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How Focus Sparked the Growth of this Fitness Racing Brand
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In business, everyone has an opinion. It can be easy for founders to get swayed by the latest trends, customer chatter, or investor pressure. However, for Christian Toetzke, founder and CEO of the global fitness racing craze HYROX, staying true to his original vision has been key to the company’s explosive growth.
“You have to be very convinced about your product and the DNA of a product. And you have to stick to the game plan,” he says.
Toetzke appears this week on an episode of One Day with Jon Bier to talk about the power of persistence, the importance of retaining company equity, and other lessons he’s learned since launching his brand in 2017.
Staying the course
By any metrics, HYROX is a success. Competitors run 1 km during the races, followed by one functional workout station, repeated eight times. In 2024, 260,000 people are expected to participate in 60 global events in 65 countries. Sponsors include Red Bull, Puma and Centr.
Still, Toetzke says he’s frequently asked to tinker with the formula.
“In the last five years, I don’t know how many people told me what we have to do.”
The number one request he gets is to change the workouts, which are always the same and include the farmer’s carry, rowing, SkiErg, wall balls, burpee broad jumps, sandbag lunges, and sled push and pull. But Toetzke says he’s studied the most successful sports in the world—marathons, triathlons, golf, tennis, Olympic sports—and notes they never change the fundamental rules of the competition.
Sports are “built around principles and rules and history and heritage,” he says.
Moreover, constantly changing the competition makes it impossible to compare the results of past competitors.
“In traditional sports, you have world records, and that’s one of the strongest marking tools in the world of sports,” he says. “If someone breaks a world record in a hundred-meter run, he’s immediately a global superstar.”
Related: How One Company Transformed a Medical Device into a Mass Market Phenomenon
Being reliable
By maintaining consistency, Toetzke has built a strong brand identity for HYROX. He wants to make it the “marathon of fitness” — a gold standard event that remains consistent across locations.
He admits they still have work to do on this front. As HYROX expands globally, he personally attends events worldwide to ensure they meet brand standards. “I see one million things they did differently in Melbourne and Mexico City. And that’s what we have to change.”
He wants HYROX to be a consistent, reliable experience for participants worldwide.
“To control the brand that is exploding globally, everyone has to follow the same game plan. Everyone has to follow the brand DNA. That’s a difficult task and not easy to do because with more and more people involved, everyone has own ideas how to do it.”
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Innovating with constraints
This is not to say that HYROX isn’t in favor of innovation. Toetzke says that HYROX continually tries to evolve and improve without changing the fundamentals of the sport.
He uses the iPhone as an example. Since its inception, there have been 42 different models with different features, but the basic look has remained the same.
In that regard, Hyrox has made significant innovations in its technology, as well as practical innovations with its equipment. Recently, they introduced sensors so that counting during the wall ball competition is done digitally, taking the onus off the judges. Through their partnership with Centr, the Official Equipment Partner of HYROX, the competition kettlebells are now designed with a unique ‘octo’ shape to allow for better weight distribution and handling during the farmer’s carry.
Taking financial risk
In an era where many startups rush to secure venture capital, often at the cost of significant ownership dilution, Toetzke calls for a more measured approach.
“My biggest advice is if you really believe in your product, try to keep as many shares as possible as long as you can,” he says. “Don’t take the quick money; take the risk.”
He warns against being the “guy who drives the whole business, who’s running all the operations, while the investors are making all the money but do nothing for the business.”
Related: How to Fund Your Business With Venture Capital
Fostering community
Another factor in HYROX’s success has been its ability to build a strong, engaged community around the brand. Toetzke says that 60 to 80 percent of the HYROX community view fitness as integral to their social life.
“You’re not just going to a gym. It’s your group of people. It’s your community, and that is now happening in every gym around the world.”
Toetzke envisions gyms becoming modern-day clubhouses, similar to golf clubs, where members form strong social bonds.
You go together to a HYROX event where you compete together, and you represent your gym,” he says. “Suddenly it’s emotional, suddenly it’s become a community.”
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One $40 Payment Can Get You Lifetime Access to Microsoft Office Professional 2021
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
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One of the biggest advantages of this lifetime license is that it allows you to avoid unpredictable subscription renewals. It’s perfect for professionals and entrepreneurs who want to keep their budgeting simple and predictable, with no surprises down the line.
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StackSocial prices subject to change.
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Invest in Yourself with a Lifetime of StackSkills Courses for $29.97
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
As a busy professional, finding time to invest in your education can be challenging. But what if you had lifetime access to an online learning platform that lets you learn whenever and wherever you want? That’s exactly what StackSkills offers—and right now, you can get lifetime access for just $29.97 (reg. $600).
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Best US Cities to Start a Business, Entrepreneurship: Report
What city is best for starting your business? While several factors should play into a decision, a new report from fintech company SumUp has identified the top 10 for entrepreneurship based on tax data, the number of millionaires in the city, and even Google searches.
New York topped the list because of the opportunities it offers across industries, from tech to fashion, and its 4% sales tax, which was the lowest of the group. New Yorkers also frequently Google “how to get rich” and “how to make it in business,” the study found. The city also offers access to over 30 WeWork coworking locations, the most of all the cities in the report, which theoretically could help startup employees collaborate.
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Chicago came in at No. 2, with SumUp researchers highlighting its 120,500 millionaires and high interest in entrepreneurship through tracked Google searches. They also found that Chicago stood out for finance startups.
Rounding out the top three was Miami, “where the weather is warm and taxes are low,” according to the study. Travel, tourism, and commerce startups thrive in this city, which has 0% personal income and capital gains tax.
Related: These Are the Top 15 Jobs With the Highest Entry-Level Pay
Here’s a complete list of the top ten cities for entrepreneurship, according to the report.
1. New York
Number of millionaires: 349,500
Personal income tax – highest income: 10.90%
Sales tax: 4.00%
2. Chicago
Number of millionaires: 120,500
Personal income tax – highest income: 4.95%
Sales tax: 6.25%
3. Miami
Number of millionaires: 35,300
Personal income tax – highest income: 0.00%
Sales tax: 6.00%
4. Los Angeles
Number of millionaires: 212,100
Personal income tax – highest income: 13.30%
Sales tax: 9.50%
5. Dallas
Number of millionaires: 68,600
Personal income tax – highest income: 0.00%
Sales tax: 6.25%
6. Austin
Number of millionaires: 32,700
Personal income tax – highest income: 0.00%
Sales tax: 6.25%
7. Houston
Number of millionaires: 90,900
Personal income tax – highest income: 0.00%
Sales tax: 6.25%
8. Seattle
Number of millionaires: 54,200
Personal income tax – highest income: 0.00%
Sales tax: 6.50%
9. Washington
Number of millionaires: 28,300
Personal income tax – highest income: 10.75%
Sales tax: 6.00%
10. Boston
Number of millionaires: 42,900
Personal income tax – highest income: 9.00%
Sales tax: 6.25%
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