Don't Buy Ads: Grow Your CrossFit Box

Smashing Your Job

It's easy, isn't it? 

It's so easy to add another class. It's easy to stay an hour later, come in an hour earlier. Easy to skip lunch. Easy to skip sleep. Easy to skip family mealtime. They're all easy - each just one small surrender in the rearword march toward burnout. All too easy to pack one more thing into the day, usually at the edges, and the giant ball just expands outward....

New Box owners laughingly refer to their weight-loss and performance deterioration as, "New Box Owner Syndrome." You put everyone before yourself (good) and pay the price physically and emotionally (bad.)

The first step toward free time isn't delegation: it's breaking your job apart. By smashing your day into smaller roles, you can identify the many hats you've been juggling...and then, when your staff comes asking for a new Horizon, you'll have something to shift over. A nice little package, done up with a bow. "You want more money? Here's the Social Media job." "More influence over coaching decisions? Here's what it will take to step up into Head Coach."

Write these roles - they're really job descriptions - into separate boxes on a piece of paper. Don't assign names yet. Let them stand on their own: it's easier to hold up a role and say, "think you can fill this?" than it is to replace a human who performed tasks D, L, and Q - a unique combination.

 Clearly delineating these tasks into bite-sized chunks - bringing them down to checklists, if possible - will make them easier to shift to another. The key is to have a well-written job description for each role, even if YOUR NAME goes into every single box at first. 

Every time I speak with a Box owner, I ask them to list their priorities. If they've been in business for more than a year, TIME is always at the top. Help everyone: smash your job.

The Staff Contract

When you're hiring staff, you have responsibilities in three directions:

1. Do the right thing for your clients;

2. Do the right thing for your new staffer;

3. Do the right thing for the business. For a happy, productive relationship, all three must be met. Agree?

To that end, you owe it to everyone involved to provide the staff member:

• A staff handbook, to remove the variables and let them be creative and independent;
• A staff uniform (or specific guidelines), to help them maintain a professional appearance and carry the confidence of their clients;
• Clear, written expectations about behaviour in and out of the gym, to eliminate 'grey areas';
• A tool for performance measurement that doesn't change;
• A nonsolicitation contract, in case they're not sure how to tell you they're leaving;
• Scheduled arrival times before clients;
• A key, to symbolize your trust and their independence;
• Clear rules about after-hours use;
• A clear view of the road ahead. Most Coaches leave because they can't imagine making a career of being a Coach. They leave because they want a FUTURE, not necessarily a business.
• Ongoing education, through instruction, books, collaborative lecturing, rip 'n read files, and Certifications
• Opportunities to be entrepreneurial (let them start their own new program within your Box.)
• A clear wage, as well as potential increases in the future;
• A healthy, strong business behind them;
• A contract that spells out all of these elements.

You're not forcing them to do uncomfortable things. You're helping them do the job they want to do, without worrying about all the tiny decisions that surround that job. You're empowering them to make their own decisions by removing the little bureaucratic hangups. You're freeing them to be as creative as they like, without worry of "how Jim would do it...." because they'll already know the answer.

We have sample staff contracts available here. 

Owning A Business, or Buying A Job?

Every day, I'm lucky enough to get 2 or 3 emails just like this one:

 "Hi. I fell in love with CrossFit in 2010, after my friend dragged me to a class. It was tough, but I stayed with it, and I've lost 60 pounds! In December, I finally took my Level 1 course. I want to help people be as happy as I've become, and show them anything is possible. If I can do it, anyone can! How many rowers should I buy?"

My first thought is always, "Congratulations!" because I KNOW exactly how they feel. I remember all of it: the feelings of jumping off a cliff, the confidence and doubt, the fear...and the elation of cutting all ties, running away, joining the Circus. Every week, I live this vicariously through half a dozen new Affiliates. I'm a lucky guy.

My duty is to make sure the parachute opens; to make sure they land on their feet, chests still pumped out, marching forward.

There's s difference between owning a business and buying yourself a job. I didn't know the difference at first, because when you start setting up your business, your first goal is to eat. Not to pay the rent; not to deliver CrossFit to people; to buy groceries. Not to change lives, but to maintain your own lifestyle - or, at least, the minimum. For now. The rain is off your head, and you're happy.

One year later, you're working more...but still taking home the same pay. You're doing the right things for your clients; you're taking more Certification classes; you're bringing in guest speakers and delivering knowledge that is broad and inclusive. You're reading and watching and programming hard. You're reinvesting every dollar you take in. You're working for yourself...and it's not too bad.

After another two years, though, things start to sink in: there's no one to ask for a raise. Your hard work merits more money...but there isn't any. Clients are joining at about the same rate they're leaving; you're paying your bills, but there's nothing in reserve, and worse - there are rumours that one of your clients is leaving to start his own Box. Congratulations: you've bought yourself a job. You haven't created a business. Not yet.

A business is a series of systems that support what YOU want in life. If what you want is to be hands-off, and have more free time; to set your own schedule and spend money the way you want, then that's how we'll set up your business. If you want to coach people and change lives and work every day, then that's how we'll set up your business. Failing to consider these goals and work backward, though, is doing yourself a disservice and potentially harming your clients.

Consider this scenario: you've built a solid base of 100 people. Their lives are forever changed. They can't go back to McGym...no way. Unfortunately, you're not paying the rent - or yourself - and you're starting to resent the 6am to 9pm workday. You have debt, and kids. You are not providing for them in the way you'd like, and so, when a job appears at another company, you're tempted to take it. What happens to your clients if your Box closes?

It is your duty to be profitable. It's your duty to be open and STAY open. Others have taken this risk - social, financial, and time - and they deserve to capitalize on it. YOU deserve to get what you want in life, because the real risk is time spent...not cash invested. Time can be well-invested, or it can be wasted, just like dollars and cents.

Have you ever bought a piece of equipment you don't use? We have. Have you ever poured a lot of energy into a program that no one attends? Us, too. And it's not a sin, if you don't repeat it. Business planning isn't like a crystal ball; it won't tell you when the storms will appear. It IS like a boat. When growth comes, you'll be ready. When the baby comes, you'll be ready. When a client asks for a refund, sends in a referral, wants to sign up, you'll be ready.

Paleo Behaviourism

As CrossFitters, many of us believe in a more simplistic diet: eat things without an Ingredients List. Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. Eat meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds....

Our nutritional plans are the envy of every other sport. Why not expand that forethought and care into the rest of our lives? Some simple suggestions, from someone who's been observing the CrossFit community for a long time, and interacting with multiple Affiliate owners every day:

1. Get up early. Do the stuff you love first thing in the morning. Do something creative to prime your brain.

2. Don't defecate where you eat. Stay upriver from garbage. Don't poison your own food supply.

3. Marry outside the tribe to increase diversity. Learn things that don't come from CrossFit HQ. Read other sources of information, take what you can, and implement them in your CrossFit practice. Tell others. Don't ignore information like periodization just because 'no one else does it....'

4. Find a state of 'flow.' Our brain is primarily wired to be in a state of semi-alertness; we run on autopilot a lot of the time, always ready to react. We're not built to process every bit of information as if it's the first time we've encountered it. Do something that occupies your body, and your brain will catch up.

5. Be an example of empathy and good manners. 

6.Constantly till the soil. Reevaluate your programming. Test people. Don't make excuses; make things grow.

7. Move around every few minutes. Don't just wait for one all-out burst at lunchtime or after dinner.

8. Find joy in doing things, not having things.

9. Lead or follow in an obvious way. If you're the Coach, demonstrate suffering (tell them YOUR Fran time.) If you're not the Coach, be the best student in the class.

10. Spend more time in the dark. Screens off, lights out.

Remember, the winner is the one who survives longest, NOT the one who eats the most.

The Private Element

If there's one thing a potato farmer knows, it's this: diversify.

Potatoes are subject to disease, pestulence, and the frivolity of the weather. Not enough rain? They wither. Too much? Late blight. Fungus? All the Yukon Gold are susceptible. 

There's a growing tendency among CrossFit Affiliates to limit their service offering. "We don't want just anyone," they say. "We want committed people only." Leaving aside the argument that it's our job to build commitment, setting a pricing model around only one offering - the 1-month unlimited package - means missing out on potential revenue AND an opportunity to do the best thing for your clients.

Three years ago, I wrote a piece called, "The Three Boxes," which was adapted from a book called, "How To Sell A Lobster." In a nutshell (lobster shell?), pricing should give context: a higher-priced 'premium' service should be offered to frame your main product; a lower-end 'bargain' service should be offered to allow people to try a scaled-down version. This allows for discounts and trials without modifying the price of your main service.

Offering Personal Training at your Affiliate satisfies the 'premium' service problem.

Try as they might, some clients simply don't respond well in a group setting. They're too socially aware, maybe; they're too scared of making a mistake to take a risk, perhaps. They require much more attention than others. The best service you can give them is more of your time.

Offering Personal Training at your Affiliate means they can get the one-on-one time they need to get better.

The small-group-training model, popularized by strength coaches like Zach Evan-Esh, is a good one: given that you have limited time each day, it makes perfect sense to try and make the most revenue per hour spent. If every hour of your coaching time is filled, the only way to increase revenue is to encourage clients to train together. What if every hour is NOT filled?

Offering Personal Training at your Affiliate allows you to derive income at non-peak times.

CrossFit is for everyone: soccer moms to Navy SEALs. We scale by load, but not by type. One of the greatest services we can provide is the arena of sport to those for whom fitness has seemed inaccessible....until now. For some clients, though, modifications are SO great that they can't smoothly scale up or down on their own.

Offering Personal Training at your Affiliate means you can help those who don't fit the mold. 

You have GREAT Coaches, I'm sure. They're educated. They WANT to help people, first and foremost. They also need to eat.

Offering Personal Training at your Affiliate means your Coaches can work as much (or as little) as they like, without fighting for class time. They can also take more ownership of their income, their clients' programming, and their time, by being responsible for a stable of private clients.

If it isn't raining in your market now, it eventually will. The all-or-nothing approach means that some of your best potential clients are being turned away at the porch. If your class schedule isn't completely filled, Personal Training offers a convenient way to sell your services....and do the right thing for many of your clients. Hey, it's how Glassman started....

Exceptions and Examples

Chatting with a new Affiliate this weekend, the topic of employee contracts, Owner's Intent, and facility usage for staff came up. While I won't get into the lurid details, his story reinforced the necessity of a staff handbook that clearly outlines the rules of play.

It's summer. Your young staff member has friends at home; they want to come in and train. Your coach - enthusiastic, bright, but still carrying the inexperience of youth - invites them in on Sunday afternoon to 'hit a WOD with the boys.' You're made aware through facebook - or worse, on Monday morning at 5am, when the place is littered with bottles.

Unless usage policies are clearly spelled out in advance, the fault lies not with the coach. After all, you've been encouraging the entrepreneurial mindset, and your staff share a 'sense of ownership' in the success of the business. Though they don't share any risk or capital reward, they're fully invested mentally, and may believe they're entitled to some perks. And they're right. When 'perks' are spelled out in advance, everyone wins.

When staff are unsure about their added benefits, though, they may choose to create them. They may believe themselves slightly above the 'normal' rules for gymgoers. They may view themselves as exceptions rather than examples. When a Coach comes in to train on his own during group time; when she leaves her gym bag in the changeroom all day; when his foam roller, wraps, and bottle stay on the front desk while he trains; when you don't write paycheques on time; when they park in the preferred spots; when they don't pay for their uniforms on time....they're setting bad examples.

They may perceive that they're exceptions to those particular rules, but they're leaders. People follow their example. If it's okay for them.....

"That's MY Coach!"

Standing behind the Media table at Canada East Regionals this weekend, I had an interesting exchange.

One of my volunteers speed-walked over, carrying her notepad, and beaming. "I just asked her to be my coach!" she practically sang.

We had just seen the second event of Regionals. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, 5th in the world after the Open, had just narrowly beaten Michele Letendre (7th in the world) by six seconds on the row, pistols, and hang power clean. Six seconds isn't much in a workout that took almost thirteen minutes to complete, and the two were locked in a death match for the Regional title.

The volunteer had been sent to glean a quote from each. Since both are native French-speakers, she would garner a sentence or two in their first language, and we'd translate it for written pieces (but Tweet the francais.) It only took a second or two, but the volunteer had been gone for 20 minutes.

"You mean Camille?" I asked. "Her family owns CrossFit Brossard, and their team is doing really well. Must be great coaches!" They'd finished first in the Open, and were in good position to win a spot at the Games after the first two events. I thought Camille's narrow win - her second of two events - must have inspired the young writer.

"No, I mean Michele!" she beamed. "She's just so fun! She's happy, smiling...she's in second, but you'd think she had just won the whole thing!" It's true. Michele Letendre won the hearts of the spectators. She waited after finishing each event to hug her competitors; she celebrated every workout; she fist-pumped when she hit a PR on the snatch ladder. The crowd responded with overwhelming support. Then she won Regionals in a last-minute comeback.

Later, when some friends ran into her on the street, far away from the venue, she hugged them and thanked them for coming to watch the Regional. She doesn't carry the high profile (yet) of many female CrossFit superstars; she isn't showing up in mainsite video demonstrations; she isn't attending every Certification under the sun. She IS the first choice for coach of many young girls, thanks to her performance last weekend.

Thanks, Michele, for the inspiration...and the reflection point.

Up, Up and Away

Promotions and Happiness

How do you become a firefighter?

Go to college, says your high school counselor. Study firefighting. Get a degree or a diploma, then hand in your resume.

Wait, says the recruiter from the Fire Department. Go learn a trade. You'll be more useful to us. 

Good, says the Chief. Now go get married or something. Get some life experience, and check back in a few years.....

This isn't a public process, but it's usually what happens for young adults trying to become firemen or police officers. As it turns out, a 98% on your final exam in Police Foundations doesn't really make you a great cop.

Let's consider some things that we know to be true:

• A great student doesn't necessarily make a great athlete.
• A great athlete doesn't necessarily make a great coach.
• A great coach doesn't necessarily make a great 1-on-1 Trainer.
• A great 1-on-1 Trainer doesn't necessarily make a great Head Trainer.
• A great Head Trainer doesn't necessarily make a great General Manager.
• A great General Manager doesn't necessarily make a great Partner.
• A great Partner doesn't necessarily make a great student.

Each of the above jobs - call them 'levels' - requires separate training, motivation, and desire. If a CrossFit Coach loves coaching classes, but doesn't educate himself beyond the Certification weekends he attends, he may not be a great 1-on-1 Coach. And that's fine. 

If your Head Trainer loves finding new information and sharing with your other Coaches, great. If they like organizing the Coaching schedule and helping to determine the programming at your Box, fantastic. If they don't care to think much about cash flow, they're not going to help you as a General Manager. And THAT's fine, too.

When people are happy - fulfilling the tasks that give them joy - it sometimes seems as if a promotion is a nice reward. It's not. Adding unfamiliar tasks for which staff aren't properly trained will be exciting at first, and then demotivational and frustrating. Money won't bridge that gap.

The other solution, of course, is to train the person doing the managing.

Updated Affiliate Tools Are Out!

The most frequent request I get is for the CrossFit Box Business Plan. We've updated that file and made it available through the 321GoProject, along with other popular ones.

My role with the 321GoProject is Business Mentor. I help other CrossFit Boxes, especially new startups and those with specific struggles. Sometimes, a phone call can make a huge difference, and we're happy to help. Last month, I did a Q+A session with Spealler; the next will share screentime with Jon Gilson. In NO other industry can you seek and ask advice from guys like these, who are at the top of their game.

At the end of May, at the NorthEast Regional, Clay and I will have a booth set up to answer questions from Affilliates ON THE SPOT. I'll be there all day Friday and Saturday morning, and you can book an appointment - for free - to chat about issues you're facing. Email me through 321GoProject to get a spot, or take your chances and stop by the booth.

In August, I'll be speaking in FL about Ignite, DontBuyAds, and the 321GoProject to a group of Affiliate owners. It's called the Ops Project, and if you're in the area, sign up! Ben Bergeron will be speaking (I'd call him the headliner!) 

To see the new editable files on 321GoProject.com, click here.

To see other free files available, click left (under 'Free Prizes!')

Why CrossFit?

Every week, thanks to the 321GoProject, I'm fortunate enough to chat with 3 or 4 new CrossFit Affiliates.

 First, we talk about high-level goals: where do you want to GO in life? Who do you want to BE? What's most important to you: is it time? Money? A sense of purpose?

Then, a pivotal question: why are you choosing THIS method - a CrossFit gym - to satisfy those goals? It's a rhetorical question, of course. I already know that owning a CrossFit gym can satisfy any of those three, and others. I just want to hear the answer.

Invariably, I get a speech from the heart about how CrossFit has changed THEIR lives; how they want to share that change, joy, and benefit with others; how they're empowered to take some risks in the pursuit of that delivery. I hear, most days, a great story about discovery, inspiration, and self-actualization. Most often, they're opening a CrossFit Affiliate because they believe it's the right thing to do. And they're not wrong.

Then we look at their site. We click on, "What's CrossFit?" and we see a message about work capacity. We read about 'functional' training across broad time and modal domains. We see the "What Is Fitness?" link, right where it's supposed to be. Logical arguments for doing CrossFit? Check.

Nowhere is their story.

Write your story. Put it up. Help us to know you.