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In business, everyone has an opinion. Founders can easily be influenced by the most recent trends, customer conversations or pressure from investors. For Christian Toetzke, founder and CEO of the worldwide fitness racing trend HYROXStaying true to his original vision was key to the corporate’s explosive growth.
“You have to be absolutely convinced about your product and the DNA of a product. And you have to stick to the game plan,” he says.
Toetzke appears on an episode of “One Day with Jon Bier” this week to speak in regards to the power of persistence, the importance of preserving company capital and other lessons he’s learned since launching his brand in 2017.
Stay the course
HYROX is successful in every respect. Participants run one kilometer through the races after which complete a functional training station, which is repeated eight times. In 2024, 260,000 persons are expected to take part in 60 global events in 65 countries. Sponsors include Red Bull, Puma and Centr.
Nevertheless, in keeping with Toetzke, he is usually asked to tinker with the formula.
“I don’t know how many people have told me in the last five years what we need to do.”
The commonest request he gets is to alter the workouts, that are at all times the identical and include farmer’s carries, rowing, SkiErg, wall balls, burpee long jumps, sandbag lunges and sled pushing and pulling. But Toetzke says he has studied the world’s most successful sports – marathons, triathlons, golf, tennis, Olympic sports – and finds that they never change the essential rules of competition.
Sport is built “around principles and rules, history and heritage,” he says.
In addition, as a consequence of constant changes within the competition, a comparison of the outcomes of previous competitors isn’t possible.
“In traditional sports, there are world records, and that is one of the most powerful markers in the world of sport,” he says. “When someone breaks a world record in the 100-meter dash, they are instantly a global superstar.”
Related: How one company turned a medical device right into a mass-market phenomenon
To be reliable
By maintaining consistency, Toetzke has built a powerful brand identity for HYROX. He desires to make it the “Fitness Marathon” – a gold standard event that stays the identical in any respect locations.
He admits they still have plenty of work to do on this regard. As HYROX expands globally, he personally attends events worldwide to make sure they meet brand standards. “I see a million things they did differently in Melbourne and Mexico City. And we need to change that.”
He wants HYROX to be a consistent, reliable experience for participants worldwide.
“To control the brand that is exploding worldwide, everyone has to follow the same game plan. Everyone has to follow the DNA of the brand. This is a difficult task and not easy to do because as more and more people are involved, everyone has their own idea of how to do it.”
Related: 40 entrepreneurs reveal their secrets to staying focused
Innovations despite limitations
That’s to not say that HYROX doesn’t embrace innovation. Toetzke says HYROX is consistently attempting to evolve and improve without changing the basics of the game.
He cites the iPhone for instance: Since its launch, there have been 42 different models with different functions, but the essential appearance has remained the identical.
In this regard, Hyrox has made significant technological and practical innovations in its equipment. Recently, sensors were introduced in order that the counting within the Wallball competition is completed digitally, thus relieving the referees of responsibility. Through the partnership with Centr, HYROX’s official equipment partner, the competition kettlebells at the moment are designed in a novel “octo” shape, which allows for higher weight distribution and handling through the farmer’s carry.
Taking financial risks
At a time when many startups are rushing to lift enterprise capital – often at the price of significantly diluting their ownership stakes – Toetzke advocates a more measured approach.
“My main advice is: If you really believe in your product, try to hold on to as many shares as possible for as long as possible,” he says. “Don’t take the quick buck, take the risk.”
He warns against being the “guy who drives the whole company, who runs all the operations while the investors make all the money but do nothing for the company.”
Related topics: How to finance your organization with enterprise capital
Promote community
Another think about HYROX’s success has been its ability to construct a powerful, engaged community across the brand. According to Toetzke, 60 to 80 percent of the HYROX community consider fitness to be an integral a part of their social life.
“You don’t just go to a gym. It’s your group of people. It’s your community, and that’s happening in every gym around the world now.”
Toetzke envisions fitness studios as modern clubhouses, just like golf clubs, where members construct strong social bonds.
“You go to a HYROX event together, where you compete together and represent your gym,” he says. “Suddenly it’s emotional, suddenly it’s become a community.”
