Start a Weightlifting Club, it will be fun they said…..
Insert: Weeks of sleepless nights, stress levels on high, one panic attack and not eating enough chocolate to help support me through!
BUT – it is so worth it!
I kept asking Josh if l could get a weightlifting platform in the gym. We simply just didn’t have enough space. Then one day l asked, and Josh responded with – ‘How about we extend the shed?’
Oh that’s a wonderful idea.
This wonderful idea started in October.
We first contacted the Landscaper who did our previous work for the shed. We can in a heartbeat, it was so lovely to see him again, we shared our fond memories of our time shared together. He said he would have a quote to us by the end of the week… Safe to say, we never heard from him again!
Well, that was a lesson learnt!
The next Landscaper l contacted must of thought l was a psychopath! After being treated so poorly by the last guy, l had a list of questions ready! The first one being what time will you be here? Then l repeated the time back to him, ‘so you will be here at 2?’ I take my hat off to him, it was pouring with rain, and he was in our driveway at 2.01pm! Most impressed.
He looked at the job, and again l had my list of questions ready! My first question was, ‘do you want the job?’ – He looked at me a little odd, and answered ‘Yes!’ Joy to my ears! And so it began.
The job was meant to start at the start of December but it got pushed back to the start of Jan. I have watched enough reno shows to know to add an extra 20% to everything that people say. I could hear Kevin McCloud, from Grand Designs standing next to me saying ‘so you think it will only take a day and you will be well under budget?’ Then going off with the camera saying what he really thinks ‘these people are mad, do they real think that they can achieve that!!!!!’ Well he has a point!
The ground work got done, then the shed arrived, the shed went up to plan, and the builder may of lost of few pencils along the way, but it still went up! This was all happening while our doors were still open and running CHPT, along with kids home on school holidays too!
The walls went up, the flooring went in and the space was beautiful….
Then the rain came…. And more rain, and some more - well you get my point there was lots of rain!
So, I was having a lovely time trying to scare Josh in the house, it’s one of my favourite past times, but not so much this time... we had a knock on the door. Our clients are super amazing, they never come into the house or the front door unless there is something super important they need to share with us.. this day there was!
‘Hey Guys, mmmm did you know your carpet is wet?’
“WHAT?” Out l ran, and sad to say that he was right! The middle of our red carpet that goes down the centre of the gym was wet, not only was the carpet wet, the water also went under all the mats too!
We still had clients coming in for sessions, group still coming in for training, and of course Josh was meant to go out for a meeting. I turned to the big fella and said ‘don’t think you are going to make your meeting now!’ He nodded!
Off we went to work, mopping, pulling mats up, putting towels everywhere, fans, heaters going the works! Safe to say, that by morning time, it was all dry. We were back in action!
I got asked a few times, if l was alright, seeing the gym pulled apart, our new weightlifting space pulled apart as well. I was alright, yeah we lost some sleep, well mainly Josh as l woke him up at midnight to go and check the gym to make sure it wasn’t on fire! But we got to go to bed in our dry bed, which was on our dry floor. In the moment, everything was fine, it wasn’t until everything had settled down that l crashed.
I finished work for the week on the Friday, and just fell into a heap. I didn’t want to train, l didn’t want to eat, l just wanted to sleep. Being so worked up with the stress of everything, l thought that l would crash and have a solid sleep, nope. I was still too wound up.
Being an owner of a gym is so different to training in one. First you know how much you have spent on the equipment, you no longer drop barbells, or dumbbells. Second, you are the one who cleans the gym. Now you use the chalk buckets provided. You take more care as to where you put your drink bottle, because spilling it on the carpet is going to cause more drama than it is worth. You always take care in placing the equipment away, you don’t want to leave marks, or have the gym be a mess. Most importantly you want your gym to stay clean as you are constantly having people coming and going, and you value their opinion. I have trained in some horrible gyms, that were dirty, and it’s not nice!
When l saw the water in the gym, l was super grateful all the equipment was safe. Even though l know there are a few who would wish for the Assault bikes to be gone, they were safe too.
This the business that l have chosen to start, it is the business that l want to continue to be successful in. It is my choice – then why does the stress come… because l want the business not just to do good, but do great!
The stress comes from placing my heart and soul into it – l guess if l wasn’t getting stressed and having sleepless nights, then l wouldn’t really be wanting the business to be successful. I would be coasting through, and that’s not how l want to live my life or how l want to do my job.
The level that l want to work at, will bring stress and uncertainly its learning how to manage what it brings!
For now, time for some, Smiley Mind – or watching some weightlifting clips!