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Here's the Biz Owner of the Year essay submitted by finalists Kati & Caleb Terray of Breakthrough Strength & Fitness in Woodland Hills, California, and check-out their video presentation as they share the details of the three key areas that helped them survive and thrive this past year.

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With gyms in the Los Angeles area still shut down for over seven months, this may seem like an odd time to throw our hat in the ring for your consideration as the RFU Business Owners of the Year. However, we know beyond a doubt that without what we’ve learned from Alwyn and Rachel and the whole RFU Team, we wouldn’t be here right now. We’ve seen fitness studios and gyms in our area close permanently, and multiple fitness colleagues with long time businesses decide - or feel like they had no choice but to close their doors.

We won’t lie, we’ve had some scary moments and some tough conversations about what the future might look like. By the...

Each year, members of our VIP Platinum Coaching and Mastermind Group submit essays on why they should be one of the finalists in our Business Owner of the Year contest.

Here’s the essay our winners, Mandy Haugstad & Jordan Rudolph of Unity Fitness submitted for consideration, along with their award-winning video presentation!

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This year indeed has brought its fair share of unforeseen events. It left business owners in a position to pivot and adapt, or quite frankly, die. It forced us into closure, testing everything that we’ve been building over the birth of our business to now. Systems, culture and community, staff, operations, and leadership were all areas tried and tested over the last seven months and counting. I think one of the biggest concerns is that we don’t know how long this will truly last, but what we’ve learned about running our business up to the start of the pandemic to now, and beyond, will be the same thing...

Here's another Results University Biz Owner of the Year essay, submitted for consideration, by finalist Ben Fogel of Epic Fitness in Millcreek, Utah.

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This past year has given every single business in this group so many challenges. I feel that I should be the 2020-21 Business Owner of the Year because of the way my team and I addressed and overcame these challenges. With Utah gym closures in effect back in March and April, we immediately were able to pivot from in-person training to remote training and therefore maintained 95% of our client base.

Even though our doors were closed, we used that time to revamp and prep Epic Fitness for re-opening. We updated and reworked all of our systems (SOPs) with COVID safety protocols & guidelines, trained our staff on new procedures, offered added benefits for renewing memberships, plus implemented fun ways to keep our members engaged while training remotely during the pandemic. Once our doors re-opened, we...

It's easy to get distracted. This year more than ever we've had thousands of things pulling at our attention and frying our nervous system from politics to Corona Virus to shut downs. On top of all that you've been running around like crazy implementing new delivery systems and giving everything you can to save your business adapting, changing, pivoting as you do your best to keep calm and carry on.

Take a deep breathe. As we near the end of 2020 rather than continue to chase "Shiny New Objects" looking for the next pivot let's focus on streamlining what we have so far.

That's right - Do not add, implement, change one more thing before you STOP and unpeel the layers of what you have put into place so far in 2020 and make sure it's set up with systems in place to be an asset to your business and not a drain.

For example, I imagine by now you've added some kind of online option to your business. Have you sat down and made sure you have the Online Coaching System mapped out so that...

So many fitness business owners are facing the hard reality right now of deciding between giving up, closing your doors for good and walking away or figuring out a way to continue to navigate this crisis through the uncertainty, shut downs and unknown future of our industry. Every day we hear of another gym closing their doors unable to hang on for one more day. It's heart breaking.

Be the exception. Be the one who gets through this pandemic and is standing strong at the end. Your clients need you. Your family needs you. The world needs you. When this is all over our industry will look very different. Health will be a #1 priority and we will have the opportunity to change the way fitness is done! Find a way to make it through!

How???

1. Run lean right now. You have to go through your company and cut any unnecessary expenses. Avoid going into personal debt to keep your gym open. Hopefully you got the PPP and maybe an EIDL to help. Using the Profit First method continually stay at...

Week 7 of quarantining and some states are in the beginning stages of re-opening! If you're in a state that is getting ready to re-open make sure you are ready before you open your doors! All of this hard work to maintain your business and keep everything going is only going to matter if you have a re-open strategy that sets you up to hit the ground running making your clients feel super safe. This is your opportunity to stand out as the obvious choice if you want to go to an in-person gym.

Part One(below) - Cleaning, social distancing and safety parameters.

Part Two - Communication to your members(tomorrow)

Part Three - Programming - We'll share our ideas on some programming shifts you need to make to keep everyone safe.(Friday)

Part Four - Marketing - As you re-open you want to have your marketing funnels in place to continue to attract new members. (Saturday)

Initially re-open discreetly to start getting your current raving fan clients in first who you have mutual trust with so...