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.)

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.

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.

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....

Building The Region

Since Christmas, when I took over the Regional Media Director title for Canada East, I've had the good luck to speak with dozens of our Region's top athletes. They graciously spare a half hour for 'the Press,' and I ask them all kinds of intimate questions about training. Sometimes, I win the lottery, and their philosophies are so simple - or profound - that they stay with me for months.

Matthieu Dubreucq was the best of the best. A former competitive racing sailor, Dubreucq has seen high-level international competition, and worked as part of a team to train, compete, and win. He knows what it takes; he's been there. He finished third at Regionals last year, and had a fantastic 2012 Open. His team did exceptionally well this year; he personally won the terrifying Event Six, and celebrated with a ten-second L-sit on top of the rings after the last muscle-up.

Dubreucq's team sported Day-Glo Orange shirts...and mustaches. Take a few minutes to watch the video, "Stache Strategy" here. Clearly, Dubreucq knows something about building community at CrossFit Laval. He's also concerned himself with building the Regional community.

To paraphrase Dubreucq: "We want to win. But if we can't win, we want to make sure the Games winner comes from Canada East." To that end, Dubreucq is creating opportunities for top athletes from the Region to train together, share strategies, and compare notes. He helped promote the FireBreather Trail, and is the 'force' behind Force 5, a series to help prepare high-level athletes. Reebok came on board with the former, and many top athletes from the Region are interested in the latter.

As we witnessed at the Canada East Regional last weekend, the power of local fans can help lift an athlete into the top spot. I'll do my part to help keep that wave of Regional pride going through the Games site, and I'm hoping to extend that support into year-round content on athletes from our Region.

Four years ago, Dhani Oks from Academy of Lions pulled the Affiliate owners of that era together on a series of conference calls to talk about the future of CrossFit, growing our Regional brand, and the trials of the early Box owner. We still maintain a Google group, and our Region is the fastest-growing in the world (by new Affiliates.) 

As the Games grow, and the worldwide audience increases, it may be a good idea to consider our Region's reputation beyond our own gyms. Are we the smiling, excited, and friendly Region? Are we the hard-edge, black-flag, win-at-all-costs Region? Are we the 'smart' Region?

It may not seem important yet. But when you think about the cache carried by the Soviet Olympic weightlifting program, even fifty years after its peak......how will we be remembered at CrossFit Games 2062? What will be our legacy, our contribution? Where will we make our little niche in the expanding world, and how will it help each individual CrossFitter? How will it help the not-yet-CrossFitter?

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.

 

ResearchLite

This is the Age of Opinion. This blog is my opinion, sometimes supported by the opinions of others. Opinion is different from information.

Information suggests irrefutability. Information means supporting data and no reasonable counter argument.

Twelve years ago, MORA devices (Mandibular Orthopedic Repositioning Appliances) hit the market; one of the leading proponents was the Edge Tech company. I was skeptical; scientists performing double-blind studies, published in peer-reviewed Journals, showed no improved performance in athletes using MORA mouthguards.

I wrote a piece for HockeyZone.ca at the time on mandibular strength research (in hindsight, I wish I'd called it, "MORA - The Research Bites." Much funnier.) You can read it below, from September 13, 2003:

Download MORA

As often happens in the fitness industry, a bad product or scheme is simply warehoused for a decade and re-"introduced" when the hype has gone. MORA devices are back, pushed by companies like UnderArmour (who bought up BiteTech) and supported by "research."

QuackWatch has a good summary of the 2012 MouthGuards-make-you-stronger claims:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/ak.html

MedLine also has an interesting study to share: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22272945

A few weeks ago, a Harvard study on red meat consumption suggested that 'all red meat is bad for you." The study failed to show causation, but merely demonstrated correlation. Some of the better responses were from WeightyMatters.ca and, of course, Mark's Daily Apple. A good discussion of "Why People Don't Want to Read What They Don't Want To Hear" is here. 

Correlation occurs when two things seem to always happen together; causation is when one causes the other. For instance, whenever it rains in Sault Ste. Marie, people are carrying umbrellas. The two are correlated. Does that mean umbrella-carrying is the cause of rainfall in Sault Ste. Marie?

While using 'research' to prop up medical and fitness claims is nothing new, the industry ITSELF is prone to swings and spirals. Trends recur with annoying regularity. 

Upcoming (recurring) trend predictions for the next 2 years:

Nutrition - the pendulum will swing back toward high-carb. It's barely swung the other way, it seems, but the quick adoption of all fats as "healthy" by some will likely fuel the fear of higher-fat diets again. Driven by the need to sell "new" books, the nutrition world will never be able to settle on one recipe for success. Instead, the pendulum tends to pivot on a controversial issue - like dietary fat - and swings back and forth between "it's poison" and "it's good." As you approach one end of the spectrum, you can expect a recoil in the other direction.

Movement - bouncing up and down. Where mini-trampolines enjoyed a short (approximately 30 minutes) craze in the late 1990s, new bouncy-shoes make use of all the inline skates that didn't sell in 1998:

What's next....vibrating platforms for weight loss? A 'healthy' cigarette that delivers vitamins or filters "toxins" from the air? Motorized exercise bikes?

Socks treated with silver to reduce smell?

All of the claims in this article have "research" to back them up. Most studies have been purchased by the producer of the equipment; the others have built equipment based on overextrapolation of small-study results.

There's a buyer born every minute, as the saying goes...or maybe that's not quite right.

 

 

The Adaptive Niche

Thank you. 

Yesterday, after posting about Adaptive Athletes and their desire for competition, novelty, and challenge, I received several emails asking, "How do I get started?"

I've also been fortunate enough to connect with a few Affiliates who HAVE started. This post will serve merely as a conduit between the willing and the enabled.

We've been lucky enough to host several athletes requiring slight modifications to the workouts to participate - notably those with MS and brain injury, but also including others on crutches, in wheelchairs, and with different numbers of limbs.

Our coaches threw together a quick list of some modifications we use, and I've attached it as a Google Doc in hopes of attracting ideas from DBA readers.

Good sources for information include No Excuses CrossFit, home of the legendary Kyle Maynard, and CrossFit Walter Reed, which coaches MANY Adaptive CrossFitters. 

Above all else, don't be a 'caretaker.' My favourite quote from CFWR was on Monday's WOD blog:

"Scaling for box jumps should be any height off the ground, even if it’s one inch. Jump on something."

When all else fails, ask the athlete what they think; they'll find a way. They're good at it.

Download Seated substitutions