CrossFit Owners! What Business Are You Really In?

“Jesse, you asked me if I was in the meth business or the money business. Neither. I’m in the empire business.”

— Walter White, Breaking Bad

CrossFit owners, do you know what business you're really in? When Apple created the iPod, did they just create an MP3 player? No. They created a seamless music listening experience. When Facebook was created, did they just create another way to send messages to people? No. They created a way for people to connect all around the world in a way that was never imagined before. They knew what they were really creating.

Do you know what you’re really creating?

The best way to find out what business you’re really in is to ask what problem you’re solving. You might be tempted to say, “I help people lose weight or I get people in shape.” While yes, you technically do that, those are not really the core problems. You need to ask: “Why do people want to lose weight? Why do they want to get in shape? Why do they want to gain muscle mass?”

Almost everything we do in life is for a feeling or an experience to get a certain feeling. Once you know what you’re customers are trying to feel, then you can truly begin to help them reach their goals. People don’t want to lose fat—they want to feel attractive. They don’t want to have better conditioning—they want to hike with their friends or play with their grandchildren or make their parents proud.

That’s what you need to realize about CrossFit—it’s not about the workout. Any jackass can do a Google search and find a WOD let alone a million other workouts. You can argue all day about which diet is better or which shoes are better or whether or not organic is better, but realize that people do all this to get some sort of feeling.

With being a CrossFit owner, you’re helping that shy kid from high school gain the confidence to finally ask out the girl he likes. You’re helping the girl who’s been struggling with her weight all her life to finally feel accepted. You’re helping a grandfather have the energy to finally enjoy playing with his grandchildren without being winded.

So let me ask you again.

What business are you really in?

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