Finding, developing and paying trainers is a hot topic among CF affiliate owners and one of the most frequent questions I get via email. There are multiple ways that different affiliates structure their businesses and pay their trainers. I make no claims as to “right” or “wrong” ways and I don’t believe there is one singular right way to tackle it. I am however of the opinion that the more information you have about different structures the better you are able to structure something that resonates with you and fits your goals for your business.
I am going to tackle some aspects of these topics and will share our process of navigating this situation in a series of blog posts. I am putting the final touches on a pdf detailing how we structure and pay our trainers that will be published and available for sale via the Performance Menu by the end of this month.
As a grassroots fitness movement with very little barrier to entry when it comes to affiliation, many folks leap into the realm of CrossFit affiliate owner without much planning with regards to business development, structure and growth. Most affiliates are opened by folks with a passion for the methodology and the community aspect of CF who want to help others see the results that they themselves have seen with CrossFit training. This was our story. And while passion is essential to the success of any venture, business systems are equally so. Without them the foundation on which your business operates may not be secure enough to withstand the growth you will see. Additionally, a lack of adequate structure and systems can hinder your growth, limit your overall success, and will certainly sour your enjoyment of the process.
In the beginning, especially if one is leaving a corporate desk job to train the masses, it can be fun, rewarding, and a totally kick-ass situation. Little thought is given towards bringing on additional trainers. As the affiliate owner, you (and/or your husband or wife) are typically doing all of the training yourself. This works beautifully for a while. The passion for the methodology fuels you and sustains you through the long hours in the gym and longer hours on the backend. All is well. For a while.
At some point you are going to want to take a 2 week vacation, travel to other certs and seminars for continuing education, travel to the CrossFit Games, or maybe just sleep in past 5am occasionally 
To say nothing of the time needed on the backend of a business to ensure its growth and sustainability. As a sole proprietor/sole trainer of an affiliate your hours are spread amongst all of these needs of the business. Oh, what’s that…family life, relationships? LOL!
The passion is essential, and you must protect it! The only way to ensure that your passion will grow and flourish is if you structure your business in a way that you don’t burn out. For longevity in the industry it is essential to develop a team of trainers as well as systems and structure for your business.
To be continued…
Thank you for taking on this subject. From reading the E-myth one of my goals when opening my affiliate has been to go on our family vacation next August. So I’m looking now, a month and a half after opening to decide how to do this, structure the business so that it can be without me for a week.
Margaret – Kudos for you for already thinking along these lines! It took us almost 3 years before we opened our eyes to the more than full time job we had created for ourselves. You’ve got your plan for your family vacation…and you’ll make it happen!
So timely. Excited to see the PM article, really need this. Thanks!
Great topic, Nicki! Totally looking forward to reading what you have to say here and in the PM about this aspect of business development…it’s the one thing I wish I had a better handle on myself.
This is excellent! I can’t wait for the next installment.
I know alot of well-meaning people who advised me to have systems in place before I ever got my first client, and I tried to. I had read the books and done my homework before we opened our doors but umless you have already done this, I believe it is impossible (well…unlikely) to have systems in place from day 1.
I am 20 months in to this and now I finally have a client base and schedule that is rythmic and predictable. Seeing the need for better systems makes sense now. Any system that I created before hand seemed to change with each new client. Of course I didn’t have the benefit of the CrossFit community when I started this whole thing so I had nobody else to learn from.
The timing couldn’t be better for me. Our Affiliation should be complete within the next 30 days and I have one client that is getting L1 and CFkids certs in the next month!
If the info you have for us on this is HALF as good as the On-Ramp you will be a lifesaver! We have graduated 2 groups from the On-Ramp curriculum you provided and it has been a wonderfully seamless trasition for them!
Thank you thank you thank you!
Cody, You’re most welcome!
Good stuff, Nicki! Thank you for taking the time to keep this blog rolling. I love the knowledge and inspiration it provides.
Thanks Trish! I know I’ve been a bit sporadic with my posting frequency…glad to know folks are still hanging on
This is awesome! We’ve been planning on adding staff and trying to figure out our approach since opening. There are so many different approaches and to find the right one for your business is a challenge. We have a goal of adding staff and taking some time to invest in additional certs and more QT time with the family!
Thanks and looking forward to the PM article.
Hi Nicki,
A big shout out to you from Tel Aviv, Israel.
While I am doing my best to grow the “business” organically and naturally, your blog has really helped me focus on the organizational, logistical and back-office side of things, and given me insight into the parts of the business of which I may not have been aware (you don’t know what you don’t know, right?).
So…thanks, and keep on bloggin’!
Ian
Thanks Ian!