TEMPLE, Texas — He paces back and forth, as he describes his business.

“So, this is a gym,” Maj. Erik Estrada laughs. “We offer personal training and nutrition coaching. But our bread and butter is group fitness. The type of fitness we offer, it is definitely not CrossFit, it is more of a combination of circuit training HIIT Training (High-intensity interval training). We really focus on all the little muscles and movers that make a lift safe.”

Estrada, currently serving with Operational Test Command, moves easily around the gym that he and his business partners have built. Chupacabra Strength and Conditioning offers three training foundations and can be described as a “hybrid” gym by co-owner and trainer Brandi Miller. It officially opened in September 2022, and is located squarely downtown.

Estrada originally fell into fitness due to his background as a military intelligence officer. “I just didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life, because that’s kind of heavy, right?” he shared. “My outlook for when I retire? ‘Oh, you can just do the same exact job you’re doing now.’ And I was like, no thank you.”

He had the opportunity to train in CrossFit, Olympic lifting and powerlifting early in his military career due to the leadership of Maj. Gen. Robert B. Abrams, commanding general of Fort Irwin and the National Training Center, California, at the time.

“Ever since that, every unit I went to, I was always kind of put in charge of physical training or I linked up with whoever was in charge of physical training, and I kind of really liked it,” Estrada shared. “So, I kept it going.”

Despte the dozens of pieces of equipment – of which there is “enough plates to supply, pun-intended, a small troop” as described by Miller – the gym offers a community feeling. Chupacabra currently offers childcare, has on-site showers and takes time to ensure they and patrons are giving back to the Central Texas community. Additionally, units with Fort Hood can take advantage of the opportunity to train at the gym, knowing they have the space and equipment to properly train for the Army Combat Fitness Test.

In the midst of starting his own business, Estrada participated in the Boots to Business course. B2B is an entrepreneurial education and training program, offered by the Small Business Administration and Fort Hood’s Transition Assistance Program. Participants include transitioning service members, veterans and their spouses.

This program began in 2013 and was created to provide basic knowledge for those interested in exploring business ownership or other self-employment opportunities, including receiving the technical assistance they need to figure out how to launch their business.

“The biggest thing is that this program gives the service members the opportunity to be their own vehicles,” expressed Mark Phillips, Fort Hood’s TAP division chief.

Phillips explained that Soldiers in this program receive instruction from start to finish on whatever area they want.

He said no matter if they already have a market plan or business, or even if they haven’t decided if they want to manage a business, it is a great opportunity for service members to explore the concept of owning their own business.

Estrada was able to use the program to his advantage, as he already was in the midst of opening his own business.

“(B2B) helped me understand the networking aspect of the business, which is super important, and just talking to people,” he expressed. “People just love to hear what you’ve been through in the military; that’s generally how you (should) start out conversations. … I really didn’t know (that). … One of the most important parts of owning your business is just getting up there and saying, ‘Hey, I’m Erik and this is what I do.’ So, I think that was really good (advice).”

B2B was recently highlighted by a visit from Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, on March 31 at Fort Hood.

“Nationwide, over 180,000 members of the armed service have gone through this incredible program,” Guzman said during a press conference at Fort Hood March 31. “Our veterans are large contributors to our economy, creating jobs as so many of our entrepreneurs out there, over two million veteran businesses around the country in all industries.

“We want to make sure,” Guzman continued, “obviously we continue to serve them and level up and adapt to the marketplace just like they’ve had to in the last few years and continuously provide these programs and the capital that they need to launch, survive and thrive into the future.”

For more information or to visit Chupacabra Strength and Conditioning, visitors can reach out via their website, https://chupafit.com/about-us/.

For more information on the Boots to Business class, visit https://www.sba.gov/sba-learning-platform/boots-business or call Fort Hood’s TAP at 254-288-2227 or 254-288-5627.

* Editor’s note: Readers can find an article describing Guzman and Williams’ visit in the April 6 edition of the Fort Hood Sentinel or online at www.forthoodsentinel.com.