How Conquer Ninja Gym Caught the Ninja Wave and Scaled

Overview

Business Type: Ninja Warrior Gym Franchise
Headquarters: Minnesota (with 12 locations across MN, ND, and AZ)
Founded: 2015
Services Offered: Ninja warrior-style classes for youth and adults, competitive teams, private lessons, birthday parties, field trips, open gym, summer camps, ninja competitions, events, and school partnerships
Community Served: Kids, teens, and adults of all levels—from first-timers to American Ninja Warrior competitors; often entire families train together

Introduction: A Rising Movement, a Perfect Moment

In 2015, American Ninja Warrior exploded in popularity—sparking a nationwide interest in obstacle course training. Kids, teens, and adults wanted to climb, swing, and vault like the athletes on TV. But there weren’t many places to train.

That’s when Jake Marshman, a Minnesota entrepreneur with a background in indoor sports facilities, spotted the opportunity. “I had a sand volleyball gym with some light ninja obstacles in the corner, just for fun,” he recalls. What started as a side experiment soon captured his imagination. “I loved it—it was functional, fun, and not just for adults. It brought kids, families, everybody together.” Eventually, Jake pivoted his business focus to obstacle-based training and the rest is history.

It was then that Conquer Ninja caught the attention of Dan Delano, a competitive bowler-turned-ninja athlete who had competed on American Ninja Warrior in 2015. Dan and his friends were looking for a place to train and Jake’s gym became like a second home. Dan took a job managing the facility and decade later, he’s the company’s IT Director, helping run operations across a dozen locations.

“Back then, it was just a few of us doing it for fun,” Dan says. “Now, it’s grown into this whole community.”

Together, Jake and Dan have grown Conquer Ninja into one of the largest ninja gym franchises in North America—helping families, competitive athletes, and everyday fitness seekers level up in fitness… and fun.

Business Snapshot: Growing Ninja Athletes Across Generations

Conquer Ninja is very different from your traditional gym. Designed for youth and adults of all skill levels, each location features a full-scale ninja warrior-style obstacle course. Members can train casually, compete at an elite level, or just come for birthday parties and open gym play.

There are competitive youth teams, adult drop-ins, summer camps, and skill-building classes. But what truly sets Conquer Ninja apart is its community: entire families often train together, with parents and kids sharing the experience.

Conquer Ninja offers:

• Ninja warrior–style obstacle courses for all levels

• Youth and adult training classes

• Competitive ninja teams

• Birthday parties and field trips

• Summer camps and private events

• Open gym and drop-in sessions

• Family-friendly booking and membership options

The brand now has 12 locations across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Arizona—and it’s still growing. From casual visits to elite competition training, Conquer Ninja makes movement fun, accessible, and community-centered.

But pioneering a new type of gym meant working at the frontiers of business and technology. “We’re a very unique model,” Dan said. “And we needed systems that could keep up.”

The Challenge: Scaling a Multi-Location Ninja Gym with Outdated Software

When Conquer Ninja had just one or two locations, the Mindbody software Jake used to run his business was enough to keep things in order—barely. As Conquer Ninja grew, the cracks started to show.

No central login

“You had to log in individually to each location,” Dan said. “Every single one was its own separate business. That’s fine if you have one or two, but when you get to eight or nine? It’s a nightmare. You’ve got ten browsers open—super inefficient.”

Disconnected memberships

“We’d have someone from Minnesota go to Arizona for spring break, and the staff down there couldn’t verify their membership. The systems didn’t talk to each other.”

No family linking

“Parents had to make a separate account for each kid. Then they’d have to log in and out of each one to book classes. It wasn’t intuitive.”

Too many tools to manage

“We don’t just offer classes and memberships—we host birthday parties, field trips, summer camps, open gyms… and Mindbody didn’t let us do all that in one place,” Jake said. “We had to use multiple systems to manage it all.”

The more Conquer Ninja grew, the more time and staff it took just to manage the back-end—and that was starting to get in the way of opening new locations.

“The systems were breaking,” Jake said. “We needed software that would solve our pinch points.”

The Solution: Switching to WellnessLiving

Jake chose WellnessLiving for its unified platform, built-in flexibility, and enterprise tools for growing fitness franchises.

Here’s what changed:

🧩 One Login, Many Gyms

“Now we just drop down to the location we want. It’s super streamlined.” – Dan

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Account Management

Parents can book classes and manage memberships for multiple kids—all in one place without confusing workarounds.

✈️ Travel-Friendly Memberships

Members can book services at any of their locations—no friction, no confusion.

🎉 Simplified Booking for Events

Classes, birthday parties, field trips, and camps all run through one system.

💬 Feedback That Gets Heard

“WellnessLiving actually made some changes for us that worked out well. Their tech support gave us feedback, and we were able to collaborate on improvements—like how parents manage their kids’ accounts. I also really appreciate the community forum. You can give input, see what’s being worked on, and even get an ETA.” – Dan

The Results: 2x Growth and Smoother Operations

Since switching to WellnessLiving, Conquer Ninja has doubled its locations. Their team now manages daily operations, tracks performance, and opens new gyms without added tech stress.

“Systems are the biggest thing,” Jake says. “You can be an owner-operator, or you can scale. But if you’re going to scale, you need to solve your pinch points—and for us, that meant software.”

Now, day-to-day operations are smoother. Staff spend less time on backend management and more time working with members. And Jake can focus on opening new locations—without the tech slowing him down.

Favorite Features (According to the Team)

• Multi-location dashboard: Manage all gyms from a central login

• Traveler mode for memberships: Clients can visit any location with ease

• Family account linking: Parents can book for multiple kids with one login

• Event and class scheduling: Manage birthday parties, field trips, and open gym with ease

• Product feedback loop: “You actually listen and make improvements.”

Final Thoughts

Jake and Dan are still innovating—and the ninja movement is still growing. With plans for continued expansion and new programs on the horizon, the team is glad to have a system that can keep up.

“You don’t want your software to be the thing holding you back,” Jake said. “WellnessLiving helps us move forward.”

Ready to scale smarter?

Join thousands of fitness business owners using WellnessLiving to streamline operations and unlock growth.

👉 Book your free demo today.