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Pickles and Crispies

In the middle of Illinois cornfield, there's a tiny town named Ladd.  Don't try to find it in your road atlas.  On the outskirts of Ladd is Rip's Chicken.

This is the dining area.  Through the wall in the back, you'll see the start of the famous lineup.

Rip's is only open three days per week.  You'll have to stand in line for over an hour before you're seated.   The 'waiting' area is twice as large as the 'eating' area.  There are two things on the menu: light meat, and dark meat; both served on top of a slice of Wonder bread, too hot to eat, with a side of pickles and a plate of crispies.  We'll get to them in a minute.

Rip's has been serving the same thing since 1936.  The chicken is good, but not different from a thousand other more convenient fried chicken diners in the Corn Belt.  Same chicken, same fryers, same ol' Wonder Bread.  A world of difference.

If you come on Wednesday night, you may only have to wait an hour to get a seat.  You may not even have to stand outside, on the sidewalk.  You'll cram into the 'entranceway' with dozens of others in a loose line.  One of your friends will head to the bar - you can drink in line, of course; and the bar runs, conveniently, almost the full length of the waiting area.  It's not hard to get a cold beer while you wait.  Or three.  There's not much to look at in line, just a couple of Rip's T-shirts.  Very little to distract you from conversation.  No real place to sit down.

When you finally reach the front of the line, a waiter - is he the owner?  Is this Rip? - with a pen behind one ear will ask, "how many light and how many dark?"  He's asking how many are in your party, and who prefers which meat.  That's it.  As for a seat, well....he'll get back to you.

The 'dining room' is small.  The kitchen is in full view.  You can see and hear chickens as they're lowered into the fryer.  You can watch the boy peeling potatoes.  You can watch Mr. Rip giving your order to the cook.  You can see waitresses piling up plates of chicken, pickles, and fries in their arms, grease crackling, and hope they're headed your way.  

The chicken is seared up so tightly that it's much too hot to eat.  There are no utensils immediately obvious, so you'll poke holes in the deep-fried batter to let some heat escape.  The bread isn't to eat; it's for soaking up grease.  In the meantime, there are pickles.  And Crispies.  

Crispies.  Not kidding.

Crispies are little flakes of broken-off fried batter.  They're smaller than Corn Flakes, but look the same.  You take a pinch of them, roll them up in a slice of pickle, and eat them that way.  You can actually feel your arteries harden as you eat them.  Not exactly Zone- or Paleo-friendly.

Thirty minutes later, you'll be stuffed with a sort of post-binge fulfillment that borders on post-coital.  You'll throw a twenty on your greasy bill, check your shirt for stray ketchup, and head out to your bad parking spot a few blocks away.  You'll walk, guiltily, past a line that's even longer than when you arrived.

Rip's doesn't advertise.  Their website is bad.  What's their secret?

1. First, nothing looks bad if it appears to be done on purpose.  Horrific hairdos, odd clothing, bizarre art, inconvenient home design....if it looks like it was done on purpose, it passes.  Voila - Crispies.

2. They have a line BECAUSE they have a line.  It would be pretty easy to put tables and chairs in half the waiting area, right?  But then there would be no waiting.  There would be no anticipation.  There would be no beer sales.  You'd just have a restaurant.

3. They know what they're good at: light meat, and dark meat.  And they'll stick to that, thanks.  No "International Night."

4. They let anticipation build.  Sometimes, it's so busy that you KNOW you're not in the running for the chicken that's just come out of the deep fryer.  You're watching the kid peeling potatoes, thinking, "I hope that one's mine."

5. The novelty factor.  The first time I ever took my girlfriend (now wife) to Illinois, I drove an hour out of my way to take her to Rip's.  Just to show her.  

6. Simplicity.  No one at Rip's is bugging you to buy a 12-punch visit card, or sign up for their Kids' Club.  No one's pushing tshirts.  The waitress isn't telling you the specials.  You're not distracted by moose heads with sunglasses on the walls.

Rip's could maybe do better.  Or maybe doing 'better' would mean not doing quite as well.  

Measuring The 10

CrossFit's 10 General Physical Skills are the foundation of CrossFit programming.  CrossFit's foundation is built upon the development of these physical skills.   Physical appearance is strongly correlated to solid effort at improvement within these 10 physical skills.

Why, then, is the only method of measuring progress commonly used in the fitness industry the weigh scale?  The bodyfat pinch?  The bioelectrical impedence analysis scale?

If we're so concerned with improving aerobic capacity, why haven't we decided on a standardized testing methodology for aerobic capacity?

There simply does not exist a system for the measurement of overall physical fitness.  There are a thousand tests for V02max.  There are dynamometers and 1RM prediction tables and equations and formulae for calculating strength and power.   But there's no scoring system.  There's no standardization at all.

Well, there wasn't.  Then we started using the CAT Score.

Made up of 10 individual tests - one for each of the Physical Skills - the CAT Score is a scoring system for assessing overall fitness.  Each test has been around awhile, extensively peer-reviewed, and commonly accepted by large groups.  No test is perfect.  Put together, though, they give you a great picture of your fitness.

We use CAT Testing with every new CrossFit client.  As they improve, their CAT Score goes up.  Do well at Tabatas, and your Stamina score increases.  Let your CrossFit Total lag, and your Strength score goes down.

We put a client's CAT Score right up front in our Tracking Software.  Every morning, our CrossFitters see the WOD, their personal best result for the WOD.....and their CAT Score.  A picture of themselves in the short term, medium term, and long-term...all at a glance.  When a WOD will affect their overall CAT Score (meaning there are points up for grabs!) more people show up to group workouts.  

Think about it: maybe today doesn't 'feel' like a good day to do the WOD.  Maybe Sally brought doughnuts today, and maybe your sleep wasn't so good last night.  You check the WOD (hey, you're addicted.  Can't help it.)  just in case.  Ohhhh... Tabata This?  Your Stamina Score could go up a point. When's your next opportunity to improve that sucker?  Could be a month from now.  Okay, doughnut in the trash can, olive oil shooters at 10am....quick application of Second Skin....rummage through desk drawers for athletic tape....

It only has to work once to be worth it.

How Tracking Makes You Money

2008 was the year we started unlearning.

I graduated University in 1998.  In University, we were taught that:

1. People need to be intrinsically motivated to exercise

2. Gardening counts toward 'fitness'

3. 3 sets of 8-12 is all you'll ever need.  Maybe a BOSU ball if you're edgy.

In 2006, we started a study on exercise adherence (here it is, published in the CrossFit Journal.)  Adherence is how often, and how long, a person sticks to an exercise program or methodology or philosophy.  

In the fitness industry, people start and stop and switch paradigms all the time.  "I'm trying Pilates now."  "I'm doing the Mediterranean Diet for awhile."  "I'm trying a new gym."  "I'm doing a 3-month membership at Curves."  This is the business model of the typical Globogym - not because it's good for the client (it's not,) but because this is the way of the mainstream, and the mainstream holds the easiest, fattest fish.  Easy catch.  

This method is SO popular that it's now the expected path for most exercisers: they expect to be doing something different by this time next year.  Whether they realize it or not, intrinsic to that expectation is that what they're currently doing is going to fail.  They don't expect to permanently change their lifestyle.  They expect to hop from lily pad to lily pad, keeping their toes dry, but never really crossing the pond.

What we found over two full years of study is that people aren't intrinsically motivated (duh,) and that they aren't going to wake up one morning as a new person.  There will be no "Eureka!" moment.  The lightbulb is not going to switch itself on.

In the manipulation of over a dozen variables, one that produced the best increase in adherence rate - the one that made people show up to work out more often - was the way we tracked their progress.  Using physical markers like weight, composition, BMI are the norm in this industry, but they're too abstract - and too subject to variability - to be useful.

Instead, comparing workouts and performance-based criteria is the way to get people to show up.  We conducted this study before we were a CrossFit affiliate, but this practice was the biggest CrossFit turn-on: the named WODs.  When you start caring about your "Angie" time, you care a little less about your scale weight.  When your deadlift numbers start to go up, the caliper test becomes a little less relevant.  A client becomes interested in improvement at objectively-measured tasks instead of a subjective bodyfat percentage measurement.  

In time, this spirals upward: in order to feel better during "Grace," one has to eat properly.  Eating properly also trims up the waistline.  An improved waistline means encouragement to do one more CrossFit group per week, and bring a friend.  One more group per week means increased interest in Olympic lifting.  And more interest in Olympic lifting means a more competitive "Grace."

Comparing your numbers to those of a group are also important.  Being reminded of your PRs helps, especially if you're reminded precisely when you see the WOD for the first time.  

To help our clients, we've developed software to do exactly these things.  Checking the WOD?  See your personal best displayed right there too.  A client who will swear they're "not competitive" will check the results of their 'buddies'; you know, just to see.  The software works wonders.  It's doubled our attendance at CrossFit groups.  But even if it helps one client show up once more per month.......

You Can't Lose

...because you're an entrepreneur now.  That's your career.

Your knitting-needle distributorship doesn't pan out?  You'll start something else.  

This business goes under?  You won't go to McDonald's.  You'll begin again, with a new business.

You're not a CrossFit coach any more.  You're a business owner.  It's important to remember the difference.

Centre Ring

Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd.

Maybe you're no PT Barnum, but you can still get massive promotion from a golden belt and a baseball cap.

In 2007, 70 people turned up for the CrossFit games.  It was open to anyone, and they couldn't fill all 100 spots.

In 2008, 200 people registered so quickly that the organizers (Castro and company) had to open up another 100 spots, and require pre-qualification.  They also started tracking some of the top contenders, and the documentary Every Second Counts was birthed from the preceding months.

In 2009, the world was divided up by Affiliate density, and over a dozen Qualifiers were organized by Affiliates favoured by HQ.  Qualifiers weren't standardized, but the CrossFit world watched the wicked WODs with glee.

In 2009, CrossFit HQ will take over the Qualifier events.  You'll have to qualify to qualify.  

Now, name another gym, fitness facility, workout paradigm, sport...even athletic event that's grown at the same rate in the last 50 years.  There are none. No one's making movies about the road to the World Monster Truck Championships.  No one's putting their homemade bull-riding movies on the Internet.  No one's logging their archery results into online tracking software (as we are.)  

The spectacle rules.  When we first ran the Catalyst Games in 2008, we anticipated lots of competition.  We DIDN'T anticipate dozens of people with cameras.  My favourite memory: a 510lbs deadlift, looking out through out transport door to flashbulbs exploding.  Awesome.  No other sport has ever given me that.  And even better: we gave it to 20 members.

For the next 48 hours, hundreds of pictures surfaced on facebook, flickr, myspace, and me.com.  We couldn't keep a handle on the content; we couldn't control the message; we didn't plan a media roll-out kit.  We couldn't respond to every facebook album.  

Instead, we offered a prize for Best Picture.  Entries due by noon Monday, thank you, and the winner takes a baseball cap for their trouble.  We got 300 entries on Sunday alone, put up our favourite five, and let members vote through a Vizu poll.

What was the prize - our gym's cost for all this publicity?  A golden belt.  Made by Champion Boxing.  Under 100 bucks.

To recap: we put the event together.  We told people about it.  They brought spouses and friends.  Each took pictures, added them to their OWN social networking site of choice, seen by 100-300 people each. They answered questions on each and every picture in an excited tone.  "You've gotta come and try this!"  "Next year, I'm doing it for SURE!"  "Wow, good for you!  You look awesome!"  Then they visited the website (where we kept the hype alive for a week following,) took a survey that gave us very valuable data on potential clients, and checked back to see if their pick was a winner.  Thousands of unique website visitors over 5 days. Bonus: the winner wore her belt to a football game that night, landing her a spot in the paper.  Cost: $103 (including the hat.)

Do something remarkable, and people will remark.

By the way, this won best picture, to my surprise:

Business Cards

Reading that title, I'd think the author were talking about little rectangles with your address on them.  

Social conventions that aren't usually applied to CrossFit - or any business - are excellent examples.

For instance, Nicki Violetti has some outstanding postcards that she sends to folks in their locale.

We've started celebrating 'CrossFit Birthdays' - sending cards to people on the annual anniversary of their switch to CrossFit.  

We also use cards with a more immediate benefit.  In soccer, 'yellow cards' and 'red cards' are used to first warn, and then punish, players on the field for their transgressions.  We use them in our CrossFit groups now.  Perform a rep incorrectly, and you get a yellow card.  Perform another incorrectly, you get a red card - and 3 extra reps.  Yes, it's a negative reinforcement technique at first.  But we don't use it with beginners.  We use the 'card' system exclusively at our bigger Challenges, and only on folks who can do better.  For instance, you wouldn't "card" someone with a poor split on a max-effort split jerk.  You WOULD "card" a competitor who isn't hitting depth on his bodyweight squats during "Murph."

Making it a positive: sign the "red card."  Date it.  Give it to the evildoer.  They'll love it.

And now, onto the traditional 'business card:'

1. Round the corners.  

2. Don't make them on your printer.

3. Get a glossy surface on one side.

4. Put something unexpected on the back.  We use a Latin phrase by Ovid: “Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim“.  No translation.  For you, though, we'll make an exception: it means, "Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you."

5. Get five different ones.  If you're a business owner, have different cards with these titles: President, Head Coach, Marketing Director, Janitor....etc.  The 'Janitor' card always gets a laugh.

6. Forgo art in the name of simplicity.  Contrast works best.

Get them out there.  Yes, they're conventional.  People are still stuck in that particular convention.  They're used to passing these cards around.  You don't want to risk your reputation/website address/business name to the "Telephone Game."

"In" vs. "On"

If you haven't read, "The E-Myth" by Michael Gerber, or one of his subsequent books ("The E-Myth Revisited", "E-Myth Mastery")   go buy it.  Right now.  I'll wait.

Gerber's biggest and best point in the development of our business: spend less time working IN your business, and more time working ON your business.

If you're selling pies (as in his example,) and you're the principal baker, decorator, and salesperson....you're always going to be.  There's no way you'll have time to grow your business to the point where it sustains you in a happy lifestyle if you're training every CrossFit group, writing your own blog, reading CrossFit Journal, taking pictures, recording client scores, doing personal training...and then doing your real job: running your Box.

If your clients aren't well-trained, they may leave.  It's true.  But that's no longer your job.  Your job is to protect your livelihood.  Sometimes, that means getting bigger.  Sometimes, it means another location.  Sometimes it means streamlining what you already have.  But none of those things can get done while you're holding a stopwatch.

If you have staff, it's your responsibility to make sure their jobs still exist for as long as they want them, and then to make sure they want them as long as possible.  That's going to require some unpopular choices, interacting with people who don't want to be called 'dude,' and wearing something other than your awesome CrossFit Tribal Tshirt.  

Stop being a CrossFitter with a loan.  Start being a business owner:

1. Buy audiobooks here.  Listen to them in your car.  That's an up-to-date education an hour at a time.

2. Read Seth Godin's blog every day.  

3. Do CrossFit LA's "Business WOD" every time they post one.

4. Read Nicki Violetti's blog.

5. Learn accounting.  Really.  Follow your money.  All the way home.

A CrossFit Box can support you in the life you want to lead.  Being a coach probably won't, in the long term.  Time to make the decision between business owner and coach.

On Taking Risks

Seth Godin said it best: Don't try to be perfect.  Instead, be remarkable.

Greg Glassman: There comes a point when you owe it to your clients to grow.  It's not just doing what's profitable; it's doing what's best for people.  When you have people outside doing cleans on the sidewalk, you need a bigger space.

Risk assessment is a big cash cow. There are a hundred ways to assess the risks of expansion.  People make a living at this - not you or me, but people.  Smart, focused people.  People who get worked up about trivia.  People who get staplers for Christmas.  

Here's what it comes down to: imagine the worst-case scenario.  If you can live with the worst-case, take the risk.  

If you rent the bigger space, and your revenues no longer match expenses, what will you do?  Take a pay cut?  Take out a loan? Rent the space out?  Nothing?  

Worst case: you go bankrupt.  You're stuck paying for this equipment and this lease.  No one wants to buy it from you.  To pay off the loan, you move into a smaller apartment and sell your car.  Can you live with that?  If the answer's yes, you're crazy not to take the risk.  

The good news is, the worst-case is very unlikely to happen.  Your landlord will let you out of your lease (probably.)  Someone is going to want those used Concept II rowers.  If you're a good coach, a client investor may step forward (hey, it happened to me.)  

The bad news is, other people may be involved.  If you're not alone in life, better ask your partner(s) to consider their own worst-case scenario.  Then jump.