My first job out of college was as a strength & conditioning assistant for the Chicago Bulls, which was an absolute dream come true.  In addition to working with the Bulls players and other pro athletes, I had the privilege of working under legendary Chicago Bulls strength coach, Al Vermeil.

Next, I headed back home to get started as a personal trainer.  I started out working part-time at a health club and driving to clients’ homes with a bag full of functional equipment in the back of my car.  I did pick up a lot of clients right away, but working from 5am to 8pm every night, spending half the day in my car, yet making peanuts got old really quick.

So I started to put my dream of opening my own facility to paper.

18 months later, I co-founded Core Athletic, a 3,000 square foot sport performance and personal training facility in Middleton, WI.  I  had lots of energy and enthusiasm, some good exercise knowledge and no clue how to run a business.

Now what happen next is going to surprise you.  Despite no business experience, Core Athletic grew from zero to over a half a million dollars in annual sales in just 4 years.  Along the way, I was fortunate to train some professional athletes and over 100 high school athletes who went on to play in college.

Everything on the outside looked like a dream come true, but other than our dedicated staff, few people saw what was really happening behind the scenes.  With a big fat loan and monster lease to pay for, I blew out my adrenal glands at least twice by micromanaging every little detail and trying to do it all.  I had started the business to have more freedom, but it had turned into the exact opposite, a stressful and risky job.

Several years in, I experienced the painful reality of being an expert trainer, having an amazing 10 person staff, and over 150 clients, but was on the verge of burnout .  In pure desperation, I sought out business coaches and marketing experts, learned everything I could from them, and tried to model their success.

It wasn’t an overnight turn around by any means, especially with an economic downturn thrown in there, but slowly and surely the business started to get some good traction.  With lots of learning, some simple strategy, and lots of sweat, the business become more profitable and developed better systems (which really cut the stress levels).

Fast forward to my seventh year in business and I ended up selling Core Athletic to an up-and-coming employee for a nice six figure profit.

Looking back on it, when I was struggling just to make it, what I didn’t was need more money, to jump on  the bandwagon of the latest fad or get another certification.  What I really needed was a coach.  I need someone with experience in the trenches I could learn from, whose shoulders I could stand on to see a clearer picture of where to go next.  I needed a guide to FREEDOM.

These are the guiding principles I use to keep myself grounded and priorities in check. In the business world, it’s really easy to get sucked in and lose your way.  These principles help keep me on track.  I certainly fall short in each of the following areas, but this is what I'm aiming at.  As one of my favorite teachers says,"if you aim at nothing, you'll surely hit it"

Faith-God is my coach, the Bible is my playbook, and I talk to my coach through prayer. I not only want to be a good coach and business owner, but a faithful son of God.

Fitness-taking good care of my body is essential for giving my best to others, even though it can be very difficult to do (even if you’re in the fitness industry).  Juggling roles as a husband, dad, family member and business owner are no joke, but I fight to fit in workouts, eat healthy most of the time, and sleep as much as my three kids will let me:)

Family and Friends-I am so blessed to have such an amazing family.  There is no one else I would rather spend time with than my wife and three kiddos.  We are fortunate to have lots of extended family nearby and enjoy big family gatherings.  We also are known to throw stellar parties and host friends from out of town.

Financial Freedom-is a concept I wish I had learned about earlier in my life, but in recent years have made it a priority.  One of the most liberating experiences for my wife and I was paying off all of our student loans and clearing all business debt.  Paying off our mortgage is the last on our list to attack.

Future Growth-I love learning about leadership, personal development, business, and marketing.  If you run into me on any given day, I’ll probably be talking about something from the latest book I’m reading or podcast I just listened to.

Frequent Travel-I love anything travel related; family vacations, international mission trips, and the hunt for a great travel deal.  Being from Wisconsin, winter escapes to warm, tropical places to fill up the Vitamin D stores are a must.  Some of my favorite destinations so far include Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Brazil and Uganda.