Random Business Thoughts

As BBA continues to grow, we continue to consult or get questions from people wanting to start their own sports performance gym.

BBA has been rocking for almost 3-years now, and we're far from having it figured out, but we have taken our bumps and bruises along the way and have learned, in many instances, the hard way.

This is why we're starting to write a little bit more about the business side of things (see all our Business articles HERE).

We hope to provide an un-filtered, realistic look at owning a gym.  No sugar coating, no BS - just the honest truth about the hardships and upsides of owning a gym.

Here are some more random thoughts that I've jotted down over the past 2-months.

• I see a lot of young coaches wanting to own a gym for nothing more than because they love to lift.  Let this be clear - Your lifting will suffer - this is a hard pill to swallow for some.  You need to love the success and progress of your athletes more than your own.

• I have put out over 200 free articles, spoken to many groups/organizations (for free), put on a yearly clinic (for a very low cost and make NO money from it), and answer tons of questions via email/phone/facebook/twitter/blog - All of these have helped increase "traffic" and referrals to our business - Yet there IS a hidden expense to this.  
• For example, people WILL and DO steal your stuff and use it against you.  Area coaches have come to my clinic or courses, and then used and implemented what we teach (which is awesome!), BUT some have gone on to bash us and tell their athletes not to come to us because they do the same things as us.  Understand this will happen and accept and feel confident in your services and that people will see through this.

Our Clinic

• Typically I arrive between 45-60 minutes before sessions (except for 5:30am) and stay 45-60 minutes after sessions to set-up, plan, write-up that days movement/youth/adult workouts, tear down, clean, vacuum, wipe down, re-arrange, laundry, etc.  If we have sessions from 2:30-8:30pm - it's not just 2:30-8:30pm - it's more like 1:30-9:30pm. 

• Most weekends I am at the facility for an additional 2-3 hours doing projects, clean-up, maintenance, etc.  So just because we close at 1pm on Saturday and are closed all day Sunday doesn't mean work isn't being done at the gym. 

• I put in some loonnnggg days - I'm talking sometimes 16 STRAIGHT hours of coaching.  I alway laugh when someone will tell me - "Well it's better than 8-hours in an office" or "at least you get to do what you love".  

Yes I love coaching and everyday I get to do what I love.  I also love my wife, but 16-straight hours, 6-days a week with her and I'd get a little tired.  No matter what you do, doing it for 100+ hours a week can make you sick of that thing - So please stop saying that to people, because you have no clue what you're talking about.

• Remember this about owning a gym - you get no built in medical insurance, no benefits, no retirement, no PTO, no sick days, no vacation, etc.  Still like the thought of being the boss?

• I recently had a great talk with a College Professor about the realities of undergraduate studies and it's preparation towards a S&C career.  I said in a previous article that my undergraduate program did little to prepare me for what I currently do on a day-to-day basis, and I stand by that.  Things like individual assessment/evaluation and what to do with that information, short-term and long-term periodization plans, athlete programming structure, linear/lateral/multi-direction speed development and mechanics, exercise technique, exercise progressions and regressions, coaching/communicating/cueing large groups of athletes, how to design a training template on excel, best sets, reps, loads, velocities for different training stimulus, etc.

BUT that's not to say it was useless, not at all - I was suggesting that NO undergraduate program truly prepare students for the realities of any profession - not just the S&C world.  Students need to understand undergraduate programs tend to be GENERAL in nature - and if you want to be great in your field, you NEED to get outside of the academic textbooks and get practical experience, coaching exposure, and/or get into a weight room ASAP!  Let this be clear - an undergraduate degree, a CSCS, and even a master's degree say nothing about your readiness to coach in a S&C setting.  I have a ton of respect for academics and professors, but the reality is undergraduate programs CANNOT prepare students for the specifics of S&C, and accountability needs to be placed upon students to bridge that gap.

None of this was taught during my Undergrad or Master's program

• It's hot during the summer - and each day we go through roughly 75-100 towels.  That means EVERY SINGLE NIGHT I have to wash, dry, and fold 75-100 towels for the next day.  Luckily my beautiful wife helps (I should say does) this duty.  Moral is, this is actually a very tedious and time consuming job, but it's very important - when you own a business, you'll find a number of small jobs like this that pop-up.

• You know what's expensive - liability insurance, renter's insurance, property taxes, LLC renewals, trademarking, etc.  So whether you rent or own, know there are some tremendous expenses just to keep your business "legal".  Also, if you work at a facility or in the public sector - know that your employer takes care of these things, which is a HUGE hassle off your hands. 

• Mark Zuckerberg was asked, how much time he spends working, his answer - "If you count the time I'm in the office, it's probably no more than 50-60 hours a week. But if you count all the time I'm focused on our mission, that's basically my whole life."  

I thought his answer was incredibly accurate for most business owners and something others, who don't have to carry their work home with them, don't understand.  The programming, emails, phone calls, thinking about how to improve, what to change, projects that need to be done - it never stops.

• Spending money on advertising is a huge waste - This includes everything from newspaper ads, radio ads, tv commercials, movie theater commercials, signage (no one has ever stopped in a gym because they saw a sign - people actively seek out gyms, not stop in by chance).  In almost 3-years of business, I've spent $180 on advertising, and it was a flop.  With social media today and word of mouth - there is no point.  Be creative

• One of the most powerful advertising tools is to attend your athletes sporting events. Not only is it great to watch your athletes play and see their hard work pay-off, but it's also a chance to get exposure in front of other parents and athletes.  When an athlete is excited to see you after the game to give you a high 5 and hug, people take notice. 

• No one or gym makes a living training JUST professional athletes.  Even the big time gyms like Exos, Bommorito's, Mike Boyles, IMG, etc - DON'T make the bulk of their income from strictly professional athletes - they make it from training the general population and youth/HS aged athletes.  So stop striving to train professional athletes - IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.  Get great at training youth, HS, and college.

• Some people are surprised by the amount of fun we have at our gym. We goof around, we play basketball, before sessions athletes are throwing footballs around, after sessions athletes are playing games, etc.  It can't be all serious, all the time - there need to be times when we lighten the mood and let athletes have fun and ENJOY their time spent in the gym. 

• Gyms are becoming more and more popular these days.  So the question becomes how to differentiate yourself from the others.  Do you have a niche? - specific sports you specialize in, training youth, speed and agility, training teams, etc.  There is a Crossfit gym at every corner, a 24-hour fitness in every town - what do you provide that these places don't? 

• The private sector is a tough place to find good help/assistants.  If you open a gym with a partner(s), then everybody has some understanding and appreciation for what goes into making a gym successful, and they're all on the same page.

If you don't start with partner(s) or co-fonders and you're looking to hire, it's extremely hard to find someone who is bought into the process and understands the hardships of a small business.  Especially when you're in a small city and don't have a nationally recognized brand - like BBA.  What you'll typically see is someone who is just working for a paycheck, and not willing to do the small things that it takes to be successful.  They also don't understand all the hard-work that's been put forth to date, and how much more work it will continue to take to keep being successful.  I've brought in assistants, and for the most part it's been bad for ME.  As the owner, I know that some months - I DON'T GET A PAYCHECK - this is especially true if you're trying to pay 2 full-time salaries.  Assistants, don't understand that, and I actually end up paying the assistants more than I pay myself - the one who is here everyday, writes all the programs, bought all the equipment, and is responsible for every single client/dollar we bring in.

For this reason, we only hire past interns or volunteers so we can get a feel for how the coach fits into our environment, interacts with our athletes, and appreciates the details of our programs/business. 

That's all for now.

Go Get 'Em!

How To Be A Good Strength and Conditioning Intern

Continuing on our theme of business from the past few articles, we'll continue with another important aspect of what we do at BBA, and that's educating young coaches!

Every year we host 3 Internships - Summer, Fall, and Spring.  We typically host between 2-6 interns during these blocks, and in total over the past 3-years have mentored 34 young professionals looking to break into the coaching, fitness, or S&C world.

Having been an intern at a Big 10 school and now managing a ton of interns, I have seen my fair share of the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to internships.

Our goal is to have our internship experience be the most valuable thing these students do in their collegiate career.  That and actually coach!  During my time spent as an intern, I was mostly a glorified spotter - with most of my duties being set-up, tear down, observation, and cleaning - not a whole lot of actual coaching.

Pair that with my an undergraduate degree that left a TON to be desired in terms of practical information.  In fact, I'd say that what I learned during my time as an undergrad, none of that is used in my day-to-day work.  I learned far more doing my own personal research, talking with coaches, reading for hundreds of hours, and soaking in everything I could during my internship.  Don't get me wrong, the basic of anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics are learned, but not in an application type sense.  It's one thing to know what muscles extend the hip - it's another to know how these actually work during movement and how to train them.  It's one thing to know the regions of the spine and how many vertebrae in each region - it's another to know how to apply spinal mechanics during movement and the varying jobs of each region.

I see it with all my interns, their applicable knowledge of biomechanics, anatomy and physiology, exercise technique and prescription, and coaching/cueing/communication is poor.

Students come to as juniors and seniors and we have to spend hours talking about exercise technique, communication and cueing, how to spot global movement errors, what a neutral spine looks like, what a good lower leg alignment looks like, what a valgus sign is, and how to actually coach a group individual and groups of athletes!

All this is fine and dandy, as we take responsibility to educate these students on the nuances of S&C.  Almost every intern we've ever had, during our exit interview, states they learned more about specific coaching and S&C information during the past 4-months then the past 4-years at school! - That's our goal.

We also use our internship to potentially hire or recommend for future positions.  We won't hire someone who hasn't interned or volunteered a quality amount of time so we can see first hand how well they interact with the athletes and their ability to coach in our environment.  Remember the internship is basically a long interview process.

Second, as our web of contacts continues to grow -  we love to see our past interns go on and do great things.  Currently we have 3 past interns working with Division 1 schools, 2 working in Division II schools, 3 are High School sport coaches, 2 are in graduate school, and 1 is a health coach for a large business.

We take pride in helping our interns in any manner possible, BUT we also have very high expectations for our interns and as past interns can tell you we are very particular when it comes to work ethic, body language, and attitude.

Here are 6 things, that take NO extreme levels of knowledge, all interns should exhibit if they want to stand out.

1. Don't Be Lazy!

Seriously, there is nothing, I mean NOTHING more frustrating than an intern that just stands there or walks around and doesn't say or do anything.  In our environment, interns should have a light sweat going from constantly moving, spotting, stripping weights, demonstrating, coaching, etc.

We don't like lazy athletes as coaches - so don't be a lazy intern!

2. Be There Early, Stay Late

This is an old saying, but it's tremendously true.  We take notice who is consistently here first and who stays around asking if there is anything else to do.  We also take notice who strolls in at JUST the last second and who is asking if they can leave.

For the latter, please don't ask for a reference because you will not get one.

3. Mirror What The Head Coach Says/Does

We expect our interns to come in with a lack of practical knowledge, but that doesn't mean they can't be effective.

The greatest thing an intern can do is be adaptable and be a keen observer to how the head coach coaches.

It drives me nuts when I lead a couple of groups through a movement practice and I use specific cues, specific mobility exercises, specific rest periods, and demonstrate/coach a specific way with a specific language and when it's the interns time - they don't do the same.

It takes no skill to observe and apply specific coaching that you JUST SAW multiple times.  It's called being a student and learning.

I go bonkers when I lead 2-3 groups, and when the intern is up they ask what's next, what should I say, what should I be looking for?

Do things and mirror in the manner the head coach wants - it'll make everyones life easier.

4. You're Opinions Don't Matter - On The Floor

Every once in a while we'll get an intern that has read some things or follows blogs or has some actual experience under the bar.  This is great - except when they then try to teach something in a manner that we don't want to be taught.

Let's get this clear - you are the intern and you do things OUR way.  I don't care what you read in the latest article on T-Nation, this is MY facility and we'll do things MY way.

I would never walk into another coaches environment and start critiquing the way they are coaching or say they should be doing a technique like this - not that.

If you want to piss off a coach in the baddest way - this is a surefire bet.

This doesn't mean you can't have questions - but on the floor, in front of athletes is NOT the place.  Especially in a combative or questioning manner.  Trust me, I have far more experience and far deeper reasons for the way I coach, and just because you read something doesn't mean you overstep our coaching cues/techniques.

We have weekly staff meetings for this, and that is the appropriate time to bring up questions.

5. Anticipate

Anticipation is every coaches dream.  When I don't have to say something, and I turnaround and see a drill set-up or a piece of equipment out and ready - it's amazing.

Every program has a specific flow and progression to it.  Every program has the training sessions written on either a whiteboard or athlete card - read the training, anticipate when things/equipment will be needed, and have things ready for the head coach.

The head guy has a hundred other things to worry about and having a piece of equipment out and ready without having to tell somebody makes their job soooo much better!

6. Be The Good Guy

Every once in a while we'll get that intern that wants to be a badass and show how much of a tough, meathead he/she is.

Guess what - you're not and the athletes can see right through that.

You're responsibility is to help carry out the head coaches programming, assist in set-up tear down, apply specific coaching cues, spot, and most of all - BE THE GOOD GUY.

I'll be the dick and play mean cop if the athletes need a kick in the ass - that's not your job nor your place.

You should be the supportive, positive coach and do the little things for the athlete.  The head coach will provide the discipline and control when needed.



If you do all of these things, you will impact the athletes, impress the coaches, and leave a lasting impression on the environment.

You know how I know if my interns leave a lasting impression... This simple checklist is an easy way I know if my interns impacted the athletes in a positive manner.

Credit: penandpaperstrengthapp

So what impact are you having?



Go Get 'Em!

Owning A Gym: Things You Should Know

Within 20-miles of my gym, there are 4 Colleges with exercise science programs.  Every semester we go to 3-4 of these schools and talk to students about the S&C profession.  Add in every 4-months we bring in a batch of new interns, and this all equals to us working and talking with a ton of ambitious college kids looking to get into the field of S&C.

One of the first questions I always ask when talking with the young professionals is what is your dream job?

A common response is to own my own gym.

When I hear this I can't help but think - NO…NO You Don't!

Last week marked our 2-year anniversary in our current facility and closing in on 3-years total in business.

It's been a hell of a ride, and owning your own facility definitely has it's perks, but let this be clear - IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE.  Being even more honest - It's not of most.

I think people want to own their own gym because it sounds cool and or because they love to train.

These are both poor reasons and probably a reason most of the gyms fail within the first 2-3 years. People make emotional and irrational decisions to open a gym rather than educated and dedicated ones. Let this be clear, if you want to own a gym, your own personal fitness will DECREASE! Your training will suffer, so please PLEASE don't try to open a gym because it will allow you to have your own personal space to train.

Owning a gym, to put it simply, is a pain in the ass!  There are so many hidden or small things that go into a business that you'll never be prepared for.  All of these things add up, and if you're in it for the wrong reasons, it will eat you up.

If you're not in it for the love of coaching, a passion for the intricacies of S&C, and because you truly/deeply care about the athletes - then you're in it for the wrong reasons.  If you think you're going to get rich or because you get your own personal training space or because you get to be your own boss - you're in for a rude awakening.

After sitting down and thinking back on these past years, here are some things that came to mind - in no specific order.

1. A Gym Is EXPENSIVE

If you're en employee or work in the public sector (HS/College/Pro), if something breaks, no big deal, they'll order another one.  Well when you own your own gym and something breaks, guess who pays for it - that's right, YOU do.

Sometimes at the end of the month it comes down to paying yourself or buying a piece of equipment.  Which do you choose?

While you've probably gone most of your life enjoying the benefits of having a HS or college gym to train in - Did you know a quality bar and set of bumper plates can be a thousand dollars!  Yup, a bar and 230lbs of weight, which is enough for just 1-ATHLETE can cost about 3/4 of my monthly rent.

Let's look at some other "small" expenses

• You want 1000sq/ft of rubber matting? There goes roughly 2-4k
• You want 3 quality squat racks?  Chalk up another 3-5k
• Dumbbells from 0-100lbs?  Dig deep for 2-3k
• Liability Insurance?  An annual rate of 1-2k a year
• Credit Cards? Most credit card outlets take a 1-3% cut.  If you take in 50k in credit card charges a year, that's $500-1500 LOST just by accepting credit cards.
• Typical steel plates cost about $1/lb
• How about a nice sign outside the gym? - Don't worry it's only about 1-3k and as I suggest to many - IT'S WORTHLESS!

This doesn't even include what rent, utilities, and internet costs.  So when you bitch about a gym not having some sort of equipment - just know the owner has sacrificed beyond belief to just keep the lights on and them taking $500 out of their own pocket wasn't worth your much needed piece of equipment. 

Oh and on that note - don't expect to make money the 1st month, or 1st 3-months, or even 1st year.  Everyone thinks you'll open your doors and people will come poring in… sorry it doesn't happen like that.  You'll have to hustle for every client, every dime, and use every waking hour to improve some aspect of your business in order to survive.  Which leads to #2

2. How Much Do You Value Your Social Life?

When your the sole proprioter, you are the business and every waking second is spent working or thinking about your business.  Here is a small list of things I had to give up or at least heavily reduce when I opened my gym

• Going out on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights - I either have work early the next morning or I'm just too tired to go out.  I know people who could NEVER sacrifice a Saturday night for doing 2-hours worth of programs instead of downing beers downtown. 

• Football on Sundays … Nope work from 1-6pm.  And this isn't just NFL, but any sporting event.  I'm usually working during these hours while most others are at home enjoying the game

• Buddies going golfing or hanging out on a random afternoon or night - My busy hours are from 2-9pm - so while others are getting off work and getting to do things, I'm in the midst of my busy time.

• Saturday Morning Farmer's Market - One of the things I miss most is getting to go to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings.  It's just one of the many small things I miss out on due to owning this business. 

3. You'll Meet A Ton Of Great People

Over the past 3-years I've been fortunate to meet a ton of great people, athletes, and families who have bought into what we do.  I've met people with amazing stories, personalities, and have had a ton of fun getting to know people of various ages and backgrounds.  

That's the beauty of this job.  I love my athletes and it's a joy seeing them get better each and everyday and seeing them grow and develop.  They drive me nuts from time to time, but at the end of the day it's the people that make this job great!

4. Advice

People love to give you advice, especially when you're a young business owner.

  

"You should try this, you should buy that, have you thought about doing this, you would could do a lot of things if you did this" 

While these are all well intentioned, it seems everybody has a better feel for what your business needs than you do.  And this is without spending more than 10-minutes in your facility!  

Don't get me wrong, sometimes there is a decent idea in there, but 99% of the suggestions you've already thought of, planned logistics, looked at your books/financials, and decided it wasn't a good business move.  Learn to take these in stride and be respectful and thankful for their advice.  

5. You'll Be Sleep Deprived & No Body Cares

For the past 3-years, my alarm is set at 4:45am every weekday morning, and I usually don't get home until 8:30-9pm every night - and guess what - NO BODY CARES!

One thing I tell my interns at the start of every internship is once you walk through our doors, you drop all your other baggage and don't let it carry over to the gym floor.

No one cares if you're only getting 5-hours of sleep.  No one cares you work 7-days a week.  No one cares if you're having relationship problems, illness in your family, social stresses, or anything else - when it's time to coach - you need to be on.

We're in the service industry - we provide a service to our athletes and everybody wants special service.  Parents or athletes don't care you've already coached 8-sessions today or that you train 100+ other athletes - the only thing that matters is them.

They want special attention for their kid, extra work on nutrition, focused attention to develop mental toughness, help them with getting their school grades up, talk to them about weight management, address behavioral problems, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I am humbled that many ask these things from me and think highly enough of me to ask help in these things, but no one cares you get hundreds of other requests as well, they just need it to get done.  As a S&C coach you're not just a coach, but also a nutritionist, psychologist, counselor, therapist, tutor, mentor, etc.  I use all these terms loosely, but it's true.

I remember early on in this business, I missed a morning training session to host a camp.  I had an assistant run my morning sessions, and I got a call from a parent asking why I wasn't there.  Here I was out trying to expand and extend my business and I miss one morning and I get called asking where I'm at and why I'm not there.  If you're the business, expect people to want YOU.

6. You're Not Just The Owner

It's awesome to say I own a business and hopefully down the road that will bring some added perks and freedoms.  But as a young business owner - that's only a TINY fraction of my job.

Here's a list of other jobs that fall on my shoulders

• Someone decides to hold in a huge dump all day just to unload it in your toilet - Guess who gets to unclog and clean the toilet - That's right, the owner!
• Secretary - Answer and return anywhere from 5-10 emails/calls a day (This can take HOURS)
• Keep spreadsheets of incomes vs expenses
• Track receipts - I mean every receipt of everything you buy
• Log miles on your car -  Every mile you drive for business needs to be tracked - yes every mile! 
• Daily vacuuming, cleaning, maintenance - Approx. 30-60minutes a day
• Living in the Midwest means winter, which means shoveling and salting at 4:30am before morning sessions.
• Individual programming for hundreds of athletes - Each night I have around 2-10 programs to make.  Each program probably takes around 15-minutes - you do the math. 
• Marketing, Advertising, Managing Social Media, Newsletter 

Also when you are the owner in a service business - you ARE the business.  No matter the issue, problem, or assignment - it's your job to address it.

When you own your own business, you don't have PTO, or built in vacation, or sick days, or weekends.   You don't get a 401K or IRA's or health insurance or any other built-in programs that you normally get as an employee.  It's been almost 3-years owing this business and I haven't missed more than 3-days in a row of work.  I haven't taken a sick day or personal day.  If I've missed a day at the gym, it's been to travel to a conference, speak at a conference, or attend a family function.  It truly is a 7day/week job that never quits.  Get used to being tired, sleep deprived, and worn down - or don't get into this.

7. Be Yourself and Stick To Your Principles

As a young coach, I wanted to be like some of the big names/coaches in the industry.  I tried hard to emulate them, program like them, talk like them, etc.  But I've now reached a point where I'm comfortable with myself and who I am.  

I still pull things from coaches but at the end of the day - I'm still me and my coaching should emulate that.  I like to have fun, I goof around, I allow my athletes freedom, and I know my strengths and I stick to them.  

Is my programming perfect?  No

Is my coaching perfect?  No

But what I've created over the past 3-years is special and when I take a step back and look at what BBA means to many athletes or the environment we've created - it truly is a special place.

8. People Will Want A Piece of You

A month doesn't go by where I'm not being asked to donate to something, be willing to help with this, or sponsor that, or if I have a job available.  In a given year, I donate between 3-6k to fundraisers, tournaments, charities, etc.  

This is great and I'm all for giving back to the community in whatever manner possible, but as a small  business, every cent matters.  I'm not a big corporation where giving away a thousand dollars is pocket change.  Like I said earlier, this very well may be a months income.  I will continue to donate items to charities and fundraisers because they are usually for great causes and it's important to me to give back.

I will say this though, the one thing I've stop doing is donating to sponsor a tournament or club or game or event.  Such as, "Donate $300 and we'll put your business on our t-shirts or in our program or on a banner".

Here's the brutal truth, rarely are any of these actually good business moves.  I've never been to an event, looked at the t-shirt or a banner and thought, "I really need to check out that business".  Again, I will donate memberships or consultations, but I've stopped giving actual money in return for a sign or name in a program.  These are mostly financial losses.  Which brings me to my next point...

9. Learn To Say No

Early on, I said yes to every opportunity I could get.

Extra sessions on Sunday?  Yes!
Extra 5am Session?  Yes!
Sponsor This Event? Yes!
Do 1-on-1 training during my only hour off during a 14-hour day? Yes!
Work this camp for dirt cheap, but it allows you to get in front of new athletes? Yes!
Do the S&C for a college team for a resume builder? Yes!

Now, I've learned to say no.  Keeping my sanity and getting freedom is much more important than doing these little things to help the business.

After 2-years of working 7-days a week, I finally said no to Sundays.  After almost 3-years of 5am Monday-Friday, I've said no to Thursdays.  I've turned down 1-on-1 sessions, reduced sessions, and turned away opportunities that limit my time and freedom to relax, read, research, or spend time with my family.

10. I Get To Be My Own Boss

While I've stated all the hidden costs of being your own boss and on the outside it's a lot less glamorous than it sounds; at the same time it has it's perks.  

I turn 28 in a week, and for over 3-years I've been able to program for every single athlete I've come in contact with.  THAT IS HUGE!

If I want to try this or that… I can do it.  If I want to buy this or that… I can do it.  If I want to change this or that… I can do it.  If I don't want to do this or that… I don't have to.

If I want to experiment with a new program or exercise - I have the green light.  If I want to drop that day's training and have a competition/game day - I'm going to do it.  If I want to conduct a research project on my athletes - I don't have any hoops to jump through except for my own.  

I have friends in the college setting who are full-time coaches and they don't get to do any programming and training structure - they just implement what the Head S&C programs.  Not only exercise prescription but also warm-up, speed and agility work, recovery, rehab and return to training, youth, HS, college teams, professional, adults, males, females, every sport imaginable are all under this umbrella.  

NO and I mean NO HS or College or Professional S&C coach has this kind of experience.  Most public sector S&C coaches typically have 1-5 sports or specific genders or specific ages - while I get a little bit of everything.  I can tell you this has made me a 100x better coach than if I was strictly say a College FB S&C coach.  

I get to dress is sweats and a sweatshirt EVERY SINGLE DAY!  If I had to dress up or wear slacks to work everyday, I would go insane!

I get rewarded for doing a great job!  If I do a great job with an athlete or client, they'll usually tell someone and I get rewarded - financially.  In the public sector S&C coaches are often underpaid or have set salaries that can be very hard to increase, no matter how well of a job you may be doing.  I, on the other hand, have unlimited potential for growth and my salary is only dictated by the quality of my program.  I'd venture to say I earn more than 80% of S&C coaches through BBA, online training, team contracts, and our products - but this comes with the fact that I also work more than 100% of public sector S&C coaches.  I'm lucky not to have these restrictions while most public settings and/or if you're an employee DO have these restrictions. 

I get bring this little boy to work everyday, which is a must!  Everyday is bring your pet to work day = awesome!

Go Get 'Em!