FitLocal Is Scaling to Every Gym in Austin

When Conley Miller was 15, he started going to the gym because being out of shape was one of his biggest insecurities.

He had been bullied, so after school he started showing up every day: running, using the machines, and slowly turning fitness into something much bigger than a way to get in shape.

Eventually, Miller earned his CrossFit Level 1 and personal training certifications. During COVID, he enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard infantry. But before basic training began, a warehouse accident tore every ligament in his right knee. A year of rehab followed. He recovered, still made it into the military, and carried one lesson forward: don't quit when the original plan stops working.

That became useful when he started building FitLocal.

Miller came across a rental-property marketplace and wondered whether the same model could work for personal trainers: let people discover trainers nearby, compare profiles and pricing, and book directly.

He committed roughly $35,000 to building the first version. Then the project got much bigger.

Miller moved from San Antonio to Austin, met the team that would help him build the company, including producer Chris and co-founder Robert, and turned the idea into FitLocal, a marketplace for finding and booking in-person personal trainers.

But before clients would use it, FitLocal needed gyms and trainers.

Their solution was Meet the Trainer.

Instead of walking into gyms and pitching software, Miller's team offered to create content about the gym and its trainers first. They filmed their stories, promoted them, built the relationship, and then introduced FitLocal.

Today, roughly 50 gym locations across Austin and San Antonio are participating. The consumer app has officially launched and generated 121 downloads so far.

The company is now doubling down on that strategy with FitLocal TV, producing local fitness content to promote the trainers and gyms on the platform. FitLocal also recently closed its first seed round, backed by angel investor Rob Bundy.

Now, Miller has an ambitious target: get all 450 gyms in Austin onto FitLocal, along with 100 active trainers and 1,000 active clients.

FitLocal is hosting its Austin launch party on October 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. We'll share the RSVP details once they're live.