How Hiring Staff Saved Heroes Fitness
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
That's what people would tell me over and over when I started Heroes Fitness, and a common phrase people in small businesses use. For a time, I thought it was true, as well. The first place I rented for Heroes Fitness was rough around the edges, and that's putting it lightly.
It was an old industrial building near Lake St. Charles, right on 301. When I'd unlock the gym in the morning, I'd hear the pitter patter of rats running through the rafters. Personally, I was just glad I couldn't see them - out of sight, out of mind, right?
I'd flip on the light switch, and all of the lights would come on after a short delay. The walls were a basic, but clean, white, and the ceiling was bare, with no insulation. If I had a client after 11am, it would feel like sitting in a black car in the sun. I would work with my clients for about 5 hours in the morning, take a break, and come back for 4-5 hours in the evening.
I worked some side hustles to keep the gym alive, but my dream was simple: hire other trainers so I can work a normal schedule.
I tried, over and over, to bring on staff, but the issue remained: they didn't have clients, and without clients, their income would dry up, so they would leave. Turns out good coaches aren't the best marketers. I just didn't know how to bridge that cap, and I couldn't understand how to scale. Then, came the wake up call.
I took a weekend off to visit my brother in the beautiful city of Chicago, during the coldest, windiest day of the year, no less. Yes, this Florida boy was shivering, but it was nice to experience a different season. We stopped in this hole-in-the-wall pizza joint everyone was talking about for dinner.
It was small, crowded, a little dirty, but the wonderful smell of the pizza made you unbothered by anything else. I found it funny how there was only one staff member. He'd take the order on a pen and paper, turn behind him to his cooking station, place the paper on a wire and start working on it. At the time (~2016 or so), he only took cash... I wonder if that's still the case?
I asked him where his help is, and he chuckled. He told me help only slows him down. He said he had owned the pizza joint for 30 years, and anytime he had hired help, it was a pain and they messed everything up. I never figured out his exact age, but I'd guess he was around 70 years old. His posture was poor from leaning down to work on the pizza's so much, his voice was hoarse for calling out orders, and his energy was incredibly high, but not in a way that felt natural, it was like his body was in survival mode. If I didn't make changes, this is my future.
In 2022, I hired a trainer, Charlene (name changed). Charlene took my evening clients, and she was great with them. However, the few tasks I ask for weren't being done. When I approached her, her tone was cold, dismissive, and I ultimately had to let her go.
But I didn't blame her, I blamed my systems, my interviewing, and my leadership. This was the real breakthrough.
I spent two years reading books, listening to podcasts, and talking to mentors about these exact things. Then I hired Zach and Jennifer.
I knew, within a week of hiring each, that I did the right thing. I passed all of my clients to them, and the clients, who all told me they'd be devastated if I stepped down, reported to me that they loved them. Along with that, they brought fresh ideas that fundamentally changed Heroes Fitness, such as using white boards to display workouts, starting our Run Club, and more.
For the first time, the business wasn't chained to my personal capacity. Hiring didn't give me time back, it gave Heroes Fitness a future. I'm no longer on track to become the old man hunched over the pizza counter. We're building a team, a community, and a business that grows without my hairs prematurely turning grey.
Connor Blackmon
Founder of Heroes Fitness
1528 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico FL