Jacob Colburn was just 21 years old when he opened O-Town Iron in his hometown of Oshkosh February 2018. What began in a 4,000-square-foot space has since grown into a 10,600-square-foot facility offering 24/7 access, personal and small-group training, nutrition coaching and other services designed to help members build strength for the long haul.
Along the way, Colburn's vision for O-Town Iron has grown, too. Today, its mission can be summed up in six words: “10 Years Longer. 10 Years Stronger.”
We sat down with Jacob to talk about leaving UW–Madison halfway through his college career to pursue his dream. Along the way, he faced the loss of his father, rejection from banks and the challenge of finding someone willing to take a chance on his idea. Today, his original vision has evolved into a place that welcomes moms, athletes, weekend warriors and seniors, all working toward the same goal: to live healthier, stronger lives.
For someone who's never walked through your doors, how would you describe O-Town Iron?
We're a coaching gym with 24/7 open-access options, made for people who aren't necessarily gym people. Our culture and community are a really big part of what we do. We invest in individuals. We want to make sure people feel awesome when they come in here. We get to know people on a personal level and create that family environment. A lot of people are intimidated when they first come in. But when they walk through the doors, they're relieved. They say, “Oh, this is nothing like I thought. There are actually normal people here.”
What was your original vision for O-Town Iron, and how has it changed?
I was 20 years old, and I liked to lift weights.
The initial thought was just to build a great gym. At that time, I wanted something really hardcore. I thought a cool gym was a place where you could do whatever you wanted, lift heavy and slam your weights if you wanted to.
Now it’s become more about the people and less about the gym. Now it's “How many people's lives can we impact and help change the trajectory of their lives?”
There are a ton of people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who have lived their lives for other people. Their bodies are starting to say, “Hey, I can't do the things I used to be able to do.”
The industry has always told people, “Weight loss, weight loss, weight loss.” But that's really not what those people need. They need strength. They need to build longevity.
Your mission is now “10 Years Longer. 10 Years Stronger.” What does that mean?
We want to help people live 10 years longer. Obviously, we can't measure that, but the lens you look at training through changes when you think that way.
We don't do challenges. It's not, “Do this for eight weeks and you're done.” This is a lifestyle. You need to create a foundation of fitness so you can live healthy for the rest of your life. But the “10 Years Stronger” part is just as important. That's about quality of life.
You want to golf. You want to get on the floor and open presents with your grandkids. You want to go on vacations. You want to live life without those restrictions.
It's about being able to live longer and live better.
You were a student at UW–Madison when you decided to pursue O-Town Iron. What made you take that leap?
I got the idea at the beginning of the summer. I was back in town for Country USA, and my buddies and I were working out at local gyms. We started joking around about what if there were a new concept for a gym in Oshkosh. And the idea just infected my mind. I could not get over it.
That whole summer, I was driving back and forth from Madison to Oshkosh three or four times a week to meet with banks and people I admired in the business world. I put together a business plan and had some really great mentors who took me under their wing.
Then it came down to literally a week or two before school started. I either had to go to school or drop out and do this gym thing.
One of my mentors told me, “You've thought about this. You've slept on it. At the end of the day, sometimes you just have to go with your gut.”
So that's what I did.
Your dad, Todd Colburn, a longtime law enforcement officer in Neenah, died in 2016 at just 54. Did losing him affect the way you thought about taking that risk?
My dad passed away the year before I did this. He had ALS. I think sometimes there's a blessing in disguise because I had this perspective: “Life is so short. I could die tomorrow.”
He wasn't very old when he died. I was like, “You know what? If this fails, I'll just go back to college.”
That was just it.
You didn't have much money and banks considered you a high-risk borrower. How did you get the financing to open O-Town Iron?
I got denied by pretty much every bank in Oshkosh, but I was very relentless that this was going to happen. I eventually got linked up with the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation, WWBIC. I started going to their luncheons. I'd visit their headquarters in Milwaukee. I got to know people and developed those relationships. Eventually they said, “Okay, we'll give you the money.”
It was a very painstaking, slow, long process. It wasn't a grant. It was a loan, and we paid it off in about five or six years. I'm so grateful to that organization.
O-Town Iron started in a 4,000-square-foot space and has since grown into this 10,600-square-foot facility. What prompted the move?
The move wasn't necessarily just because we wanted to be bigger. The experience we were trying to provide wasn't suitable at the old location anymore.
We've always had 24/7 open access, but we were really getting into the training side of things, and the facility was too small to give clients the personal-training experience we wanted to provide.
The move was really about being able to provide that experience.
You've watched numerous people come through O-Town Iron. What kinds of transformations mean the most to you?
We've got hundreds and hundreds of transformation pictures and stories. But I think the coolest thing is what happens in someone's head and with their self-confidence.
People come in terrified. Then, eventually, they're not terrified anymore. They're telling us, “I started going for walks with my dog. I haven't done that in a year,” or, “I was able to get on the floor and open presents with my grandkids.”
You see the light in their face. They're confident. They're walking differently.
That's really freaking cool.
Besides O-Town Iron, what are some of your favorite places in Oshkosh?
I go to Far Vu Golf Course once a week. I love that place. The Roxy is one of my favorite joints. I live right by it, too, so I love going to The Roxy. My buddy Andy opened Parm, and he makes great food over there.
I have a lot of friends who own businesses, and I like to support them. I like going up and down Main Street and trying different places. We've got a pretty good restaurant town here.
About:
Owner: Jacob Colburn
Address: 1850 Jackson St. Oshkosh, WI 54901 (near Pick ‘n’ Save in Fairacres Shopping Center)
Website: otowniron.com
Opened: Feb. 3, 2018
