When you call a major fitness equipment company on the Friday afternoon of Christmas weekend you aren’t exactly expecting the CEO to pick up the phone.
Perhaps that should have been the first warning sign.
But there I was, on the line with Lisa Strump of Muscle Driver USA - which, at the time, was perhaps only second in size to Rogue when it came to outfitting small group fitness gyms in the US.
We had secured financing, placed our order and were hoping to finish building everything out for a post-New Year start at our very first facility.
But while our other suppliers had delivered weeks ago (installing the flooring ourselves is an entire story in and of itself) our shipment from MDUSA was MIA. And, unfortunately for us, that was about 70% of our total equipment order.
I had heard some rumblings that Muscle Driver wasn’t exactly doing great from a financial and organizational standpoint. Add on top of that holiday week was upon us and we had essentially sunk our life savings into getting our first gym open. I was anxious, yet oddly relieved, that Lisa had picked up the phone.
After checking on my order (I got the feeling she was the only one still in the building) she mentioned that the hold up revolved around a few last pieces still needing to be machined.
Not exactly what I was hoping to hear.
But after some discussion I think Lisa could hear the despair in my voice and agreed to ship up the items that were ready and get the rest to us as soon as it was good to go.
Good to her word, the bulk of the order came by freight the next week.
Seven weeks later Muscle Drive announced they were filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. They held an open warehouse sale a few weeks later, paid their creditors pennies-on-the-dollar and were fully out of business by the Spring.
I still think they owe us one bumper plate.
Looking back, losing this order could have sunk the business before we even started. It’s not like we had the extra cash for a replacement.
And I’d love to claim it’s the only bullet we dodged. We’ve had some major, major fuck ups along the way. But my heart can’t take retelling those stories.
I do, however, want to share a few lessons we learned since signing our first lease 8 years ago this week.
You can think of them as warnings or reminisings. And for those of you who are looking to perhaps start a business, this may be of particular interest. You can’t say I didn’t try to help!
Things Happen Much Slower Than You Think
If you find yourself on YouTube or Instagram you will find an endless stream of entrepreneurs, business coaches and 22 year old kids who claim that they got to a 7 figure business in 7 weeks (and for a few grand, they can do the same for you!).
And this gives most of us the impression that if you aren’t crushing it out of the gate, you are a complete abject failure. Might as well close down the business and sign up for dental school.
But, the truth is, success takes time. A lot of time.
And that is absolutely fine. As long as your expectations meet reality.
Experienced business people understand this implicitly.
Tell them that they’ll double their business in 5 years and they’ll be ecstatic. Tell someone new that it may be three years until they are profitable and they’ll get depressed and start blaming the Boomers for all their problems.
The goal in the beginning should just be to get good enough that some is willing to pay you for whatever it is you are offering. That first dollar is a huge win and probably the toughest one you’ll ever earn.
If you can solve that, your problems just shift into how to keep delivering that at some level of scale. How to put fuel on the fire.
Easier said than done.
And since I’m contractually obligated to make fitness analogies here, the same thought process can be applied to training.
Stop thinking in terms of 6 week challenges and start considering where you can be in years from now. You want to be known as that “crazy person” at extended family dinners and work parties who is known for working out every week without fail. Sure, in the moment it seems like they are giving you shit for being obsessed, but honestly they are just envious that they haven’t been able to be as consistent as you.
There’s no finish line.
It’s Much Harder Than You Think
When we first started, I used to clean the bathrooms myself every day. And I’d think to myself “Man, if I can just get beyond this I’ll really have made it!”
But while I haven’t regularly been part of the cleaning crew for quite some time now, the challenges have not magically faded.
In fact, as things get bigger they also get more complex. You’re suddenly responsible for the training outcomes of 400 people who have put their trust in you. Your coaches rely on your ability to make payroll in order to pay rent and buy their kids birthday gifts.
Cleaning a toilet is a piece of cake compared to the feeling of that pressure.
But I also wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m thankful for the opportunity to face those challenges. Business and life wouldn’t be much fun without them.
That doesn’t mean it feels good. It actually feels pretty rough most of the time.
And, to bring this back to training, it’s more of the same. Getting the results you want will take more work than you probably imagine. Oftentimes it will feel tough and like you aren’t getting anywhere.
But I promise you you are getting somewhere. Changes in your body are tough to detect because they are happening slowly every day.
The goal is to continue playing the game. As long as you wake up and take a step forward you have no choice but to move closer to your destination. Even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
Surround Yourself With Winners
“Surround yourself with winners” is something I’ve stolen directly from one of my favorite speakers, Les Brown.
One of the real joys of running a growing business is that you can start doing business with people that you respect, admire and enjoy being around. This goes for everyone from our management team to our coaching staff to the members themselves.
Spending your days around people you want to spend your day with, sitting in the shit with and sharing your successes with, that cannot be replaced.
When we started out, it was just Kyle and I. I remember when we got the keys to the first space. We got a folding table and chairs, sat in that basement and just stared at it.
“What the fuck are we going to do in here?”
We figured it out by making a lot of mistakes along the way and were lucky enough to have people who were patient enough and enthusiastic enough and perhaps crazy enough to join us along the way.
And that is really what makes any gym or organization or family what it truly is. The people who are willing to invest themselves into making it great.
For those of you who are reading this, you’ve been part of that journey. Whether you’ve been training with us since the start, are currently in our trial, joining us in the remote program or just open up these articles every week, we could not have done it without you.
This isn’t hyperbole or ass kissing. It’s 100% true.
And while I could go on with pages of more stories and lessons, I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.
Just like it was with Lisa, I’m just appreciative that you’ve given me what you have.