Meet Cole Crawford | Owner, Carbon Strength & Conditioning

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cole Crawford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cole, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In January 2023, I left my tech job after seven years. I had been feeling stuck for a while and realized I had a choice: keep complaining about my job or do something to change it. I put in a month’s notice not knowing what exactly was next.

I’ve been passionate about health and fitness for 20 years, and my wife Lainey was going to a CrossFit gym nearby. I reached out to the owner to get his perspective on working in the fitness industry. Fortunately, in that conversation he offered the opportunity to coach on Saturday’s. I dove into learning the ropes and quickly found I enjoyed coaching and could see myself working in the fitness industry.

In June 2023, a friend sent me a podcast where the guest asked, “What would you do if you knew you were going to fail?” That question struck a chord with me, unlike the more common “What would you do if you couldn’t fail?” Suddenly, it became clear: I wanted to open my own gym.

I began business planning and doing financial projections to ensure gym ownership was a viable option. From my own experience of working out at different CrossFit gyms and from coaching I saw there was an opportunity in the market to build a gym focused on weight training without the complexity of CrossFit – a gym that offered the same results without the burnout or injuries. From this Carbon Strength & Conditioning was born. Carbon is a strength and conditioning gym providing progressive weight training & challenging (but safe) conditioning in a fun and engaging group environment. We help you Build Muscle. Get Stronger. Feel Better.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Carbon Strength & Conditioning is focused on resistance training, improving cardiovascular fitness, and promoting longevity in a fun and engaging group environment. Our hour-long coach led classes combine targeted warm-ups, resistance training, and aerobic conditioning to improve physical and mental health. We provide challenging workouts to maximize the work done by your muscles, heart, and lungs while keeping joints and tendons healthy. You’ll build muscle, improve strength & cardio, and will feel better outside of the gym. We believe that weight training and conditioning are effective tools to lead people to health beyond just the gym. In a fitness world that has become overly complex, we stay committed to what works best for the most people: balanced weight training with progressive overload. We value the individual and make modifications to workouts as needed to keep folks moving regardless of their current fitness level. Additionally, when people are working through injuries we are very aware of pulling in movements that will help them move out of pain and feel better in the long run. We aren’t a quick fix gym. We are dedicated to making slow, consistent progress over time.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friends are very active so if they were going to visit us in Highlands Ranch here’s what I would plan:

Day 1:
-Breakfast: Original Pancake House in Greenwood Village
-Mountain bike in the Backcountry Wilderness Area in Highlands Ranch
-Lunch: Postino in Highlands Ranch
-Afternoon: hike at Roxbourough state park
-Dinner: Smoke & Finns

Day 2:
– Breakfast: Grab coffee and breakfast pastries at Lost Coffee
– Day Trip: Drive out to Chatfield State Park for a day of kayaking and paddleboarding
– Lunch: Pack lunch to eat at Chatfield
– Afternoon: Bring my dog to Chatfield dog park
– Dinner: Torchies Taco

Day 3:
– Start with a slow morning enjoying breakfast and coffee on the back deck
– Bike Waterton Canyon
– Lunch: Burgers at Cherry Cricket
– Afternoon: Hang out at one of the rec center pools
– Dinner: Highlands Indian

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife, Lainey, has been behind me every step of the way and I couldn’t have done this without her support & help.

Leaving a high paying job to take a risk and start a small business has taken massive sacrifice and has changed every aspect of life.I took 80% of our life savings and invested that into the business. Monday through Friday I start work at 5am and wrap up around 7pm with a couple breaks in the middle of the day. I’m much more tired outside of work than I used to be because of the amount of energy it takes to build a business. We don’t have the flexibility to travel like we used to – we didn’t leave Denver for seven months. I’m not saying any of these things to complain – it’s just the challenging reality of starting a business.

If I didn’t have Lainey in my corner this process would have been much harder.

Website: https://carbonstrength.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carbonstrength/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-crawford/