Nick Hawkes didn’t plan on being an affiliate owner. When he was visiting a friend in Jacksonville, Fla., he saw that the gym where he went to catch a workout was for sale. A month later, after scrounging up some cash, he bought the place.
“It was a really big gamble on my part,” Hawkes says.
Today, he owns Field House Gym, also known as CrossFit West Jax.
With two years under his belt, Hawkes has seen his membership and community grow. He’s learned a lot in that time and has advice to impart on other affiliate owners.
“Everyone is on the same journey. It doesn’t matter where you are. Everyone needs a little bit of criticism, and that’s why they’re here,” he says. “I think the biggest disservice you can do to your client is not shootin’ ’em straight.”
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Additional reading: The Deeper Side of Coaching by Ben Bergeron, published Dec. 2, 2011.