By Ken Andrukow, TwoBrain Mentor and owner of Reebok CrossFit Ramsay
If you don’t have a mentor, it can be difficult to understand the value of hiring one. Luckily, the industry we’re in gives us the perfect analogy with which to work. Replace “mentor” with “CrossFit coach”, and “business owner” with “athlete”, and now things make sense.
We’re in the business of coaching athletes in functional fitness. The tools we use―burpees and box jumps, snatches and squats―they’re not secrets. But athletes come into our gyms to get coached on how to get the most out of their time doing these exercises. In one hour, they get the most efficient combination of metabolic conditioning, strength work, mobility, mental skills, so on and so on―this the core value we provide to our clients.
Moreover, a CrossFit coach explains how to perform an exercise safely, helping the athlete avoid mistakes which cause injuries or prevent performance gains due to poor form.
Some athletes would be able to figure these things out for themselves over the course of several months, maybe years. However, they see the value in putting themselves in the hands of someone who already has made the mistakes and will put them straight on the path to success.
In the same way, our Two-Brain Business approach is systematic, just like CrossFit programming, but is personalized to your business and your strengths and weakness. What do you need to scale (hire the right person who has this strength)? Where should you push harder (devote your creative energy)? Are you addressing all of the areas you need to promote revenue growth? Mentors will show you how to get the most out of your business in the least amount of time, how to effectively apply your skills, and get you doing the right work to see gains in your business.
WHEN DO YOU NEED A MENTOR?
Going back to the athlete analogy, clients come in at various points of their lives. However, there are two themes we see most often: when an athlete is just starting out on their path to fitness and health, or they’ve plateaued in their progress.
The first category of people are the smart ones. They have the self-awareness to identify right off the bat they don’t know enough and are willing to get the help. They don’t necessarily know what they don’t know but know they don’t know it. When they commit to the plan, attend classes regularly, make small changes to their diet and lifestyle as they go, they see amazing transformations.
The same thing applies to business mentorship. For some gym owners, the right time to seek out mentorship is right at the beginning. You know you want to be successful, you know you don’t know how to go about it, and you’re willing to put yourself in the hands of a mentor sincerely interested in the growth of your business. The business transformations are just as incredible as those we see in regularly see in our new athletes.
The second type of new clients in a gym are those who have plateaued. Injury problems, boredom, and lack of measurable change are all examples athletes cite for wanting to try CrossFit. You see the athletes who have been doing three sets of 15 reps on the lat pull-down machine at the same weight for the last five years, run for 45 minutes at a steady pace on the treadmill three times a week, and eat a scone with their Starbucks latte every morning. They’re come to CrossFit to get a plan for the shake-up they need.
By the same token, gym owners often get caught in a cycle of doing things the same way that pays the bills and puts out all the fires. If you’re still restocking the bathroom supplies every Monday morning, teaching 15 classes a week while your employees look on, and writing the monthly email campaigns to the membership, you’re in the rut that prevents your business from growing. A mentor challenges your assumptions of how you apply yourself to running the gym.
THE RETURNS
We see it every day. Our athletes are stronger, healthier, happier, more functional and more successful having made the investment with CrossFit coaches. The return on investment is a no-brainer, and the same applies with mentorship. Quantifiably, you will likely see a ten-fold return on the money you invest with a Two-Brain mentor. Moreover, you will be more effective, happier, and achieve your goals. Ready to get started?
Here’s the Incubator.
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