Coaching group classes outdoors is so much fun and very freeing. There is something about exercising outdoors that just creates a different vibe than being inside. It’s been great having like a big playground essentially to use for different things. Stairs to run up, circles to warm up in, benches to plank on. It’s been a blessing.
Long term though, I know I have to think bigger. I am a big believer in putting out to the universe what I want and so that is what I am going to do through this post.
If I am to be specific, and greedy, for what I want long term for my business, it is the following.
I want my own space. The thing with any gym or studio I potentially could rent from is of course going to be on their terms. Which I completely understand and respect. They have a lease to pay and a business of their own to run. Long term though, I know that at some point as my business grows, the slots that clients will want and the times I want to have classes will inevitably conflict.
This happened again today with a space I checked out to potentially rent from. As soon as I said my first slot, it was not available. So, I left not feeling defeated exactly. More like validated that I want my own space.
And by my own space, I do not necessarily mean I need a traditional gym. I just mean I want a space, that might be part of a larger space, that I would rent. I want something that is just mine. I want something that just like the businesses I would rent from, I want the ability to train my clients at the peak times. I mean, how can I ever successfully run a business if I only ever offer classes between 6 and 10 am? People like to work out after a day at the office as well (and are the most popular slots I have booked). They want to decompress, run around, throw shit down.
Which is another criteria. I want a floor I can literally throw shit on, like slam balls. Or toss a sandbag doing a spider crawl. I want to be free with my programming and not limit it to like a “gentle” boot camp where nobody runs around and stays confined to a mat.
I really just want something I can come and go as I want. There can be something a bit chaotic about using a space that is immediately booked by someone else right after me. I do not like the feeling of having zero transition time.
I also would love something I can keep my equipment in (and not have to haul it). I also would love a space where I can expand my equipment with things like a barbell or a sled push (gotta give clients what they want!)
I also would love to have my own space not just for classes but for my private clients.
I know this is a tall order. I also know it IS possible. It may not happen tomorrow, but it will happen.
Because the biggest takeaway for me is something that keeps coming up time and time again. I want my own space. I want to be my own boss. I want to grow my business without the limitations that are put on me by partnering with another company or business.
And it is not to say that I will never partner with anyone. I believe that if I do, it will be much more mutually beneficial and more of an even split. It is important to me to maintain autonomy, not just for myself but my clients. Any business decision I make, I do my best to see it from both perspectives. I want my clients to feel like I am doing things that make it an overall better experience. Decisions are never made with the intention to punish or limit. They are made so that my vision and community fit into it. They are decisions that are setting me up for longevity.
Something I learned early on is to think bigger than where I am right now. I have implemented that in little ways, like paying for systems to automate payment and online scheduling. I could have kept doing that manually, but over time, as I was growing, it was not how I wanted to spend my time.
Now a major focus of mine is to find the perfect space to train clients in. I could have taken other opportunities that have come my way to satisfy an immediate gap or need, but I passed on them. In the long term they would have taken me further from where I want to go (and in some cases, I passionately and ethically disagreed with the terms).
The search continues. I am hopeful and know that things align the way they are supposed to when they are supposed to.
View comments
+ Leave a comment