Here we are… 12 days away from Celebration CrossFit’s 5 Year Anniversary. The emotions that engulf me are overwhelming.

“Thank You” goes out to 3 of you:

1. Our Clients

“Wow” to the fact that our clients over the years have trusted us with their lives. Their actual LIVES. Not a new car, a new house, a vacation, etc., none of that (not that those things aren’t important, they 100% are). But, their physical/actual body. The thing that keeps them breathing, the thing that allows them to spend time with their families, the thing allows them to make money for their family to survive. That’s our job at Celebration CrossFit (yes we have different employees, roles, and positions within the company, but the goal of the business as a whole is what I’m getting at here)… we change people’s lives. Clients “hand” us their bodies and figuratively say, “I trust you with this. Don’t f*ck it up. And, while you are at it, lets make it as healthy as possible.”

That is A LOT to go to bed with every night as the owner of a service based fitness facility. BUT, we wouldn’t open our doors each and every day if we weren’t 100% confident in our abilities to help every person we meet. I know our methods work. I will put our methods up against a few prescription-happy doctors ANYDAY. We have helped 1000s of people lose tons and tons of weight, strengthen their mental health, improve their everyday lives, and just, overall, be happier and healthier. Functional fitness works. Balanced nutrition works. Accountability works. Celebration CrossFit… works.

So, I just want to say “thank you” to each and every person that has walked through our doors. Thank you for trusting Celebration CrossFit with your LIFE. That is huge. We hope to never let you down. And, if we do… let us know… we will fix it damnit. Without our clients, our vision would go flat.

2. Our Staff

Back when we first started, soon-to-be, Celebration CrossFit, we trained people in a field. Yes, you read that right… a field. There was no AC, no fancy pull-up/squat rack, turf, etc. We had a small 24 inch junk yard tire stuffed with ziplock baggies filled with sand to make the tire heavier because we couldn’t afford a big 300lb tire. We filled those red gas cans you see in convenient stores with sand and water because we couldn’t afford to buy kettlebells for our clients to do farmers carries or deadlifts. We got free empty kegs from local restaurants and bought duffle bags from military supply stores and filled them with sand and water so our clients could do clean and jerks and shoulder to overhead movements because we couldn’t afford barbells.

These are our humble beginnings. And, yes… they are super basic, and super “janky”, and some might even turn (have turned) their noses up to how we started. But, I wouldn’t change how we’ve done things one bit. We will forever remember our early struggles and our humble/simple beginnings because it is one of the main reasons we are here now… thats in addition to A LOT of hard work and sleepless nights.

For a business to be bulletproof, all areas in the business have to work at 100%. One of those areas is the staff. And, we have one of the best staffs around. They all care a great deal about our clients. The Celebration CrossFit Staff is why our clients are successful, why they see results, and why people trust us with their lives.

Those low overhead costs in the beginning is what led us to employ our awesome staff today. And, the people we employ today, they get to live their perfect day. We sit down with our employees to ENSURE they are still enjoying their jobs. If there are tasks they loathe, we take it away and give it to someone who enjoys that task. If there is something additional they would like to do, we make it happen. We make sure our employees are happy.  If they want time off, they get it. I would rather make sure my staff is taken care of versus having the latest treadmill in the Box… because a happy staff means my customers are going to be happy and continue achieving their goals.

Happy employees = Happy customers

Happy customers = Thriving business

Thriving business = Keeping our doors open (for said customers)

Keeping our doors open = Our staff keeping the positions they have and growing

Our staff keeping the positions they have and growing = Happy Employees….

You see the trend!

So, to our staff. Thank you! I am forever grateful for your dedication to our vision of helping the Central FL community add years to their lives. We love you!

3. Erik

My sweet and hardworking husband, I know you don’t like praise. You actually hate it, and will probably let me know (again) later. But here it goes…

Without your vision 6-ish years ago, we would not be here today. Matt, Jack, Megan, & Keren would not be in our lives. Our clients might not be where they are today. Erik, you are the backbone of this business. You are “it”. People love you, look up to you, respect you, and just flat out SEE you. And, I see you. The past 5 years have been incredibly hard, but 100% worth it. Countless nights of our lights staying on until 2am-3am just to be back at 5am to open the doors. Even more days of putting the client’s health before your own. Your injuries taking a backseat to ensure you clients KNOW how to squat, deadlift, and snatch. Emails before sleep. Client meetings before dinner dates. The list goes on and on and on.

You put yourself behind all of those things. You were selfless so clients could be successful in fitness and in health. You are selfless so our employees can have a happy and healthy work/life balance. You did all of those things to get where we are now. 5 years in, and you can finally breathe a little. I’m not one to think people “deserve” things they don’t work for. But, you’ve worked for this. And, you deserve to breathe.

Riches don’t buy happiness, fancy equipment doesn’t buy the clients you actually want, and money doesn’t buy long-term employees. Dedication and hard work buys happiness. Dedication and hard work gets clients in our facility that will actually take their health seriously. And, dedication and hard work to possess a caring heart keeps employees. YOUR dedication and hard work is what has made Celebration CrossFit what it is today. A place that changes, and will continue to change, the lives of our clients for many years. A “safe place” for so many clients. And, a “happy place” for all.

Cheers to your vision, cheers to our clients, cheers to our employees, and cheers to us. 5 years is a huge milestone.

Here’s to 5 more, and 5 more after that.

With Love & Thanks, to EVERYONE,

– Kaycie Lipetz

Co-Owner & COO

Celebration CrossFit