Full Time Staff Over Hobby Coaches

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{Below is the copy from Friday nights announcement}

So, if you haven’t heard we have an announcement this week. Let me start with some background first. A lot of you have been asking about coaching recently. Which is awesome. I love when people want to take the next step. I may have told you we can’t take on any coaches right now and there is a reason.

In my eyes a gym like ours can go two ways as things starts to grow. We can go the route of hiring 10-15 part time coaches to cover the load of classes and give me a life (which is what 90% if CrossFit affiliates do) or a gym can go the route of hiring a full time staff. Someone who is dedicated to the community and has a passion for not only fitness but for our brand and what the represents. (Hardwork, Kindness, Humility, Empathy)

It is my belief and always has been my belief that it is impossible to foster a tight community when you have a different coach for every class.

Is there a lot less pressure on me if I bring on a part time coaches? Heck yeah. But Sometimes (usually) pressure is good. Part-time coaches… if we dip in members we could just cut back some hours. With a staff to support we are forced to figure it out and grow. So yeah… a lot more pressure but a lot more accountability. Ultimately it comes down to doing the right thing for this group of amazing people. I know if I take care of that then things will work out.

I am constantly pursuing excellence and I know we have a lot of work to do in order to get to the next level.  When I look at great gyms they all have some full time staff. Usually an operator, a manager and several part time coaches. CrossFit New England. A 400+ member gym has 7 coaches. There are much smaller gyms in this area with 10+ coaches and half of the class offerings. How can you build relationships that way? How can you know someone’s weaknesses or that they just started doing some workouts RX? I don’t think you can on a consistent enough basis.

So, I think you know where this is going… We have decided to bring on a full time operations manager starting in June. This was such a distant goal just a year ago. But with hard work things tend to go your way. Maybe not on the micro level but on a macro level, big picture they do. What you want can happen for you but you gotta put work in. It would have been wild to think this a possible a year ago. I thank all of you for your loyalty and commitment that helps us continue to grow.

And this is where I may get emotional because when I tap into this I feel something real.

This person is one of a kind and I really don’t think folks know just how special of a coach this person has grown into. How much thought and care she puts into her craft. This is also a big risk for her. And for her to take this risk with me I am truly thankful.

So I’ll stop chatting and please give it up for your future Operations Manager. Sam!