Here are three things I would have done differently knowing what I know now.
1. If it can go wrong, it will. Bite the bullet on cost, invest in equipment with safety in mind.
When it comes to a safety issue happening in the gym, it's not "if" but "when". Stupid stuff happens and people get hurt. We accept that as part of training. However, when people are paying you to help keep them injury free, you better look around at your own facility and make sure you have minimized any safety issues within your kingdom.
We have a full set of hard plyoboxes. One on going discussion we had was switching to elitefts™ Plyobox Full Set . Until this point nobody has been hurt (except that hilarious Two Champs & A Chump situation that happened a few years ago.
The point is we kept pushing this purchase off until later. Later came calling to a facility here in town. An athlete suffered a SIGNIFICANT injury from box jumping onto a metal box. This injury could have been avoided. Granted there were other influencing factors with this situation, or so I gather through the grapevine. BUT...this injury could have happened anywhere.
Hearing of this injury forced us to re-evaluate our boxes and review our current equipment. We work hard to set ourselves from our competition and if it were an athlete with us that was injured we could never live with it. Local facilities would jump at every opportunity to point out a flaw or problem with something we are doing.
Within two days of hearing about the injury, we ordered the soft boxes and my heart started beating fast when I saw them waiting for me when I returned home today.
2. Accounting matters. Actually, it's pretty critical.
In hindsight I would have spent far more time with our accountant on the front end of opening the business. I also would have been fully trained in our accounting software before even opening the doors. Going back, fixing mistakes and playing catch up has been far more time consuming. Do it right the first time.
I was adamant I learn all the systems, requirements, accounting, etc before we hire someone else to take care of it for us. This process has been a cluster but is finally under control. Take every opportunity for training opportunities at your small business center, on line classes, books, whatever.
If I could get a redo I would have taken the software classes and hired someone for three hours to help me out instead of wasting countless hours insisting I could do it on my own. Unless you're a business person to begin with, you can't. Don't even try.
3. To Do Lists Are Not Novels. They should represent tasks to be accomplished.
A to do list is only a useful took if you are able to actually accomplish things on it more than what you're adding. Then it becomes a long term wish list.
As a teacher I make daily to do lists. Throughout the day I put post its all around my monitor of things I need to get done before I leave. I do not leave until those post its are gone. I also have a written list of things that need to be done for the week and then month.
How something makes it to my daily to do list is by determining:
1. What needs to get done today that other people are waiting on me for?
2. Will it be noticed today if I do not accomplish this task?
3. Is this a task that is truly important? Or is this a task that is driven by my need for perfection rather than urgency?
Most people have systems that work for them. This works like a charm for me. The break down happens when people create lists a mile long and are no longer realistic. Defeat and chaos set in and stress increases. In hindsight I would stick to my tried and true system that works for me and accomplish what is realistic, not driven by my desire to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.