We recently connected with James Dalton and have shared our conversation below.

James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Deciding to open the gym in the first place was a tremendous risk. The amount of time, hard work, and sacrifice needed to build a small business from scratch is monumental. It can put a tremendous strain on all other parts of your life. Not to mention the fear and doubt that can paralyze most people and stop them before they ever start. My dad, my brother, and I dealt with this while planning to open JD’s Gym. We wondered: What if we fail? What if we lose a lot of money? What if no one supports us and we deeply regret the entire venture? Fortunately, we never allowed these fears to stop our dream of opening a gym. We truly believed in our vision of what we could do with our gym. We were motivated by a strong desire to help people and create something different for Saint Louis, so we embraced the risk, leaned into it, and were determined to conquer any obstacle placed in our way. When you are willing to work very hard and your passion to succeed exceeds your fear of failure, you can achieve your dreams.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

We specialize in strongman, powerlifting, and MMA training, but we are more than just those disciplines. If you were to ask our members and/or people who have visited JD’s Gym, they might say we are a community that strives to make people feel welcome. We are a place that fosters a supportive environment where anyone can push themselves to become a stronger, more fit version of themselves.

I am most proud of the community we have created at the gym, the relationships we have built with our members and the strength community as a whole, and the fact that we (my dad, brother, wife, mom, sisters, children, etc.) were able to do this as a family. I love that the gym is a wonderful extension of my own immediate family and that my own sons are growing up in this environment. As our sign outside reads, JD’s Gym “A Community of Strength.”

There simply is not another gym in Saint Louis like ours. People drive from all over the STL Metro area (some from even as far as an hour away) to train at JD’s Gym. There is nothing fancy or flashy about our place. We are an “old-school” family owned gym that is becoming more and more of a rarity in this world of big-box, cookie cutter commercial gyms. There isn’t anything wrong with these other facilities, but many people crave to be a part of a personal, supportive community like ours. This atmosphere is a big reason why JD’s Gym has been so successful for the last decade.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe there are several reasons. First, we all talk the talk and walk the walk so to speak. My dad, my brother, my wife, my sister, my sons, etc. are all strongman competitors. We all regularly train and compete in strongman, powerlifting, bodybuilding, crossfit, mma, and a variety of other activities. You might be surprised at how many times people might be coaching something that they have never done and aren’t truly passionate about. At JD’s Gym, this simply isn’t the case. We know what is required to compete at a high level, become brutally strong, gain or lose weight, battle back from an injury, etc. because we have all done it. When you are the real deal and absolutely love something, people quickly realize that you are genuine. In addition, we treat people like they were family. Because the gym was built by my family and we all train here, the people who choose to be a part of the gym quickly become like an extended family. We see people as just that, people, not dollar signs or individuals in a target demographic. This is a large part of why we are so highly regarded and have earned the reputation we currently have.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I would have three pieces of advice:

1) You must recognize and utilize everyone’s skill set. Know what your team members do well and allow them to show these skills in a way that helps your business. Not only does this avoid the problem of someone resenting not have their talents put to use, but it helps instill pride and ownership in the project or business. Here at JD’s Gym, the three co-owners (my dad, my brother, and myself) all have different skills that are needed to make the gym successful. None of us have the ability to do everything alone, so we work as partners to divvy up tasks to best fit each one of our strengths.

2) You must value input from your team. Sometimes a boss or team leader falls into the trap of thinking that leadership means only telling people what to do. They might mistakenly believe that asking for input or suggestions is a sign of weakness or lack of control. One person cannot think of everything. If you have a solid team, ask for their input, ideas, etc. Having team members who don’t feel heard or valued is a recipe for disaster and typically won’t work in the long-term.

3) Don’t be afraid to give genuine praise or constructive criticism when deserved. It might sound odd, but some leaders never let people know when they are doing well. You only hear from them when you mess up. Don’t do this. If someone did a great job, let them know. The reverse is true as well. Don’t be afraid to let people know what they need to improve on in a constructive manner. This is what good leaders do and it helps everyone grow and succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jdsgym.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdgym/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDsGymsaintlouis
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JDsGym
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC70zQcUtQUN7cLQobscLkXA