beginnings
how I got started | After school I went to work in corporate
America for a couple years for a major bank and hated it. When 9/11
happened, I realized I needed to make a major change in my life. In the
world of finance I wasn't doing anything to help anyone on a personal
level. I wanted to do more than just sit behind a desk so I went and
got my first Personal Training Certification, and began training clients
in their homes.
After a short while I was training at a "globo-gym", and it was there I
fell into Crossfit. I was researching training programs for clients and
found CrossFit through a google search of "killer hard ass work outs."
I started using CrossFit with my clients and they loved the workouts
and results. I used CrossFit for my own fitness and saw amazing results
in myself, after 3 months of CrossFit I was in better shape than I was
from the previous 3 years of training for Ironman Triathlons.
My clients were seeing such amazing results with CrossFit that I decided
to start my own gym. Our gym is more of an "anti-gym." We don't do
any marketing, advertising or promoting our business. All of our
clients are referred by current members. The truth is CrossFit isn't
for everyone and we don't want everyone. We want people that will bust
their ass and that we enjoy coaching, training and being around.
inspiration
why this job?| I could have been a well-trained monkey to do my
corporate job, but I wanted to do something that would benefit people. I
wanted to be a firefighter or trainer, and this just fit. It was
really an organic thing, I went from in home training, to "globo-gym",
to running my own bootcamp to crossfit. There wasn't a career path I
was following or trying to climb some corporate ladder. I don't worry
about money, if you do something you love and focus on excellence the
money part will take care of itself.
love
why I love this job!| I love being active and being my own boss,
but more than anything else I love the members of my gym. Motivating
them and seeing them achieve things they never thought possible in
incredibly rewarding. There is no better feeling than seeing do their
first triathalon, complete a marathon or lose 70 pounds, Seeing others
succeed motivates me a ton.
work
my typical day| I get up around 5, eat breakfast then drive to
gym and get ready for the 6 am class. I break for an hour, then teach an
8:30 and 9:30. I then try to do one of my workouts. After that I work
on gym maintenance and business. I respond to emails, post workouts for
the next day. I come back for evening classes, then go home have a
quick dinner and go to bed. I'm in bed at 9pm. Very simple and very
enjoyable.
challenges
what they are | Opening your own gym takes a lot of persistence
and a lot of time. There was a daunting amount of red tape to go
through before we were able to open our doors. I raised capital for
the build out and initial start up by offering lifetime memberships to
my clients.
upside
all about growth | The fitness industry is a 50 billion dollar
industry. The old "globo gyms" are going to be replaced by strength and
conditioning facilities like this. The growth as an industry is huge.
The goal of CrossFit New England isn't to be the biggest gym in the
area, just the best. We currently have 60 members and have the
capacity for 300.
We want every member to have the best possible experience. Instead of a
5 year plan we have a goal of improving our gym in the short term.
What's the best possible thing for my clients this week. How can we
make our gym better next month?
More Info
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