Young Wexford business owner expands gym facilities into new location

A young Wexford business owner has expanded his gym facilities and offerings into a brand-new location…

Jordan Scanlon, more commonly known as ‘Jay’, launched Screwloose Fitness just three years ago at the upstairs of the Naomh Eanna GAA Complex in Clonatin, Gorey.

Here, Screeloose Fitness run class-based training including HYROX-style classes, Tryka classes, Strength & Conditioning sessions, and general fitness classes for all levels.

“I started Screwloose Conditioning when I was 22 years old, and now at 25, I honestly never thought I’d be able to get to the point where the gyms are at today. What started as a small idea and passion for fitness has grown into two locations with an amazing community behind us.” he told Wexford Weekly.

Only recently, Screwloose has expanded into another new location in the local community. Jay has since expanded and opened their second location in Courtown above the Courtown Hibs Football Club. Before progressing into the Gorey gym, he tested the waters by renting a small room in a gym in Courtown. Now, Screwloose has launched a brand new Hybrid Fitness area alongside classes in their new fully equipped Courtown gym.

“As a young local business owner, I’m incredibly proud of how far things have come in a short space of time,” he told Wexford Weekly.

Across both gyms, which is continuing to go from strength to strength, Screwloose now has over 120 members showing their rapid rise across the community.

“We take great pride in making sure we have the community feel across both gyms where we know everyones name! And I’m proud to say we are still growing,” he said.

Despite being aged just 22 when starting the business initially, Jay did not view age as a complete block in the road. Now aged 25 still full with enthusiasm and a continued eagerness to improve, the young businesss owner reflected on his upbringing, along with his time in business to date, speaking about some of the challenges he faced:

“If I’m being honest, one challenge I faced while becoming a young business owner, was being taken seriously at times. I come from a rough background where I was brought up thinking I wouldn’t amount to anything or be taken serious. I decided against that and wanted to be able to change peoples lives and show other young people that anything is possible no matter what your background is,” he answered.

“Another challenge was building credibility at the start. When going into business especially the fitness industry, people need to see results to believe your methods actually work. Throughout years of proven results, I was able to build screwloose as a credible brand where you can get results.”

With my first gym, as it was solely and still is based around semi private group training classes, I had to be able to show people on social media and in person that every single person is supported here. There is no judging. We are all in the same boat here and we are able to show people fitness is to be enjoyed. It’s not to be something you dread, but something to look forward to,” Jay told us.

Although Screwloose’s expansion was a quick one in the local area, he doesn’t have any immediate bigger expansion plans. The short-term-goal is to become one of the best around locally, but who knows what the future may hold:

“Screwloose is bigger than just a gym; its a movement. I can see Screwloose being expanded to other places definitely in the near future whether its a different country, different county, or keep it within Wexford.”

“But, in this moment and time, we are focused on improving both gyms as much as we can. For anyone into the HYROX/TRYKA training, if you cant make one of our classes in Gorey then you can come down to Courtown and do that training yourself. We also have a outdoor training area going in aslo, where you can train in the outdoors and a recovery area with a sauna and icebath being put in aswell,” he said.

“And our Gorey premises is constantly improving its space too with new additions, new machines, and our coaches bringing in new techniques each week to make sure each client gets guaranteed results. We’re going to regularly host fitness social events to expand and bring together the community to once again show everyone fitness is fun,” Jay told Wexford Weekly.

Although the gym is rapidly expanding, the young entrepreneur paid homage to the people that stuck with him from the very start. Consistent returning customers is always a good way to view a successful business — and Jay recognises this:

“There have been members that have stuck by my side since I’ve opened and that are still with me now after 3+ years. I can never thank them enough for believing in me. That in itself speaks for itself business wise if we are able to still have our same members training with us the past 3 years,” he said.

For Jay, being a business owner is one thing — but being a gym owner is another, and he gets a lot of satisfaction from being able to combine both:

“The best thing about being a gym owner is being able to change so many lives! Seeing someone go from a mindset where it’s ‘no I’m not able for that’ to ‘I’m strong enough for that’. People constantly limit themselves through their mind and what they think their limit is and what they’re capable. But here at Screwloose, I take great passion in being able to show people they are stronger than they think — both mentally and physically.”

One phrase that stuck with me from my interview with Jordan was “we went from a small room in a gym to owning the whole gym.” Great successes often start small. From a tiny gym room to full ownership, humble beginnings build grit, resourcefulness, and lasting strength — traits that Jordan seems to have in abundance.

For more information, check out Screwloose Fitness Courtown on Facebook.