In this high-energy episode of What It Takes: Business Owners Tell All, Jamie Seeker sits down with Cody Romness, co-founder of Allegiate, a strength training gym bringing college-level athletic structure and performance to everyday people. From the football field at USC to the startup world at Patreon, Cody’s path has been anything but ordinary.
He shares how the athlete’s mindset of grit, discipline, and team dynamics has shaped every move he’s made as an entrepreneur. We get into the intentional branding behind Allegiate, the mindset challenges of scaling, and what it really takes to lead a high-performance team — not just in the gym, but in business.
Whether you're an athlete, a business builder, or just someone chasing growth, this episode brings 🔥 insight on turning intensity into impact.
🧠 Key Themes & Takeaways:
- From USC to CEO: How college athletics instilled the mindset Cody still uses to lead his business.
- Branding With Intention: Why the name “Allegiate” was designed to stand alongside legacy fitness brands — and what it really means.
- Startup Lessons from Music & Tech: What Cody learned from working in the music biz and at Patreon that helped shape Allegiate’s growth.
- Culture Starts with Performance: Why Cody focuses less on “company culture” and more on getting the right people in the right roles.
- Scaling Isn’t Sexy: Cody opens up about the messy middle of growth — including rebuilding teams, systems, and his own mindset.
- Mindset is Everything: The power of reframing failure, staying in the game, and letting the business build you as much as you build it.
🗣️ Quotable Moments:
“Nobody’s coming to save you. You’ve got to make it happen — but you also need the right team doing their job.”
“We’re not just building a gym. We’re building a standard for how performance should feel.”
“Going from a wantrepreneur to an entrepreneur is a mindset shift — and once you’re in it, it changes everything.”
❓ Jamie’s Signature Question:
What does it take to be a business owner?
Cody’s answer: It takes the guts to get in the game, a relentless appetite to learn, and the humility to let challenges shape you. The business builds you, just as much as you build the business.
🌐 Links & Resources:
- Allegiate Gym: allegiategym.com
- Follow Allegiate on Instagram: @allegiategym
- Connect with Cody: codyromness.com | @codyromness on Twitter | LinkedIn
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