1989 Was One Helluva Year - Do You Agree?

The big events in 1989 around the world included:

1. There were the Tiananmen Square Protests
2. The Hillsborough Disaster in the UK
3. The Berlin Wall comes down
4. The Exxon Valdez spilt 240,000 barrels of oil after running aground
5. Nintendo released the Game Boy
6. Motorola released the first “non-brick” portable phone

And in the US, the first ever REX Roundtable was held!

To be honest in 1989, I was in my second year of Uni and still not sure what my career would be but I ?was already working in a gym, as a gym instructor.

Fast forward past 2 employers and I opened my first gym in 1994.? I realised VERY quickly as a gym owner it is extremely lonely and many decisions I was making were been made in an echo chamber – I only heard my own ideas! So I joined the Australian REX Roundtables in 1997 and this now meant I received multiple perspectives on challenges and ideas to enhance my business.

hat’s one benefit of REX that has carried on through it’s evolution: multiple perspective to get better.

I think for a 30 year old entrepreneur, REX was also the friendships I developed. The support from industry peers on business was exceptional and the friendships I made are still difficult to describe.

In fact, I still keep in touch with many of my fellow OG REX members and now as a REX Roundtable Chair, I see the same deep friendships form and then develop.

In a time of instant gratification and quick fixes, it is important to realise success and profitability of business is not instant! Overnight success is often 5 to 10 years of hard work.? And more often than not the only people who can empathise with you are your peers.? They also have been through and are going through that same business journey.

As REX celebrates 35 years in 2024, we are the strongest we have ever been!?We have REX Roundtables in the US, Australia and Europe. We have REX Roundtables for owners, GM’s, department managers, Anytime Fitness franchisees, Xponential Fitness franchisees, industry vendors and our Iron Maidens!

What excites me more than seeing the success of the businesses that my REX members own, is the friendships that are built.? I know that businesses will be sold one day and we move on but REX friendships last a lifetime.