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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hello, this is Robert Smigel and welcome to the BC edition of Canada's podcast where we talk to the entrepreneurs who are making it happen here in British Columbia.
[00:15] SPEAKER_01: Based out of Vancouver, Curtis Christofferson leads over 300 virtual and in-person trainers and was recognized as Canada's top trainer in 2020 by Impact Magazine.
[00:28] SPEAKER_01: He's also been featured in nodal publications such as Forbes, the Globe and Mail, and SGB Magazine.
[00:36] SPEAKER_01: And was also a former Ernest & Young Canadian entrepreneur of the year finalist.
[00:42] SPEAKER_01: Curtis is the founder and CEO of Workout that's WRK OUT.
[00:48] SPEAKER_01: The first connected fitness brand to deliver live, face-to-face personal training, optimized for the virtual experience.
[00:56] SPEAKER_01: Well Curtis, welcome to Canada's podcast and thanks for taking the time today to be here for all our listeners.
[01:03] SPEAKER_00: Thanks Robert, nice to be here and excited about this episode.
[01:09] SPEAKER_01: Awesome. Okay, so I want you to tell us a little bit more about yourself. I don't know if you're born and raised Vancouver or not, but also give us the details on your current business.
[01:19] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure. So I was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada.
[01:24] SPEAKER_00: And early on, I heavily involved with sports and athletics and obviously school.
[01:30] SPEAKER_00: And my sporting career evolved, became a national team, national water pool team member and representing Canada, traveled around the world.
[01:40] SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, my love for sport transferred over into my education. So after I graduated high school, winning and got a degree from SFU in kinesiology and then embarked on the personal training industry.
[01:54] SPEAKER_00: And what I thought was going to be a short-term career or a short-term or a stepping stone for my career, it turned into a 20 years of applying my passion, my education, my experience.
[02:04] SPEAKER_00: And so now I, as you mentioned, I own innovative fitness, which is a 101 Boutique personal training business, been around for 20 years.
[02:14] SPEAKER_00: We have 12 brick and mortar locations across Canada. And we recently launched a company called Workout.
[02:20] SPEAKER_00: As you mentioned, WRK OUT.com and Workout is a live virtual personal training company that we launched thanks to the pandemic.
[02:32] SPEAKER_01: Awesome. Okay. Now, did you need financing to start Workout and how do you currently make money in the business now with this virtual training? How does that look like this far as bringing dollars in the door?
[02:43] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. So early on in 2020, when the pandemic hit, we saw an opportunity to pivot our brick and mortar business and deliver the same high quality high end services online.
[02:56] SPEAKER_00: And what we didn't realize is that, you know, the uptick, the interest and the feedback was so great that we decided there was an opportunity to bridge it off and create a whole new opportunity and whole new business called Workout.
[03:10] SPEAKER_00: And from that point onwards, you know, it was self-funded for about 12 months. And then we realized for the opportunity being in tech that we were going to raise money. And so we've done a seed round.
[03:21] SPEAKER_00: And we've raised over $3 million due us. And we're off to the races. So that business now is self-sustaining. We will do future raises from finance perspective.
[03:33] SPEAKER_00: But, you know, we generate revenues through consumers that want to connect with a high end, vetted personal trainer or virtual trainer anywhere anytime in the world online.
[03:42] SPEAKER_00: And we have everything from personal trainers, dance instructors, yoga instructors. And now people can have the same experience that they have with a personal trainer in person now in the confines of their own home or when they travel.
[03:56] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Entrepreneurs need to stay healthy. They need to stay in shape. They need to be at the top of their game.
[04:02] SPEAKER_01: I want you to give me a key piece of knowledge or information about your industry that our listeners can learn from that they may not know about.
[04:11] SPEAKER_01: This could be some tips on physical fitness, some things that you can provide to entrepreneurs that might be thinking myself, I need to get in shape.
[04:18] SPEAKER_01: What would be some things that you could offer to them?
[04:21] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, here's a very relevant and fun fact is that now with with the movement around work from home, a lot of people underestimate what that's doing for people's health.
[04:32] SPEAKER_00: You know, the work from home model people are overperforming at work. They're spending more time in front of their computers, spending more time in their jobs. They're not going out and they might be walking their dogs. They might be doing their own fitness at home. But for the most part, you know, they say 80% of people are overperforming working from home.
[04:50] SPEAKER_00: Then working in the office. There's no, you know, water cooler talk. There's no distractions. And so what's happening is that as much as work performance is going up, health is going down.
[05:00] SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, we truly believe that, you know, the future of fitness is actually, how do we, you know, understand that if if people are overperforming in work or are overworked, how are they carving out the time for their health and wellness when they're working from home.
[05:17] SPEAKER_00: And that's going to be an important factor going forward.
[05:20] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. So I think one of the things is that you do the virtual training.
[05:25] SPEAKER_01: That's something that a lot of entrepreneurs could consider. But if there was something that you could say, you know, real quickly, what is some three things that someone could do to kind of build a routine?
[05:35] SPEAKER_01: Because I think what's happening to a lot of people is that I don't have time for it. I simply don't have time to be have a reg.
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: Because let's face it, you just can't go into a gym for an hour a month and say, I'm good. I'm done, right? Yeah.
[05:46] SPEAKER_01: A lot of people do. It's a, it's a regment. It's a, it's a discipline. So what is, what is something that a person that is looking to go down that road? What would you say to them?
[05:59] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. So I think there's some fundamentals that people have to consider. Number one, set goals in your physical health and wellness. Just like you set goals in other aspects of your life, such as business.
[06:08] SPEAKER_00: That's number one. Number two, there should be no excuse. There's never a good time. You're always going to run out of time. So you got to prioritize that just as much as prior to other meetings or other commitments such as family.
[06:21] SPEAKER_00: Number three, get up early. You know, do it before I always say that there's less traffic on both ends early in the morning or late at night.
[06:29] SPEAKER_00: If you're one that procrastinates or puts it off or doesn't prioritize your health, do it first thing before there's a lot of distractions happening, whether it's emails or phone calls or, you know, other meetings, you know, get it down before all of that.
[06:42] SPEAKER_00: If you think that you're going to, you're having trouble getting done at 2, 3, 4 o'clock during the day, it's never going to happen. So I would do that. Get it done early in the morning.
[06:50] SPEAKER_00: And make sure that you are committing to a certain period of time. It takes 90 days to see the benefits of a strong health wellness program.
[07:01] SPEAKER_00: So don't think that you're going to, it's going to happen overnight. It never does. There's no magic pill. There's not a one hit wonder.
[07:07] SPEAKER_00: You know, make sure that you're committed for the long haul because it's going to take 90 days to establish no limits, behaviors, but also see the results from a strong wellness program.
[07:17] SPEAKER_01: It's almost a lifestyle, isn't it? I mean, you're talking about 90 days, but I think after the 90 days, you got to keep going, right? I mean, and you've got to do it consistently and and not take a year off or whatever that looks like.
[07:33] SPEAKER_00: For sure, I mean, you got to embark on this. I mean, it's, you know, we're not getting any younger. Everybody is getting older and if you want to live longer or perform better at your work, you got to embrace this as it's pervy lifestyle.
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: And if you think it's just a, you know, punch and punch out or subscribe to this 90 day plan, you know, that's, that's where you're going to fail to be in with because that's where, you know, the ebbs and flows of your weight, where you're overall wellness.
[07:58] SPEAKER_00: You know, we see it time and time again, people lose the weight, then they get complacent, then they stop the program and then, you know, a year later, the back to square one.
[08:06] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, if you embrace it, just like you do with your nutrition, that it is part of your lifestyle and it is part of a, you know, regular commitment, just like, you know, when you become a family member or a dad or a mom, you know, that's a commitment that you have.
[08:19] SPEAKER_00: And when you embrace that as a lifestyle, then, you know, there's nothing better.
[08:22] SPEAKER_01: Okay, what is the long term vision and what will your company look like in the future? Do you see the company expanding into other areas and where beyond Vancouver, BC or even Canada?
[08:33] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question. You know, the landscape of fitness has changed dramatically since the pandemic.
[08:40] SPEAKER_00: You know, I would say that it's one of the industries that was that you're probably the most complacent and less progress, the least progressive out of everything.
[08:47] SPEAKER_00: And so, I think the future of fitness, you know, not just our company, but the future of fitness is, you know, a combination of the digital strategy and in-person strategy.
[08:56] SPEAKER_00: I don't think in-person is going away. And so, our future plans are to incorporate an omnichannel experience for our clients where they can have both the options of in-person experiences as well as a digital experience.
[09:09] SPEAKER_00: So that when they travel, corporate travel, vacation travel, you name it, they can stay connected to that, that overall business experience.
[09:17] SPEAKER_00: So, our plans are to continue to expand the brick and mortar. That brick and mortar is going to, you know, expand further across Canada, more in the Toronto area, as well as in the US.
[09:28] SPEAKER_00: And then combine that with a full tech and digital experience. So it's going to be a full encompassed experience that is going to combine the tech and the digital component to the in-person component that we've seen in the last 20 years.
[09:42] SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's talk a little bit about doing business in British Columbia, Canada.
[09:46] SPEAKER_01: What are the biggest benefits for you and being an entrepreneur here in Vancouver, BC?
[09:50] SPEAKER_01: I want you to give us some of the good points about starting a company here, but I also want you to give us some of the tough things or challenges for listeners so they can keep it up for them.
[09:59] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think from British Columbia, I think there's a lot of value and benefits opening a business or starting a business in this province.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: I think it's a very progressive province from culture. You look at some of the great examples that have come out of BC in particular in Vancouver, whether it's, you know, the little lemons of the world,
[10:16] SPEAKER_00: a sugoi that's a, you know, a company, let alone the ritos raining champ or, you know, some tech companies like Hootsuite and Thinkific.
[10:25] SPEAKER_00: We're a very culture oriented business. I mean, you know, some in the East might think that we're yogis and we like to get on our paddle boards, but there's a level of culture that is created amongst, and a lifestyle that's created in companies in Vancouver and in British Columbia.
[10:42] SPEAKER_00: So I think that's one of the benefits for sure that I, I definitely pride myself that our company and the culture that's been created is, is thanks to the environment that we, we've, you know, essentially, Corona company in.
[10:58] SPEAKER_00: So, okay, some of the challenges you've had, what are those look like?
[11:02] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, some of the biggest challenges that we've seen in, in doing business out of BC in particular, in Vancouver is, is the cost of living.
[11:08] SPEAKER_00: You know, the cost of living, we know that Vancouver is recognized as one of the top cities in, in the world, and the cost of living is drastically increased.
[11:18] SPEAKER_00: And therefore, it's not affordable to live. And, and so when you have an in-person business that you can't work remotely, necessarily, it's a very difficult city to do business in because the cost of living's high.
[11:30] SPEAKER_00: You know, and finding great employees that are ranged from, you know, 20 to 25 years old or 30 years old, you know, they just can't afford to live here.
[11:38] SPEAKER_00: So that's probably been one of the biggest challenges that we've had, you know, doing business in BC.
[11:44] SPEAKER_01: Okay, we have a lot of immigration in Canada.
[11:47] SPEAKER_01: So I want you to answer this question on their behalf. If you were to start all over again and you just moved here to Vancouver, BC, but this time you don't know anyone knowing what you know now, what would you do and how would you go about starting all over again as an entrepreneur?
[12:03] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a, that's a big question.
[12:05] SPEAKER_00: And then you can move to question.
[12:07] SPEAKER_00: This is short answer. You just keep it, you know, so we think we do like networking. Would you get a bit more?
[12:14] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure. Networking is what was going to be my answer. I mean, the reality is that nothing bad comes from knowing a lot of people.
[12:21] SPEAKER_00: I think, you know, the stronger you are at creating community, creating connections and networking, I think can benefit you.
[12:29] SPEAKER_00: As long as you have great intentions, you know, getting to know a lot of people, I think can open up a lot of doors.
[12:34] SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's talk about your morning routine. What does the first hour look like for you when you get up the morning? Do you have specific routine or ritual that helps you get motivated to start your day?
[12:44] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure. I do. So when I wake up in the morning, first thing I do is have two glasses of cold water.
[12:51] SPEAKER_00: I tend to obviously hop in the shower, have a cold shower, kind of reset the nervous system. Always have a coffee. I'm on my coffee fanatic.
[13:00] SPEAKER_00: I love a nice, nice good cup of Java. And then I start my day by walking to work and having a list of creating a list of to-dos for the day.
[13:10] SPEAKER_00: Usually I have a good understanding of what my meeting agenda looks like and everything else that's happening. But I get, you know, set my day up for success by doing that and then off to the races.
[13:21] SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's talk about how you educate yourself. Entrepreneurs love to read and take information. What books are you reading now and why or even audiobooks are podcasting?
[13:31] SPEAKER_01: Can you recommend any books for listeners who are also entrepreneurs?
[13:35] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would say audiobooks and hardcover books are probably my go-to. I have a couple right now. 0 to 1 is a book by Peter Tiel.
[13:47] SPEAKER_00: It's great for people that want to go in and start a business or understand how to scale a business and all the challenges early on.
[13:56] SPEAKER_00: The messy middle. I'm in the middle of reading that. It's funny. I say that. I'm in the middle of reading the messy middle.
[14:02] SPEAKER_00: And that's a, that's a found a book and I just finished a book called Play Bigger. And all three books, entrepreneurs out there. I highly recommend them. Some of the best books I've read today.
[14:13] SPEAKER_01: I need online or offline tools that you use on a daily basis.
[14:18] SPEAKER_00: So I do. I have a agenda. I mean, I, I'm, I'm really focused on on writing things down. One of the, one of the tools that I love actually right now is called the remarkable.
[14:31] SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you've seen that, but it's a digital notepad. Very easy to write down your thoughts and organize, you know, whether it's meeting notes or writing like that.
[14:42] SPEAKER_00: So I highly recommend using a product of that nature. And yeah, I would say that's most of them.
[14:49] SPEAKER_01: Okay. If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you like to do for a profession?
[14:54] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. You know, I always, it was kind of on my, on my dream list. I always wanted to be a script agent.
[15:02] SPEAKER_00: I thought how great would it be to organize and, and represent some of the best athletes in the world or, you know, celebrity.
[15:12] SPEAKER_00: So I, I definitely, I probably want to be a sports agent of anything. And that's not because the German choir, but, you know, it definitely, when I watched that show, I definitely resonate with me.
[15:25] SPEAKER_00: And, and I always wanted to be that before I embark on the training industry.
[15:29] SPEAKER_01: What kind of a job would you not like to do, but not do it?
[15:32] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. It's a complete opposite of my wife being a accountant. I, you know, spreadsheets are not my forte. It's not something I love to do.
[15:41] SPEAKER_00: I, you know, you have to do it in business, but I definitely would not want to be an accountant.
[15:46] SPEAKER_01: In business, what's your favorite word quarter sentence that you like to use?
[15:50] SPEAKER_01: Is there something you like to use frequently like a word or sentence?
[15:53] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[15:54] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. If more than one person is accountable, nobody's accountable. It's my favorite line.
[16:00] SPEAKER_00: You know, people have to have a good understanding of what their role and responsibilities are. And, and it's once again, if more than one person is accountable, nobody's accountable.
[16:10] SPEAKER_01: Which your least favorite word or sentence you do not like to hear.
[16:16] SPEAKER_00: I would say, how would this any excuses? I think there's, you know, we, we on the trademark no excuse. I mean, at the end of the day, there's always a, you know, a way to get around anything.
[16:30] SPEAKER_00: So, if, you know, if someone has an excuse, I think there's, you know, there's an answer to everything.
[16:36] SPEAKER_01: Okay. If you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself, what would it be and why?
[16:45] SPEAKER_00: Driven and outgoing. I would say that, you know, I'm, I'm definitely an individual that, if I have my heart stuck on something or my, you know, mine focused on something, I'm going to get it done.
[16:59] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I've, I've all my life, whether it's sports, athletics, business, you name it, you know, I'm definitely driven in that way.
[17:05] SPEAKER_01: So, do you think those two traits help help when you're success?
[17:11] SPEAKER_01: For sure.
[17:12] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, for sure.
[17:14] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Cool. Anything keeping you up at night these days?
[17:17] SPEAKER_00: You have business. I mean, it's coming up for the last 20 years.
[17:22] SPEAKER_00: When you're in a business owner, I think at the end of the day, it, you know, there's ebbs and flows of the challenges and that, you know, there's highlights and low lights.
[17:30] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, based on, you know, what businesses have gone through over the last 16 months or, you know, 20 months, it's been a grind.
[17:37] SPEAKER_00: And, and, you know, carving out what's next, the evolution of business, how we stay ahead of the curve, how we, you know, continue to innovate.
[17:45] SPEAKER_00: I think it's super important. And so, you know, for the most part, I mean, you know, does it keep me up all night every night? No.
[17:52] SPEAKER_00: Do I wake up in the middle of the night and have the sticky note right next to me and write down notes, ideas, thoughts for sure. And I've done that for 20 years.
[17:59] SPEAKER_01: So, okay.
[18:00] SPEAKER_01: I want you to give us the top three things on your inspired lifeless. This could be whether you want to do philanthropy, a TEDx talk, write a book, travel more, anything that you want to do beyond work.
[18:12] SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah. I mean, I have a whole while my lifeless, I created about in 2003, I think, a blast. And it's kind of like my version of a bucket list.
[18:24] SPEAKER_00: The top three, I would say, I want to surpass $10 million, donate to charity, you know, our company and organizations as hit $6 million so far.
[18:35] SPEAKER_00: So, I $10 million towards charity is definitely on the bucket list. That be number one. I think I would want to, I've always said that I want to swim in the English Channel.
[18:48] SPEAKER_00: That's something that, you know, my family heritage is from England. I was a swimmer. It's on my list to accomplish from athletic perspective.
[18:59] SPEAKER_00: And I think overall, this is a general term, but leave a legacy for my kids. And that's, you know, not only, you know, their values, but, you know, business. So I can hand over whether it's, you know, business or, you know, guidance or you name, I want, I, you know, my goal is for them to be better, a better person than I am.
[19:19] SPEAKER_01: So, awesome. Okay. We're going to wrap things up. Do you have any advice that you may receive that you can pass on to entrepreneur so Canada?
[19:30] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, early on, my dad said it in two different ways.
[19:35] SPEAKER_00: Nothing back comes from hard work. And, you know, if you're the first one in the last one out, you know, you know, whether it's the office or, you know, out of networking event or you name it, you know, nothing is back and is going to come from the beginning.
[19:49] SPEAKER_00: And that either. And I think at the end of the day, you know, don't give up, you know, if you're young, much for your end, and you have a dream and aspirations.
[19:57] SPEAKER_00: You know, find your way, be ready to pivot, be ready to adapt.
[20:02] SPEAKER_00: You know, it's nothing better than you can do. Don't have your heart set on necessarily the path to get there, because you can have to pivot and adapt. But, you know, I don't ever give up on those dreams and ambitions.
[20:14] SPEAKER_01: Awesome. Okay. How can our listeners get whole of you? And is there anything you'd like to add before you leave us today?
[20:22] SPEAKER_00: You know what? Anybody can get a hold of me, even directly to my email, Curtis, you are TIS at Omega, these innovative fitness.com.
[20:32] SPEAKER_00: That's one of my email addresses. You can find us on on both of our websites. So work out.com WRK OUT.com or innovative fitness.com.
[20:43] SPEAKER_00: Two easy ways to get all the best to and to finish off, really appreciate obviously being on on the podcast. And I hope this was helpful for everybody that's listening.
[20:53] SPEAKER_01: Yes, obviously it has been. I think, you know, you had some really good words of advice for how to maintain physical fitness and the commitment and and making sure the disciplines there.
[21:04] SPEAKER_01: And just don't look at it as a 90 day thing. Go beyond that and make it part of a lifestyle. I think that's real important. Healthy leaders perform better.
[21:12] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a good one. Healthy leaders perform better. I like that one. Okay. Well, thank you, Curtis, for coming on the show. I've learned a lot about you. And I'm sure listeners have as well.
[21:20] SPEAKER_01: And to our listeners, thanks for listening to Canada's podcast and listening to Curtis's story. Like, comment and subscribe to all our channels to get the latest podcasts from entrepreneurs across Canada. And we'll see you next time.
