Episode Article
Damian Joseph Baez didn’t expect to start his business when he did. He had just two weeks’ notice, $500 to invest, and no clients. One year later, the 24-year-old Tampa native, known as “Coach Damian,” runs Coach Damian’s Wellness in Lutz, Florida, and is on track to earn about $72,000 this year.
His story appeared on Rise and Thrive, a podcast by Tampa’s Make It Viral Media. Here’s a look at how his business began, what it offers, and some key numbers.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Owner | Damian Joseph Baez (“Coach Damian”) |
| Age | 24 |
| Business | Coach Damian’s Wellness |
| Location | Lutz, Florida (operates out of a rented space inside a physical therapist’s office) |
| Service area | Carrollwood, Tampa Bay area |
| Credential | Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) |
| Core services | Massage therapy, assisted stretching, corrective exercise (delivered together in one session) |
| Founded | April 2025 |
| Startup capital | $500 |
| LLC registration cost | About $125 |
| Month 1 revenue | Roughly $1,000/month |
| Month 6 revenue | $3,000–$4,000/month |
| Year-end revenue target | ~$72,000 |
| Phone | (813) 803-2043 |
| Website | coachdamianswellness.com |
| Social platforms | Facebook, Instagram, TikTok |
The Two-Week Notice That Started It All
Before running his own practice, Baez worked at Stretch Labs, a stretching and assisted-mobility company he describes as well-run with strong training. That employment ended abruptly: the company filed for bankruptcy and closed five locations, including the one where Baez worked. Staff were told the location was shutting down with two weeks’ notice, in April 2025.
At the time, Baez already had a backup plan. He was about to start a six-month massage therapy program and planned to keep working part-time at Stretch Labs on weekends while attending massage school during the day. The closure took away that option. Since the company was dissolving and there were no non-compete contracts, several of his clients followed him to his new practice and stayed with him throughout massage school.
He finished that program and became a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT).
How He Got Into Wellness
Baez’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t linear:
- Early interest: He was drawn to medicine from a young age. He remembers dressing up as a doctor during role-play activities in elementary school.
- College and CNA work: He enrolled in college with a pre-nursing track, completing about a year and a half before leaving without finishing his prerequisites. During that time he worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at a rehabilitation facility.
- Why he left nursing: He says the emotional toll of medical work, including seeing patients pass away, made him realize it wasn’t something he could do long-term, though he respects those who choose that path.
- The pivot to training: While working in rehab, he discovered he enjoyed helping patients regain their independence, like standing, walking, and doing basic self-care. He thought about going to physical therapy school but decided it was too expensive for the payoff. Instead, he became a personal trainer and learned hands-on skills from mentors in the field.
- Stretch Labs, then his own business: From personal training he moved to Stretch Labs, which eventually led to the bankruptcy-driven launch described above.
What Coach Damian’s Wellness Actually Does
Every session blends the same three services, adjusted to the client’s goals and condition:
- Massage therapy
- Assisted stretching
- Corrective exercise
Session length and intensity vary by client. Two broad tracks:
- Recovery/maintenance clients : general massage, stretching, and self-guided stretching education for people without a specific medical complaint.
- Advanced/postrehab clients : clients managing scoliosis, arthritis, herniated or bulging discs, Parkinson’s disease, or post-surgical recovery, combining all three services in a single visit.
Services he does not offer: He doesn’t provide nutrition programs or weight-loss plans. He gives general advice to clients whose weight affects their joints or spine, but he won’t create a full nutrition plan, saying that managing long-term behavior change is too much to add on. He also doesn’t offer online coaching yet, but he sees it as a likely next step since in-person work is limited by the number of hours in a day.
Client Outcomes
Two cases came up in detail:
| Client | Condition | Timeline | Outcome |
| Woman, approximately 70 years old | Parkinson’s disease — causes progressive muscle contractions that can pull the body into a hunched posture and contribute to scoliosis and deformity over time | About 4–6 months of combined training and assisted stretching | Went from walking with a walker in a hunched, leaning posture to walking without a walker in about 4 months |
| Male client | Herniated/bulging spinal disc, post-surgery, fear of bending after being told to avoid it indefinitely | 1 initial session, followed by a 4-session package | Reported the day after his first session that he felt better than he had “in a long time” and had regained the ability to twist and bend; later re-aggravated the injury by returning to a physical sport against advice, then purchased another 4-session package and continued care, ultimately learning maintenance exercises to keep playing more safely |
One client with Parkinson’s later gave Baez a Christmas card, writing that before working with him, she felt she had nothing left and even questioned if she should still be alive. Working with him gave her hope. Baez says moments like this remind him why he does this work.
When it comes to recovering from spinal surgery, Baez points out that patients are often told never to bend again, which he thinks is unrealistic. He explains that the real risk is usually bending while holding weight, like lifting a box with your back, not just bending in general.
The 5-Year Plan: A “One-Stop Shop” Wellness Facility
Baez’s longer-term goal is to open a combined gym-and-treatment facility structured in two parts:
- Front of the building: An open gym available to members/past clients on an equipment-access membership basis.
- Back of the building: Treatment services, including his own massage/stretching/corrective exercise work plus an on-site chiropractor and an on-site physical therapist.
The idea is to help clients solve their issues in one visit, instead of having to book separate appointments with a physical therapist, chiropractor, personal trainer, stretch therapist, and massage therapist at different places.
When it comes to building his team, Baez says he wants to create a group that works together, not just hire employees. He wants a collaborative culture where everyone helps make decisions, though he’ll still have the final say as the owner. He looks up to Google’s reputation for treating employees well, based on what’s publicly known.
Business Growth by the Numbers
| Milestone | Figure |
| Starting capital | $500 total |
| Cost to register the LLC | ~$125 |
| Equipment purchased at launch | None, he says he could train clients without equipment and could have operated mobile rather than renting a location |
| Revenue, month 1 | ~$1,000/month |
| Revenue, by month 6 | $3,000–$4,000/month |
| Revenue goal by year-end | ~$72,000 |
| Time in business at time of interview | About 1 year |
Marketing and Free Community Work
- Active platforms: Facebook and Instagram (posting consistently for several months), with TikTok recently added.
- Not yet active on: YouTube Shorts - Baez says it’s his next planned platform.
- Posting cadence: New content goes out Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Content approach: All of his social media posts are free educational material. He doesn’t sell tips or programs through his social channels.
- Free community events: Baez takes part in pop-up and vendor events where he doesn’t charge clients or accept tips. He says this comes from his medical background, where tipping isn’t the norm.
“Coach,” Not “Trainer” - Why the Title Matters to Him
Baez draws a specific distinction between the two roles he’s held:
- A trainer asks a client, “What are we doing today?”
- A coach tells a client, “We’re doing this today, and here’s why.”
That distinction is why he asks clients and referral partners to call him “Coach Damian” rather than “trainer.”
A Side Gig: Halloween Scare Actor
Outside of his wellness business, Baez works as a scare actor at Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream haunted house event. This is his second year, and he has another role lined up for the current season. He explains that haunted attractions like Busch Gardens use an opt-out wristband system. Guests who wear the wristband show they don’t want to be scared, so actors leave them alone. Those without the wristband can be approached by the actors.
Personal Background
- Born and raised in Tampa, Florida.
- Briefly left the state around age 3 during Hurricane Katrina evacuations (about a week).
- First trip outside Florida he remembers: age 19, a week-long birthday trip to Colorado.
- First international trip: age 20, two weeks in Italy for a wedding.
- Grew up in a lower-income household; says his mother currently supports 7 to 8 people in her home.
- Has five siblings total , four on his mother’s side, one on his father’s side, and is the eldest of the five.
- Connected with the Rise and Thrive podcast host roughly 6–7 months before the interview through the Carrollwood Area Business Association (CABA).
Challenges of Starting Young
Baez identifies two main early obstacles:
- Trust and reputation - as a first-time business owner with no prior public profile, no large existing client base, and no name recognition from a well-known past employer, earning client trust took time.
- No entrepreneurial background - no family members had run a business before him, he holds no business degree, and he taught himself skills like budgeting from scratch after launch.
Coach Damian’s Advice for New Business Owners
- Plan before you launch. Know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how long it will realistically take to get established.
- Don’t expect profit in year one. He says it typically takes 2–3 years for a new business to become established financially.
- Set working-hour boundaries. Baez stopped responding to client texts and calls after 6:00 p.m., after previously receiving client messages and calls as late as midnight.
- Network like you’re making friends, not closing deals. Build genuine relationships with other local business owners rather than treating every interaction as transactional.
- Start lean. His entire startup cost was $500, split mainly toward LLC registration (~$125). He avoided buying equipment and says a mobile setup is a viable lower-cost alternative to renting a location.
- Trust your own instincts. Different people will give conflicting advice; ultimately the decision, and the risk, is the owner’s to own.
- Focus on inputs, not just outcomes. Without consistent effort on the process, there’s no result to evaluate.
Where to Find Coach Damian’s Wellness
- Phone: (813) 803-2043
- Website: coachdamianswellness.com
- Location: Lutz, Florida, operating out of a physical therapist’s office; serving the Carrollwood area and broader Tampa Bay
- Social media: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — search “Coach Damian’s Wellness”
This profile is based on an interview conducted for the Rise and Thrive podcast, produced by Make It Viral Media, a Tampa-based digital marketing, web design, and technology company.