Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Vadala.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Danny. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I found CrossFit it wasn’t because I went looking for it. At the end of 2006, I had reached the same low that many working Americans reach in their mid-20s. After college, I devoted myself fully to building a career. The sacrifice that I made was my own health, and like many things since, my wife noticed the error of my ways long before I did. For Christmas that year I received a gift certificate to the local CrossFit gym.
My feelings were hurt, but I went. My first session was on January 2, 2007, and I’ll never forget it. I spent the next three years training under Dave Picardy of North Shore CrossFit, the latter two years managing his second operation in Beverly. I gave up the career I had built and dedicated myself to improving the wellness of others. After two years of managing a CrossFit affiliate full time, and the birth of our first two children, I decided to take a position teaching Physical Education to have more stability. My fitness coaching would have to become a part-time pursuit.
After my first few paychecks hit our account my wife informed me that we didn’t have enough money to pay our mortgage that month. We had already looked into government assistance to help pay our heat bills and maybe get some extra food for the kids each week, but we narrowly missed the criteria. We made just enough money to be completely broke. I knew that we could open our own gym, but it would require less time at home with the kids, and more debt. It was really the only choice we had.
We decided to start looking for a commercial space to rent and I narrowed the choices down to the Woburn area since Rte 128 and Rte 93 both bring traffic there. My wife, once again, encouraged me to look at the opportunity in a different way. “What area do you get excited about? If we were to move, where would you want to be?” We both knew the answer: Newburyport. This town has had our hearts since we first met. We loved visiting Newburyport to shop during the holidays, we had vacationed on Plum Island, and we often found ourselves eating dinner downtown. This was our town.
We found a cheap warehouse to rent, and the landlord was willing to step our lease up over time so we could afford the first few months. I maxed out two credit cards to buy equipment and took a personal loan from my father. The equipment only filled about half of the space. Friends and former clients visited to help assemble equipment and lay down floor mats. One of my clients built a number of pieces of equipment for me and refused to let me pay for them. The place was built on love, and fittingly we opened to the public on Valentine’s Day 2011.
If we were going to make it in business, it was going to have to happen fast. Our community grew by leaps and bounds in a matter of months. At the end of our first year in business, I had paid back the personal loan and both credit cards. We added equipment, added classes, added staff members, and continued to add members. On the second anniversary of the gym (Valentine’s Day 2013), we signed up our 200th member.
In the CrossFit affiliate community that’s a big milestone. This past February marked our 7th year in Newburyport and the business continues to grow and adapt. We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a business from the ground up is challenging in so many ways. The amount of time we’ve spent working over the past 7 1/2 years is staggering. 4:30 am wake up calls to train early morning classes are tough. They’re even tougher when evening classes end at 8:30. The piles of paperwork ebb and flow and never really go away. It’s been a rollercoaster, but in the end its all been worth it.
Success feels a whole lot better when you’ve had to get your hands dirty and really work for it. We’ve sacrificed a lot to be here. For the first two years, we did almost everything ourselves and didn’t really get to take a vacation. It wasn’t until we hired our current head coach, Geoff Turke, that we were able to take a real family vacation. We’ve got a great team of coaches on board now, and it makes a huge difference.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about CrossFit Full Potential – what should we know?
Our primary mission is to help people reach their full potential through fitness, lifestyle, and nutrition. We strive to make every client the best they can be in a safe and supportive environment. Our brand of fitness is fun, prepares you for everyday challenges, and provides you with the tools to live a long and happy life.
We work with individual clients, but our specialty is group fitness. Our group CrossFit classes run Monday through Saturday and our clients have fun every time they step through our doors. If it’s not the best hour of the day, we haven’t done our jobs.
I guess what I’m most proud of is the individual journeys of each client. We get to be a part of each person’s journey to a better version of themselves. That’s so rewarding. I’m also very proud to have received four Best of the North Shore awards from North Shore Magazine for Best CrossFit, as well as a Best of Boston award from Boston Magazine for Best Fitness Facility on the North Shore.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I like people. It’s pretty simple … almost everyone that walks through the doors is someone that I want to be friends with. I care about people, and my coaches care about them too. When people trust you and know that you want what is best for them you don’t have to sell anything. They just want to be a part of it.
I don’t sell memberships. We sit down with every prospective member, get to know them, and then we make a recommendation. Sometimes we refer them to someone else if that’s what they need. We want to see other people be successful, and that has brought us plenty of success.
Pricing:
- Group CrossFit Memberships start at $122/month. Most members pay around $155/month.
- Active members of the military, LEOs, teachers, students, & First Responders enjoy a 10% discount
Contact Info:
- Address: 5 Perkins Way #4 Newburyport, MA 01950
- Website: www.crossfitfullpotential.com
- Phone: 978-463-9348 (XFIT)
- Email: dan@crossfitfullpotential.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/full_potential_performance/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrossFitFullPotential
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CFFullPotential
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crossfit-full-potential-newburyport?osq=crossfit+full+potential
Image Credit:
Sarah Dugan – Sarah Marie Studios, and Chris Gogolos – Gogolos Media
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