Ben Ilacqua’s Fitness Business Journey: Leadership, Community, and Growth

Ben Ilacqua’s transformation from a painter to a highly respected fitness entrepreneur is a story of vision, patience, and relentless pursuit of community impact.

As the founder of Shadow Fitness Club, Ben has built more than just a gym — he has created a thriving community hub that exemplifies leadership, growth, and purpose.

In this article, we dive into Ben’s journey, his business philosophy, and the key lessons fitness entrepreneurs can take from his experience.

When Ben first dreamed of owning a world-class fitness and martial arts centre, the vision was bold and expansive. However, he knew that to succeed, he needed to start small.

In 2009, Ben launched his fitness business in a modest 100-square-meter space. Rather than rushing to scale, he took a patient approach, focusing on learning about his community’s unique needs.

By starting lean, Ben was able to develop deep insights into the preferences, goals, and challenges of his clients.

This thoughtful beginning provided him with a strong foundation to build a facility that truly served his local community.

The stepping-stone model allowed him to test, refine, and adapt his offerings before pursuing his ultimate vision: Shadow Fitness Club as a leader in fitness and martial arts delivery.r.

Ben’s background in painting provided valuable lessons about transformation, but running a fitness business required an entirely new skill set.

In the painting industry, interactions were mostly transactional — a quote, a job, and a completion. In the fitness industry, it was about forging meaningful, long-term relationships.

“You need to play all the hats,” Ben explained. From sales and marketing to coaching and cleaning, he quickly realised that owning a gym meant being involved in every detail.

Building leadership skills became essential as he navigated the complexities of creating a people-first business where emotional intelligence, empathy, and community were paramount.

What connects Ben’s journey as both a painter and a fitness entrepreneur is his passion for transformation. In painting, he loved seeing lifeless spaces brought to life through preparation and precision. In fitness, he became equally passionate about transforming people — not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

For Ben, the gym became a place of personal breakthroughs. Clients came in carrying emotional weight, self-doubt, and physical limitations. Through carefully crafted programs and an emphasis on mindset, Shadow Fitness Club became a haven for personal growth.

Ben believes that the true reward isn’t just the physical changes, but the mental clarity, improved decision-making, and the relationships people build along the way.

This deep focus on transformation — in spaces, in people, and in community — continues to be the driving force behind everything Ben does.

Ben openly acknowledges that starting a fitness business without the structure of a franchise meant he had to learn through trial and error. Every detail — from gym opening hours to class structures, from branding to merchandise sizing — was an opportunity for growth. Mistakes were inevitable, but Ben embraced each one as a stepping stone.

Over time, through consistent self-education and the guidance of mentors, he refined the systems that would eventually power the gym’s growth. He worked closely with ‘Fitness Profit’ to develop processes around operations, client relationship management (CRM), lead generation, sales, staff management, and client retention.

One key insight Ben shares is that building a successful brand takes time — typically around eight years. His martial arts background instilled in him a sense of patience and the understanding that achieving mastery, whether in sport or business, requires a long-term commitment.

Recognising the importance of mentorship, Ben sought expert guidance when his gym hit a growth plateau. Despite trying various strategies, he couldn’t break past a ceiling in active member numbers. This led him to ‘Fitness Profit’, where he embraced a structured coaching approach that challenged him to strip his business back to the foundations and rebuild.

Working with mentors helped Ben see the importance of setting a clear North Star — a vision that the entire team could work toward. Together, they mapped out a three-year plan that included member growth, revenue targets, and new revenue streams. Rather than chasing more members alone, Ben focused on increasing membership yield through small group training, recovery services, merchandise, and a coffee bar.

This diversified revenue model allowed the business to grow sustainably without the need to double membership numbers. Ben also learned to balance family life with business demands, ultimately choosing to consolidate his efforts rather than overextending across multiple locations.