On November 9th, 2018 I enjoyed the thrill of winning the Results Fitness Business Owner of the Year award! I want to share with you what that was and how we got there.
First, what is Results Fitness? The Results Fitness University Mastermind is an exclusive group of some of the best functional training gyms in the country and world. The group is run by Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove who are the best known authors, speakers, business coaches, and gym owners in the industry. Attending their business mastery course, applying to and being accepted to join their mastermind has been a game changer for me.
Getting the dream that is On Target Fitness off the ground was not easy and progress did not follow a straight line. A year into business my wife left me and left me broke enough that it really jeopardized the gym. Finding the best business coaches in the industry was a big part of what saved us and what fueled our growth to be recognized as one of the best gyms in the country last November. Everyone needs a coach. If you have a goal, you need a coach to help you get there. We preach that when it comes to fitness goals and we practiced it when it came to our goals for On Target Fitness.
In addition to a coach, I think everyone needs a goal that is a little bit scary. The year prior to winning I saw the presenters for the owner of the year awards and I was absolutely blown away! I wanted to be up there as a presenter but was totally intimidated by what it would take for that to happen. I knew that the journey towards that distant place would be the path I wanted to walk down.
I knew that whether or not it ever happened, that would be the star to wish upon. We’d get there by relentlessly focusing on client results. We were going to do everything we could to maximize client results and to bring new clients into our tribe. In an industry full of gimmicks, we were going to thrive by changing people’s lives. We systematized, we articulated our CORE VALUES, and we hustled!
All of our efforts continued to snowball until a short year after wishing upon that star, it was time to write our nomination essay. The story that essay told happened to be good enough for us to be a finalist for the award! I would be flying out to Valencia, California to present as a finalist. I was going to be one of the guys on the stage a year later! When I spoke I was as nervous as I have ever been for a public talk in recent years. While I was nervous, I still felt overwhelming gratitude for being in a position to tell my story, to stand among the other finalists, and to listen to their incredible stories. After the presentations were done, the votes were tallied, and all of the finalists came to the front of the room. After a little drumroll I heard…My name!!! They just said my name! Holy cow!!! All that hard work!
What has it meant? A lot. It was such a thrill to stand among my heroes. Whether it was listening to the presenters last year or my fellow presenters this year, I was blown away. It means the world to have earned some recognition after all the work we’ve put in. This wasn’t a popularity contest or a how many votes can you buy contest. This was some of the most respectable people in the fitness industry voting based on the RESULTS that we were able to achieve for our clients and as a business.
I have countless thank you’s owed. Thank you to all those that helped me get us there and showed us the way. Thank you to the amazing team at On Target Fitness that was ready to push with full effort towards a lofty goal. Thank you to the wonderful members who pay our rent, buy our groceries, who have formed our amazing tribe, and without whom this would never be possible. We are on our way with many more good things to come!
*UPDATE*
Since writing this article, some good things have in fact come! In April 2019 I accepted the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the NH SBA. In October, I had the honor of again being a finalist for the RFU Business Owner of the Year Award. I happily passed the torch of that distinction to Chris Borda of YES Fitness and Longevity.