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It has been almost 2 years now since I launched KemmeFitness.com. The wrote about the original history here. At first, I had really only one goal for the website:  get a book published. I wanted so badly to have my name in print, even before I really refined what it was I should tell people in the actual text of the book.  Just because I had some ideas on Functional Fitness, did not necessarily mean my book idea was a good one.

Therefore I created Kemme Fitness at the suggestion of Jason Robillard, who had successfully written and self-published (very, very, very frick’n successfully) the Barefoot Running Book. His second edition sold over 25,000 copies and his third edition is going to be out soon (awesome photos of yours truly inside) and will be translated into several different languages. Go Jason!

Jason, however, warned me early on to avoid trying to scheme and find ways to nickle and dime folks and make money off of them. It was hard…so hard. To date, though, I have not put any ads on my site, except for the links like to GymBoss, but the timer simply rocks and you all should have one!

What I did do originally, was to provide all the chapters of that first book (no longer available – long story) for free, but then I sold copies off the website in pdf, as well as for the Nook and Kindle. I thought I was going places with the meager ebook sales. I strayed from heeding the warnings and it brought me down a path to problems (another long story). That is when I went back to my values. What exactly am I doing here?  This is not my day job. I am not going to sell my house and travel across the country like Jason and his family. I removed the crappy book I had for sale, which was not written well anyways, and I focused on targeting those that wanted my help and enjoyed the free resources here on Kemme Fitness.

This path of sharing, giving, and fighting hard against hording, taking, and making a quick buck is something that is universal. This path is what I had always been taught that my God wants me to take. This path is not always the fun and easy path, but we all know that. We all learned how to share in kindergarten. However, I truly tell you, this path has been more rewarding – by far – than the quest for extra cash. I might not be making money really (except for my new bootcamps, but that money is being re-invested into equipment anyways). I might not be able to quit my day job. But the joy and peace I receive by reading the comments and emails, and coaching and sharing with people at work and church, has been the greatest return on investment I could imagine.

So for all you bloggers and hobbyists in disguise as owners of LLCs, heed our warnings. If this is not your livelihood (and maybe if it is), you need to remember to share and give without always taking and scheming. You never know how things come around, and you can’t predict what rewards you will actually truly value.