I want to document the development of my business and record insights if it may be of help to anyone here. Also, it will help me to record insights for my own reflection. Lawrence encouraged me to start a business diary on the forum so that’s what this is. Feel free to chime in or ask questions if anything is of interest to you. Currently, I have a business partnership with a local chiropractic and medical center that has a 1600 ft.² machine-based gym available to patients only. The creation of this partnership was a major lesson learned which I will document. It has not been perfect, but it allowed me to get back into personal training without any upfront costs other than the establishment of my LLC. I first became a personal trainer in 2010 after I got out of the army. I worked part time in a few clubs while I was going to college, which led me to managing a gym that was associated with a physical therapy clinic from 2016 to 2017. I got out of the business because the money was terrible, and I entered into corporate marketing and franchise operations at that time. I still work in inside digital marketing and sales to grocery store owners (a tough crowd!) Around 2023, I discovered Mike Mentzer through John Little’s videos. At that time, I shifted my own training style towards heavy duty for about a year. Somewhere around mid 2024, I discovered this podcast and dove a lot deeper into the evolution of high intensity training through the many leaders in HIT that we all know about. I also shifted my training more towards what I would describe as a Nautilus style HIT routine so that I could experience a more simple form of high intensity training without the complexities of pre-exhaust, super sets, etc. My reason for this is that I wanted to put myself in the shoes of a client with regards to workout timing, exercise selection, and overall general feeling at the end of a 30 minute HIT workout. Around the end of the year, I decided that I wanted to bring the style of training to more people and re-ignite my career as a personal trainer, all thanks to Lawrence and the many guests of the podcast.

If you don't ask you will never know the answer. Obviously we all know who @Pete Cerqua is. Before I started coaching with Pete I was 255 pounds. Life had kicked my butt and my weight showed it. I heard Pete talk about how losing weight had helped his business. After I decided to move forward with this business I made a decision to lose weight. Going through coaching Pete reinforced that idea. He challenged me to lose weight. A lot of weight. It is working, people are taking notice. Now the goal is to get down to 190 pounds. I had to ask Dr. Ellington Darden to measure my arms. Especially when the topic of his talk was arms. I don't know about y'all but when I got interested in lifting I wanted to grow my arms. I remember in his book "The New High Intensity Training" Darden talks about the length of the muscle determines it's potential growth. So I had to ask him about the potential of my arms. He measure them at 17 inches. He said I can add another inch to each arm. I also asked Jim Flanagan if I could come back for a workout. Asked how the workout demo guinea pigs are selected. Then volunteered myself for selection. I also wrote a little less than 14 pages of notes. I need to sit down and reread through them multiple times to digest it all. If you are on the fence about going to Strength Forum next year GO! Ask questions and be bold. And remember "People with small calves should pay more in taxes." -Alexander Hamilton

Being in Canada we have already had our first snow fall of the year. Looking forward to Florida and the weather but more importantly to catch up with all the great people who are going. Nothing better then catching up in person. Note: The look on my face when I see they are calling for 80+ Fahrenheit.

Eggert Barwich is joining me on the podcast this week! What would you love to ask about Eggert's MedX? More info on Eggert's MedX here: https://www.skool.com/hib-free/exciting-news-barwich-gmbh-is-sponsoring-hib Drop your question in the comments!

There is a unique commercial rental concept near me called Flex Spaces. These are brand new semi industrial type units designed for small entrepreneurs. Think of a really clean new garage gym. Would you open a personal training business in a unit like this? Pros: -Affordable. 1,000 sq ft at $1,600/mo with 1 year lease. -Right off of major commuter highway with easy road access. The buildings are visible with large lettering and lit up at night. - Very near an even larger highway that could unlock access for more of the city (~100,000) with relative ease -Large garage door will make equipment load in easy. Single large window for natural lighting. -Bathroom with heating and cooling. Cons: -Located in an semi-industrial area. Not nestled within neighborhoods, but <5 minutes from target neighborhoods. -No curbside visibility beyond the Flex Spaces signage for individual tenants. The only tenant specific signage available appears to be a painted logo on a garage door. -The doctor’s office waiting room vibe will not work here. It is clean and new, but it is still like a garage.