Starbucks is not my office

When I left Yahoo! a few years ago, I prided myself on Starbucks being my office. Meet folks there, have a drink, and use the free wifi. It was in Silicon Valley, where tech folks meet for lots of coffee, though the elites may wish to mention Bucks, Il Fornaio, or other high-end VC hangouts.

But for me, it represented the energy of meeting other entrepreneurs, well before superhappydevhouse, co-working or incubators became en vogue. Meet others and feed off their energy in a 24×7 environment.

Turn the clock back 20 years ago and the forests were my office. When you’re running 100 miles a week for cross country, it feels like you’re doing nothing but running. If you’re eating, then you’re merely refueling after a run or getting ready to run again. If you’re walking, you’re walking to meet others for the 6 am morning run or walking to the gym to do weight training after your afternoon run. Run, run, run.

I ate whatever I wanted since anorexia was a real problem for us. It was hard to eat enough calories. I ran the half marathon in 70 minutes, did my first ultramarathon of 70 miles in 12 hours, and weighed 128 pounds.

Today, I’m 195 pounds and definitely obese.

Instead of my default place being the forest, it’s been the airport and conference rooms for meetings. I’m still on the run but in a different way.

So I’ve chosen 24 Hour Fitness to be my new office. It’s not because of The Biggest Loser, a News Years’ resolution, or even to lose weight.

I had the best times of my life when I was an athlete.

Did you know that the shoe company ASICS stands for Animo Sane in Corpore Sano? That’s latin for “a sound mind in a sound body”.

I’ve rediscovered the joys of pickup basketball, swimming, volleyball, and even some dancing– yes, I’ll admit to some Zumba and Jazzercise-like classes.

It’s about the context you set, which determines your home base. I’ve found that when I’m fit, my energy levels are higher, allowing me to be 3-4 times as productive when tired, perhaps more. How about for you?

Check back on me in 90 days and see where I’m at!

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations. He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications. Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries. Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.

Dennis Yu