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Nicki Violetti, co-owner and co-founder of CrossFit NorCal/NorCal Strength & Conditioning and Front Desk HQ joins us to talk old CrossFit memories and smart gym business
Nicki Violetti – Episode 179
Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and 2X New York Times/Wall Street Journal Best-selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat. Along with Diana Rodgers, he co-authored the book, Sacred Cow, which explains why well-raised meat is good for us and good for the planet. Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top-ranked iTunes podcast, books, and seminars. He also co-founded the 1st and 4th CrossFit affiliate gyms in the world, The Healthy Rebellion community platform, and is the co-founder of DrinkLMNT Electrolytes.
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Awesome podcast! I can’t believe it took you so long to get Nicki on! 🙂
question for Nicki, Robb, Greg, or other gym owners: I have a day job and coach at a well known CF gym now. Although I have no immediate plans to open up my own place, the thought has occurred to me. Do you think it’s worth the $3000 affiliate fee to use “CrossFit” in the business name? Without sounding too egotistical, I believe that I “get it” in terms of smart training, nutrition, programming, etc., but to get people in the door, I believe the CF name is powerful. So in my mind, I can either go with “____ S&C” without paying a ton of money for the affiliate fee, but get fewer people in the door; or I can pay the fee, go with “_____ CrossFit,” and get more people in quicker with smart training. Thoughts?
Depending on your location, the traffic you’ll get from the CF name may be well worth the $3k. But I would say only affiliate if you really do want to be a part of CF – don’t do it just for the bodies. Co-brand like Nicki has recommended for years as a basic business precaution, but if you want to be a CF gym, embrace it and do it well.
Robb, Greg, & Nicki,
Love the podcast! This episode is very relavent for the current state of my gym (6 months in, now growing from baby to toddler gym). In regards to personal training, how exactly would you go about selling and delivering sessions. For example, do you sell a 10-punch card and schedule the next session as you go? Do you pin a client into a set block that remains the same every week? I’m trying to figure out the best way to incorporate more PT without getting overwhelmed. Being the only trainer at the gym, my training windows are not huge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
All good info and glad we heard it from you in 2008 before we opened. While it’s very new in NZ and we’ve made some adjustments to suit the culture here, we have embraced your methods and have turned our gym into a successful business. Thank you for all the great advice.