First off…excuse the journalistic style writing.

I want to be as open and transparent to the people I care about the most: my family, my IR team, my IR family (clients), and my community.

The Past

So many emotions.

Sadness. Excitement. Deep love. Loneliness. Anxiety. Pride. Triumph. Hope. Victory. Insanity.

I am mainly hopeful and proud, but all the other emotions surface here and there, from time to time.

Have you ever had to let something or someone go that you cared about deeply?

I feel like I am leaving my 12 year-old-child, and the only solace, is that I am leaving her in the more than capable hands of Harrel Carman (if you haven’t already read it, go and read this article before you read any further: Still in Great Hands).

When I started Innovative Results in August of 2005, I had epic visions of success, an incredible facility, helping hundreds of people get strong, build strength in mind and body, lose weight, and feel better than they have their whole life; yet the reality is that I was only training a handful of people privately in an apartment studio gym.

There were so many naysayers, that I couldn’t have counted them if I tried.

I did not quit.

I stayed focused.

I worked my butt off.

Some weeks I would put in more than 120 hours per week to make my dreams and visions a reality.

Building Innovative Results from nothing to where it is today, was and is the hardest thing I have ever done, and that includes kettlebell sport, combat, Marine Corps training, several Commando Courses, marriage, and raising kids…now don’t get me wrong, each one of those things have been more intense at times, and demanded all of me in more than one occasion.

I am also quite certain marriage and raising kids will prove to be harder and more rewarding in the long run. I just haven’t been married or raised kids for 12 years in a row–yet.

During Innovative Results creation, growth, and development, I have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows.

I have had relationships blossom and turn into family-like bonds that will never break.

I have also had relationships that I thought would never break, become broken, bringing tumultuous times and deep sadness.

I have had the opportunity to help thousands of people improve their quality of life, in every area of their life.

To me this is the greatest honor a person can bestow on another person–the opportunity to speak and act in their life to help them improve their physical, mental, and even spiritual being.

This honor and opportunity is what I hold most dear to my heart, and it is why I started Innovative Results in the first place.

It has been so awesome to see Innovative Results team, clients, friends, family, and community uphold this as our highest purpose and greatest passion.

I have become a part of something greater than me, and frankly, that is not what I bargained for in my visions of grandeur in the beginning.

In the beginning helping people was more about ego, fame, recognition, and authority…now it is more about, how I can lead, motivate, guide, coach, and pave the way for a legacy of improved quality of life, in every area of people’s lives, and in more people’s lives around Orange County.

That is why I have struggled over the last three and a half years with what would become of Innovative Results, when my wife and I decided we needed to move up to NorCal (specifically Auburn, Forest Hill, Cool area) to be closer to our family as they age and need our help by June of 2018. (My wife knows I need a target, otherwise it will never happen)

I did not want to let go of Innovative Results, especially after fighting so hard to bring it to where it is today.

There were moments where I wanted to quit.

There were moments where I handed off Innovative Results to others.

There were moments where Innovative Results almost went under.

In the end, I held on, and pushed, pulled, worked, fought, and kept moving forward.

The Sale

The gym (ahem) Fitness Playground, is finally where it should be: no more debt, massive playground, affiliated with top educators, the best coaches in Orange County, very effective programming, and an all-around fun place to be with your friends and family…why would I give that up?

Trust me, if it were up to my ego and pride, I would keep Innovative Results, move up North, and have a competent manager send me a monthly profit check…but is that really the best situation for the team, clients, and community?

I negotiated with a few other people, and I figured this would be the route I would have to take, because nobody cared about Innovative Results purpose (improving quality of life), team, and clients…they ONLY cared about the profit.

And yes, there is profit, but if Innovative Results lost its purpose, I would much rather shut the doors, and point people to someone who cared.

In December of 2016, that person came walking through the upstairs office door, and had every quality I would have imagined to ensure Innovative Results legacy and purpose would live on…that person was Harrel Carman. He is a friend of mine for over ten years, and a client of Innovative Results since late 2009, early 2010.

He has seen the ups and downs. He knows the purpose, team, clients, and community. He wanted to continue to build, grow, develop, and nurture Innovative Results, so that it could help more people improve their quality of life in every area of their life.

I joke about this all the time, but I really feel like I found a Unicorn, or rather a Unicorn came and fed out of my hand.

After negotiating for 4 months, we came to the greatest win-win-win-win I have ever heard of in my life.

Part of these wins, will entail me helping Harrel, the team, the clients, and the community transition to our new ownership.

The Future

I will be sticking around for the next 14 months, and I would love to have a conversation with you about anything that is on your heart and mind during this time.

After the 14 months, my wife and I will move to Northern California to a house in the hills 20 minutes from town, and 40 minutes from our family.

I will work remotely with Onnit Academy and Equinox as an educator of coaches and trainers looking to level-up their understanding with regard to Battle Ropes, Metabolic Pathways, Leadership, and Coaching. I will fly around the country and the World teaching what I love, and continuing to share my passion and purpose.

I will also be scheduling a few speaking engagements and consulting jobs where I help companies and universities build leaders of leaders.

I will serve the rest of my eight years with the Marine Corps reserve in whatever capacity they have for me, currently it is as a Operations Chief with a Combat Instructor unit down in School of Infantry-West, Camp Pendleton.

Mainly, I will take a venture even more deeply into intentional leadership as a follower of Christ, a serving husband, and a loving father.

 

Innovative Results is going to have a HUGE re-opening party May 13th, and you are all invited! Harrel and I would love to share more with you this day, and also have a blast of a time! Click the link or the picture to the left.

I will also be having a going away party in 2018 that you will be invited to.

Thank you so much for letting me share some of my story with you, and feel free to call, text, email me anytime with any questions.

Look forward to a video series that Harrel and I are doing to talk more about the inner-workings of Innovative Results and Harrel’s take on all of it.