Ramon Canela: “I never imagined that DIR would become what it is now”
The founder of DIR sports centers explains his relationship with money and work
Ramon Canela, the entrepreneur and founder of DIR gyms, grew up in a family dedicated to car rentals and luxury taxis. At home, he was encouraged to study business, and he soon began working in a car repair shop. "Both my father and the manager were strict, and I was deeply affected by that," he explained in an interview withCompanies
After a few years in the family business, he decided to make a change and head towards the photography sector. He trained and sought out international role models: "I wanted to know where the best photography fair in the world was," he explains; it was in Cologne. His restless spirit led him to innovate in the business model as well: "I broke the mold of how photographers were paid by restaurant fees." He replaced payment per banquet with a per-guest system and revolutionized the sector: "We ended up doing about a thousand weddings a year." And he had "15 or 16 employees." "We started selling photos because it had never been done before, and that made me earn quite a bit of money," he recalls.
The vice president, for a few years, of the Barça Foundation doesn't consider himself ambitious: "I see the opportunities," he clarifies. And one day, while taking a sailing course with a friend, he had a new intuition: "We saw some very large sports facilities and thought, 'What if we had this in our neighborhood, on Passeig Maragall?'" The project wasn't easy. "With the licenses and all the obstacles that came up, it took us almost a year," he says. But the gamble paid off. Later, they opened a second center with 16 squash courts: "It was a success," he says. His partner left, and Canela remained at the helm with a minority stake, but "we pulled through": "I never imagined it would become what it is now."
Curiosity has always led him to look further afield. On a visit to Chicago, after touring sports clubs and a machinery factory, he had a revelation: "When they showed us the factory, I said, 'This is it. This changes everything.'" That vision involved a significant investment in bicycles and treadmills for his centers, financed with a four-year lease. Aware of the risk, he decided to get training, taking a management control course at Esade to strengthen the company's professionalism.
Growth was exponential. They grew to have 22 centers. "With the pandemic, we closed two of them." Problems, he says, are inevitable in any business venture. One of the most delicate moments was when technical problems arose in a swimming pool, when a pane of glass broke: "You feel terrible. Because you see what's at stake." At these times, you need a philosophical approach: "It's taken more or less time, but you've always found the solutions."
Invest, don't waste
On a personal level, he doesn't like to show off. "Some people say to you, 'Why don't you buy an Aston Martin?' Well, because they'll scratch my car when I go somewhere. No, it's not necessary." His relationship with money is pragmatic: investing in good opportunities, yes, but not wasting it. He admits that work has been all-consuming: "I experience things very deeply. And when you have responsibilities, you don't let up. You try to take care of every detail." This dedication has had personal costs, but it has also defined his leadership style. As a lesson learned, he has a clear understanding of generational succession: "You should send your children to good universities, and after they find a job wherever it is, they should spend four or five years away." After working with them, he believes this can cause problems. Today, his children manage the franchises under their own company, with a license to use the DIR brand, but without a direct financial link to the group.
Currently, they are promoting a new sports concept. The first tangible result is DIR Tuset, a 5,000-square-meter space with areas differentiated by discipline—yoga, Pilates, swimming pool, and functional training—where every detail has been carefully considered, from the layout of the spaces to the ambiance in each room, featuring photographs of Barcelona and signage in Catalan. This evolution is consistent with their approach to the business and their commitment.
