Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgan Kuchynka. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Morgan , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

Our customers are the reason that I have been able to follow and share my passion with the community. We have done a variety of different things throughout the years to show our appreciation. In addition to customer appreciation week, we have also given random gifts to those that are the most invested in our business as well as to those that pump us up on social media regularly. In 2023, we are launching a members-only lecture series featuring topics important to parents such as nutrition and developmental milestones.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started gymnastics after a “bring a friend to class” session in the first grade. I fell in love with the sport and began competitive team the next year. Throughout the next 9 years, I learned a variety of new skills as well as life lessons. After going through a coaching change in high school, I never found a new home and quit training. About three months later, I was offered a position at a local recreation center teaching preschool classes. I immediately fell in love with coaching. I continued to coach through college and even started a mini-gymnastics team at the rec center. I went to college and changed my major almost every semester trying to find something that was as fulfilling as coaching. After taking the LSAT with the intention of going to law school, my parents sat down with me to discuss my true passion. They encouraged me to reach out to banks and secure a small business loan. After visiting over 10 institutions, I finally found a bank that was willing to take a chance on me!

Owning Pinnacle Gymnastics is more amazing than I ever could have imagined. In the beginning, I just wanted to do things differently than others in my industry. I wanted to put kids first and teach the life lessons that doing gymnastics can offer. It has always been less about gymnastics and more about the relationships we are able to develop with our athletes.

Now, having celebrated our 17th anniversary, Pinnacle has become a leader in the industry. Not just because of the success of our competitive teams, but because of the character development we believe in, our positive coaching philosophy, and our educational gymnastics program that develops the mind and body for our young students.

We are always a work in progress. We never believe that our work is finished or that we are the best at anything, but we do strive to continuously improve and always put children first.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The COVID-19 pandemic was an extremely trying time for our business. We were shut down from operations for 10 weeks and very slowly re-opened after that point. From the beginning, even before the PPP was announced, we knew that we had to take care of our people. We never missed a payroll for any of our employees – part time or full time. We continued to pay benefits and help our people throughout the entire closure. When we were able to re-open, we had to completely restructure our program. Class sizes, social distancing, start times, cash flow were just a few of the challenges facing our business. The Pinnacle Gymnastics leadership team was amazing. Together, we put together plans to help us re-open safely. We recruited the help of local experts to make decisions for our program that would be safe for the community and put in protocol to make sure we were doing our part. We also had many amazing customers that offered to continue paying tuition during our shutdown, which really helped us make ends meet.

As 2020 came to a close, our business was still struggling, but beginning to breathe a little easier as restrictions were being lifted and customers were returning to the new normal. In 2021, our business grew back to full force, and in 2022, we saw a record high customer base.

I am so grateful for everyone that played a part in Pinnacle’s comeback. From our staff, to our customers, and of course, my family, that always had my back.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As Pinnacle grew, so did the responsibilities as an owner. In order to be responsive to the business’ needs, Pinnacle needed to move into a new facility. In 2017, we made the terrifying decision to purchase land and build from the ground up. It was at that time that I knew that I had to learn to delegate or I would not be able to help my business reach its growth goals. I began with the small things. I hired a small business accountant to put in my credit card expenses and tuition splits each month. I remember meeting with her and having a long list of notes and how-tos prepared. When we finished, she simply said, “Yes, I can do all of that”. Then, she actually followed through. It was one of the best investments I ever made – both financially and time based. It also gave me the confidence that there were other people out there that could not only do what I do, but likely do it better or more efficiently. While I can’t delegate everything on my list, I did learn that delegating task based work is extremely important to be able to dedicate the time and energy needed to run my business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @pinngym
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinnacleGymnastics
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-kuchynka-7927138/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pinngym
• Youtube: @pinngymkc

Image Credits
Natalie Carver Pixel Perfect Photography