The "Corporate Culture" of The Aasgaard Company | Mark Rippetoe

[BenK]

What is the difference between the new Starting Strength franchise gyms and gyms that currently are affiliated with Starting Strength, such as the Woodmere Fitness Club?

[Jburke]

Great manifesto!

[Mark Rippetoe]

What is the difference between the new Starting Strength franchise gyms and gyms that currently are affiliated with Starting Strength, such as the Woodmere Fitness Club?

Starting Strength Affiliated Gyms are existing gyms that have applied to be affiliated with our system. They are owned and operated by the SSC as the coach sees fit. The Starting Strength Gyms are franchise operations, and as such every aspect of their location, operations, appearance, and marketing equipment is controlled by the franchise company. Major article about this tomorrow.

[TommyGun]

A handful of people work here in The Falls with us, and we all approach our work as “artisans”: we do it for the satisfaction of the task, and absolutely nothing here is done merely for the money.
I thought of Aasgard today when I reread this from Skin in the Gane by my man Nassim Taleb:

“Artisans have their soul in the game. Primo, artisans do things for existential reasons first, financial and commercial ones later, Their decision making is never fully financial, but it remains financial. Seconds, they have some type of “art” in their profession; they stay way from most aspects of industrialization; they combine art and business. Tertio, they put some soul in their work: they would not sell anything defective or even of compromised quality because it hurts their pride. Finally, they have sacred taboos, things they would not do even if markedly increased profitability.”