Beginning as a garage gym in 2011, CrossFit Pushin Weight (CFPW8) is located in Powhatan, Virginia. Ashley Jenkins, an owner of the gym and the director of fun, shares details about the business below:
Ashley Jenkins: We are a high-end, customer service oriented CrossFit gym that has gone away from the scary warehouse and intimidating feel of the old days of CrossFit gyms. We have a concierge to greet you, sign you in, and help with any payment questions or purchases you may have. Locker rooms with showers, kids room, lounge, physical therapy, weightlifting team, a room dedicated for ROMWod, a bar area, pro-shop and a top-notch coaching staff.
AJ: CFPW8 began in our “Director of Death’s” garage gym in 2011, then moved into a bigger space, then to a bigger space, and finally we bought our current location and are in our forever home. There have been plenty of challenges to overcome. In 2016, we had an owner transition. There are now three of us who own and run the gym. With having three cooks in the kitchen, it was imperative that we defined our roles, got in our lanes and made shit happen. Another large challenge – that most Affiliates fight with – has been getting people to understand we are just regular folks, and not Games athletes, that are working on our general fitness so we can play with our kids, stay out of the nursing homes as long as possible and look better naked.
AJ: We are unapologetically us. We train, play and love hard. We aren’t for everyone – and that is OK by us. Here’s a brief summary of our leadership:
AJ: We are fortunate to have three owners with completely different strengths and weaknesses. We are not afraid to ask for help. We have had the help of mentors from Barbell Business and WTF Gym talk; we just recently started working with Two Brain Business.
AJ: Benchmark with other businesses that are not fitness related. Think of how Mercedes, Chick-Fil-A, Ritz Carlton, and other businesses with strong brands show up online, in person and treat their clients. Details and consistency matter when building a strong brand.
AJ: FUNdamentals. Our FUNdamentals program consists of five one-on-one personal training sessions. While it is a investment to spend $350 to begin CrossFit with us, it is a testament in how much we believe in building relationships, keeping our athletes safe and integrating them smoothly into our community. Not only have we noticed an increase in athletes preparedness for group classes, it has really strengthened our coaching staffs’ coaching and communication skills.
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