The Dream Begins (and Almost Ends!)
I had finally decided to open a CrossFit affiliate. I had my location, I had my CrossFit Level 1 certification… but I had no idea what I was doing! Starting a business was definitely a huge learning curve!
My initial plan involved a co-coach who I’d put through her Level 1 alongside me. That, I quickly realized, was a mistake! It didn’t even last until opening day. Fortunately, I’ve always seemed to have people contact me at the right time. Coach Kelly messaged me on social media asking about the studio space I had. I took the opportunity to ask her if she’d be interested in joining the team. She jumped at the opportunity, so I sent her on her Level 1, and she immediately became the lead coach before we even opened.
Then, as I was promoting the business, another coach, Barry, got in touch. He was the only person who had any CrossFit experience, so he was pretty handy to have around!
A Race Against Time
The build-up to opening day was fraught with multiple stresses. Firstly, I had set an incredibly tight deadline. I couldn’t afford to pay rent on a vacant unit, so we signed our lease on May 5th, 2016, and I had already been promoting a June 16th opening (my birthday) to start.




I was incredibly lucky to have a great friend, Michael, leading the building’s conversion. My plan was to use the gym space for classes and convert a room at the back into an indoor golf studio/office. This meant stripping out the original space and rebuilding the room to accommodate a high enough ceiling to swing golf clubs. We also needed to redecorate and install new toilets and showers – all within a five-week schedule!
Once again, I was fortunate to find some extra helpers. Jess from the garage next door and her boyfriend volunteered to paint the inside and outside of the building at a much better rate than professional decorators!
Construction Chaos
The build was not without its (now expected) hiccups. As Michael was doing the project with a couple of helpers as a side project, we needed some outside help. One week before opening, a tragic event meant the builders who were finishing the project had to stop work immediately. Michael’s team stepped back in, but in addition to falling through the freshly plastered ceiling the day after the studio was finished, one of the team injured himself falling off his skateboard a few days later! All within a fortnight of opening!
With all this going on, I was performing consultations, sorting out the business, building the kit, and still coaching full time at my PT studio in Berkhamsted and the golf club.
Finding My Zen (and Some Members!)
This was the time I discovered the value of meditation. Continually waking up with heart palpitations due to stress made me realize I needed to take some time to settle myself. I was justifiably stressed! I was tied into a five-year lease and a tonne of fresh debt, with no idea if this fantasy would work.
Fortunately, over the months, I had accumulated a fair few names on the waiting list and had a bunch of consultations booked in. June 4th saw the first consultations, which was a huge confidence boost. The first three people signed up, and two of them asked to pay a year up front (I hadn’t even set up an annual option!). Out of these three, two are still members, and Tom, who moved up north, messaged me just last week! The fact they signed up when all I had was some flooring and a little kit, but no changing rooms, toilets, or showers, showed the faith they had!




Opening Day!
Deadline day approached, and with the exception of a few finishing touches, we were good to go. June 16th, 2016, marked the first day of CrossFit Chiltern – the start of an amazing adventure with many ups and a few downs! I’ll write more on this next time!