than ever before, giving marginalized folks access to safe and affirming fitness unlike ever before. The goal here is to make waves in the fitness industry and set the standard for other facilities to understand the unique needs of the queer and trans community in terms of inclusion and acceptance in body-focused spaces. I hope to one day bring The Pump Room to cities across the country and build an army of queer fitness professionals! 

I have achieved incredible success in my previous business endeavors that served the LGBTQ communities, and I have no doubt in my mind that this will be my greatest success yet. All I ask is for your support and trust to get the job done and do it WELL. 

Risks & Challenges

My biggest challenge in this venture is my lack of access to startup capital, and the lack of trust from financial institutions that this business will succeed due to the small scale that I’ve been operating on thus far. With a $100k contribution from family, friends, and supporters of this project, I can jump these hurdles and can circumvent these obstacles completely. 

With my business savvy and large group of supporters and folks ready and excited to work out at The Pump Room immediately upon opening, I have the utmost confidence in my ability to make this venture an immediate hit. 

The only thing at risk here is a missed opportunity of something really great for the community if I don’t meet my goal. Naturally there is also financial risk assumed when starting a new business, but that risk will be mitigated by upholding the best standards of operation as a trainer, business owner, and community leader in hopes of creating a sliver of light in the gloomiest of times.

Other Ways You Can Help

I understand that not everyone has extra change to spare in these financially challenging times; You don’t have to spend anything to help! Please feel free to share this campaign with friends and family members who might get behind my cause. Facebook and instagram posts. emails, and texts sending folks to this page is a HUGE way for you to help without spending a dime. 

Pride month is almost here – let’s make some noise!!