10/09/2020
Just wanted to say a few words about our re-opening. Thank you again for all your support and kind messages. I’ve been receiving messages all day, and wanted to address things publicly and honestly so no one thinks I’m doing different things for different people.
As you know, Covid shutdown was not my fault and not your fault. It was something that had to be done out of health and safety concerns. I gladly complied. We all did. Two weeks turned into a month, 3 months, 6 months. Finally given the green light and trying to put the pieces back together under very restrictive guidelines that completely go against the working “CKO” business model that yields success.
Many have lost a lot, including life. And nothing compares to that. I am thankful I am physically healthy and do not know anyone that passed away. However, I have lost a business of 10 years and our primary income. And I will be honest that it has felt like a loss of life. When you put everything into your business and work 364 days a year, build relationships, and become a leader in your community, having it vanish when all you want is for it to thrive is quite devastating in it’s own right. Until you go through it, you don’t really know the loss, I get it but it is real, nonetheless. We are starting completely over with no handbook or history on how this new method of limited capacity with wearing masks in a HIIT class will do.
I know many of you paid for time that was lost. I am completely aware and I do not sleep at night stressing over how to handle it. The answer is, I don’t have an answer on how to handle it. Honestly, if I give free time back now as we start from zero, I am literally losing money and it will fail. I still have to pay utilities, payroll, business insurance, workers comp insurance, website maintenance, database maintenance, credit card processing fees, and a million other little things that escape me right now. I don’t pay myself. I never have. If there is profit the end of my year, that is my “pay”. So I have thought long and hard since we have been shut down how to handle it. 20/20 hindsight always will yield “should haves” but there is no way for me to have predicted 6 months of shut down and shutting down of school with 3 school age kids. Just no way to know if there was a better way to handle things. And I really don’t want to drive myself crazy thinking about it anymore while trying to be positive about starting over.
So, in closing I will do my best to accommodate what I can, but if all I’m doing is working to give back free time, I can’t continue. It’s just the plain facts. The reason I am suing the Governor and putting myself and my family out in harsh public criticism is to try and make all of this right. I am fighting to do the right thing for all of it that has been wrong and taken from me and from many of you. This is my truth that you should all know. And I hope you will consider that as we move forward. Email me with any questions at [email protected]
