Chapter Nine - Lucas

I haven’t seen Samantha in a few days. I think that’s probably for the best. I don’t need to be thinking about the competition right now, even if her fitness center isn’t really much competition at all. It’s honestly more like a minor inconvenience. A small annoyance that I’m sure will be gone soon. The more I think about it, the more I think it’s best to just watch her fitness center from a distance.

It’s best to keep that same distance from Samantha.

At the moment, I need to focus on the planning meeting I’m sitting in. The developers are ahead of schedule, and it looks like everything should go off without a hitch. Everything about the building is already up to code, and my new luxury apartment should be ready in two months or so. I’m really looking forward to moving in.

The gym is well underway. Plumbers are hard at work making the locker rooms and showers just as luxurious as the building itself. We’re covering the floor in the strength training area with floor pads that absorb shock and reduce pain, allowing people to push through their workouts. We’re adding a climbing wall and a ropes course in a back corner, and I’m going to be working with Paul to hire staff to manage those.

I’m excited about every detail: all the things that have the Invigoration signature and the standout features of this new location.

“Have you thought any more about naming each location now that there are three?” Randall from my marketing team asks.

“The best thing I can come up with is color names,” I say. “It matches the brand and the clubs. I like the idea of Invigoration Club Red or Club Yellow, but I worry that it’s limiting.” I’ve had this conversation with my team before. I would like the gyms to have club names, but I’m not sure what the best direction is. I don’t plan to expand outside of the larger region. Maybe the neighboring states, though, you never know.

I’ve read and studied enough about other businesses to know how fast things can grow. I genuinely think that it makes sense to concentrate on one day having a dozen locations or so at a maximum. I don’t think I want to franchise it out, and I don’t think dividing resources more than that makes much sense.

I don’t want to close the door on the idea of more forever, though. One day, I might change my mind. Maybe decades from now, when I’m retired, the business will still be going strong, and whoever I leave it to will have a coast-to-coast vision. I don’t want to limit that person, whoever they might be. Then again, maybe in two decades, we’ll be totally closed down, replaced with whatever the next big thing is.

“We could test market it, if you want,” Randall says. “And if in a few years, you want to change it, we could overhaul it then.”

“Maybe,” I say, nodding. I know Randall has a point. The branding makes sense, and if each club has a name, we can have merchandise for each location. We can do a launch of new shirts, water bottles, and other gear, distinct for each location. Maybe a line that encompasses all of the locations. It’s a smart move, and it will make a lot of money.

“For now, check out the new research we compiled. We’re going to use it to build a larger testimonials library on the website and for brochures,” Randall says, handing me a thick stack of information.

“Thanks,” I say, settling back to read it. I love reading client testimonials. It’s one of my favorite parts. This information is great, stuffed with the sort of success stories that make me love my job.

There are before-and-after pictures of clients who now look strong, healthy, and happy. There are stories from people who have totally changed their lives. A man who has lowered his blood pressure so much his doctor took him off of medications. A woman whose chronic pain has almost totally vanished now that she’s working out. A man who has gotten so healthy he’s no longer pre-diabetic. A woman who thought she’d never love her body again after pregnancy who now swears she’s never been stronger. A man who packed on weight after quitting smoking that he thought he couldn’t shake until he’d started work with one of my trainers.

The list goes on and on. Our clients are healthier, stronger, and more fit than ever before in their lives. That’s why I started Invigoration in the first place. To help people achieve that. People have said I’m a little obsessed with health, and maybe I am, but positively changing people’s lives seems worth it.

Several pages in is a fairly young businesswoman who had a heart attack and whose doctor warned she was at high risk for a second one says we’ve literally saved her life.

“Use this one, for sure,” I say, highlighting the quote and showing it to Randall. He nods.

“We’ve got a few more like that in here, and even a few doctors who say we’ve improved their patient’s prognosis,” Randall says.

“Use those, too. I want to push health benefits hard in the new stuff,” I say.

“You got it,” Randall says.

I keep reading through the testimonials, feeling more positive about my day and the progress of my company with each one I read.