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07: Why I Didn't Sell My Gym
In 2023, I came very close to selling my gym. I had it all set up: the potential buyer (I had two), the valuation, and even the story to share with others.
But at the last minute, I decided to keep my gym, because I can use it to help other gym owners.
Thoreau said there are no more philosophers, only teachers of philosophy.
Philosophers from Seneca all the way through Thoreau say the same thing - do not believe what others say. Test things for yourself. Received truths often turn out to be mere prejudices.
How does that play out in practice, since all of our gyms are different?
We collect data from 15,000 gyms
We look most closely at the 1000 gyms in tBB
We determine what’s working best
Then we practice using it in our own gyms to fill in the gaps. We connect data and turn it into useful knowledge through storytelling. And we can tell stories best from our own experience.
So our mentorship shouldn’t be “here’s what works in my gym” - it should be “here’s what works, and how I used it in my gym.”
Gandhi story about sugar
“A woman and her young son had come to the ashram to speak to Gandhi. She complained about her child’s addiction to sugar. “My son won’t stop eating sugar”, she told Gandhi. “Please tell him to stop.” Gandhi listened to her, and then asked her to come back in two weeks.
Two weeks later the woman and her child sat in front of Gandhi. He looked at the boy and said “stop eating sugar”. The mother was perplexed. “Why couldn’t you have told him this 2 weeks ago?” To which he replied, “Madam, two weeks ago I was still eating sugar”.
Gandhi knew—as we all know—that eating sugar is bad. He did not feel qualified to tell others to stop eating sugar until he’d done it himself. This is the mark of a great mentor, and it’s why I don’t sell my gym.
There are a few mentors who no longer own their gyms in TBB. They have had successful exits, and that experience is also valuable. But the vast majority of us should own gyms, because we love it - and because, like Seneca and Thoreau and Gandhi, we need the experience to help others.
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By Chris CooperIn 2023, I came very close to selling my gym. I had it all set up: the potential buyer (I had two), the valuation, and even the story to share with others.
But at the last minute, I decided to keep my gym, because I can use it to help other gym owners.
Thoreau said there are no more philosophers, only teachers of philosophy.
Philosophers from Seneca all the way through Thoreau say the same thing - do not believe what others say. Test things for yourself. Received truths often turn out to be mere prejudices.
How does that play out in practice, since all of our gyms are different?
We collect data from 15,000 gyms
We look most closely at the 1000 gyms in tBB
We determine what’s working best
Then we practice using it in our own gyms to fill in the gaps. We connect data and turn it into useful knowledge through storytelling. And we can tell stories best from our own experience.
So our mentorship shouldn’t be “here’s what works in my gym” - it should be “here’s what works, and how I used it in my gym.”
Gandhi story about sugar
“A woman and her young son had come to the ashram to speak to Gandhi. She complained about her child’s addiction to sugar. “My son won’t stop eating sugar”, she told Gandhi. “Please tell him to stop.” Gandhi listened to her, and then asked her to come back in two weeks.
Two weeks later the woman and her child sat in front of Gandhi. He looked at the boy and said “stop eating sugar”. The mother was perplexed. “Why couldn’t you have told him this 2 weeks ago?” To which he replied, “Madam, two weeks ago I was still eating sugar”.
Gandhi knew—as we all know—that eating sugar is bad. He did not feel qualified to tell others to stop eating sugar until he’d done it himself. This is the mark of a great mentor, and it’s why I don’t sell my gym.
There are a few mentors who no longer own their gyms in TBB. They have had successful exits, and that experience is also valuable. But the vast majority of us should own gyms, because we love it - and because, like Seneca and Thoreau and Gandhi, we need the experience to help others.