Since it’s introduction in November of 2008, it seems that the book Outliers is best remembered for a theory Malcolm Gladwell has deemed “The 10,000-Hour Rule”. In essence, he claims that the key to success in just about any field is, to a great extent, the practicing of a specific task for a minimum of 10,000 hours. With this number in mind, I can say with confidence that I have accomplished expert status in the art of running a fitness facility. In fact, if we were to assume that I’d simply committed 40-hours per week to the job for the duration of our 7+ years of operation, I’d be able to lay claim to more than 15,000 hours “behind the desk” at Cressey Sports Performance.
The reality is that no new business in the fitness industry gets off the ground and running with a meager commitment of 40-hours per week. If my memory serves me right, Eric, Tony and I were regularly logging 12+ hour days 6-days per week for at least the first 18 months we were in business. Believe it or not, those were among the most memorable and enjoyable days of my life. With this workload in mind, it may be safe to say that each of us is currently hovering in the vicinity of 20,000 hours contributed to the growth and development of CSP.
So, here we are on the cusp of our 8th anniversary of starting a strength & conditioning facility, and I’m just now finding the time, energy and confidence to begin putting my thoughts on running a successful fitness business on paper. I officially hit my tipping point while sitting roughly 10,000 feet above sea level, coincidentally enough. At the time, I was seated on a Southwest Airlines flight from Kansas City to Boston as I wrapped up an exhausting and fulfilling weekend at the 2015 Fitness Summit.
Nick and David Bromberg, the hard-working Fitness Summit organizers and hosts, had been kind enough to take a risk on me and extend an offer to be a featured presenter at the event. Why not “get my feet wet” in the world of public speaking in front of a room of 150+ recognizable and accomplished fitness professionals? I had the opportunity to walk the audience through a presentation discussing the origins of our business’ success following Eric Cressey’s departure to open our second facility in Jupiter, FL. From what I could tell, feedback was extremely positive.
In the hours and days following my presentation, I was bombarded with business-related inquiries. More often than not, the conversation would end with me being asked what the web address was for my blog or website. Seeing as how I’d failed to pull the trigger on any sort of site to this point, the best I could say was, “I’ve written a handful of guest blogs for Eric’s site.”
How many times did I need to be asked before coming to the conclusion that I had some decent knowledge “upstairs” which I could really tap into and share with others in our field?
The answer to this question is: however many times I was asked in the previous 48-hours, plus the 15 additional times Jordan Syatt asked me why I wasn’t blogging as we sat side-by-side on Southwest Flight 475. You see, Jordan is a former CSP intern, and a strength coach I’ve known for the past 4-5 years, so it was completely acceptable for him to harass me until I finally caved in. By the time we wrapped our 2:55 minute flight, I had my first five posts loosely outlined in my mind. The wheels were in motion.
So, I’d like to welcome you to PeteDupuis.com. My intention is to dive into a variety of business-related concepts and lessons gleaned from my experience in running CSP since it’s inception on July 13th of 2007. One would think that I’ve picked up something of value as CSP strung together close to 8 consecutive years of double-digit growth and steady expansion.
I hope you enjoy my insights!