Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer and Matthew Christopher.
Jennifer and Matthew, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Our Crossfit gym is a mix of CrossFit and boutique type fitness. On our premises we have Seaside Cycle Studio (an indoor cycle company) and massage. My husband and I grew the business from an outdoor boot camp to where it is today. My husband who is prior military brought the concept of Crossfit home to me after his second tour in Iraq. At that time I was teaching a beach boot camp class by the ocean to stay busy. We slowly changed the beach boot camp to CrossFit in 2011.
By the end of the summer our participants wanted to continue. New England winters are pretty harsh so we had to run the classes out of our garage by a propane heater. We went from 3 clients in our garage to 220 that we have now in our 7000 Sq Ft. space. We have moved 5 times in the 6 years we have been open. Every time we grew, we moved. My husband was prior service and we were stationed in Germany for 3 years. The military has a strong sense of community that we wanted to replicate in our business. We run things like adult proms, adult sporting events, field days and holiday potlucks. I feel like this sets us aside from your run of the mill CrossFit. We also try to keep a feminine feel for the ladies. I am part of the Lululemon team sales program. I team up with Lulu to put our logo on their apparel for our members.
Branding is extremely important to me. If you check out our Instagram site you will see some of the many apparel designs we put out, hats, ornaments and swell water bottles. We change our apparel regularly and only buy a certain amount. If you don’t get the apparel when we have it, it doesn’t come back. Sometimes we revisit old pieces as retro throwbacks. I hope this helps tell the story of Seaside for you. The past 6 years have been a complete whirlwind for my husband and I. We love watching soccer moms, Dad’s, previous athletes, 63 year old woman and the rest of our diverse populations become the killer athletes they are transforming themselves into. We will be coming out with our first commercial Jan 1st!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not! As I said we started in our garage. We grew from 3 people to about 50 in that location. Having your members throwing wall balls against your garage wall as pieces fell off and your neighbors complaining became very stressful. It was the running joke around town that our members were secretly training for the special forces out of our garage as they watched them carrying sandbags around the streets of Marion.
Every time we outgrew our location we had to search for a suitable location that would allow the amount of activity physical activity we do in it. Our second location when we had to move out of our garage was a temporary boathouse. The floors were grimy and dirty and we had to move out in Oct because all the boats were coming back in. After that, we were on the second floor of a local community building. This was not the best location because of the dropping of weights.
Finally, we found our last two buildings. Each move my husband did all construction, painting, and labor to get it up and running! It really was our blood sweat and tears that allowed us to grow where we are today! The first few years we had to run every class and were just covering expenses. We gradually grew and were able to hire our first real trainer, Dan Rogan. He was a godsend to us. He allowed us to relax and enjoy the gym again like we did when we first opened. Currently, we have 4 trainers, 4 spin instructors, and on-site massage therapist. We also run Strength and Conditioning classes 4 days a week for area athletes
Seaside Crossfit, Seaside Cycle Studio, Seaside Strength and Conditioning – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our Crossfit is a mix of traditional Crossfit and an athletic training type atmosphere. My husband was prior service and we were stationed in Germany for 3 years. The military has a strong sense of community that we wanted to replicate in our business. We run things like adult proms, adult sporting events, field days and holiday potlucks. I feel like this sets us aside from your run of the mill CrossFit. It’s extremely important that our membership is close and that there is a sense of family here. We want their hour a day at Seaside to be the best hour of their day.
Our programming is much more athletic in nature. We include a lot of auxiliary moves to even out the body. Our goal is to make healthier happier humans. We started Seaside Cycle Studio to offer some variety to our clients looking to expand their aerobic conditioning. We also have Seaside Strength and Conditioning for our local high school and middle school athletes. This is sports specific training with a certified Strength and conditioning specialist.
We also try to keep a feminine feel for the ladies. I am part of the Lululemon team sales program. I team up with Lulu to put our logo on their apparel for our members. Branding is extremely important to me. If you check out our Instagram site you will see some of the many apparel designs we put out, hats, ornaments and swell water bottles. We change our apparel regularly and try to stay current with fashion trends.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is creating an atmosphere where your members are happier and healthier when they leave than when they walk in. I love the feeling of seeing members achieve new PR’s and gain a greater awareness of their body. My husband and I never started this place to become popular or rich. We did it because we believed in the principals of CrossFit and wanted to bring it to our small little community by the ocean.
Thankfully it has grown to place that we can make a humble career out of it. We have been able to hire amazing trainers and instructors who can also make a career out of what they love. We definitely have our ups and downs like all small business owners but on the whole, the members that come in and leave with a smile on their face make it all worth it. It’s so nice to put your blood sweat and tears into something and have people appreciate your efforts. My mom always told me “Do what you love and you will be successful”. In this vein, we love what we do and who we are surrounded by so I guess I would call that success!!
Pricing:
- 3 times a week $130/month, Unlimited $150/month
- Seaside Cycle 20 pack $200, 10 pack $120, 5 pack $75 single ride $15
- Strength and Conditioning 2 days a week $80/month, 3 $100/month 4 $120/month
Contact Info:
- Address: Seaside Crossfit
6 Little Brook Rd Wareham Ma 02576 - Website: www.seasidecrossfit.com
- Phone: 7744544005
- Email: seasidecrossfit@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/seasidecross…
- Facebook: Seaside Crossfit Box
Image Credit:
Corinna Raznikov, Anno Photography and Rachel Boncek Photography
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