Business Spotlight: Fostering Friendships and Strength at Kahnawake CrossFit
September 20, 2024
Kahnawake CrossFit is an inclusive fitness atmosphere that has given hardcore lifters – and those who are a little less hardcore – a place they can call a “home away from home”. Kahnawake CrossFit opened its doors in 2016, John Diabo is the manager and head coach at the gym and has been in the fitness industry for a long time learning the ins and outs of it all since the age of 15. When asked about opening a CrossFit gym specifically, Diabo said ‘It’s about the feeling it gives, the inclusivity, the support, and mainly the community. We’re all here together building friendships and muscles at the same time. The business side of things, it is a great business model and helps with the ease of running classes with their programming.’
It is safe to say that without Diabo’s passion and tireless work over the years, to build the brand, Kahnawake CrossFit would not be what it is today. The work doesn’t just start and end in the gym, “I have spent most of my time learning business and CrossFit itself. As an athlete trying to promote the competitive side myself, and always looking for ways to grow the business, there’s always more and something better you can do. I love what I do, but how can we get more people, how can we make it better?” explained Diabo. There’s an impression that the gym can be intimidating for those looking to start out, when people walk into a CrossFit gym, they think it’s heavy weight, bulky muscles or they are getting “just a workout,” but then realize they end up with so much more which extends beyond the walls of the gym. Classes here are workouts that are high-intensity sessions of functional movements, designed to improve your physical fitness through varied and challenging routines which are scalable to your needs. There are different classes for everyone: Open classes, 60+ classes, Teen classes, Women-Lite classes, Olympic lifting classes, Beginner’s classes, Saturday Sunrise, and Sunday Start-Up.
“Kahnawake CrossFit has been so rewarding. The physical place itself, the people that come to better themselves every day, whether it’s to release stress or to enjoy themselves. Business wise, we’ve greatly profited and continue to evolve. It’s just amazing to see how far the gym has come since opening.” Replied, Diabo. The greatest validation received, was in September 2023, when Diabo became one of seven winners of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec’s First Peoples medal which recognizes their dedication, commitment, and achievements by members of First Nations and the Inuit Nation. “It was completely unexpected, but I felt so much pride and honored for all my hard work at Kahnawake CrossFit.” Said Diabo.
When asked about the future of Kahnawake CrossFit, John stated “It’s refreshing to see the changes happening within the gym, and I’m excited with what’s to come for the gym. Letting the business flow, and for me to maybe slowly start to step away and do less classes, and more 1:1 private classes. I’ve obtained a business loan from Tewatohnhi’saktha that helped us build an expansion at the gym, I’ve used their marketing fund to help alleviate costs for a promotion video of the gym with Grayscale Advertising Solutions. I absolutely encourage and recommend all businesses in the community to take advantage of the services and take what you can get, that’s what they’re there for. Shoutout to my Business Services Officer, Daryl Leclaire, I’ve been working with him over the years and he’s very helpful and knowledgeable. I absolutely recommend Tewatohnhi’saktha.”
Kahnawake CrossFit is located on 15 River Road in Kahnawà:ke and can be found on Facebook (Kahnawake CrossFit).
For more information about the Marketing Fund, please contact a Business Services Officer at (450) 638-4280.
