FROM OUR BACKYARD TO SOLD OUT, THE FMU STORY NOT MANY KNOW

I left my 9:30am workout today after working out with a bunch of awesome ladies. On the way home I reflected; what a life. Not just because I worked out with fifteen women, but because I’m leaving our gym, to go home with the family for lunch, to come back this afternoon and hang with 15 awesome little kids, then 10 of my big kids, then another group of fantastic adults, then one of my favorite private training clients ever, to cap off the night.

Business has been booming lately.  My kid’s camps have been sold out all school year.  Three out of four of our summer camps are already sold out.  Now some of our adult classes are selling out too.

It’s hard to believe that only a little over four years ago we started in our backyard.

Three kids.

An empty field.

Some speed cones.

The country was in a recession.  The unemployment rate was skyrocketing. People were begging for jobs.

We leapt.

We went two months without a dime coming in.

We emptied our savings account.

I worked at a car wash.

Food stamps saved us for two months.

Other than that, we never borrowed a DIME. Never took out a loan. Never charged a credit card.  

I’m not writing this article to glorify our story. I’m writing it to encourage you to start writing yours.  If we can do it, anyone can.

Here are some things we've learned along the way that may help:

1. STOP DREAMING AND TAKE ACTION ALREADY.

Dream big. Draw up ideas. Map out your vision. But eventually you need to start taking steps.  You can't sit back and wait for your dreams to come true----you need to make them come true.  One of my favorite sayings is "WHEN CALLED, FOLLOW."  Amber and I felt the nudge and we kept seeing the signs. It came down to wanting to write a story to Gio.  If we're going to tell him to take risks and follow his passion, then we need to live that out by example as well. We ate dinner with our friends one evening and told them about our idea. Amber looked at me and said, "No more waiting Theo. You can leave your job now. Let's do it."  Well, obviously you know who wears the pants in this relationship.  

2. WHEN SOMETHING IS THAT IMPORTANT, YOU CAN'T GIVE UP.
Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows (Rocky Balboa).  Of course it's going to be hard. You will hit road blocks. No one said it would be easy.  But when life gives you lemons, you need to eat them and keep plowing forward. I remember sitting on my porch step on a warm fall day in October. Are you kidding me?  A Master’s Degree. An assistant director of an organization. An ex-division I college wrestler.  Now I'm broke as a joke and not sure where the next penny is coming from.  I've got a 6-month old relying on me. My wife must think I'm a loser. All those haters will be right.  What the hell did I do?

And then, at that moment, still and calm with no one around, one of the most convicting messages came: "This is where true faith lies. You can't see.  You don't know. You have doubt. And even though you can go do something else and get your family back to a comfortable level again, you can't take the easy way out. You need to do this. If you trust, you will."

No matter how difficult something is, if it means that much to you and others and most importantly, you believe you're supposed to do it, YOU CAN'T GIVE UP.

3. IT'S NOT ABOUT GETTING WHAT YOU WANT, IT'S ABOUT PROVIDING OTHERS WITH WHAT THEY NEED.

I'm done with the messages of working hard so you can play harder. It's not about building a business so you can earn more for yourself.  I can't stand these pyramid scheme businesses that always play with your emotions by promising you the reality of a BMW, a trip to the Bahamas, more monthly income so you can enjoy everything you want in life.  I call BS. If that's why you're building a business, then you're in it for the wrong reasons.  Even if you end up making lots of money, you're missing out on way more important riches.

I've heard from many people lately that they love FMU because it's their place to escape, reprieve, and release.  Someone recently said it's a positive place that gives them an entirely different outlook on life.  My kids---I see and hear what they're surrounded by, they need this outlet.  And their smiles and energy levels while their with us say everything.  

FMU is not just about fitness and training; it's about belonging to a community of people that will help, encourage, and inspire each other to become better people inside and out.  Of course Amber and I need to make a living, but we're more concerned with providing a fresh, supportive, and positive environment that people need, which will more importantly, make some memories. 

SOLD OUT programs doesn't necessarily mean much other than our programs are sold out. Don't think I'm painting the picture here that we're some highly successful business owners making a lot of money.  (Last year's AGI was $55,000.  I'm guessing it will be a little more this year, although adding the new $3,000 overhead doesn't help too much.)

I'm also not saying that we do anything special.  Maybe SOLD OUT doesn't necessarily mean that people like us any more---it could just mean that more people don't want to work out on their own, and are finding us now.  Maybe they think we know what we're doing or something.  Maybe all my kids just love to play dodgeball after their workout.

Whatever the case....

I will NEVER FORGET WHERE WE CAME FROM.

I will NEVER FORGET WHO BROUGHT US HERE.

I will NEVER THINK IT'S ABOUT ME.

I will ALWAYS REMEMBER IT'S ABOUT THEM.

And at night, I rest in peace knowing that I do what I love and I love what I do.  I'm paving a path for my children to follow.  I'm honoring God by listening to His call.  And even if I create some impact in at least one person out there....then it's all worth it.

That right there, is something that no dollar amount could ever provide.

What a life.

It's time to keep leaping.

Life is not about me,

Coach Theo