Editor’s Note: This is the third part in a multi-part series highlighting longtime CrossFit gym owners, their experiences over the past decade, and some advice they wish they had at the start. Click here for part one and here for part two.
It is one thing to open a gym. Most people can find a space, buy some barbells and weights, and hire a few coaches. But to stay open? To thrive and grow? That is an entirely different story.
It is a battle to keep any business going for 10 years or more, and even more difficult when that business is a gym.
- Evan Derv, owner of CrossFit Ruston in Ruston, LA, put it perfectly when he said, “To open a box is easy and cheap. To keep it running profitably and successfully is not. Act accordingly.”
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A Valuable Product
Acting accordingly takes many different forms, but they center around one thing — the quality of the product. In a CrossFit gym, that product is coaching.
- Ehren Vaughan, co-owner of CrossFit Ballina in NSW, Australia, believes that you must invest in your coaches if you want your gym to last.
While their training in the methodology is important, that’s just the start. Vaughan and his team found as much value in investing in their coaches’ quality of life as in their coaching education and development.
- “We work hard to ensure they have a good work-life balance,” Vaughan said, “and meet regularly to check on their job satisfaction.”
Vaughan goes even further, ensuring his coaches know how integral they are in running their business.
- “We ask them for advice and input on business decisions so they know they are valued,” Vaughan said. “We try not to let a helpful deed go unthanked – we want them to know we notice their hard work and care.”
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CrossFit Oakland co-owner Robyn Alazraqui echoed Vaughan’s statement when it came to the importance of the staff.
- “Make sure to put out a high-quality product, which is great coaching,” Alazraqui said. “This is what you are selling, and the better it is, the more you can and should charge.
Alazraqui is also adamant about maintaining professionalism within the affiliate and concentrating on running it like a corporate business.
- “[As] a business owner, you must strike a balance between running a successful business that supports a living and ensuring the best quality, most diverse, and open access to the vital services that support the betterment of the community,” says Brett Wilson, co-owner of CrossFit Mill Street in Vienna, VA.
With professionalism and the ability to view a gym as a corporate business comes money. No business can survive without making it.
Vaughan went into detail on the importance of knowing your numbers.
- “Many tough decisions as a business owner are made for you when you know the financial implications of something,” Vaughan said. “We find it helpful to map out the foreseeable expenses and predicted income so we can plan for the year.”
Spreadsheets and numbers can be intimidating, but understanding them means distinguishing between a successful gym and one that closes quickly.
- “It is important to know your retention numbers – it tells a big story,” Vaughan continued, “It’s difficult to fill a leaking bucket. You need to figure out why current members are leaving and work to change what needs to change, whether it be coaching personality or the type of person you attract to your gym.”
A Strong Culture
Once long-time owners figured out the business portion of running a gym, the most successful took the time to truly grow the culture.
CrossFit is about community, and that starts from the top.
- “YOU set the culture,” Robyn Alazraqui said. “Know what vibe you want for your gym and hold true to it – typically, this means defining, communicating, and jealously guarding your personal vision for the gym. This way, the people that match your values will stay, and those that don’t will leave. You now have a gym community that brings you joy.”
By setting the culture, owners create a gym community that fills their bucket and brings them joy. Culture breeds consistency, which is an essential aspect for any CrossFit athlete.
We all know that showing up daily and giving your best effort every time you enter an affiliate is the cornerstone of CrossFit.
- A strong culture leads to happy members, and as Mike Tromello, owner of CrossFit Precision in Agoura Hills, CA, says, “Happy members and coaches tell their friends and families. They are your best form of advertisement – a good reputation is massive for longevity.”
It Takes a Village
No one can get through the ups and downs of gym ownership without having someone to talk to.
Vaughan invested in business mentorship early, which has been instrumental in the growth and success of their affiliate in Australia. But it wasn’t just getting feedback from someone on how to run the business; Vaughan’s partnership with his wife, former Games athlete Lindsay Vaughan, needed consistent care when they launched their affiliate.
- “Being a husband and wife partnership,” he explained, “there were growing pains while we were learning to work together in our business. We were required to work on our communication and compassion for one another. We had to make a conscious decision early on to spend time with our family because it is so easy to let it fall into the background.”
Justin VanBeek, owner of CrossFit Hydro in Omaha, NE, preaches the importance of having someone to bounce ideas off of if you hope to succeed.
- “You need someone to share your ideas, frustrations, successes, and failures with – someone that can relate. Whether that’s another gym owner in your town or someone across the country so you don’t feel stuck on an island by yourself trying to manage the stresses of it all alone.”
When it comes down to it, the gyms that have survived this long, a decade or more, have something special.
Nicole Hughes, owner of CrossFit Central in Austin, TX, says it simply:
- “Stand on your values, mission, and purpose and always redirect yourself back to these if you get off track. Remember your why.”
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Featured image: @welcome_to_the_mill / Instagram
