Two years ago today we officially opened The Endurance Factory on a comparatively small budget.
Most gyms spend at least 15x more than we spent (some spend over $1,000,000!) But the small budget was actually an advantage: instead of focusing on the chrome and mirrors that attract newbies to gyms, I was forced to buy ONLY what worked.
I knew I wouldn’t have a marketing budget. I would have to depend on my clients spreading the word about The Endurance Factory. And that meant I had to get RESULTS.
So when I made my shopping list, I bought barbells. I bought kettlebells, sandbags, and resistance bands. I bought two skierg machines, jump ropes, mats, and a squat rig. I got a few plyo boxes (without fancy padded covers!) and a couple of medicine balls.
On the day the equipment arrived, I thought, “This is all I need.”
And it was: for two full years in our 2,600 sq ft space, we got people VERY fit. No mirrors, no chrome. No heart rate monitors streaming data to tv screens and no rows of treadmills. We made a lot of noise and we sweat a lot.
These days, I buy more equipment when we need it. But what I buy is more of the SAME equipment: rowers, skiergs, bikes, barbells, pull-up bars, and boxes. You still won’t see pec decks or cable crossovers or leg extension machines. Instead, you’ll see squats and pushups and pull-ups and you’ll hear us talk about nutrition. Because that’s what actually works.
Fit people know that a big variety of equipment is a red herring. Most gyms sell “comfort and access”: padded machines, oiled stacks, and polished chrome with little to no instruction. People who NEED to lose weight, need to perform, or are desperate to fix their bad back should avoid that stuff. Instead, they need great Coaches, individual attention to keep them safe, and more work.
Almost everyone who comes to The Endurance Factory has been to other gyms. And almost to a person, they say, “I just didn’t get anywhere.” They looked for the cheapest option. Or they looked for the largest. Or the one with the most machines. But eventually, when they decided they needed results, they went looking for a Coach.
Coaches who need to produce results for their clients, use simple and effective equipment that works – barbells, boxes, and the human body to name a few. Squats and pushups and talks about nutrition. Forced to choose what works, professionals go back to the basics.
Many new clients who book an Intro tell me, “This looks like a lot of open space.” It’s true: but you need space when you’re going to move a lot. And if you want to get fit, you’re definitely going to need to move a lot. Fitness requires no chair, no padding, no seat belt.
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
No wasted space. No wasted time. No wasted effort.
In hindsight, I’d buy less. Some of the things I bought for The Endurance Factory in 2017 now sit in our storage trailer, available but unused. Instead, under the watchful eye of Coaches who really do care, our clients are doing burpees and swings and squats; climbing ropes and smiling. They’re far more fit than they were back then. Our coaching has improved tenfold. My equipment hasn’t changed at all.
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