Editor’s Note: This is the first 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.
They say hindsight is 20/20, especially in a business.
- And if that business is a gym, that phenomenon is even more drastic.
During my time living in Southern California, I have seen many CrossFit gyms come and go. Some say this area was the sport’s hotbed in its early years as it meandered down the coast from Aromas.
In my conversations with gym owners for this series, many highlighted mistakes they made early on in their management journeys. Interestingly, though, the mistakes they pointed to dealt less with the machines and weights that filled the space and more with the humans and the relationships built there.
The Community
CrossFit is about community, and not understanding this fact at the outset was a primary cause of many owners’ regrets.
Marco Tan, the owner of CrossFit Overdrive in Richmond, BC, put it simply:
- “I wish I had known that this is a people- and relationship-based business more than a ‘fitness program,’” he said.
Dealing with both members and staff poses an especially hard challenge when opening a gym. There are so many different personalities, stakeholders, and individual interests to deal with, and people’s goals in the industry often change.
When many of the owners I spoke to opened their affiliates in 2015 or before, it was a different time in the sport’s development. Finding a balance between serving competitive athletes as well as the everyday training population was a constant battle.
There were local competitions almost every weekend, and there was a clear divide between those who wanted to compete and those who simply wanted to show up and get healthy.
- “I was too focused on being a competitive gym catering to high-level athletes,” Tan said of his gym in British Columbia. “I fixed it by realizing that most of the population needs my help more, and now my gym is thriving.”
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Nowadays, people interested in CrossFit don’t necessarily aspire to compete, and some may not even know about that side of the sport.
Mike Corcoran, co-owner of CrossFit Mill Street in Vienna, VA, dealt with this frequently early on.
- “Training is more important than competing,” he said. “Competing is fun and a great challenge for those who want to pursue it, but the day-to-day vibe in the gym should cater to longevity in training rather than making it about the leaderboard.”
Corcoran continued: “We have Pat Sherwood’s quote on a massive sign in the gym: ‘The goal is just to get fit, make it the best hour of your day, stay safe, turn up the music, high-five some people, and blow off some steam. So remember that. Relax. Have fun. Work out.’”
Progress, Not Perfection
Lofty goals are vital to success, but realistic expectations also play a big part.
Some owners look back on their journey, aware they should have considered things a little differently initially.
- “I used to always put what was best for members first (7 p.m. classes, specialty programs, equipment, etc.). I was unrelenting for coaches to work with and expected perfection,” Ehren Vaughan, co-owner of CrossFit Ballina in NSW, Australia, said. He owns the affiliate with his wife, Lindsay Vaughan, a former Games athlete.
Once he realized this business model was not sustainable, Vaughan made a change.
- “Now I make sure that I am considering my family, our coaching team, and members with all decisions,” Vaughan said.
The people you surround yourself with in your gym are also vital. Hiring good staff is the difference between keeping the classes packed and the facility clean or closing the doors due to low attendance.
- Vaughan continued: “Most of the worst decisions would have come around hiring and rushing into hiring a staff member due to feeling like it was an emergency and being understaffed.”
After dealing with mismatches in personality between coaches and staff, Vaughan retooled his business model.
- “We corrected it by putting in clear evaluation targets, and when it wasn’t working, both parties were able to see clearly and mutually part ways,” he said. “We now try to hire very slowly and deliberately, and when possible, we pull from our local community.”
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Robyn Alazraqui co-owns CrossFit Oakland in Emeryville, CA, which has been serving the local population since 2005.
Reflecting on early mistakes, she has too many to count.
- “We are a people and service business, so sometimes choosing people as staff and members who were not a good fit can be painful to correct,” Alazraqui said. “Reacting instead of being proactive has also led to problems in the past.”
Logistics
The question of taking on a business partner or not weighed heavy on many gym owners’ minds early.
And why not?
- Crossfit was in its infancy with no guarantee of longevity, and gyms are expensive to run and challenging to keep clientele. It was a scary time.
Brett Wilson, the owner of CrossFit Mill Street in Vienna, VA, discussed the issues he faced early on when dealing with a partner:
- “You learn a lot about people when you go into business with friends or colleagues,” Wilson said. “I wish I had a better stress test for my original partnership and business partner. I probably would have walked into the current partnership WAY sooner had I known more at the beginning.”
Mike Tromello, the owner of CrossFit Precision in Agoura Hills, CA, has a clear view of partnerships when it comes to owning an affiliate.
- “You don’t need partners to do it. You can do it all by yourself,” Tromello said. ”Partners make you feel comfortable — you’re in this scary, life-changing event with someone else. Just know that all you need is yourself. So, bet on yourself. You’ll save a ton of stress and money for other things later on.”
If you decide to try it with a partner, James Van Beek, the owner of CrossFit Hydro in Omaha, NE, believes that setting clear expectations before signing any agreements is vital.
- Van Beek elaborated: “Jumping into a partnership out of the gate to get the dream off the ground without getting to know more about that person and without setting clear expectations and responsibilities ahead of time was an initial mistake, and we separated for the sake of the business a few years later.”
The Obstacle Is the Way
While dealing with all issues early on at CrossFit Oakland, Alazraqui has one big regret.
- She described it: “I wish I had been more confident in my skills as a leader and a coach. I spent too much time doubting myself and wallowing in imposter syndrome. You can be green as hell and still impact lives positively as long as you keep trying to get better.”
No matter where they are with their business or the route they took to get there, Mike Tromello believes that it was worth it.
- “Every decision I made, whether good or bad, taught me something, and I believe that’s why we’re still here today,” Tromello described.
And more than learning about the gym and how to run a business, owning a CrossFit affiliate taught him about himself.
- He continued: “I learned a ton about my personality. I opened up Precision as a 28-year-old. So I did and said a lot of dumb things – too many to point one out in particular. Now, at almost 42. I look back and laugh about some things and am sure glad I learned from them.”
Here’s to another decade.
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Featured image: @precisioncrossfit / Instagram
