Get Back to the Old Gym

This episode is a continuation to It's Time for a Fresh Take. I'm a huge fan of the Rocky series, especially being from the City of Brotherly Love. As a kid, I'd watch the Rocky movies and visit the Philadelphia Art Museum with my dad. We'd climb the walls, visit Rocky's statue (from Rocky III), and explore. But we never actually set foot inside the art museum. I'm not going to summarize the entire Rocky series, but there are some basics that you need to know. Rocky Balboa was a washed up, 30 year old boxer from Philly. He was a scrapper, a bruiser, but was thick-headed and going no where. That all changed when the heavyweight champion of the world was due to fight in Philadelphia for a bicentennial title defense against Mac Lee Green. Green hurt his hand and had to cancel. The other challengers were either busy didn't believe they could get into shape fast enough to fight the Champ. Apollo got creative to give a local guy a chance at the title in the name of freedom to celebrate the Bicentennial. Apollo flipped through boxer registrations and he really liked "The Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa". This sequence of events began one of the best movie series of all time to celebrate the Underdog.

Fast forward. Rocky put up an incredible test of human endurance against the Champ, but lost in a split decision. The fight went the distance. This was Rocky's stated goal throughout the first movie as no one had ever taken Creed the distance. Rocky achieved the goal, but lost the fight. Apollo was furious as his critics thought he was bested by a no name. Enter Rocky II. Rocky beats Apollo to become the heavyweight champion of the world and utters the most iconic line in movie history "Yo, Adrian. I did it." Apollo retired after the fight and Rocky went on to defend his title in Rocky III. He lost his edge. The Eye of the Tiger that defeated Apollo Creed was gone. Rocky had gone soft and lost to Clubber Lang, who was played by the epic Mr. T. Rocky was done. His trainer Mickey was dead. Apollo steps back into the series to become Rocky's mentor. He confronts Rocky about what was lost after their last fight. Apollo takes Rocky back to his roots in the old gym where he got his start in Los Angeles. Apollo is determined to help Rocky get his edge back, get his Eye of the Tiger back and defeat Clubber for his title back. Apollo took Rocky back to his old gym to get his mojo back. It worked. Rocky remembered what got him where he was and triumphed over Lang.

So many of you start out like Rocky in your cleaning business. No one knows about you. You're scrappy and solo, doing all the work yourself. You're figuring out what works and what doesn't. You take fights against no names for nothing. I mean... you take on clients that pay you scraps and you embrace the challenge. You had an edge. You had the Eye of the Tiger. You got your big chance and grew your company, then found other "Rockys'" to delegate your clients to. They caused you a lot of pain, but you endured. You win the title against Apollo in Rocky II as you hit your first major milestone of getting out of the field. You're free. No more cleaning, or at least you think!

While you're in the office, you get comfortable like Rocky in Rocky III. You lose your edge. You fight a bunch of no names to stay champ, to stay out of the field, and succeed. But Clubber Lang is coming for you and you don't see it coming. Welcome Covid-19 to your world. Covid Lang brings the pandemic on your business. You lose 90% of your clients and most of your employees as Lang steals your title. You wallow. You question. You flop around for a while, trying to secure whatever dollars you can through stimulus to stay afloat like everyone else. The pandemic drags on, month after month, taunting you of your former title.

Does this describe anything to the way you've been feeling these last 12 months? If so, come on the rest of this journey with me. I am the Apollo Creed in your life. I am here to mentor you and give you your vision back. I want to take you back to the old gym and get back your Eye of the Tiger. You will have to get clarity on your Why, your Dreams, your Vision for your life and business. You will have to start a daily morning routine to adopt the habits of the most successful entrepreneurs. You will have to endure short-term pain. But I'll be there beside you training with you, rooting you on, as you set your new SMART goals and achieve them. You will train with other Rocky Balboas in the old gym. You will get your mojo back. You will blow past restoring your pre-Coronavirus business. You will get totally out of the field with airtight systems to scale your business past $500,000 and upward to $1 million. You just need to accept my challenge to get back to the old gym and train with other warriors. The old gym has a name - The Smart Cleaning Tribe!