Random Business Thoughts

• It's December as I write this, and here in Iowa we just got 6-inches of snow.  That's means I was out at 4:45am shoveling and salting the parking lot before morning sessions

• Every December and June - I write thank-you letters for all of our athletes.  That's 100+ thank-you's - 2 times every year.  This takes A LOT of time, but it's the small things that matter

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• Over the past 6-weeks - it's been sickness season.  Athletes, assistant coaches, interns have all been sick and had to miss days.  You want to own a business?  Guess what - you CAN'T get sick; you CAN'T miss days; you have to tough it out and be there. 

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• You wanna know one of the hardest things about owning a gym? MUSIC! You need clean versions. No one likes commercials. Half the group wants Rap and can't stand Country - the other half wants Country and can't stand Rap - You can't please everybody.

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• This year (2016) Christmas and New Years fell on Sundays, we have sessions on Monday - this meant the Holiday "break" consisted of just a weekend.  It also meant on Christmas night - I was at the gym getting set-up for the following morning.  It meant on New Years day - when most people were watching football - I had to be at the gym getting things set-up for the following morning.​

• This may be more related to coaching than owning a business - but the most disappointing thing is seeing someone waste talent and opportunity.  Seeing an athlete who refuses to do the things needed to reach their potential.  I go out of my way for athletes - individual sessions, individualized training program, specific nutritional write-ups, early mornings, late nights, Sunday sessions, film review/breakdown, soft-tissue work, etc - and it's so frustrating when an athlete can't show up on time for a session, or be mindful during a warm-up, or get to bed at a reasonable hour, or wake-up 5-minutes early and make themselves a quality breakfast.  It reminds of something I was told a few years back - "You can't want it for the athlete - at the end of the day, they must want it for themselves".  It's a hard reality of coaching/teaching/leadership roles. 

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• Even during the winter, but even more so during the summer, at the end of every day we have towels to wash. Sometimes 50-70 towels a day! Just an added job that no one really thinks about

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• As a S&C coach, we often get caught up in exercise selection, reps and sets, rest periods, loads, accommodating resistance, etc. But you want to know what matters more and would have a much bigger influence on an athlete than any of our training sessions...
  • Sleep - A consistent bed and wake time, a quality sleep environment, a bedtime routine, a wake time routine 
  • Sunlight - Getting outside, experiencing nature for 30-60 minutes a day
  • Hobby - Having something else they're passionate about
  • No TV in bedroom
  • Nutrition - Get BW in grams of protein, 6-8 servings of veggies/fruits a day, adequate water consumption

• Something that no undergraduate or graduate will teach you, but is extremely important to be a good coach 
  • Voice - How to command a group, often times over loud music
  • Standing on your feet for 8-12 hours. My interns complain about 6-hours of being on their feet - sorry you're not cut out for it
  • Movement - Some schools may actually teach you proper mechanics and technique of the compound movements; but what I know isn't taught is any kind of movement mechanics - linear acceleration and top-end speed, agility, jump/landing mechanics, basics of a dynamic warm-up, etc. Being able to demonstrate and understand these - to me - is a lot more important than knowing how to teach a squat or bench. 
  • Names - Remembering names is a skill - one that can and should be practiced
  • Engagement and Motivation - Half the battle of a coach is dealing with many different types of people with different personalities, different backgrounds, different learning styles, and different goals. Meeting the athlete with where they are at and trying to connect them with thier goal/purpose is no small task. Now try this with 10-40 athletes in a given session. My schooling didn't provide a single opportunity to work/coach with a single person during my studies - again this is something programs NEED to start providing or students need to get out and find these opportunities. 
  • Excel - Excel is such an awesome tool with so many capabilities and presentation of a sharp looking program is important - not going to learn that in school