Don't Buy Ads: Grow Your CrossFit Box

Why Write A Book?

In 2008, I combined my philosophy that I learn BEST when I paraphrase and teach with the new knowledge that I was gaining in business. When I started posting on DontBuyAds, I was telling myself stories. I was writing because I love writing, and because I didn't want to forget any of this stuff.

When we started studying psychology, behavioural anthropology, and neurology for Ignite, the applications to the business world were immediately apparent. Our brains are not those of our ancestors; our thoughts are not those of our parents. Our business is not the gym business of the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s...or even the modern-day "low-price lifetime membership" model of today.

Nearly 400 posts later, I started worrying about forgetting stuff. Affiliate owners and coaches were emailing questions about problems I'd encountered years before, and I wanted to send them the best answer I could provide. I also wanted to arrange the content from this blog, and many other things I've learned, into a more cohesive process. 

This book is the sum of 7 years of experience owning a gym, 9 years' experience coaching before owning a gym, hundreds of calls with other gym owners, big mistakes, and big victories. There's a lot of research, and many stories. 

I'm a member of the CrossFit Media Team, a position that's been incredibly rewarding. However, this book does NOT reflect the opinions of HQ, and though some on the Media Team will read it, they weren't asked to edit the book because the act would constitute a blessing they won't want to give, in the name of objectivity. 

Cover design by the magnificent Clay Weldon of 321GoProject.com, with whom I'm lucky to share the joy of helping new and existing Affiliates make their businesses better every day.

Enjoy. I sure do.

(click the book to buy it.)

Tips and Tricks: The Belt System

For literally centuries, kids have been dropped off at Martial Arts classes by their parents. Their notion is to grind discipline, some self-defense, and maybe even some respect into their kids. It's effective.

The belt system augments those benefits by creating an easy-to-understand system of short-term goals. Practice more, and you'll get your yellow belt sooner. Practice less, and Janie gets hers first. Good for the kids, good for establishing hierarchy, good for business.

This is a system that could help a CrossFit Kids program, where advancement is largely based on age, rather than measurable skill acquisition. Since there are no forms in CFK, though, how do we quantify and duplicate standards for advancement?

Antony Graf may have the answer. In fact, he has it printed on the backs of his CrossFit Kids' shirts.

Visit a CrossFit Threshold Kids class, and you'll see Antony command the attention of his class. There's no horseplay; they all call him, "sir." They all wear their shirts to every class.

When a child masters a new level of skill, Antony checks a box on their shirt. As they reach different thresholds of knowledge and mastery, they advance. Simple. 

The skills:

1.       Ten Domains- Recite the ten domains of fitness

2.       Run Rules-Recite run rules of pose running (head to toe)

3.       Nine Movements- Know and teach the nine basic movements of Cross Fit (2 cues per movement)

4.       Burgener Warmup- Know and perform the burgener warmup unassisted

5.       Ladder Drills- Know and perform 9 ladder drills

6.       3 Minute Plank Test- Perform 1 minute regular plank, 30 seconds right hand/left leg, 30 seconds left hand/right leg, 30 seconds left side, 30 seconds right side (without dropping)

7.       Junior Run- Run 1 mile under ten minutes

8.       Senior Run- Run 1 mile under eight minutes

9.       10 Perfect Pushups

10.    20 Perfect Pushups

11.    Junior Wall sit- 1.5 minute wall sit

12.    Senior Wall sit- 3 minute wall sit

13.    Junior Double Under- 20 unbroken

14.    Senior Double Under- 50 unbroken

15.    Junior Handstand- 20 second hold

16.    Senior Handstand- 40 second hold

17.    Junior HSPU-1 handstand pushup

18.    Senior HSPU- 7 handstand puhsups

19.    Junior Pullup- 3 pullups

20.    Senior Pullups- 10 pullups

21.    Nutrition Test- Pass written nutrition test

22.    Mobility Series-Perform mobility series

23.    Stretch Series- Perform stretch series

          24.    Olympic Lift Test- Perform and teach Olympic movements            (must achieve 7/10 technical score)

Consider the best movers in your adult classes: could they pass all of these tests? Now imagine Antony's kids in ten years.....

What to DO?

You know what's going on. At least, you've read all three sides.

In a nutshell:

Greg Glassman's ex-wife, Lauren, is selling her share of CrossFit. She currently owns 50%. She's selling to Anthos Group, whose spokesperson in this case is Bryan Kelly. Bryan claims to be a CrossFitter with solid motives. Coach suspects otherwise.

Your stake:

Currently, you pay annually to license the use of the word, "CrossFit." 

Your risk:

Some pay more than others, depending on when they signed up, but even at the high end ($3000/year) the gross return should be 100x the fee. That's one hundred TIMES, not one hundred percent. We don't own shares. Though the outcome can affect us, we don't control the dogs in this fight. We don't get a vote, no matter how powerful our hashtags.

Your options:

Await further instructions. If there's something to know, we'll know. From Coach to a CrossFitter:

Anthos has gotten a commitment from Lauren to sell them her shares once the divorce is final. The divorce is held up over the disposition of CF Inc. 

We have every advantage in this battle I could hope to have. We are on the side of righteousness and the law; our resources are greater financial and legal. Our numbers are stronger. 

Nothing is going on here beyond our letting our brothers and sisters know that evil lurks and we're on it. You need to take no action.

It might feel like a drive-by to some, but this is the level of our entitlement. It's not a democracy. No one is 'selling out.' It's a custodial lesson: if you have partners, it could happen to you. 

Jeff Tucker's facebook post was a good one:

I'm going to sit back and wait until someone asks me for my two cents on this, meaning those that matter - which I bet will not happen and I am okay with that too. So rather than getting all alarmed by moves I cannot control or have input on at this moment - I will wait until the actual battle starts and then suit up the armor and ready the horses...

As for me, I'm going to do what I aim to do every day: open ten minutes earlier than posted. Smile at everyone at least once. Find a subject to post about that's relevant to my Catalyst Family (hint: this ain't it.) 

Nothing will change for my members in the short- or long-term. If CFHQ asks for help, they've got it. Until then, I won't pace or fantasize. If I'd known in 2008 that the brand was half-owned by an investor, I would have signed up anyway. It's still miles and miles better than owning a GloboGym, or being at the top of the soon-to-be-announced P90X "trainer" program (spoiler alert: the 'P' is for 'pyramid.')

I believe in Coach.

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.

Seeing The Horizon

Think back to the moment you decided to open your CrossFit Box or Garage Gym. 

Now, think back to five minutes before that.

What was in your head? WHY did you want to move from Trainer, Coach, or someone outside the fitness industry and open your own business?

In my case, I had more than one reason. I needed to make more money, and couldn't see a way to do it where I was. I felt underappreciated: the business had grown immensely since I'd signed on, and I wasn't getting credit. Frankly, I thought I was smarter than the owner...or maybe I just cared more. Finally, and perhaps most of all, I didn't know where else to go from where I stood.

Ten years ago, there weren't any 40-year-old Personal Trainers. Ten years before that, there weren't ANY Personal Trainers. I simply couldn't imagine that my advice would still be relevant when my hair turned grey. 

The only logical step up, then, was to become an entrepreneur. Self-employment was the only promotion possible. I wanted to test out my mental wheels, sure, but would never have taken the risk if another option had presented itself. 

MANY new CrossFit Boxes are owned by passionate, inspired Coaches who saw only one possible way forward. When they asked themselves, "What's next? How do I move UP? How do I make it possible to keep doing this until I retire?" the answer came back: "Open your own gym." In many cases, it was the ONLY answer they heard.

If you can create a future - a next step, a way for your Coaches to 'move up,' or a way for them to be entrepreneurial - there's no reason for them to leave. Human nature mandates exploration and novelty. If they have itchy feet, and want to move, challenge them to look up instead of dead ahead.

Some ideas:

• A 'Head Coach' position, responsible for the oversight of other Coaches; programming for your Box; running monthly training sessions for your Coaches; making decisions on Cert attendance and new programs;
• A 'General Manager' position, to replace you - as owner - when you feel like taking that long-overdue vacation time (or just staying home occasionally);
• A 'Case Manager' position, who oversees individual training plans AND customer retention, client satisfaction, and social media;
• An 'Events Coordinator,' who sets up your events and works for part of the gross;
• The developer of a brand new part of your business. Here's how we handled that one.

Each of these positions should create the revenue - and more - to cover the increased wages that follow increased responsibility. 

Not everyone wants to change. Don't force anyone; let people be happy. If you can't create a path of development and personal growth, though, don't expect them to stick around.

PepsoDent and Coloured Bumpers

If you own a CrossFit Box or garage gym, you own bumper plates. They're a necessity. Aren't they?

For decades, folks have been doing OLY lifts with steel plates. They catch the clean, and then lower the weight with a little 'clink!' instead of dropping the bar. If they miss, they miss...but they don't drop the bar. You can make a case for bumper plates being safer, but is that the real reason we use them?

Bumper plates save bars, too. That's why gym owners like them. But do your members really care about your bars? After all, you're a millionaire business owner...why can't you take the value of one monthly membership and just buy a new bar? Sarcasm, of course...but many of your members don't know the answer.

The best feature of bumper plates is that they give clients a reward: after 21 thrusters, they can drop the bar. It looks great, adds excitement, and allows your clients to act out a dramatic sport ideal. Volleyball players get to spike the ball; baseball players can throw the ball into the crowd. We get to bail out of snatches.

This is important, because this REWARD is a critical part of the habit-building process. While bumper plates aren't 100% necessary for CrossFit, they do provide an opportunity for a benefit that ONLY they can provide.

Consider these:

A minty, "clean" feeling in your mouth has nothing to do with how toothpaste works (it would work even without the mint extracts and foamers. Both are actually aggravating your gums; that's what gives you the 'cool' sensation.) However, after you've established a tooth-brushing habit as a child, you won't feel finished until you receive that 'reward' sensation of cool mint.

Before toothpaste was popular, PepsoDent went from a near-bankrupt also-ran to dominating over 90% of the tooth-cleaning market by focusing on the reward rather than the benefits. Heck, less than half of the population brushed their teeth at all before PepsoDent helped build the habit.

Shampoo and dishwashing soap are the same, chemically-speaking. The difference is the perfume, colour, and frothing agents. The suds are the reward. Some shampoos (mostly anti-dandruff) employ different skin irritants like mint to give you the 'scrubbed' feeling, and most of us don't feel clean until after we've rinsed away a good lathering.

Most dry dog food is extremely similar to cereal. Missing are the human-friendly flavourings (though some now add artificial flavours like meat and fish.) What's stopping humans from eating them? The bone shape, the brand name, the dog pictures. In one famous study on conditioning, a professor handed out a bowl full of snacks (from which he also ate) for the length of one lecture. Students ate them w ithout a hitch. Afterward, he revealed they were dog treats. Some students vomited. This is the same effect applied in the opposite direction: a cognitive 'penalty' instead of a reward.

For more on these, read this excerpt from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

For this reason, I prefer coloured bumper plates. Black bumpers are great, and provide many fantastic 'reward' responses to help build habits in your members. Coloured plates make people feel like they're Pyrros Dimas.

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. 

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.

My Jon Gilson Story

*note: on the right is Pat Sherwood. Great guy. I'm not him.

If you've been around CrossFit for a few years, you're going to meet people who become your heroes.

You won't be able to stop yourself. That handshake at Regionals will be like an autographed baseball from a 50-home-run-hitter; though fleeting, just as memorable, and far more personal. In a sport where you can still walk onto the field after a major event and high-five the winner, most CrossFitters look to the athletes for inspiration. I'm not immune. I also look to the coaches, and the writers.

There's art in CrossFit, and my first exposure to Jon Gilson was when Lisbeth posted Don't Quit on the A-blog. I linked through, and spent hours reading his stuff. Here was a guy who wasn't going to the Games, but was running an equipment company....and the net total of his advertising, the part people remembered, was his essays. Motivational, some; instructional, others. He wrote essays to help others; he wrote essays ABOUT helping others. I frequently checked back for new posts.

When Lis confronted a non-CrossFit gym for plagiarising one of her essays, I had the idea to post - with permission - an week's worth of essays from each of my favourite four CrossFit writers. I chose, and asked, Lisbeth; Jon Gilson; Mark Twight; and Robb Wolf. Each responded immediately and graciously. It was like Mean Gene giving that kid a Coke: I was gulping CrossFit like it came from a bottle.

Months later, Jon agreed to let us write the first half of "Don't Quit" on our Catalyst Games 2009 t-shirts (above.) At my L1 Cert (taken nearly a year after we opened on an agreement with HQ,) Gilson was there. I grabbed him, and I don't remember what I said, but it probably sounded like this:

"HeyJonIreadeverythingyouwritenandyou'reawesomeandI'msogladyou'rehereIpostedyourdontquitarticleonthebacksofoureventshirtsand...." He laughed and said, "See you in there."

I listened to him all morning, and when it was time to learn the SDHP, Jon was my team leader. We practiced for a few minutes, and then he called me into the middle of the circle and asked me to demonstrate. Never has my back been straighter, or the pop from my hips crisper. "Here's a good example of a guy doing everything wrong," he said, and everyone laughed. Awesome.

At the Games last year, I found myself walking across the top lot at a very early hour (Masters athletes get up early.) I was hunting for coffee. Jon appeared out of the fog, veered toward me, and asked how I was doing. I hadn't seen him in two years. "Just want to thank you for all the support, man. Means a lot." It's like bumping into Michael Jordan after he'd retired and having him tell you, "Thanks for clapping so loud, and when you yelled, "Go, Michael!" in that sixth game, it really helped."

These days, admiration is often confused with star worship. I'm going to get teased about "man-love" and "bro-crushes," I know. But for a kid who wanted to be a writer and wound up owning a gym, having a guy like Gilson in the mix reaffirms that I can do both. Here's a guy who makes his living by selling, and makes his sales by...talking about the stuff he loves. He still does Level 1 seminars every month, repeating the same passionate message to beginners that he was saying four years ago. He still shoots video to help people do better pullups, and creates spreadsheets to help CrossFit Affiliates learn about cash flow. And he writes. His video crew is everywhere. He makes it look fun.

Tomorrow, Jon and I will be on a Q+A session together for CrossFit Affiliates. It's free. You'd be crazy NOT to listen to this guy talk for an hour. You may not run out and PR your snatch afterward (then again, you might!) but you'll PR your business. Thanks, Jon.

Sign up for the free webinar here.

More Jon Gilson stuff:

The Lion's Ovation

You Are Beautiful

The Opera

Belief

Push, Pull, Lift, Press

Jon on facebook (his posts are also great)

Again Faster on YouTube

How To Be Psychic

Walking through the mall, I see a familiar face. She's walking with her son, and though I recognize both, their names don't immediately come to mind. 

Rather than avoid eye contact, I give my biggest smile and wave. I introduce my wife, who knows immediately what I'm up to. She extends her hand, and they introduce themselves. 

I'm sure you've been there: a long-ago client walks up in the mall, and you're happy to see them but can't immediately recall any details about their lives. After a few hundred clients, and more years than I can remember, the Tracys and Tanias tend to get a bit mixed up. 

If you're like me, you just need a little hint. Give me a name, a friend's name, an event....and I'm home free. I'll talk for hours. I can remember details well....just not all the time.

When a new client comes in the door, it's critical to build rapport as quickly as possible. Establishing a relationship and demonstrating commonality helps the client by removing social barriers to joining. Perception of acceptance makes the fitness world go 'round. If different demographics weren't threatened by others, we wouldn't see womens'-only gyms, would we?

If a new member can see that you care; that you have experience with similar cases; that you're intelligent enough to intuit what they're not saying, they'll feel at ease.

Luckily, there's a cheat sheet. Here it is, by Ian Rowland: The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading. It's a fascinating read.

If you've ever visited a 'psychic,' you've likely been surprised at how accurate their predictions and 'readings' seemed. "Wow," you'll say to yourself, "I can't believe she said that. How could she know about my grandfather? She totally pegged me." You KNOW it's fakery - it can't be real, can it? - but you're not sure how she did her verbal magic.

This is how. It's called, "cold reading." Magicians do it, tarot card readers do it, charismatic leaders like Bill Clinton do it. They seem to remember every minute detail about you, though they haven't seen you in years. 

Though it's a bit of trickery, 'cold reading' isn't necessarily bad. It overcomes "that awkward moment when...." It helps smooth the wheels of relationship-building. Yes, it can be used to coerce; it can also be used to make people feel welcome and valued. 

Some highlights from The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading:

• Meeting and greeting is critical to the rest of the session. Rowland explains how best to do it on page 24.
• Establishing an intimate atmosphere (the client is the ONLY one who matters at that moment.) Page 25.
• Offering 'sugar lumps' to encourage disclosure
• Cold Reading and building rapport, page 247
• Making people like you, page 231

It's also a VERY entertaining read. Though Rowland isn't psychic, he HAS provided 'psychic services' and, even after informing his 'clients' that he's not psychic, they argue with him. They insist that he MUST BE. That's a rapport expert!