Don't Be A Victim [#InTheTrenches ft. JB Fitts]

#InTheTrenches catches up with JB Fitts, owner of CrossFit Crown City to discuss leadership, principles, values, planning, staff development, and a "before, during, and after" look at "readiness and resiliency" through this crisis.

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Transcript

spk_0:   0:04
Welcome to in the Trenches, a weekly podcast series dedicated to entrepreneurial leadership, the principles and values that define and develop it, as well as actionable steps that you can take to immediately lead your team to victory. Good afternoon. This is Eric LeClair. Push press, and I am impressed and happy to have JB fits from CrossFit Crown City in Pasadena, California a neighbor of ours joining us for the third installment of In the trenches, the portrait of leadership in a time of crisis. And, uh, what part of selection criteria, at least for me and the staff that pushed press and looking at the different gym owners that we talked. Teoh is in the character of the owner and really the the community and culture that they develop and build. And I have been watching from afar who you were before Crown City, who you became in the old Crown City. And once you've done with the new Crown City. So for those that don't know you, let's let's dig a little bit on your on your past.

spk_1:   1:16
No, for sure. Thanks for having me, Eric. Actually invite. Obviously flattered to be here. Flattered to accept? Um so very cool. And thank you. Um, my background. Probably a lot of your guest you're gonna have own Jim's a lot longer than me. I'm a four year affiliate owner. So it's ah, not a long time. What? What? You How long were you in for you? Like,

spk_0:   1:36
0 14 for 10 years.

spk_1:   1:39
13 years. So you're sitting here with a guy on one for four years. You've

spk_0:   1:44
been impressed upon a lot of folks than

spk_1:   1:45
four years of my background is in fine art. I got got a undergraduate graduate degrees as a fine artist. That was how I made my living. Um, really strange background to come from that into CrossFit. But I was a member of a gym. I began coaching at the gym. Um, eventually, that owner wanted out. The gym was faltering, and I took that. I took that Jim over. No experience owning a business, no experience, basically even pay my own bills. I, uh I married. I married a really smart woman. That kind of always kept me in line, but I lived day today, week to week, months and months. Um, so no, no, I have no business. Only in the gym? No whatsoever. But no one talked me out of it so

spk_0:   2:34
hot. Like someone immediately. Did you recognize? You're like, I need help or I need a mentor or I need How did you do it?

spk_1:   2:43
I think I've always been really good at recognizing what I don't know. Okay. You know, maybe I could do a better job of giving myself credit for things. I do know what times, but I understand what I don't know and understand what I need. Help. I reached out for mentorship instantaneously started, brought in a coach to work with me. One on one. And I've had a coach I've always out, Coach. I have coaches today. Multiple coaches that I work with now. I mean, I just signed up for continuing education of Harvard business Online classes like I, uh I've reached out when I need to reach out

spk_0:   3:18
and feel free. Today, you're more than welcome to plug any service that you have found value in. If you feel comfortable, you're more than welcome to um So what have you What was Crown City and then what have you grown into today?

spk_1:   3:32
Let's take over Crown City. I mean, it was. It was It was a great Jim. It was just, uh it was going one of two directions that time. It was probably either just going Teoh Well, was going one direction. It was close. Probably thought about, uh, maybe on death's doorstep at the time. So I purchased the gym in 2016. This month, Uh, it's been four years now. We've grown by, revenues probably doubled. Membership has doubled. We actually did. We had a huge space you until it's basically a 9000 square foot space. We reduced the size into a space that's every bit is expensive. It has a lot more character and a lot more field to a lot more atmosphere. So 5000 square foot space

spk_0:   4:21
and a lot more natural night.

spk_1:   4:23
Yeah, I think sometimes gym owners want to have a space. That's really Davis. Something impressive about saying on the gym owner with the biggest Jim right. But we have a really nice looking

spk_0:   4:32
jin now. It's beautiful. It is as beautiful. All right. Do you study or read or spend time learning about leadership? Never been topic of discussion or a passion of

spk_1:   4:46
yours. It wasn't previously I remember actually went Teoh. 321 go Summit. We played well, then, Matt Scam and much of the great owners. My mentor, Jamie Gallagher, was there. A really great guy taught me a lot. He asked everyone, You'll raise your hand if you're a leader. And this was my mentor. I did not raise my hands. Rule isn't. But I just felt like you. I didn't feel comfortable. I don't feel confident saying that I was a leader at the time. Like I didn't earn the right to be a leader. Like sure I'm a leader. I only gym

spk_0:   5:20
right. You bought into it, right?

spk_1:   5:21
Yeah. But like cutting a check to buy the gym doesn't make you a leader does. It's right, right? Earned that. I earned it. And he kind of got on me about that. And at that time, that was to enough years ago. I wasn't leaders like today I've earned I come to say I can leave my community. I could leave my staff, but yeah, I've done the reading. I've worked on other mentors like I don't understand how how I effectively lead. You know, sometimes people leave by telling you want to do. But I understand. Like what my leadership style is. So, yes, I have invested a lot in leadership learning to be a leader. Like I said, I just signed up for Harvard Business Class Online, another leadership program, but kind of looking outside across fits and right, and then maybe a pure groups that are in different businesses and learn from them as well. So outstanding. Best time and money. Right

spk_0:   6:12
on. And so have you been able to take those concepts and then in turn, develop your staff because of it?

spk_1:   6:20
Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think there's a lot of it You probably dismiss. I'm sure you seen as you read books. You're like, That's just not me. Like, I'm not gonna be The guy that leaves in this kind of way doesn't know who I am. Like your former male heir. You're gonna have your own style. I'm a former artist. Like I'm gonna have my own my own leadership style. But yes, I have some of the things that we do really effectively now is that we have team buying on everything. Our organizational chart now is no longer meet here, and here, here, here, Here are leadership. Our organization is circular like we all have to agree to this. We all have to buy in, like my vote might carry more weight, but my team's not gonna do it unless we are all part of making that decision. So, like us, like maybe a evaluation like we're gonna buy. What are coaches? Well, the coaches need to dictate what they're being evaluated on, or else it doesn't make sense to them. So they create their own evaluations and that he loves them on that. That you said the criteria. And that way you're held accountable to that criteria

spk_0:   7:25
that you that they are they've created. And you're helping assess Monnet. Exactly. Awesome. Outstanding. Do you have a guiding principle or a set of maybe guiding values that they were maybe your personal values that you infused into the company? Or do you have, like, a charter that you're operating off of? Four Crown City?

spk_1:   7:47
You know what we tried that we tried to have, like, the seven Pillars core values. But we don't know. We just operate with delivery in a very high customer experience. Every day, all decisions have to be run through that filter like dismissing hits the customer experience, Or does it not

spk_0:   8:05
right citizen to track from it or doesn't? Yeah, I dig it.

spk_1:   8:09
I like we wanted to have that. We have the things prints on the gym. You came. You saw the core values. But it just,

spk_0:   8:17
well, cheesy way are it Will It works, right? It works for you. Works through staff, Clearly work for the community, right?

spk_1:   8:27
It does. It does work. So

spk_0:   8:30
why we start? Or at least why? I like to try to get kind of background on these owners and coaches that are, you know, leading and creating teams is that I believe if we put the work in before this crisis came in now and I would believe if you're more apt to handle this. So talk me through. Like we as in California, we got a chance to see other states go through it a little earlier than us. Did you guys choose to shut down or did you wait until L. A county said shut down?

spk_1:   9:00
We waited. We waited till we should sit down on that Monday at noon when the ordinance came through to shut down.

spk_0:   9:06
Okay, So what were you doing or what were you delegating to your staff to do the week before? Like in anticipation of

spk_1:   9:11
this? We had our well, we would be gun designing the tracks already for the for the home workout programming. I wouldn't say that we were prepared for the closure. I would like to tell you who we had on stinks in place, but we didn't. What did help us out, though, is that we are fairly organized, and we do have buy in from the staff. So once we decided, we were able to pick it really quickly. Good. That being said that we were really hesitant. We knew we had a window where we could be down for 45 days. Um, before we rolled out like online classes because I would rather roll out a well produced products.

spk_0:   9:54
Then just like crap thrown out.

spk_1:   9:56
Just be, like, quick and be like, Oh, yeah. Here's our garbage class way have bad lighting, and the resolution isn't good work, but like, yeah, we want to test it. We brought in studio lighting, but we brought in things, so the class looks good, but we were I wasn't gonna roll it out until that happened.

spk_0:   10:14
Awesome. Well, you do have art back around, so your production value needs to be there, right? We

spk_1:   10:20
did. Yeah, it was a It matters, man. It matters. Which

spk_0:   10:24
tells me not to this day. We've seen orange theories, variation We've seen, um uh, 40 fives variation, Barry's boot coming and those air like high quality production at home material. And, you know, and then what's the opposite of the spectrum? You've got a coach with a shaky camera trying to film on zoom. And that's the product, you know. So you have and really to your to your strength. In one of the reasons that you were selected, you seem to have a tremendous amount of variety offered online. Who came up with those?

spk_1:   11:02
Good question. The coaches dio I came up with the youth program. I just think I just felt like there was a lack of offerings out there for kids. And on your father. I'm a father. Your four month old. Not quite where my 11 year olds are. All right, But I have to 11 year olds. I'm homeschooling. And so my circle group of friends also has 11 year olds in it as well. Awesome. Your kids. They're not getting any exercise right now. So sure there's like there's an altruistic playing here where we're just trying to help parents out. But at the same time, Yeah, like we want to build on the back end of this. If we think our kids program through this time or possibly make contact with parents or more parents in our community. Andrew offering this kids program like Let's do it like I'm keeping staff on on payroll, like have people working 35 hours a week like I need to find jobs for them and coaching is what they want to do. So right, let's roll program. So we did that. I mean, the weight lifting program rolled out. I think it's a little odd to think that we're gonna be doing online weightlifting. I don't think many affiliates were thinking that, Um but you've done said you've gone to a level one seminar like you hold a PVC pipe for a whole weekend and you get come home on Monday night and you're crushed. Yep. Yeah, and we also know that. Guess what? If you can't snatch with a PVC pipe correctly. You can shouldn't be doing it. Don't pick up a barbell yet. So we have people working at home, um, PVC pipe doing weightlifting and really kind of understanding. Like, Oh, this is what the third pole is like Were maintained contact with the bar.

spk_0:   12:43
They're using this as an educational time, not just the training peace.

spk_1:   12:47
It's not like, Let's just work out. It's okay. This is a chance for us to slow down and deep dive into these movements. Like we can't do this in class because you guys come in to break a sweat, and that's all you want to move on? Yep. But now we got your attention. So, uh, the weightlifting coach, Javier l like, blew my mind. Okay, I didn't come up with the program. Uh, and I tuned in just to see what was gonna happen. There's a 13 page power point presentation. There's videos, Greg average demonstrating things, and it's like, you know, course he kept him moving and engaged, but like he killed it, I couldn't assaults times. I could have been more proud of my coaches that you just

spk_0:   13:28
outstanding talk about providing the canvas for him to create on. I mean, that's Ah, it's a massive empowerment situation that you've created and fostered. Really,

spk_1:   13:41
it's is what we hope for all the time. Like, Can you be what they call that? Like an entrepreneur? Can you create this own thing within the structure of our business? Like sure, you know, you do have autonomy within the gym to do your own things and create your own programs, and he's doing it. He's growing his own following, growing the way with the program right now, while the gym doors are closed. That's rad rad part of there's also, I think people are gonna lose engagement to right. They're gonna lose engagement with these classes. So what are you gonna do to keep history like you better start rolling out new offerings all the time?

spk_0:   14:13
A. Great I couldn't agree with you. More like we We don't offer opportunity through Push press. There's not a formal mentor ship pipeline, but there's definitely a dialogue with affiliate owners every day on systems and processes and differentiators and whatever, and it's mind blowing to me the amount of coaches that feel that delivering the zoom content that's it. Right. So you made a post. I think it was a week ago. You had Mike and cleaning the ceilings and you were talking about overhauling the gym and that got me thinking like, this isn't a vacation for the gym owners. No, this isn't a vacate. Like, if you are not still working, you're missing out. So to that point, then, um, I'm assuming maybe your clients will also get a chance to watch this. But what are you doing in the gym? In the absence of your culture coming in every day, the things you're working on, you're taking this time to improve something.

spk_1:   15:10
I mean, well, the just getting a full overhaul like the people are out of a perfect opportunity. Like deep clean, the entire chimp. Good. Uh, I think that's about it. Were just was just cleaning to make you look better. Touching up walls, patching this patching that just make you look great when it comes. But people come back in the doors.

spk_0:   15:29
Yeah, I love it. I totally dig it. That lends to our last really topic is the know that before, during and after effect of this. So we talked about you ramping up your staff for the before and during what you've been up to the differentiators and because you think about it. Now, every CrossFit or at least every micro gym, is offering at home zoom based video workouts. You're stacking the deck with all your different offerings. You're thinking forward when this, um, settles down. Are you gonna have a time frame that if let's say I'm a member and, um, I'm nervous to come back into your facility. Will you maintain some of your online community for, like, two weeks until I'm really comfortable? Or you just gonna think you don't shop at the day the doors can open?

spk_1:   16:15
That's interesting. I haven't thought about that man. I would have Teoh. I hadn't even considered that. That is silly to think about. Maybe you tell me what you want me to keep that going? I might need to

spk_0:   16:25
Yeah, you know, just just brainstorming thing that we've been talking to a bunch of owners with, um we know people are gonna be nervous. We know people are uncertain. Um, sure, they trust us. So they trust you. They trust the coaches. Um, maybe a week. I know I mean, maybe you keep it going for just a week after the all clear sign is given. Um, who knows?

spk_1:   16:48
Yeah, I didn't consider that. I guess what we could possibly do is we could potentially live stream the actual class going, actually. Yeah, and project that. So there's a little bit and we could probably figure out a way to narrate that. Have some direct conversations with the same time. All were filming the coach, actually lead the class,

spk_0:   17:06
and they

spk_1:   17:06
were given a chance to see people in the gym and

spk_0:   17:09
convince again.

spk_1:   17:11
Yeah, that's a good idea. Well, there you go. Thank you for bringing that up.

spk_0:   17:17
Lastly, what I've asked all of the owners for is a message and simply we know that they're gym owners that are struggling. We know that they're operating from a space of fear or operating from a space of uncertainty. If you were to pass off a word of advice or if you were to be able to pass off, not even I'm not even asking for assurance. What would you leave them with in this time? What have you like? What would you feel confident saying to them?

spk_1:   17:44
I struggle with things like this, and I hate to end it on, maybe even a negative note. So you're all going to die, right? Well, no. But I do think that this is a time for self evaluation. Like, are you in this thing like are you? What I'm seeing is that Jim's, you know, one weekend, two weeks, and starting to break and go out of business already. It's like it is not amazing. I'm sorry you were You weren't built to survive month, a month that you were only built survive week to week. Wiley and I had people calling me harsh. And if the leaders form and it's like, look like this might be the time for self evaluation, maybe even re examine if this career is for you or not or or how you're operating a business, if you decide to come out that this is the thing you're gonna do, like it's time to probably take this thing really seriously. So your vote for stuff like this I know I did some senators which is cleaned by like he was really big on that and issues with his daughter who need to be able to break away. Take her any moment. His businesses were built to sustain that. What did I ever think that I was? I heard him say it, but I wasn't listening. But I was hearing it's

spk_0:   18:56
your like, No, not me. Not me.

spk_1:   18:57
Yeah, because I don't have any problems, or I'm never gonna experience that. But now I know, like that thing actually happened. It's, uh Yep. So people got a kind of got to cut a knuckle up, man, look at yourself in the mirror a little bit. I'm also hearing people blaming circumstance circumstances, like a lot of victim kind of stuff out there. It's you gotta You gotta look in the mirror right now and and think what you could have done better leading into this and what you're gonna do better moving forward, Green. I was standing. Yeah, a lot of great others out there. No one don't want to do the right thing. Like

spk_0:   19:31
agreed. Yeah, man, that's powerful. I'm glad. I'm really glad you sent that message. There's gonna be a lot of folks that will that will resonate with that and take this chance on their off time to really self reflect that huge. And I appreciate your time. I totally appreciate your insight. You know, it's it's very telling when affiliate owners, if you're I feel like you're you're not new, but your new, like four years is plenty of time. That's plenty of time and ride. So by all means, you've earned that title leader after coaches asked your clients. Ask the people that are there in love, not just with the brand. I guaranteed it. It's deeper than the brand, So, man, I appreciate your time.

spk_1:   20:13
Well, thank you, Eric. I appreciate you have a man, and, uh, I hope us you really in the life's here. Sure.