Seven Reflections On Seven Years In Business

May 5th is CONNECT's seventh birthday. Seven years of ups, downs, and the occasional full spiral. Seven years of growth. Seven years of big decisions. Seven years working every day to build the business of our dreams to support the community we love.

It's hard to find a way to summarize all of the important things we've learned into a single list, but we did our best with these reflections, and we're so grateful to all of you who have joined us on this journey over the last seven years. There are lessons, there are idiosyncracies, and there are unexpected challenges, but here are the seven reflections we had after seven years of CONNECT.

Sticking To The Vision Was REALLY Important

One of the most challenging things we've done over the last seven years has been making choices based on our mission and vision without knowing, with any degree of certainty, what the outcome will be. It was giving over trust in the core "why" of what CONNECT stood for, even when that wasn't the easiest path to take. When all the chips are down, we go all-in on our values, and we hope it works out.

Our mission has always been to create generational health in our community, while creating a workplace where our team can have the sustainable, exciting careers that they dreamed of when they joined the healthcare profession, and we're excited to grow that vision every year.

Hiring Was Harder Than We Thought

Not just because it's hard to hire healthcare providers, but because building the RIGHT team is more important to us than building a big team. At this point in our journey, we've turned down more people than we've hired, which might sound like a problem, given that we're currently running waitlists for all of our services, but we've always wanted to maintain the small-team cohesive feel more than we want to boost the bottom line.

In the same way that Owen Sound is a city, but it feels like a small town because of the close social networks that exist within it, we’re willing to wait for the people that complete our network without the team feeling overwhelmingly large. Each addition to our team is intentional, filling a need both from a clinical perspective and personality perspective. We’re adding people who keep us balanced, engaged, connected, and ultimately finding people who want to live by the values we hold so closely. This hasn’t been the easiest thing we’ve ever done. In fact, it’s tested our values and made for some really challenging denials, but we believe it’s going to be the best thing for the longevity of our team.

Our Community Needed Us

We're watching as grandparents reclaim their energy and vitality, outstripping the pace they'd set for themselves in decades prior. We're watching moms get stronger and more active during and after pregnancy, shaping their family for years to come. We're watching adults start activities they didn't think were possible before they walked through our doors.

We're creating generational health change in real time, every day, by getting people stronger, getting them moving and showing them that anything is possible.

There's Always Room To Grow And Improve

Over the last seven years, we've tried new things, both in business and as rehab professionals, and we've dedicated ourselves to the pursuit of better. We love learning new things, translating them into practice, and helping our clinicians grow using the knowledge we've gained. We're always honing new skills, coming up with new solutions to old problems, and pushing the envelope of what we can accomplish in this setting.

We Didn't Know A Thing About Design, But It Worked Out

When you first walk into CONNECT, the hallway that leads to the gym is extremely wide. Wider than we thought it would be, but it leaves the sightline open to all the amazing things that happen in our gym space. Whether there's a group of moms and babies, or our Barbells4Bones classes, you get to witness all of that as soon as you walk in the door. We didn't plan it that way, but it worked out incredibly.

You Can Always Tell Who Gets Here First Based On The Music

Something broody and acoustic? It was probably Amanda. Alternative music from the 2000s and 2010s? Definitely Steph (or Bon Jovi). Country? Probably Cody. If it's a 90's revival playlist or one called Keg Stand, it's almost definitely Dana's, or leftover from her class the night before.

Regardless of the music, it's important to us because it sets the tone. It switches up day after day, it brings the energy, and it doesn't feel bland or stuffy the way that listening to the same radio station on repeat for years does. Next time you're in, see what we've got playing and see if you can figure out which one of us got to the playlist first that morning!

The Best Is Yet To Come

We are in a very, very different place than we thought we would be seven years ago when we started CONNECT, and while it's amazing to see how far we've come, it's exciting to know that the best is yet to come.

Expanding our programming to better serve our community, adding incredible clinicians to our team, refining our skills and our client roadmap to ensure everyone is getting the exceptional outcomes they deserve, and teaching all of our new clinicians how to be the best version of themselves.

We're so excited to see how much will change in the next seven years, and we're so grateful to all of you that have been with us from the start, or joined us along the way. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

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Clare Donaldson is a Registered Physiotherapist, mom, barbell enthusiast, poor but passionate hockey player, and genuine lover of all things physiotherapy. She is especially interested in keeping moms of all ages strong and healthy throughout their lives. When she's not at CONNECT, you can find Clare hiking with her dog, Moose, or spending time with her young family. To find Clare at CONNECT, click here