Small Business Gives Thanks to XPO Trainer Push Sled Community

Small Business Armored Fitness Gives Thanks to XPO Trainer Push Sled Community

A few weeks ago, we reminisced about the evolution of our business and the impact Dr. Kelly Starrett had on the launch of the original XPO push sled. Dr. Starrett and his wife Juliet owned San Francisco CrossFit, a legend in the CrossFit community, for 15 years before they were forced to close their doors. The mandatory lockdowns in the San Francisco area were devastating to so many small businesses and the Starretts tried every maneuver possible to stay afloat before they acknowledged the time had come to close that chapter in their life.

During the first three months of the pandemic’s surge in 2020, the Hamilton Report estimates nearly 40% of small businesses closed. Without the capital reserves available to big business, small businesses have suffered the greatest tragedy, second only to the health crisis.

Thankfully businesses that operated solely online or were able to pivot quickly into curbside, delivery, takeaway or online sales were able to realize gains or at least stay afloat in this difficult economic climate. If you’ve been with us for any length of time, you know Armored Fitness is the bootstrapped business of Bill and Becky Strahan, operated out of their home in North Texas and with friends and partners, Mark Schulte and John Marshall of CrossFit Richardson. No VC support, no Kickstarter backing, no investor capital – just a push sled built on engineered innovation, amazing customer reviews and fitness expert recommendations.

We’re grateful for every one of you.

You are the reason we’ve continued to push forward continuously improving the XPO from the wheeled origins of the XPO Sled to the sleek, silent beast of a push sled the XPO Trainer is today. 

You are the reason we hand selected our manufacturing and production facilities to ensure we’re delivering the best quality push sled on the market.

You are the reason we started shipping directly when shipping delays were out of our control.

We love hearing your stories of the creative ways you’re using the XPO Trainer.

We get giddy with excitement when we see videos of your sled workouts on social media and sometimes will surprise our customers with goodies.

This holiday season as we look back on the wild ride that 2020 has been, what stands out to us most are the unique ways you’ve gotten creative to stay fit, how you’ve adapted to new routines and the beautiful transformations we’ve witnessed of garages, spare bedrooms, and lofts to home gyms. Thank you for adopting Armored Fitness into your new normal. You may not have realized the impact you had on this small business this year, but as anyone knows in the fitness community, the results were worth the pain.