How Dave Mortensen went from college dropout to industry leader
March 25, 2025
How do you take a single gym concept and scale it into a 5,000+ location global franchise? In this episode of Growth Diaries, Dave Mortensen, Co-Founder of Anytime Fitness and Purpose Brands (previously Self Esteem Brands), shares his journey of disrupting the fitness industry with a 24/7 gym model and a relentless focus on culture, execution, and people-first leadership. Now leading Purpose Brands, Dave continues to help businesses grow with impact. He dives into the importance of purpose-driven leadership, scaling with the right values, and building a brand that stands the test of time.
How do you take a single gym concept and scale it into a 5,000+ location global franchise? In this episode of Growth Diaries, Dave Mortensen, Co-Founder of Anytime Fitness and Purpose Brands (previously Self Esteem Brands), shares his journey of disrupting the fitness industry with a 24/7 gym model and a relentless focus on culture, execution, and people-first leadership. Now leading Purpose Brands, Dave continues to help businesses grow with impact. He dives into the importance of purpose-driven leadership, scaling with the right values, and building a brand that stands the test of time.
Previous guests include: Matt Maroone of Silver Mirror Facial Bar, Shabana Karim of House of Enspa, Marilyne Gagne of Dermapure, Smita Vallurupalli & Shashank Kancharla of Bubbles Hair & Beauty and Old School Rituals, Rob Peetoom of Rob Peetoom Salon.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
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- The power couple behind India’s Bubbles and Old School Rituals