Curtis Christopherson has been an entrepreneur in the fitness industry since his late teens, and in less than 2 decades has built quite the portfolio including ownership in the largest personal training company in Canada (Innovative Fitness), a very successful chain of retail supplement stores (Reflex Supplements), and one of the fastest growing soft tissue/myofascial release product companies (RAD Roller). Curtis has time and again been recognized for his business acumen, and ability to create, pursue and foster both a vision and culture of a very successful company in multiple brnaches of health and fitness.
Not only a businessman, but a husband, and father of 2, Curtis has made it a priority to create time and systems that allow him to spend time with the family and not constantly be consumed with work. In this episode, we stray a bit from the usual talk of golf, fitness, and performance to talk directly to those in the fitness and golf business (or any listener that owns a business or is looking to prioritize their life) about strategies to build the business you love, but also make sure that you are not getting swallowed but by the day to day tasks.
How can you “fit it all in?” Curtis provides stories and insights from his own personal experiences, as well as some very helpful and actionable suggestions.
Curtis Christopherson’s Background
- 2009 he received recognition as Business Person of the Year by the Surrey Chamber of Commerce.
- In 2007, Curtis co-wrote Swim Upstream Unsubscribing to conventional wisdom and together with his group of literary cohorts published 2 more books in 2008 & 2009.
- 2010 nominated as Canada’s Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year as he took the lead position in the organization position of Innovative Fitness to oversee the entire business operations that included 3 corporate facilities and 6 franchises at the time.
- Became a partner and owner of RAD which is a company based out of Denver, Colorado. At RAD he is responsible for many of the sales strategies, the international strategic partnerships, and all of the influential athletes, professional sports teams, or health professionals that use & support the products.
- Became a partner in Reflex Supplements. Since his involvement (in just under 2 years), the company has almost tripled in size (from 7 to 25 stores) and is now the most successful supplement retail chain in Western Canada.
- 2018, Curtis has gone on to take over and acquire the entire business of Innovative Fitness which included 3 corporate locations and 8 franchises with over 140 professional training coaches.
Highlights from this Episode
- Curtis kicks off the show talking about his transition and growth as an entrepreneur; From growing Innovative Fitness and eventually buying the company completely while juggling his many roles with RadRoller and Reflex Supplements and how he attributes his successes to the importance of progressing when you’re fully ready to.
- How he goes about finding all of the time in the day to fit all of his responsibilities from work to family and advice he has for the up-and-comer
- His thoughts on breaking away from filling time with the small clients and projects and building towards investing in a business that can pay dividends in the long run.
- The importance of realizing that as a business leader, it is primarily about letting go of the reigns and empowering others that works for or with you.
- Why talented/intellectual people who are not aligned with your core values can severely cripple a business and creating a system for your business to follow is one thing, but without accountability to that, it all crumbles.
- The next steps to take after developing your vision; building out the system, hiring different personality types than yourself to fill out the necessary roles, and compounding on those teams to drive the business forward and expand.
- The 3 elements that he says you need to be great at; goal setting, time management, communication.
Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore? Caddy Shack
What would be your walk-up song to the 16th tee box of the Waste Management Open? Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G.
If you could play 18 holes with anyone, who would it be and where would you play? Jordan Spieth or Michael Jordan at Augusta
Any parting advice for the 18 Strong Audience? Go and get it. Take chances, take risks, surround yourself with great people and create a great community.
Find Curtis Christopherson at the following links:
Innovative Fitness
Radroller
Reflex Supplements
Instagram: @curtis_christopherson
Be sure to check out Curtis’ Newsletter “Healthy Ambitions”
Sources mentioned:
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