Name: 9Round Fitness
Owner: Lisa Witherow, of Ooltewah
Locations: 541 Signal Mountain Road and, soon to come, 8618 Highway 58, Suite 101
Niche: The specialized gym and health club franchise focuses on kickboxing-based circuit training and has more than 500 locations nationwide.
Personal transformation: Witherow started working out at the 9Round Fitness in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., following her second breast cancer diagnosis in 2014 and the weight gain she experienced during her second time undergoing chemotherapy. Her doctors recommended a healthy diet and exercise, so she joined a gym where she spent a few hours every night, but wasn’t seeing results. She then tried 9Round, which she loved for the convenience and variety of its 30-minute workouts, being able to work with a trainer at no extra charge, and the way she saw her health improve.