CrossFit Myrsky (=Storm) is a recently opened CrossFit box in Malmi, Northern Helsinki. In the second floor of a car repair shop opens a spacious and new rough CrossFit gym.

The founders of CrossFit Myrsky, Samuli Kallio and Ulla Keijama, come from very different backgrounds. Kallio is 24-year-old sports student whereas Keijama is a 46-year-old former engineer. They met the first time a few years ago at CrossFit Vantaa, where Kallio was coaching and Keijama was introduced to CrossFit.

Before CrossFit, their approach to training differed quite a lot as well. Kallio has played football, skied, and done basic gym training. Keijama, on the other hand, has always exercised for her own joy by jogging, skiing, roller skating and so on. She also tried several different group exercise classes before finding Cross Training, which later lead to starting CrossFit.

However, the combination seems to work.

The first own company

CrossFit Myrsky is the first company for both of the founders. The initial idea for establishing a CrossFit box came from Keijama, or actually, her husband:

“I had thought that I should work on physical education and motion for years, since I was in my twenties. I made a wrong career choice and should have changed the industry already back then, but for some reason, I didn’t. Past few years the idea started to mature, and I knew that it is now or never if I’m ever going to do it. Last summer my husband saw that a local box was for sale and asked first as a joke, why I wouldn’t buy it. However, we couldn’t find an agreement with the current owners, so we decided it is better to found our own box together with Samuli.”

It takes time to get familiar with all the bureaucracy that comes with the entrepreneurship. Luckily the help from entrepreneur friends and the CrossFit community has eased Keijama’s and Kallio’s first steps as entrepreneurs.

“We are truly blown by the beauty of the CrossFit community. The other affiliate owners have given tips and advice without asking. Even though we are competitors at some stage, the box owners don't think it that way. We are all in this boat together, and our shared aim is to strengthen the CrossFit culture. Moreover, I have a few entrepreneur friends to whom I have made hundreds of phone calls and asked stupid questions.”

There are a lot of things you need to consider when it comes to the space of a CrossFit box. It requires certain height and shape, preferably ready social spaces, and of course, the price has to be reasonable. Kallio and Keijama got to experience that suitable spaces won’t be found around every corner.

“We searched the right space for a long time. We lost couple potential spaces in the last moment, but with hindsight, I can say that we weren’t ready by the time. For instance, we were looking for spaces already before we had established a company.”, tells Kallio.

The long lasting uncertainty around the space caused stress for the founders, but once it got solved, things got easier. Sleepless nights are part of starting a company, but the support of one another and passion towards CrossFit are the factors that have made the workload of entrepreneurship much easier.

From a plan to a box

A great idea alone won’t bring you success as an entrepreneur. A detailed plan, as well as a precise execution, are just as important as the initial idea. Especially, when the business idea is no more novel, the plan and execution are the distinguishing factors between the success and failure.

Ulla Keijama’s says that one of the first priorities is to arrange the funding and estimating the cash flow:

”You need to have a detailed plan for the finances. Wherefrom get the funding and how much you need to sell in order to survive from the bills. We thought, for example, that we would have sold more On-Ramps by now. But that’s a part of running a business - you can only make estimates about the future”

“Another thing is that if you decide to start your own business, you should do it right the first time. We wanted to have a proper space, proper equipment and enough of them because those are the key elements in good customer experience. Customers will remember a bad experience for a long time even if the problem would be fixed. Therefore, you shouldn’t try your luck with an unfinished product, although it would save you some money in the short run.”

The philosophy of coaching

CrossFit Myrsky wants to offer a comprehensive experience for its clients by teaching about nutrition and importance of everyday activity. After all, the goal of training is to increase the performance of human body in everyday life. The coaching philosophy aims to support these goals.

”We want to make diversely powerful and enduring athletes. The basic WODs include strength and high-intensity training, but the whole 60-minute session won’t be stuffed with action. Workouts should be performed according to the day’s condition. Doing one’s best doesn’t always mean maximum effort but training with less intensity and higher quality.”, says Kallio.

Samuli Kallio is the head coach of CrossFit Myrsky and the man behind the programming. In spite of his young age, he already has a long experience in CrossFit, and he is also a familiar face from the major competitions in Finland. According to him, the most important feature for a coach is the personality.

“The way you face people is so important. Without the right personality, you won’t be able to show your knowledge and teach people. Obviously, you need to have a certain level of knowledge and eye to teach the right techniques and correct mistakes.”

To support the coaching, CrossFit Myrsky encourages everyone to track their workouts. Both of the coaches recognize the importance of tracking from their own experience. For instance, Keijama has over 1400 marked workouts on WODconnect.

”It is really important to mark down the results so that you know where you are going and you can challenge yourself in the future. Having comprehensive data about the progress also motivates when you can see that the work has paid off”, says Keijama.

Next steps

After the efforts to get the box up and running, the owners have now more time to focus on developing their business and growing their community. There is no doubt that CrossFit Myrsky wouldn’t have a bright future. Two passionate owners, great facilities for functional training, and

Go and check out CrossFit Myrsky by yourself. It is a beautiful box with a great space and coaches. Ulla and Samuli are happy to welcome Drop-In customers (first time is free of charge)!

WODconnect wishes the best of luck for CrossFit Myrsky!