Starting and sustaining a small business is anything but easy. Half of all small businesses are gone within the first five years and only about 33 percent make it ten years.[1] We are blessed to have started a small business in 1996, and 28 years later are still at it! While it has been a sometimes tumultuous journey, we are better for having gone through the ups and downs, and have learned invaluable lessons along the way. As we celebrated our 28th anniversary in October of 2024, we reflected on the top three factors that have contributed to our success and our ability to continue to thrive: pain, communication and happiness.
Pain
We have definitely learned more from suffering than anything. The pain we’ve endured has helped us learn what not to do in a small business, but also it shapes how you change and grow as a person and a leader.
The more successful you become, the more jealousy and animosity you may experience. People will try to bring you down to make themselves look and feel better. Surround yourself with people who make you better, who support you and who will give you productive and honest feedback and advice.
Hire people who are in line with your values and who will be a great personality fit with your organization. We made many hiring decisions in the past because we were impressed with a resume; these individuals, in many cases, turned out to be poisonous to the team but hard to get rid of because they brought in high revenues.
Investors don’t know your business. One of the most painful parts of our past was having investors who governed by spreadsheets and created bureaucracy. They didn’t understand how important the service, experience and relationships were in our business. They created system after system to plug and play, but this only ended in decisions and changes that took way too long to make. As a founder, bringing in investors sounds exciting, until you end up owning less than 1% of the business you started. THAT is painful.
Stay true to yourself and never give up. You may be passed over for promotions, you may not be recognized initially for your contributions. As deflating as this may be, stay the course. Don’t compete with others, compete with yourself. Keep learning, keep growing, own and learn from your mistakes and it will pay off in the long run. Nothing worth it is easy.
Sometimes, things are out of your control. In March of 2020, we were shut down. We had no choice and there was nothing we could do about it. It was painful, scary and frustrating. We knew that exercise was one of the best ways to stay healthy and that isolation is a huge risk factor for mental and physical disease. Yet, it was out of our hands. We focused on what we could control. From Day One of the Covid pandemic, we did everything possible to keep our sanity, and to help our team and our clients stay connected, stay positive and stay healthy. We did daily emails to bring happiness and information to our community. We started doing Zoom happy hours, group classes and one-on-one remote training. We did exercise challenges and shared education regularly. It took us four years to come back financially from that time, however, we never once thought we would be closing our doors forever. The pain fueled our determination to not let down our team. We knew we had so many people counting on us for their livelihood and their health. That kept us going strong everyday and brought us to where we are now, a community that is stronger than ever.
There will always be pain in a business. Celebrate it and appreciate it because it will make you better and your business stronger if you stay committed and don’t let it beat you down.
Communication
Direct and open communication is one of the most important factors for success in business and in any relationship. We used to shy away from hard conversations, sometimes making the excuse that it’s not that big of a deal. This can lead to a creeping in of animosity. If you don’t address issues, no matter how big or how small, they will fester. Our rule is to wait 24 hours to calm down, step back and think through how to deal with a situation. Never send an angry text or email!
Preparation is key to having a productive discussion. Before we have any meeting, we practice. We talk through the feedback, points we want to make, and the possible responses of the other party so we are prepared. After our meetings we critique ourselves on how well we communicated so we can improve.
Always be clear and direct. Even if it’s difficult feedback, beating around the bush will not help anyone. Be concise, be empathetic and set the expectations for the future. People may not like what you have to say, but it’s imperative that you say it with calmness and clarity. And then it’s done, it’s over. You must move on from that point. If you keep bringing up the same problem, that’s your issue because you can’t get over it or you didn’t communicate the issue effectively enough.
Most communication is nonverbal. It’s important to read the person or people you are talking to. Watch their body language, get a feel for their energy. Ask questions and listen, really listen. So many times, we are not listening, we are waiting for our turn to speak. If you do not hear what they are saying, the conversation will not be productive.
There is a big difference between communicating and preaching. Do not talk at people, talk with them. Sometimes the other person could be completely wrong, but is it worth pointing that out? Sometimes people just want to vent. You don’t always have to give them a solution or tell them what they should or should not do. Listen intently and show empathy. Ask them questions; a simple “tell me more” goes a long way. That may be the best thing you can do in that situation. Remember, you do not need to always fix it!
Lastly, be vulnerable. This may be the most difficult and the most essential part of communication. It shows you are a real person with faults and insecurities. Putting up a front is transparent and fake, but when you let your guard down the other person will too. Some of our best ideas have come out of conversations where we were clueless. If everyone acts like an expert, nothing gets done.
Happiness
Our success has partly stemmed from the happiness we get to be a part of everyday. Watching our team and our community excel keeps us energized and excited for the future. We get to help people become better versions of themselves. We are blessed to have the opportunity to educate clients and go along with them on their journey of health; to watch them reach goals they never imagined; to see them be full of life at any age. When we watch our team members learning together and sharing their knowledge and growing personally and professionally, this motivates us to keep going.
One of the greatest gifts is the strength in a community. Our AXIS community looks out for each other, cares for each other and supports each other. Watching the relationships blossom amongst the team and clients makes us happy. Feeling such love and connection everyday is priceless. This is why we love Mondays!
We know how lucky we are to have a business where we get to give clients the gift of health, and our team the ability to thrive in a rewarding career. We also know everyone doesn’t necessarily love what they do, but the lesson here is to find happiness in helping others. No matter what your workplace is like, when you serve others in some way, that is what truly brings happiness.
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