The Wild Ride of the Last Two Years
The last two years have been pretty wild, personally and professionally (good and bad).
Since 2022, we have had more staff changes than ever, including the abrupt loss of a key employee at my gym.
We have changed our business model, which brought some issues to light that we were completely unaware of.
I joined forces with the legendary Joe DeFranco and created the Iron Business Blueprint, a 90-day coaching program in which we help gym owners scale to multiple six-figure businesses without “watering down” their service.
My brother died.
My first son, CJ, was born.
We are expecting baby number two in September.
We are moving.
And more.
These last two years have taught me much about myself, business, and people. As I sit here contemplating what to write, I realize that there were many valuable lessons in these last two years that may impact your life.
So, I have found my topic, and I believe it may help you on your path.
Here are my five biggest lessons on happiness, fulfillment, and living a badass life.
Lesson 1: There is Plenty of Untapped Potential Right in Front of You
In November of 2021, we had a hard time breaking through a certain amount in monthly revenue. After the scam-demic, we finally got back to where we were prior, but we could not break through to the next level.
So, I hired a coach to help us do that.
And we did finally break through—actually, more than I thought we would, as we added an additional six figures in annual revenue.
As you can imagine, we were excited to see this kind of growth in our small business in 12 months.
At the time, I ran the gym, an online coaching program, a weekend experience for men, spent time writing and podcasting, and more. I was spreading myself extremely thin trying to build my businesses. As a result, none of them saw the growth I was looking for.
Once I decided to focus on ONE THING, we added six figures to our bottom line.
Maybe you are searching for the “next best thing,” like I was. But if you take a second and look at what is right in front of you, you may find what you have been looking for.
Lesson 2: Be Careful What You Wish For
My goal in business was to build a million-dollar gym.
In 2021, we were only a little over a quarter of the way there. So, I locked in and got laser-focused on achieving that goal.
As a result, we have seen significant progress over the last three years.
But that growth did not just come with sunshine and rainbows. It demanded more attention and created problems I did not anticipate. I will not bore you with all these problems, but it has been tough.
Like Biggie said, “Mo money, mo problems.”
I became more stressed, distracted, and pissed off. If I’m being honest, I lost sight of my core values and what I stand for. I found myself building something that I was unsure I even wanted anymore.
The thing I once loved became my biggest stress and headache.
For the first time running my gym, I began to hate it.
I started to resent it because it took away my time doing the work I loved, like running my weekend events, coaching people, and writing. I was wrapped up in sales, managing/training employees, and other business demands that I did not particularly enjoy.
Sometimes, the external success you see (like hitting a revenue goal) steals the soul of what you have once loved.
Remember, what may look good on paper might not be what you truly want.
Lesson 3: Remember Why You Started
Since being exposed to these growing pains, it has led me to search within.
I was making more money than ever, yet I was feeling unhappy.
So, I spent a lot of time reflecting, reading old journals, and watching old videos from when I first started my gym. I thought about what has changed since then and where I want to go.
I could not help but feel torn as I looked at the past, thought about the present, and planned for the future. When watching my old training videos, I saw a twenty-something-year-old kid who was incredibly driven and passionate about helping people. That guy was only making a fraction of what I make now, yet he was happy and fired up to spend 10 hours a day on the gym floor.
As business and life have evolved, I have spent significantly less time on the gym floor and much more time growing the business. Although my goal has always been to make real money in the fitness industry, I have come to realize why.
I am a coach at heart. I fucking love coaching. Whether on the gym floor, on a podcast, creating videos, writing articles like this one, presenting, coaching people on their nutrition, or coaching coaches on growing their gym business, I love it.
Since 2022, I have done a lot less coaching on the gym floor because I have been locked in on growing the business.
I found that this was a key reason for feeling like shit.
So, I drastically cut back on the thing I love the most and spent a substantial amount of time doing work I hate. I was focused on numbers and spreadsheets instead of focusing on people.
That is when I realized it was time to readjust.
I got into this business because training and fitness changed my life. I was once fat, lazy, broke, and depressed, and training was the thing that turned that all around.
It has helped me overcome every obstacle life has placed in front of me.
I became deeply passionate about teaching others how they can change their lives through fitness. That has been my drive for nearly two decades.
And although my responsibilities have shifted, it is time to focus on the people again.
It is time to focus on the work I love.
It is time to focus on the people.
How I do that just looks a little different these days.
And so if you find yourself unhappy in your work, go back to why you started in the first place.
If the fire is no longer burning, it might be time to make a change.
Lesson 4: Understand What Truly Matters to You and Build Your Life Around It
Do not get me wrong, money matters. It is a vehicle to true freedom and living the life you want.
But the proverbial golden handcuffs are real; if you are not careful, you can lose sight of what’s truly important. Money can be blinding and rob you of your joy in life if you solely focus on it.
When I took the time to reflect and think about what matters most to me it came down to five things.
First is my health. Without that, I realize I have nothing.
The second is people. Family, friends, my team, clients, colleagues, etc. Relationships are the foundation of happiness, I believe.
Third is freedom. Freedom of time and money. Being able to do what I want, when I want, with who I want is critically important.
Fourth would be experiences. Vacations, day trips, time with family and friends, and more. I believe life is about experiencing new things and ideas.
Finally, my fifth item is growth. Tony Robbins has said that if you could define happiness in one word, it would be progress.
If you are not growing personally and professionally, there is no progress.
As I navigate through life now, I make sure that these five areas are the cornerstones of every decision I make.
Lesson 5: Create Multiple Income Streams
Creating multiple income streams may seem counterintuitive to what I said earlier, but hear me out.
I believe that when you are building something initially, you must buckle down and focus on that one thing. Otherwise, you will be spreading yourself thin like I was.
However, once you have a solid foundation in your business, meaning that you have a team and systems in place and have removed yourself from the day-to-day operations, it might be time to add an additional income stream.
Ideally, this income stream will be passive (or semi-passive) where it will not require a lot of your time. An example might include investing in real estate.
It can also be related to your current business, for which you can charge a premium. For example, if you own a gym and have freed up most of your time, you can charge a premium to coach people online and only take a small handful of high-ticket clients.
Or, if you have mastered how to build a highly profitable gym, you can create a coaching program for other gym owners who want to do the same.
The reason I feel this is important is because sometimes we might have an off month in business. Or maybe the government decides to shut down our businesses at gunpoint. Who knows?!
For me, having other income streams gives me peace of mind at this stage of my career.
Just something to think about.
Hopefully, these lessons I have learned have resonated with you in some way.
There are ebbs and flows in life. It is just part of the experience.
Embrace the good and the bad, and remember to focus on building the life you want.
Remember, this thing is temporary, after all.
Chris Tutela is a Strength and Conditioning Specialist in Clark, New Jersey. He is the owner and operator of Tutela Training Systems, where he works primarily with college and high school athletes and the general population. Chris has been working with athletes since 2006, including two seasons as the head strength and conditioning coach for a high school football program in New Jersey in 2013 and 2014. He has also worked with a nationally-ranked high school basketball program in New Jersey. Tutela Training Systems has a reputation for drastically developing, strength, performance, and total body transformation for athletes and clients of varying experience levels and goals.
