The Beginning
Ill start with how I got involved with Knockout and that would be Ted. He was the original owner and I was working for his Marine Construction Company back then. He eventually got wind that I was an active MMA athlete and I also had a personal training cert for side work. He convinced me to come up and try is gym out, and Ill never forget the first night I stepped in. The place was packed. I was kind of shocked that there was so many people but at the time he had a judo/jiujitsu program in addition to his boxing and cardio classes. I came to the jiu jitsu class and there were probably 25 people there. They were broken up into groups of 4-5 and there was 4 groups. Now, I'm not saying I'm the worlds greatest athlete but I was talented on the ground and I showed up in a white t-shirt and gym shorts and didn't let on anything to anyone (apart from Ted) that I had any background or was even an active fighter. I remember sitting on the mat with this group of people that had no idea what was about to happen to them. The instructor, this guy David, had a 4 min round timer going and each person would go with another in the group. These poor souls had no idea what happened to them. Within the first minute I had submitted this guy so many times, that at one point he yelled out for someone to help him. I wasn't hurting the guy, or anyone for that matter, as I was controlled but by the time, I was done with him, no one in that group was going to "roll" with me. David had been watching, as was Ted (who was cracking up) watching this from off the mat with his telltale coffee in hand. David moved me to another group, presumably one that was "better". They were not better, or at least I didn't notice as it was a repeat of the first group. This went on until David moved me to the final group with his "Best "student, a guy named Zach (who plays a role later on in this whole story). Zach gets in front of me, with his rash-guard on and his MMA shorts and he asks me, "do you have much experience", to which my response was, "a little". He then tells me that he's going to take it easy on me...."ok" I said.
The next 4 minutes was probably the most humbling time in Zachs life up to that point. He was submitted 4 times within the first minute and it didn't improve from there, as the harder he went and the more he tried, the more errors and opportunities for me were presented. At the conclusion of the round, Zach called me a "fucking lying piece of shit", and I know I had some fun with him but I couldn't help it. He was asking for it. The coach, David, having seen his prized student get romplestomped into the mat, politely declined my offer to roll as class was almost over. He never rolled with me.
That was all that Ted needed to see. He moved me over from his Construction company and I started commuting 45 mins to the gym in Delaware. I also took a big pay cut, taking in only $250-300 bi weekly. But I was finishing up my 2 year Business management degree from Cecil College and I had zero expenses so I said fuck it, I'm getting paid to do something I like doing. Training and Coaching and I was ok with that.
Over the next year or so, I helped bring the business out of the dark ages and into the 21st century. I created a social media presence, established a google AdWords campaign and did away with the previous advertising method of putting post cards on peoples cars in parking lots. I eventually uncovered the theft that was happening with his employees Nolan, John and even Coach David. The business was still losing vast amounts of money and Ted, who wasn't on site as much as I, didn't see it. I told him that, after watching John more closely, that he would be keeping cash paid by clientele (john was actually managing the gym so naturally I wasn't questioning what he was doing because, Afterall, why would someone steal??). David, would log his hours as one thing, but would go back to his house and just hang out while not doing anything at all, and Nolan actually left right when he saw what I was doing, which we later found out he was processing people he would sign up, under a different merchant account that would deposit directly into his own fake business account.
It was a mess, all these people in the gym and Ted still was losing money. Once we figured out how they were robbing him, the business was immediately in the black but not by much however Teds mood was greatly improved. I was still only making around $450/bi weekly but the gym was progressing in the right direction. Then the first move came from where we were (Mckennan's church road) to the bigger spot on Kirkwood highway that now owned and occupied by Ferris Construction. Back then it was owned by someone that lived in Florida. Anyways Ted came to me and said, point blank, "Jon, are you in or are you out? If you are in, then I will move this gym but if you plan on leaving, Ill help you get a job down at APG and Ill shut this down and move on". I stood there, I had graduated at that point and didn't plan on going back for a Bachelors. I had my out, right there.....I could just walk away and hopefully get a higher paying job elsewhere.
I thought, my whole life up to this point, I've just bounced from one job to the next and nothing ever really clicked. But now, I'm here doing something I like doing I love. Sure I'm making shit money, but...I personally believed I could expand the business. So I said I was in. I didn't sign anything, I just said yes I'm in lets do this. Ted trusted me so we moved the space to the new spot down on Kirkwood highway, where the Ferris Contruction and Pike Creek Mortage businesses are located....
Next week Ill start in on the renaissance of Knockout under my management
