Dan MacDougald is one of CrossFit Vancouver’s celebrity graduates.

A former big-shot lawyer in the US, he is mostly retired now. However he continues to consult to CrossFit Headquarters. And he’s the owner of CrossFit Atlanta.

MacDougald found CrossFit in 2004, becoming certified by the fall of 2005. At the time, he had no idea that CrossFit was about to “become my life’s passion,” he explained.

But soon enough, he left his law practice to devote his heart and soul to CrossFit Atlanta, which he opened in November, 2005.

Despite his tremendous success during his law career, MacDougald was admittedly lost as an affiliate owner. “I had no idea how to run a business, and I blundered along for several years making little to no money at it…until I met Craig Patterson at the 2009 CrossFit Games,” said MacDougald.

“We became friends almost instantly,” he continued.

Shortly after that, Patterson and MacDougald made a deal, and the mentorship program began. “My focus had been entirely on excellence in training, and while that is important, it’s not enough,” he said.

MacDougald learned from CrossFit Vancouver that running a successful CrossFit affiliate came down to the vibe in the box – things like community building, client retention, and developing excellent coaches. He credits Patterson as having helped in him tremendously in these areas.

“From the fall of 2009, when I began implementing his suggestions, to June, 2011, our membership and monthly revenues have climbed steadily, and our currently monthly revenue is 50 per cent higher than it was in 2010,” he said.

He added: “The wife is now getting enthused about CrossFit. Holy Fuckin Mackerel!!”