In August, ELP celebrated 10 years in business! We're very fortunate to have reached this milestone, especially when you consider the facts:

Approximately 20% of small businesses fail within the 1st year.
By the end of the 2nd year, 30% of businesses will have failed.
By the end of the 5th year, 50% of businesses will have failed.
By the end of a decade, only 30% of businesses will remain… a 70% failure rate…

Before going any further, I want to thank EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has been there for us. We would not be here without you! The past 10 years happened in the blink of an eye, and have come with many life lessons. Here are a few of the "lessons" if you will, that I've learned...

1. Never Bolt Down a Piece of Equipment – Perfectionism is Lethal.

No matter how much you plan – the plan will never go according to plan. Partners will leave. Clients will leave. Business plans will change. Life happens. You can try to make your plan perfect, but you will always need to be ready to adjust course at any given moment. Don't exhaust yourself trying to make everything perfect; because you never know when that piece of equipment might work better on the other side of the room.

2. Fits Gunna Hit the Shan at Some Point – Be Grateful.

Kind of like Thanos, this point is inevitable... You’re going to mess up. The mistake might be something as simple as an invoicing error, or it might be as big as a programming error that caused one of your athletes to sustain an injury. I’ve done them both, and you’re going to it as well. But over the years I’ve found that if you are upfront about your mistakes, most situations will resolve themselves amicably. So be grateful to those that extend you forgiveness and remember to pay it forward.

3. It’s Good to Have a Dog at the Office – Be Genuine.

The Nelsons are animal people. It’s genuinely who we are as a family. Our dogs are a huge part of our life, and we bring that to the office with us. Similarly, we genuinely care about the well being of our clients; it’s who we are. If we’re struggling to help you resolve a problem, it’s literally something that comes home with us... Sometimes life will give you a bad hand. Maybe it’s a failed business partnership, or maybe it’s a customer who left for seemingly greener pastures. Regardless of the situation, if you’re genuine in how you handle your business, your clients will notice, and karma has a way of working itself out in your favor. Just Be Genuine. Side note: there’s soon to be a “Coates Four Legged Family Member” at ELP very soon...

4. Don’t Sign a Lease in July - Competition Comes and Goes.

Starting a business is easy. Running a business is not. Over the last ten years I’ve seen competition come and go. I’ve seen major corporate gyms set up shop right next door to us; and I’ve seen countless start-ups come out of the gates on fire only to then fizzle away a few years later. Just because ELP is still around, doesn’t mean we have all the answers. We’re greatful for each year we remain open and at this point in my career, I genuinely wish our competition nothing but the best of success. I’ve found that as long as you keep your nose to the grindstone and stay the course; you’re going to survive. But just in case, make sure you don’t sign your lease in July. We made that mistake and July is not a pleasant month to have to move gym equipment.

5. Don’t Trust a Batting Cage w/ a Hole in It - Appreciate Those Who Appreciate You.

In business and in life there will always be risk. You can seemingly do everything right, go above and beyond for the client/situation, but ultimately God and the Universe have other plans. Entering a situation/partnership with an understanding of the risk that is associated with it will help you prepare for a variety of different outcomes. Whether the outcome is in your favor or not; always be aware of the individuals who appreciate you. Most importantly, make sure they know how much you appreciate them! The risk that is associated with business and life is similar to taking batting practice in a cage with holes in it. You might have every intention of hitting only line drives, but there’s the risk you might just hit that one pop up… and that one pop up winds up going through the cage and hitting a sprinkler head that eventually causes the entire gym to flood... The moral is: No matter how safe you think a situation might be, know there’s always a risk associated with it and always be greatful to those who support and stand up for you.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has been there for us over the past 10 years. It has been an absolute pleasure serving this community and we are so blessed for all of the great relationships that have been cultivated over the years. The future is unknown, but from our family to yours, thank you for your continued support of ELP! #elpfamily

-John