Categoriesbusiness

5 Things Fitness Professionals Need to Consider When It Comes to Taxes

There was time in my blogging career where I’d be more apt to dedicate writing energy toward topics like “Top 5 Carrie Bradshaw Breakups” than anything related to business, let alone taxes.

However, a major mishap I made back in 2007 when I transitioned to being self-employed made me change my tune quickly. 

Let’s just say I needed a new pair of pants when I realized I owed the IRS a lot of money because I didn’t properly prepare for things beforehand.

I get it. It’s not lost on me that most fitness pros reading would rather me write about assessment or how to turn people into deadlifting T-1000’s. I do plenty of that.  Today’s post, though – courtesy of fitness business expert Billy Hofacker – is what most fitness professionals NEED to be ingesting.

I hope it helps (it totally will).

Copyright: pixelrobot

5 Things Fitness Professionals Need to Consider When It Comes to Taxes

Most fit pros are afraid of taxes. They can be scary, especially if you don’t understand some basics. Not keeping up with and paying your taxes can get you into trouble.

Here is some good news.

With some basic information and planning, you can avoid some pretty unpleasant traps. Also, while nobody likes paying them, owing for taxes means you are making money! Besides, if you work independently as a coach, you get to dress more comfortably for work than many of your peers!

If you have employees, you need to deposit a certain amount withheld from them for taxes or you could be in trouble. If you have products you sell and use the sales tax money for other things, you won’t make it.

via GIPHY

As a general rule, you’ll want to set aside a percentage of your profit into a separate savings account so you can pay quarterly estimates to the IRS. Without getting too sophisticated and if you don’t have historical data from your business to look at, 25% is a good place to start.

For example, if you are going to pay yourself $1,000 from your business, take $250 and deposit it into your tax savings account and the remaining $750 would go to you.

In my early days as an independent trainer I neglected to do this. I accumulated a six thousand dollar liability with the IRS and had to pay it off over the following 2 years while building my career. That was over a decade ago. Since then, by incorporating this strategy of withholding taxes on myself, I have not had the tax man after me since!

*To Discover the Tool I Used to Pay Down That Debt and Much More, Download the Debt Destroyer Tool. 

Note From TG: I’m a huge proponent of the Profit First approach to running your business. When I left Cressey Sports Performance in 2015 to begin my own venture in Boston I immediately adopted this system and have been thriving off it since. Having a set plan to know where your money is going at the end of each month to plan for things like taxes, business expenses, and PAYING YOURSELF is crucial. I can’t recommend the book enough. I’m also way more jacked now than I was then. Coincidence?

 

The above scenario applies to you if you are taxed as a Schedule C or partnership. You will have to pay quarterly estimates to the IRS for income tax. If you are taxed as an S-corp, you pay payroll taxes on any salaries paid to employees, including you.

As an S-corp, you can pay the amount of taxes needed through the payroll taxes in order to cover any tax liability. This helps ensure you are always up to speed with your tax payments and hopefully it’s an example of “out of sight, out of mind.”

I personally use that method and it has taken away my tax stress.

Euro Financial, money, tax pressure concept

Finally, when you have some actual historical data, like previous personal and business tax returns, you can work with your accountant to determine the percentage of revenue that goes to taxes. You can also determine, with your accountant1, what the estimated tax responsibility for your business will be and turn that into a percentage of revenue.

You can then transfer that amount into a tax savings account every two weeks or so and use those funds to either pay your estimates (e.g. Schedule C) or reimburse yourself for the taxes the business paid (e.g. S-Corp).

The important thing to remember is that regardless of how your business is structured, you pay taxes on profit and not profit distributions.

For that reason, you will want to be sure to…

1. Keep Good Records

Hopefully, you’re not just handing your accountant a shoe box full of receipts at the end of the year. I used to know someone who did that.:)

Many crumpled receipts from stores. The concept of shopping, taxes and budget

In all seriousness, paper receipts for deductible items are fine but you may want to keep digital copies as well just to be safe. Taking pictures, scanning them, or using one of the many receipt/expense apps works. Other than that you’ll want to keep good records of what’s coming in (income) and what’s going out (expenses).

Other than staying organized for taxes, this will help you stay focused on how much you’re making.

2. Bookkeeping

Do you know the difference between credits and debits? Assets vs. liabilities? While it’s probably not why you got into a fitness career, some bookkeeping basics will serve you well.

Even if you’re not ready to take a college level accounting course, you might want to look into accounting software. Besides helping you prepare for taxes, you can keep track of invoices and billing, as well as run financial reports to help guide you.

Then when tax time comes, you’ll have things organized and an efficient way to access your income and expense history.

Finally, as you grow in your career, it’s wise to evaluate the best uses of your time. While in the beginning, it may make sense to do everything yourself, at some point it may make more sense to hire a professional bookkeeper so you know things are done correctly and you can focus on your highest value priorities.

Just like any area, there are good bookkeepers and not so good ones. I know from experience. If you go that route, be sure to hire someone who understands at least basic accounting and how financial statements flow together. 

3. Know What You Can Deduct

A smart and wealthy client advised me early on to take any ethical deduction possible. Some of the bigger potential items to look at are travel, home office (Schedule C and Partnerships), and health insurance. Self-employed individuals can take some deductions “above the line.”

This means they can still take the standard deduction while also writing off some more items.

It’s important to know here that you can take a standard (flat) deduction or itemize all your deductions based on your expenses. Most Fit Pros will take the standard deduction route since it’s easiest but if you have a lot of expenses it may make more sense to itemize.

Do your homework and know what’s best for you.

4. Take Care of Your Future Self

People who work for big companies generally have an employer who sets up a retirement plan for them. Oftentimes, they get a company match. Since you may not have either of these luxuries, you’ll need to develop the discipline to take a portion of your income and set it aside for your big, beautiful future.

Business Banking and Saving money

With that said, there are some benefits here when it comes to tax season.

A self-employed individual can contribute up to 25 percent of net earnings, to a max of $61,000 in 2022, to a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA. Additionally, up to $14,000 can be contributed to a SIMPLE IRA. Those IRA contributions, which are above the line, may be tax deductable.

5. Where’s All My Money?

Fit pros are often confused when the end of the year comes and they owe taxes but don’t have the money to show for it. I hear comments like, “How can I be taxed?” I don’t have any money.

They simply don’t know what they don’t know.

There is a major difference between profit and net cash. I highly encourage you to track your profit but be equally diligent about tracking your “net cash.”

Net cash is used to see how much cash is left after expenses and owner’s distributions. Since owner’s distributions don’t count as “expenses,” they can cause a Fit pro to think they are doing better than they are. This is one of the biggest misunderstood things for fitness business owners 

The #1 rule in business is not to run out of cash! With a plan for preparing for taxes and an understanding of cash flow, you’ll be on your way to making a massive impact AND creating a career you love. 

About the Author

Billy Hofacker has been a personal trainer for over 20 years and is owner and CEO of Total Body Boot Camp and Performance Center in the hyper competitive market of Long Island, NY. 

Billy is now passionate about helping fitness professionals become financially fit.

He is the author of Fitness Profits as well the host of the leading financial podcast for fit pros, Your Fitness Money Coach Podcast.

You can book a free 15 minute Q&A call with him here. During that call, you can discuss and financial challenges to see if a personalized plan might be a good fit. 

Categoriesbusiness

Get Rid of Money Stress For Good

Fitness professionals are notorious for myriad of things:

  • Wearing sweatpants to work everyday. It’s definitely one of the perks of the job.
  • Always forgetting about the protein shake shaker in their gym bag (or in their car) that invariably, three weeks later, ends up melting someone’s face off once it’s opened.
  • Their affinity for smedium t-shirts.
  • Never talking about financial literacy (I.e., planning for retirement, investing, and/or general business savviness).

The latter is just something we never discuss and is our version of an unspoken rule; kinda like talking to a pitcher during a no-hitter.

My friend and colleague, Billy Hofacker, is back with another fantastic post geared toward helping fitness professionals better wrap their brains around money. This time around, specifically, centered around the stress of seemingly never having any.

What’s more, he even includes a special (and FREE) “master class” video for my readers that I feel everyone should check out.

Enjoy!

Copyright: ilixe48

Get Rid of Money Stress For Good

Note From Author: Since finance can be an overwhelming topic, I also recorded a video diving deeper and providing more support with these topics.

You can access the video HERE.

I remember starting out in business. I was fortunate enough to have a free session with a guy named John, a CFO of a huge company. I’m talking about a company that was doing hundreds of million in revenue. 

You see, I have my own personal journey with money that included being suffocated by 130K in non-mortgage debt and working my way out. 

Now I was going to use some of the principles I was learning from my personal journey and apply them to business. 

Needless to say I was excited for my free session. I remember standing behind him as he was showing me how a business budget worked. He would mention “budgeting” certain amounts for certain categories. The curious person that I am, I asked him where that money actually was. I said something like, “If I have $500 allocated towards equipment, where does that money actually go? It seems to me like it’s just sitting in the account like all the other money. What’s to stop it from being spent?”

His response didn’t make sense to me.

He said, “You just know.”

via GIPHY

One of the most common reasons Fit Pros hire me as their financial coach is because they want a plan for their money.

Not having a plan is painful.

It results in a lack of confidence and results. Many people think that businesses fail due to a lack of profit but are surprised to learn that in fact, 82% of businesses fail because they lack an understanding of cash flow. 

The good news is that there is hope. A solid cash flow system can do a lot for your business. Clients who have developed a system report that:

  • Decisions Become Much Easier – They know when and how much to invest in marketing, hiring, and marketing
  • The Path Becomes Clear – They are able to focus like a laser as they know what the next step towards their goal is
  • Confidence Increases – Sure, Fit Pros want to do better financially. They want to earn more but what’s perhaps more important is the person they become in the process

There are a few common mistakes or myths when it comes to cash flow plans.

I will relate all three to fitness. 

The First Mistake: People Don’t Stick With It Long Enough

Just like some fitness clients, if they aren’t completely transformed after a couple of months, they throw in the towel.

Young woman making pilates and functional training at the gym

Just like fitness, financial improvement takes time. You don’t erase 20 years of poor financial habits in five minutes with a spreadsheet. This boils down to behavior change which we know takes time.

The work precedes the results.

The Second Mistake: Thinking There Is a One Size Fits All Program

Should everyone become a competitive endurance athlete? Not necessarily. Some people have other interests within fitness and/or aren’t suited for it. Some trainers (e.g. the kettlebell guy or gal) make the mistake of forcing the program they like on the client when the modality might not be most effective for the client.

They neglect the concept of bio-individuality. 

Some financial coaches do the same thing while they would be better off working with the client to develop the best plan for them.

While certain principles may apply, the exact how-to’s may differ from person to person. 

The Final Mistake: Thinking That the Cash Flow System Will Be Boring Or Restricting

Author and leadership consultant Jocko Willink says that discipline equals freedom. When you are disciplined with your fitness or your finances, the result is more freedom, not less. If you aren’t fit, you’ll have less options in what you can do physically.

If you aren’t financially fit, you will also be restricted in what you can do. 

Click HERE To Get Access to the full video training.

The Problem

One of the reasons it’s hard for people to create and stay on a financial plan is the chaotic nature of how money comes in and goes out. 

Cash sticking out of a red piggy bank

Depending on your situation, you may:

  • Not pay yourself at all
  • Not pay yourself consistently
  • Be on salary
  • Pay yourself monthly 
  • Pay yourself bi-weekly
  • Pay yourself bonuses 
  • Have a side hustle
  • Have recurring revenue
  • Have various programs

There are so many situations people find themselves in and that’s just the income. 

Let’s talk about expenses.

You most likely have automatic monthly expenses. These would occur the same day every month and for the same amount. A prime example would be your rent or mortgage.

You most likely have daily expenses. These are things like food, coffee, toiletries, etc.2

We all have random expenses. These are the ones that really throw people off. An example is that car insurance payment that’s due every six months. You can have a plan for everything else but if you don’t have a plan for these, your budget could be busted. 

checking a receipt by analyzing the numbers, expenses and profits

The good news is that we have a plan to account for all of these and then some. While it’s beyond the scope of this post to cover every detail, I’ll provide an overview as well as a next step. 

Of course, I’m a huge proponent of “paying yourself first” so if you’re not doing that, I’d make that a priority. 

Now let’s cover a plan for the three types of expenses I mentioned.

Check out my video HERE where I explain everything.

Monthly Automatic – These are probably the easiest since you know the dates and amounts. You would just coordinate the dates they are due with when your income comes in.

These are automatically paid from your main checking account. 

Daily – Call me old school but I like to use cash for daily expenses. If I can’t use cash, I’ll set up a separate debit account at my main bank so I can at least keep things separate. I recommend people do the same for daily expenses, at least for a period of time so they can really see what’s going on. 

Random – As I mentioned, these are the ones that throw people off the most. For that reason, it’s essential to have a plan for these infrequent expenses. You’ll want to open up a bank account at a separate bank (an online account is perfect) and save the breakdown that you will need each month. For example, if you’ll need $1200 to buy Christmas gifts, set up an auto transfer for $100 each month to that account. 

In a Nutshell

That’s the simple plan you can follow to get rid of money stress for good. I realize this can be overwhelming if it’s new to you and that you also may have unique circumstances. 

For that reason, I recorded an exclusive video for TG’s list (i.e. YOU) which dives more into the details and should help more with the how.

Of course, I’m available if you have any questions. 

Watch the full video HERE 

About the Author

Many fitness professionals get stuck in the day to day and have little to show for their hard work. Billy Hofacker helps them get on a plan to achieve financial freedom. You can learn more by listening to the Your Fitness Money Coach podcast or visiting www.yourfitnessmoneycoach.com.

You can also opt in to get a digital copy of his book Fitness Profits HERE.

Categoriesbusiness coaching

The 4 Steps to Never Ending Growth

My good friend and colleague, Gavin McHale, is back with another excellent guest post today. He’s been on a tear of late writing some stellar content for this site.

We’re all our own worst enemy, and for many, stepping outside our comfort zones and taking risks (calculated or not) in an attempt to grow our fitness business can be a daunting (if not sphincter clenching) task.

Gavin provides some sage advice how how to NOT let this happen moving forward.

Enjoy!

Copyright: olegdudko

The 4 Steps to Never Ending Growth

It was the summer of 2014 when I first read a blog article alluding to the “laptop lifestyle.” 

I was immediately hooked.

Not because I was hoping to sip mai tai’s on the beach while my clients worked their asses off to a shitty, templated training program like the article seemed to suggest would be the case, though.

While I had some thoughts of grandeur that my life would drastically change, I was mostly aware that this lifestyle the blogger spoke of wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies.

So I did what any 27-year-old personal trainer with zero business or marketing experience would do. I paid someone too much money to build me a (shitty) website and started an Instagram page for my business. I had no plan or idea what I was doing, but I knew this was part of the path to laptop lifestyle freedom.

It had to be, right?

I’ll throw a few blogs up on the website and make some educational posts on Instagram and they’ll be flinging their credit cards my way, salivating to buy my yet-to-be-figured-out online training programs.

I’m sure you already know that didn’t happen.

For the weeks and months following, I got crickets.

via GIPHY

So, like any savvy business person would do when no one is buying the high-priced 1-on-1 online training option, I lowered my prices. In fact, I went all the way from offering $1000 training services to $29 e-books.

Guess how many of those I sold.

And even though this little story is quite fun in hindsight, neither of those decisions were where I truly went wrong, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

As my online business continued to flounder and take up more and more of my time and energy, I began to become soured to the whole process. 

My in-person training business was still ticking along as it had been for several years now. 

  • 6:30AM-12:30PM – chalk full semi-private sessions
  • 3:30PM-6:30PM – mostly full private and semi-private sessions

Evening hockey practice to make some extra cash, toiling away in a freezing cold rink once a week all winter.

Rinse, repeat.

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The issue wasn’t even really the money at the time.

I was making enough to pay the bills and live comfortably.

I could pay the mortgage and put food on the table, but it was the way in which I was making it that wasn’t working for me.

I now realized my potential income was choked out by the amount of hours and energy I had, and that if I ever wanted a different lifestyle that included things like seeing my spouse or having a family, things would need to be different.

And as I continued to grind for 60 hours a week, while trying unsuccessfully to build a more sustainable business online during every single non-gym-floor hour, my ego led me to believe this wasn’t for me anymore.

What had started off as such a promising option 18 months before had become a stupid idea that “wasn’t for me.” 

I told myself I was an in-person coach (and I was a good one) and that online coaching was stupid and only for those who couldn’t make it in person.

I thought I was taking the righteous road.

I told myself this was the path and stood strong in that belief.

Except I kept seeing other good coaches, whom I respected, rapidly building online businesses. They were leveraging their skills into something that kept the quality while also being scalable. Some got to the point they were so busy they had to give up their in-person clients so they could focus on working from anywhere, at any time while raking in the cash.

Seriously… what the actual fuck?

Let’s get back to what went wrong here. I was caught in the Vicious Cycle of Imposter Syndrome.

Let me explain the steps of this cycle.

1. Feel Fear

Evil forest: Fear from the dark
Hey, Tony here. I attempted to look for an “inspirational” fear image to put here, but opted for this one instead. Excuse me while I go destroy the back of my pants.

It was scary to do something I wasn’t good at.

I had always been good at everything I tried – school, hockey, in-person training –  and when I wasn’t very good at marketing or using social media, I quit (because I was scared).

2. Make Excuses

The excuses comin’ out of me were so fast and believable, that I became an expert in them.

  • I was too good in-person.
  • I wasn’t built to work with people online; I’d rather be in person.
  • The market was saturated.
  • No one knew the guy from little old Winnipeg, Canada (as if location had anything to do with working online…).

I made such compelling arguments that even I started to believe them.

I see this in the trainers I speak to regularly. They have become so entrenched in this set of false truths that it’s hard to pull them out of it.

3. Don’t Take Action

Take action

Like I said earlier, I did take action originally. I started a social media page and made a website. I tried to sell training and e-books.

When none of it worked the way I expected it should, I stopped taking the actions required to build an online business. 

At the very least, I half-assed them, telling myself they wouldn’t work before I even hit publish or post.

I stonewalled my success before it even had a chance.

When that action proved to be more trouble than it was worth (fulfilling my prophecy), I gave up on it before it had a chance to succeed. 

And as you’ll see in the virtuous cycle of growth below, I missed one crucial step on the path to success, bringing it all crumbling down.

4. Expect Different Results

Through all of this, even though I was quickly spiraling and not seeing any results with the actions I was taking, I continued to hope for someone to fall through the cracks. 

I continued to make the same type of boring, educational, poorly written posts, expecting for more likes or thinking “this one will go viral”.

And what’s worse than going all in on something and failing is half-assing it, hoping it will work out but deep down knowing what you’re doing is not working and will never work.

Because I didn’t look for another way, I just kept ramming a square peg into a round hole, while it kept trying to tell me to do something different.

I allowed a lack of results to strengthen the resolve that I wasn’t good enough.

Does that pattern sound vaguely familiar?

I know this pattern too well, not only because I repeated it over and over for 18 months (and still fall into it sometimes), but because I see and hear trainers – really good trainers – saying the exact same things to me on a weekly basis.

So the goal of my program is now to flip the script from the vicious cycle of imposter syndrome to the virtuous cycle of growth.

Virtuous Cycle of Growth

1. Feel Fear

Evil forest: Fear from the dark
Yup, still creepy AF

Notice how this step is the same in both the vicious and virtuous cycle? 

You’re never going to outrun fear. Fear will always be present. Your job is to feel it, harness it, and act anyway.

Fear and the parts of you that bring it to the surface are just doing their job. They’re just trying to keep you safe. 

It’s an evolutionary trait that has kept humans alive and evolving for thousands of years.

But being afraid of getting attacked by a lion in the desert is a lot different than being scared to ask someone if they need help with their training.

One results in possible (probable) death.

The other results in a hit to the fragile ego.

Very different.

2. Take Messy Action (Knowing It Will Be Incomplete Or Wrong)

Action is a funny thing, because it’s often the thing that’s scariest, but also the thing that will help you see that it’s not as scary as you think.

I’ve noticed that we’re all very good fiction writers in our own brains. We pen tragic and imaginative stories about what will happen when we ask the person out, how our clients will react to a price increase and what all our friends will say behind our backs when we make that vulnerable post.

And the only way to know that’s not the case, is to take the fucking action.

  • Ask them out.
  • Raise your prices (more than you think).
  • Make the post.

The messier, the better. 

Because I never learned anything from an A+ on a test. But, if you handed me back a D, I’d sure as shit study harder next time.

3. Seek Feedback

Here’s the super important step I missed in my first attempt at building an online business.

I felt the fear and took action anyway. Maybe I was so naive that the fear didn’t even register, but I can give myself that.

What I missed was asking for feedback, or even looking for feedback. The pure lack of engagement on my social media content was trying to give me feedback. The lack of clicks and website visits after the initial surge from family and friends was trying to give me feedback.

The overall lack of any measurable results was trying to give me feedback.

Customer feedback and satisfaction conceptual image

But I was too proud to see it.

See, I always thought the only feedback came from parents or coaches or people who otherwise knew better than me.

I thought I had to ask, but in this case I had no one to ask.

And while a coach or mentor is absolutely valuable as an outside observer, feedback can be found after every single intentional action you take.

Did it produce the results I hoped for? Why or why not?

Keep asking questions and you’ll get the feedback you need to either change course or double down on what you’re doing.

I look at feedback as the final number in those annoying high school combination locks. You can do everything else – take messy action in the face of fear, but without feedback, you’re left running around like an idiot doing everything for everyone and never knowing what’s worked.

4. Recalibrate and Take More Messy Action

Here’s where the virtuous cycle really takes off.

Once you take an action (any action, really) and seek feedback, your next action is even more calibrated. The more you can repeat this process, the more calibrated and purpose-driven your actions will become.

In this scenario, there is no way you can lose.

You will either hit it out of the park, or you’ll learn, tinker and keep iterating until you hit it out of the park. 

Closing Thoughts

So, if you’re anything like I was back in my laptop lifestyle chasing days, things are probably going pretty well for you.

I will leave you with one final piece of advice before signing off, because the drive to take action on a blog post can be low when things are going pretty well.

The question you must ask is, “Is this what I want to be doing in 10 years?”

Is this my version of my “best life”?

If it is, GREAT! 

Use that as feedback and double the fuck down.

If it’s not, then it’s time you take some action, no matter how scared you are, towards the lifestyle and business you truly want. 

And believe me, it is possible.

After several coaches and tens of thousands of dollars invested, I built a hybrid business that paid me 6-figures a year and allowed me to travel for 3 weeks at a time while my clients still got great results and were waiting for me when I came back.

If I can do this, so can you.

About the Author

As a Kinesiology graduate, Gavin McHale quickly realized that following the traditional business model would lead to trading more time for more money.

Over the course of 8 years, Gavin built a 6-figure hybrid training business before founding the Maverick Coaching Academy in 2019.

Since then, Gavin has left the gym and gone all in helping other strength coaches build their businesses. He has made it his mission to fix the broken fitness industry and connect other amazing humans to the highest version of themselves.

Check out his FREE course for trainers, coaches and therapists that will kickstart your path to a more sustainable business.

The Coach’s Playground Podcast

MaverickCoachingAcademy.ca

IG – @gavinmchale1

 

Categoriesbusiness fitness business

The Real Reason None of Those Business Tactics Have Worked

I’m in Vegas baby!

Alas, my take on debauchery is to stay up past my bedtime to watch a Cirque Du Soleil show3 and to then trek back to my hotel room to watch House Hunters on HGTV.

I like to live life dangerously.

I’m actually here because I was invited to put on a full-day staff in-service for a local gym. I flew in Thursday morning and am heading back to Boston on Sunday. A quick trip for sure, but one that allots me plenty of introvert time.

To that end, today I have another guest post from Gavin McHale who’s been on fire lately with his contributions to the site.

I hope you’re enjoying his content, because I know I am. Especially today’s post. It really punched me in the face. 

The Real Reason None of Those Business Tactics Have Worked

When I was a young buck in the fitness industry, I was full of  piss and vinegar and I wanted to make sure my career was a success. 

For an entire year after I graduated University, I studied blogs like this one, Dean Somerset, Kelly Starrett and others on T-Nation. I scoured the internet to find new things I could add to my training toolbox. If I wasn’t on the gym floor, I was reading a blog or textbook about being on the gym floor.

Then came the business building blogs. I read every article on the PTDC. I followed John Romaniello and Craig Ballantyne. I was eating it all up and reading everything I could. 

And my business grew. 

business, saving, growth, economic concept

Most likely, it grew by happenstance – because I was good at what I did. It grew naturally, through word of mouth, as I’m sure your’s has.

But I didn’t have a hot clue as to why it was growing, or how to repeat the process to build a high paying, successful business.

Plus, I was starting to see the “trading time for money” model  bumping up against the lifestyle I wanted to live. I was in my mid twenties – I wanted to travel.

I had a new girlfriend and I kinda wanted to see her.

I knew I wanted kids eventually…4

Was the 6-1, 4-8 grind really going to be how I lived the rest of my life?

Plus, I was making a pretty average salary that I could’ve made in most 9-5’s with a university degree.

So, I turned my attention to growing the online side of my business. This would solve all my problems. I’d be able to help more people, work less and earn more money.

This was the ticket.

I slapped together a (terrible) website and started up an instagram page for my business. I assumed people would just bring me their credit cards.

But they didn’t. It was crickets.

I toiled away for nearly a year trying to build my online business in this way, while still working crazy hours on the gym floor to pay the bills.

That’s when I signed up for business coaching.

I paid more money than I had and over the year-long program, I took away a lot of tools. 

How to price my programs, how to write website copy, how to post on social media and use lead magnets and create an email list.

Keep in mind, this was 2016, before business coaching was even cool.

After a year of that and some minor success, I jumped to another business coach.

  • More ideal client building.
  • More social media tactics and email list hacks.
  • Lots of sales training. 

By this time, I had invested nearly $30,000 and probably could’ve written a textbook on ideal client building, copywriting and sales. 

I knew this shit front to back.

And, truth be told, my business was doing quite well. I made pretty good money and about 30% of it was online, giving me some freedom to live my life and travel.

But seriously… what the fuck man? 

$30K and tons of work and all I got was an above average 9-5 corporate salary while still working mind boggling hours and falling asleep during movies on date night? 

via GIPHY

That couldn’t be right.

I was on a one-way train to burnout. 

Tons of hours on the gym floor coupled with every other waking hour on my computer or phone, scratching and clawing my way to a few more dollars a month.

I had every tactic and strategy I could ever need, but I was still left searching for more. I continued to look for business blogs and other coaches who could teach me more hacks and tactics.

That’s when I was slapped in the face with reality, because I was looking for the wrong things.

I had met a coach (and actually slept on his couch) in my first business coaching experience whose business was now taking off, two years later. 

While I was doing marginally better, he had gone from essentially zero income when we met (and living off his savings) to nearly $1,000,000 a year. 

What the fuck was I doing wrong?

His content was about more than just business tactics. He talked about self talk and mindset and the subconscious brain – things I had never really heard about beyond “play with more confidence” in my hockey days.

It was 2018 and I had been at this online business building thing for three years now. This was the last ditch effort. This was make-or-break.

I signed up, dropped another 5-figures in hopes this would be the ticket to the business and the lifestyle I wanted.

And in the first week of the coaching experience, my entire world view was shattered when I learned about how my language affects my self-talk, which affects my belief and my habits, which then affects my success (or lack thereof).

via GIPHY

I mean, we all know this deep down, but none of us ever really face the reality that we are in control (and, therefore, at fault) for everything that happens in our life, good and bad.

I certainly never took responsibility for the place I was at and the results I had up until that point. 

As I dug in further to the new program, he talked about my subconscious brain and the limiting beliefs I held that were like an emergency brake on my success.

I was trying to drive a Ferrari with the emergency brake on.

I didn’t like it, and when he personally challenged me on a coaching call midway through the course, I checked out.

All that money was circling the drain because I couldn’t face the fact that my own brain and my own beliefs were the reason nothing was working for me.

tap water flowing into stainless steel drain

Anytime I had ever failed, I blamed others. My hockey coaches never gave me a chance. My former business coaches didn’t give me the right tactics for my business.

And now… I was left with nothing but the face in the mirror.

Luckily, this particular course is available for life. So even though I copped out and my coaching calls had run out, I could still come back to it. 

After about 6 months, I came back.

I realized that the only way forward, the only way to get what I wanted, was through some really tough stuff.

I could either turn away and continue with a mediocre business (which is totally fine, by the way) or I could drop my shoulder and lean in.

I had to face my fears and literally change my brain if I wanted to have success.

And this is where, after now coaching nearly 100 fitness professionals in building their businesses since 2019, I see most of you struggling.

  • Information, strategy and tactics are important. 
  • You need to know how to write words that help people take action.
  • You need to know how to communicate your value in conversations and content.
  • You need to have an excellent client journey and provide an amazing service.

But, without belief and a mindset that is helping you move in the right direction, none of that matters. None of it will get you what you truly want, whether that’s a fat bank account or a fulfilling life, or both.

You’ll be revving the engine and spinning your tires in the driveway.

This is why the majority of business coaching programs get people some results, but not enough to warrant the gnarly price tag. 

They give you all the tactics and strategies you could ever dream of.

But it’s all built on an expectation that you already have the belief and confidence in yourself that many don’t. And when things inevitably get tough or don’t go as planned, they can’t offer anything more than “try harder” and “do it more.”

I’m not here for that.

So, allow me to  leave you with one actionable item you can take from here before you go.

Outstanding Person Standing Out From The Crowd and catching audience attention

Your language plays a massive role in your outcomes. Your self-talk guides your thoughts. Your thoughts turn into your beliefs over time.

So if you want to shed old, self-sabotaging patterns and build belief, you must go to the source – your language.

There are three things we catch our clients saying inside the Maverick Coaching Academy, and they are not allowed.

Try

What’s that Yoda saying? “Do or do not, there is no try.” Case closed.

I Can’t

By saying you can’t, you are immediately shirking responsibility for that thing. You can, you’re just choosing not to. If it mattered enough to you, you would.

I Should

Whenever you say you should do something, it tells your subconscious brain that you’re doing it against your own will. It says, “I don’t want to, but some outside source is making me so I guess I should.”

Hmmm, doesn’t sound too powerful to me.

So, for the next week, I challenge you to watch your language. Notice when and how often you’re saying try, can’t and should.

Then, without judgment, simply think about how you could phrase that differently and note how much different it feels when you do.

This lesson is literally the first lesson inside our paid course. It is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what we teach inside Maverick Coaching Academy. If you’d like to learn more, follow me on Instagram and send me a message saying you read this. 

I’d love to hear your story and how the language challenge goes for you, so don’t be a stranger.

Thank you for reading, I hope I’ve left you with something valuable.

About the Author

As a Kinesiology graduate, Gavin McHale quickly realized that following the traditional business model would lead to trading more time for more money.

Over the course of 8 years, Gavin built a 6-figure hybrid training business before founding the Maverick Coaching Academy in 2019.

Since then, Gavin has left the gym and gone all in helping other strength coaches build their businesses. He has made it his mission to fix the broken fitness industry and connect other amazing humans to the highest version of themselves.

IG – @gavinmchale1

The Coach’s Playground Podcast

MaverickCoachingAcademy.ca

Categoriesbusiness

The #1 Reason Your Fitness Business Isn’t Growing

Growing a fitness brand/business can be a daunting endeavor, especially in an age where everyone is vying for everyone else’s attention.

This is never more apparent than online

For whatever reason some professionals are unwilling to lean into the power of social media with regards to growing their business, and I get it…

…it’s nothing but one big eye roll half the time.

In today’s EXCELLENT guest post by TG.com regular contributor, Gavin McHale, he showcases a few simple strategies you can use to “earn” the eyes of potential customers.

HINT: It doesn’t entail shirtless pics or more glute exercises…;o)

Copyright: choreograph

It’s the Offer, Stupid

No, I’m not calling you stupid. Original Gangster of Marketing Dan Kennedy is. And that’s way worse, in my opinion.

“If something’s not working in your business; it’s the offer, stupid.”

The one common thread I’ve noticed through my own experience owning a fitness business, and a central factor in why I decided to move from training clients to mentoring coaches, is that a lot of people in our industry have a business that is not working that well for them.

Their business is not giving coaches the return on investment it should be for the massive amount of work they’re doing and skills they have.

This is a big problem; a bleeding-neck problem that I’m on a mission to fix. 

I actually spoke on the topic of how to deliver your services in a way that serves you and your clients better in THIS article several weeks ago, but this article will speak to the work done before a client even knows who you are. 

The point of both remains the same:

If you keep doing things the way they’ve always been done, you will be stuck doing all the work and seeing little to no reward while watching others in your industry sit back and relax while the new clients roll in. 

We both know you’re better than them at what you do (if not at least as good), so why shouldn’t you get a piece of the pie, too?

It’s the offer, stupid. 

Unless you truly dislike social media (and you have every reason to – I’ve seen the Social Dilemma), you need to see it as a tool that can provide your business with near unlimited potential new clients, if used properly.

But just like a hacksaw in the hands of my 3-year old nephew, used poorly it can be a waste of time and downright dangerous.

The epitome of stupid: the recent “crate challenge” craze.

I’ve seen too many coaches actually leave the industry or work themselves into oblivion simply because they refused to get their shit together and figure out social media, writing it off as no good.

But exactly how we fix that problem is where the real gold is buried. Because out of the thousands upon thousands of personal trainer’s instagram pages and websites that I’ve seen over the past two years, all but about twelve of them have completely botched this part. 

I say that to outline the opportunity at hand. If no one is doing this right and people are still somehow getting clients, imagine if you did it right?

When someone taps over to your profile or through to your website after seeing a post they like, it’s the difference between, “Oh shit, that’s me and I want that” and “I’m bored, moving on.”

Which could mean the difference between a new follower or client application in your inbox and another opportunity slipping through the cracks.

  • So, if you’re not making as much money as you should be in your business. 
  • If you’re not getting your message out there with the work you’re putting in.
  • If this whole social media thing is just confusing the hell out of you…

Listen up.

Your offer, that I’ve been harping on about for nearly 500 words now, is essentially a statement that tells your audience or anyone who makes their way into your corner of the internets what the hell you do.

And the majority of trainers and coaches miss the target. In fact, they’re often putting holes in the wall beside the target.

Your offer will show up in one of three places most often.

The First, Is On Your Social Media Bio

If you’re like me and use instagram for your business, this is where it’ll show up. Beside your tiny little picture, under your follower count and wedged within 150 characters. 

It’s the thing that will ideally either keep someone hanging around and maybe even tossing you a follow or turn them off completely. 

The enemy here is indifference.

The Second Place Someone May Find Your Offer Is On Your Website Homepage

We hope it says, “Stick around, grab a beer and hangout awhile” but it more often says, “I have no idea what I’m doing, so you should probably just leave.”

Finally, the third will be the most surprising. Your offer should show up whenever you’re asked what you do for a living.

Y’know, like in real life. Wild, right?

If you’ve ever been at a party or family event and seen the deadpan confusion wash over someone’s face when you respond that you’re a personal trainer, you know what I mean.

“Oh, that’s nice…”

via GIPHY

A better use of that valuable real estate, especially if they’re anywhere near or may know some ideal clients would be something like, “I teach former athletes how to look and feel young again.”

That just hits different, ya know?

Here are the three crucial components to a good offer:

Your Offer Has to Speak to a Specific Persona

And remember, you are not your ideal client. You may have been in the past, but that was before you figured out everything you know now. You are an expert and know way more about your specific expertise than they do. Use words they resonate with, not words you want to see.

And before you go commenting that you know your person is a 30-40 year old married woman with 2 kids, I’m not just talking about demographics. That’s important, but it’s certainly not the end of the story.

And, it doesn’t have to be limited to just that. Using our example above, a former athlete could be 22 and aged out of college or 45 with kids and a mortgage.

But where they’re similar, and where you can go deeper and really understand who they are, is by taking a look at their psychographics. 

  • What is your ideal client’s biggest problem, in their mind?
  • What else have they tried to fix their current problem that hasn’t worked?
  • What frustrates them the most about what they’ve tried?
  • What are they afraid of most?
  • What do they desire more than anything else in the World?

Now we’re getting somewhere…

To That End, Your Offer Needs to Solve a Problem They Want Solved

It needs to be something they actually want to solve, not just what you think is important to them. 

I’ll repeat that… because it’s the number one problem with most attempts at offers.

Your offer needs to be something they actually want to solve, not just what you think is important to them. 

  • You may think they want to heal their injuries, but they really just want to feel young again.
  • You may think they want to lose 10 pounds, but they really want to feel sexy again.
  • You may think they want to get stronger, but they really want the confidence that brings.

Keep asking why it matters to them until you can’t answer it anymore.

Finally, Your Offer Needs to Make a Promise

I know, I know. It depends.

That’s the answer I’ve heard time and time again from other fitness professionals about a myriad of topics, but while that does make sense for a lot of potential solutions, it doesn’t put butts in the seats.

Your offer has to promise them something. You will get nowhere with wishy washy, it depends, maybe, kinda, sorta type promises, especially in 2021 when the waters are full of other people fishing for the same catch.

You have to take a stand. You have to show confidence.

You have ask yourself, what’s the biggest promise I know I can fulfill with my coaching service?

If you head over to my instagram page (or just look below), you’ll see that I don’t promise to turn you into a 7-figure coach (like some people out there). 

That’s because I don’t know that I can do that… yet.

But I do know I can turn you into a real business owner, not just a coach trying to make some money.

The real secret to all this, and the reason I can give it away for free without worry that I’ll be shooting myself in the foot, is that this takes lots of time and effort doing research on your ideal clients and what they actually want. 

And most people simply aren’t willing to do that. 

But here’s the exact formula if you want a solid offer:

  1. Spend about a week asking former clients, current client and yourself the questions outlined above. Really get to know the person you want to help and, in the process, learn what they identify as. HINT: no one identifies as a busy professional in their mind
  2. Figure out the problem they want solved by continuing to ask “why?” until you can’t answer it anymore. Ideally, interview some people about it.
  3. Narrow down your offer into a simple, yet powerful “I help” statement that looks something like this:

I help [CLIENT IDENTIFIER] [SOLVE SPECIFIC PROBLEM]

Now go slap that all over your social media and website and practice it in the mirror in case your cousin, Tom asks you at Christmas dinner. Remember, his buddy’s wife’s sister may be looking for exactly what you do.

About the Author

As a Kinesiology graduate, Gavin McHale quickly realized that following the traditional business model would lead to trading more time for more money.

Over the course of 8 years, Gavin built a 6-figure hybrid training business before founding the Maverick Coaching Academy in 2019.

Since then, Gavin has left the gym and gone all in helping other strength coaches build their businesses. He has made it his mission to fix the broken fitness industry and connect other amazing humans to the highest version of themselves.

IG – @gavinmchale1

The Coach’s Playground Podcast

maverickcoachingacademy.ca

Categoriesbusiness

3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Open A Gym

A few weeks ago I asked for a little insight on what you, my loyal readers, would like to see me write more about.

Oddly, “How adorable your cat is” didn’t make the cut.

What was a popular answer, almost resoundingly so, was for me to go into a little more detail on the business side of the fitness industry. Specifically, gym ownership. Even more specifically, to reflect and pontificate on what that means to me, and to offer any sage advice to those considering traveling down that path.

Read on…

Copyright: wavebreakmediamicro / 123RF Stock Photo

 

3 Questions To Ask Before You Do Something Stupid Open a Gym

1. What The Fuck Are You Doing?

Are you sure you want to do this?

I’ve come to realize there’s one of two tangibles that serve as the impetus for someone wanting to open their own gym:

  1. They’re passionate about fitness.
  2. They want to stick it to the man.

To Point #1 (passion).

I’m passionate about a lot of things too: Health, fitness, & helping people (obviously), techno, cheese, and movies.5

You have to be careful with passion.

It makes us do dumb things and make irrational decisions.

This is why I’ve yet to open up Tony’s Techno Palace of Gruyere and Sick Hip-Hop Beats.

Following one’s passion, while commendable, can be a tricky situation. Before you know it you’ve opened up a 10,000 sq. ft facility with all the bells and whistles, yet have zero idea on where or how you’re going to get clients.

Rent’s still due at the end of the month by the way.

More to the point, and this is something I’ve hit on before, I think there’s this idea (or even stigma) that the only way you can become relevant or give off the guise that you’ve “made it” in this industry is to own a gym.

Many trainers/coaches put this unnecessary pressure on him or herself to be a gym owner despite 1) not really having the desire (not to mention career capital, experience, or skill-set) to do so and/or 2) because it seems like the natural career progression to take.

NEWSLFLASH: You don’t have to do shit.6

You don’t have to be a gym owner to be successful in this industry. There are innumerable fitness professionals out there who work in commercial, boutique, box, or studio gyms who do very well for themselves.

As far as “progressing” one’s career (which, let’s be honest, means: “how can I make more money?”) I’d suggest the more pertinent question people should ask isn’t so much “Hey, should I open a gym?”

…but rather…

“Hey, what can I do to incur additional revenue streams so that I don’t have to be coaching on a gym floor 40-50 hours per week?“

That’s a deeper discussion for another time (especially when we consider how COVID-19 affected everything within the health/fitness industry), but suffice it to say this is where things like online coaching, writing, consulting, producing educational products, affiliate marketing, private coaching groups, and public speaking come into the picture.

Not ironically, all of the above are typically only fruitful when someone has spent years working in a commercial gym setting and harvesting much-needed experience.

To Point #2 (sticking it to the man)

This is also called the “my boss sucks so I’m going to open up a gym” argument.

I get it, I really do.

I spent the first five years of my career working in various corporate and commercial gyms and I’d be lying if I said I never got frustrated.

  • Why do I have to work so many floor hours?
  • Why are they taking a larger percentage of my sessions?
  • How come they won’t let me train people with my shirt off?
  • (tosses chair through a window) THIS PLACE IS A PRISON!

Stop being a child.

Read THIS post by Pete Dupuis.

2. How Are You Going to Open a Gym?

Is this a self-funded endeavor? Partners? Investors? You found a magic lamp?

When we opened up Cressey Sports Performance back in 2007, Eric Cressey, Pete Dupuis, and myself did things the old fashioned way: we cut each other’s hands with a razor blade and shook on it.

Okay, not really.

But we did sit down and discuss what each of our respective roles were going to be and also made it clear who owned what percentage of what.

We were a little different than most gym start-ups in that Eric more or less funded the entire thing out of his own pocket and we already had a set client roster primed and ready to go between the two of us.

Not many gym owners have that luxury.

NOTE: We were able to do that because 1) Eric had been saving money since he was seven months old and 2) We made it a point to START SMALL with a very bare-bones approach.

The initial CSP was 2200 sq. feet located in the corner of an indoor batting facility.

And while we had several people offer to invest at the start, as a group we wanted to avoid that at all costs.

We didn’t want to be held accountable to anyone else but ourselves. Too, we just wanted to avoid weird situations.

With investors you run the risk of too many demands/opinions being thrown into the pot – “When will we start hitting “x” numbers?” or “Why don’t we buy this $5000 leg press?” or “What do ya’ll think of adding in BOSU ball Light Saber battles as part of the warm-up?”

We wanted our gym to be ours.

The rule of thumb is this: If you don’t have a minimum of 6-months of operating costs set aside – to cover rent, utilities, insurance, any CAM fees, etc – than you shouldn’t consider opening a gym.

But if you do, do yourself a huge favor and email Pat Rigsby.

Which serves as a nice segue to…..

3. Is What I Did An Option?

To speak candidly, I never wanted to own a gym. Sure, I was (and still am) considered a co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance, but I’ll be the first to admit I wanted nothing to do with the business side of the equation.

All I wanted to do was show-up, coach my tail off, and do my best to serve as an ambassador to the brand.

I let Pete and Eric worry about the TPS reports.

When I decided to leave CSP in the Fall of 2015 it wasn’t to open my own place.

An opportunity arose where I could sub-lease at a location that was really close to my apartment.

In short, I paid an hourly rent in order to have “access” to a space to train clients. It was a perfect fit for me. There was no overhead on my end and since I already had a bunch of people lined up and ready to train with me in Boston the risk was pretty low.

(Also, the 1-mile commute as opposed to a 45 minute drive both ways didn’t suck).

Fast forward several months and the person whom I was sub-leasing under informed me she wasn’t renewing her lease and asked if I’d be interested in taking it over?

After unclenching my sphincter I put pen to paper and crunched the numbers. I came to the conclusion that if I had even one person sub-leasing under me paying me rent, that it would be a cheaper alternative on a month-to-month basis compared to what I had been doing.

I was in.

CORE was born.

Part of what helped settle my fears was that I knew what I didn’t want CORE to be. I had zero aspirations (and I still don’t) of building anything close to the pedigree of Cressey Sports Performance.

To be honest, I don’t think I have it in me – either in skill-set, acumen, or talent.

All I want (and need) is a small space to coach clients ~20 hours per week. This still allows me the ability to write, travel (when it’s allowed), and spend time with my family.

Sub-leasing is a great fit for me and I believe it’s an option more and more gym owners are considering, particularly in a COVID world.

I currently have three coaches sub-leasing under me at CORE. They’re not employees and I am not in charge of their schedule nor setting their price points.

All I do is provide a well-equipped, clean space that they can utilize and build their own businesses.

And (hopefully) thrive.

It’s a small space – 550 sq. feet – so only one coach can utilize the space at a given time. There’s a shared calendar and if someone blocks off the time, the studio is their’s to use. I’ve been using this system for just over five years and it’s worked splendidly.

If you’re someone who’s more hands-on and prefers the challenge of building a business, it’s likely not going to be a satisfying approach. However, if you’re someone like me and want something a little more low-key and are also looking for ways to offset your overhead, this option may be a home-run.

HOWEVER: As it happens I am now looking to scale the business into a larger footprint and turn CORE into CORE Collective…

…an all-in-one health/wellness location that not only provides top-notch personal training where a team of coaches can share and utilize the space, but also physical therapy, massage, nutrition counseling, and psychotherapy to boot.

Who knows, maybe I’ll also host Laser Tag tournaments on the weekends.

Which brings me to Point #1 above.

What the fuck am I doing?…..haha.

That’s That

I hope this was helpful?

Categoriesbusiness coaching personal training

Success in the Fitness Industry: Reality vs. Expectations

Copyright: saknakorn

Success in the Fitness Industry: Reality vs. Expectations

People who know me well know how much I’m obsessed with movies. I enjoy reading about them (what’s coming out or on the horizon of coming out), debating them (what’s the better 1997 release: Boogie Nights or Good Will Hunting?), and whenever possible…

…watching them.

I’ll watch pretty much any genre – drama, horror, comedy, thriller, documentary, John Wick, anything.

However, what may be unexpected is how much of a fan of romantic comedies I am.

  • Notting Hill
  • You’ve Got Mail
  • Love Jones
  • Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Put a girl in front of a boy (or boy in front of a girl; or boy in front of a boy; or girl in front of a girl), add some sexual tension, witty dialogue, & ensuing high jinks and I’m there.

(Added intrigue if somehow there’s ninjas and/or a threat of a nuclear holocaust involved).

NOTE TO SELF: Begin screenplay for When Harry Met Sally meets The Sum of All Fears (with a supporting comedic role provided by a Xenomorph XX121, you know, the alien from Alien). 

That shit will just write itself.

One of my all-time favorites (and highly underrated) romantic comedies is (500) Days of Summer.

There’s much I love about the movie, but one thing that stands out is a scene right smack dab in the middle titled “expectations vs. reality.

In it, Tom (the protagonist) is meandering to a dinner party in the hopes of re-kindling a relationship with a recent ex (Summer).

The entire scene is shot as a split screen with one side of the television labeled expectations; or what Tom hopes to happen. A night where he & Summer flirt, are entrenched in captivating conversation, and, in fact, seemingly fall back into love.

Simultaneously, the other side of the screen showcases reality. A night where Tom and Summer exchange a few pleasantries, but in the end he’s off in the corner of the room sulking realizing Summer has moved on from their relationship, and he eventually walks home…

…alone.

 

GODDAMIT, who’s wearing the onion shirt around here?! I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING!

Anyway, I can’t help but notice a parallel theme in the fitness industry…

…an “Expectation vs. Reality” tug-of-war with regards to what REALLY yields success.

EXPECTATIONS: Many (not all) are intoxicated by the illusion that all you need to be “successful” is to have read a few books and to look the part.

REALITY: Success is an overlap of the x’s & o’s of program design, knowing your functional anatomy, and having general competency when it comes to exercise technique & execution, to name a few.

But too, a large, and necessary (and often eye rolled at) part of the cog is the soft skills of coaching:

✅ Developing Client Rapport

Getting results for the people who pay you to do so is an important component of this. I mean, if we’re looking to build trust & rapport with our clients this would seemingly be step #1. However, I’d make the case that before that can even happen it is important (nay, crucial) to go out of our way to plant the seeds of “CONNECTION” first.

Meaning, be more relatable, accessible, and approachable.

What does that even mean?

Seek out other avenues/interests that you have in common with your clients. I obviously use movies a fair bit to do this. But you can also bring music or television into the mix. Maybe you’re a dog lover or think turtle neck sweaters are cool?

Finding common likes/dislikes – outside of exercise – amongst your clients is a wonderful means of building rapport.

✅ Listening

Admittedly, this is a hard skill to learn; we all loving hearing the sound of our own voice. However, as a fitness professional having a keen sense of knowing when to shut the fuck up is imperative.

For example, whenever I have an initial assessment with a potential new client I go out of my way to have him/her do the bulk of the talking.

Early in my career I’d do the exact opposite and try to “win” conversations.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold on, wait. Did you just say you do a lot of cardio to flush out lactic acid from of your system? Well, actually, lactic acid isn’t an acid at all and is actually a beneficial source of energy for your muscles. It’s pretty common knowledge. Anyway, you were saying?”

In hindsight I can’t imagine how many clients I lost because I was trying to impress them with big words.

Today, I just keep (most) of my thoughts to myself and do a lot more listening than winning.

✅ Basic People Skills

Smile, say hello, look people in the eyes, show empathy, be punctual, write programs that actually cater to THEIR goals, check in with your clients during their session (how do they feel? do they feel the exercise where they’re supposed to be feeling it?), never undervalue the power of a non-obvious courtesy laugh (😉), and always provide a safe space and an overwhelming sense of unconditional positive regard.

Also, when in doubt…more Wu-Tang!

✅ Not Being an Uppity Douche

Self-explanatory.

And That’s That

I don’t care if you can deadlift a bulldozer or that you sleep with a copy of SuperTraining underneath your pillow. If you’re not taking the time to flex, hone, and enhance your soft skills as a coach you’ll never separate yourself from the masses.

Categoriesbusiness fitness business

Coach and Grow Rich: Building Wealth

This is the third and final installment of fitness financial expert Billy Hofacker‘s Coach and Grow Rich series on TonyGentilcore.com. However, unlike most trilogies (ahem The Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions) this doesn’t suck.

Financial literacy is a topic that’s not emphasized (much less taught) to fitness professionals. What’s your plan for retirement? Do you have short or long-term disability? How about a 401k? SEP IRA? How do you handle debt?

The gist is: If you have a better handle on your rolodex of Russian weight training manuals or keto recipes than you do your budget, you may want to consider readjusting your priorities.

Here’s the first two installments in case you missed them:

Coach and Grow Rich

Coach and Grow Rich: A Simple Plan for Debt Destruction

I hope you enjoy the third.

Copyright: Chingching Saewu

Coach and Grow Rich: Building Wealth

Just like our clients need to learn proper squatting technique before we throw a heavy bar on their back, we need to have some foundational principles in place for building wealth.

Before we dive into part 3, here’s a quick re-cap of the first two installments.

Part 1 of Coach and Grow Rich was all about developing a money mindset. Since we’ll never outperform our self image, it’s crucial to pay attention to what we’re thinking about. Most people wind up where they expect financially, which isn’t far. By improving your mindset, you can set and achieve greater goals than you thought were possible.

Part 2 dealt with a sometimes uncomfortable topic, debt.

It’s an area I know all too well as my wife and I scraped our way out of a massive amount (more than 100K) of debt 10 years ago. I know firsthand how debt can cripple the future. I’m on a mission to help fit pros destroy debt so they can live the life they’re destined for.

The topic for this final post in the series is wealth building.

Accumulating wealth can sound like a scary thing. I know I’ve had to shift my mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance. Just over a decade ago I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to keep our house and now I have a grandeur vision.

Hopefully this post will help it seem a little less daunting for you. If a guy like me can get to the other side, with some hard work and discipline, you can too!

I hope you’re convinced of the importance of taking your finances seriously.

If so, here are the 7 habits of highly effective finances (and wealth building).

1. Do a Spending Plan

Think of your spending plan like your training program.

You create your plan before the month starts with your end goal in mind. It then serves as a guide for you to follow. We never follow it perfectly but we do much better than if we had no plan at all.

You can get started with a spending plan HERE.

2. Live Below Your Means

One of my favorite personal finance books is The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley. While income level can be a big lever when it comes to building wealth, it’s not true that a high income is needed to get ahead financially.

Additionally, high consumption isn’t correlated with high net worth.

The next time you’re at a stoplight, you may see a brand new Mercedes on one side and a three year old Toyota Corolla on the other. While there’s a chance the person driving the Mercedes is wealthy, there is a greater chance the owner of the Toyota is.

You may be surprised to find out that even among people who make 250K or more, only 39% drive luxury cars. It’s also not surprising that 8% of people who earn less than 100K drive luxury models. That’s keeping up with the Jones’ at its finest!

3. Stay Out of Debt

One of the most common traits of millionaires is they get and stay out of consumer debt. Even with a higher income, if a large percentage of it is going towards debt, the lost opportunity to build wealth is tremendous.

4. Save Your Pennies

Another trait of financially successful people is that they’re organized and prepared. They know that life happens and aren’t caught off guard when the water heater breaks, they have a flat tire, or when it’s December 25th.

They save a little each month and build up an unexpected event or sinking fund so when things happen, stress is minimized and they can keep moving in the right direction.

5. Invest

Money sitting in the bank can have its purpose (as mentioned in the point above) but keep in mind that over time that money will be worth less.

This is due to inflation, the decline of purchasing power over time.

One of the key principles of investing is that the higher the risk the higher the potential return. For example, you can invest in individual stocks or cryptocurrency. You may get lucky and choose the right one, like a guy I know of who invested in Apple at 9 years old and became a multimillionaire by age 13.

However, there is a much greater chance you will lose your money since there are so many unknowns. For this reason, most financially successful people have most of their investments in assets that have greater stability like mutual funds, index funds (a close cousin of mutual funds), and real estate. You have to determine how much risk you’re willing to take based on your situation (e.g. age, goals, etc.).

6. Get Money Smart

Some people say to stick your money in an investment, let it grow, and don’t worry about it. Or, hire a financial planner and let them handle it so you can focus on what you do best.

I agree and disagree with both of these strategies.

The main thing for me is that nobody is going to watch your money like you do.

Nobody.

I don’t believe you should take your finger completely off the pulse. You shouldn’t do that with your personal money or the money flowing through your business. I’m not saying you need to check your net worth three times a day, but spending a few hours a month on things like organizing your finances, thinking through different purchases, setting goals, etc. can go a long way.

Life is not all about money but when this part of things is organized the rest of life will work better.

7. Be Generous

Counter to what many think, the wealthiest people are the most generous.

And you don’t have to be wealthy to start giving.

Did the wealthy people become generous by getting rich? Or did being generous make them rich? Even with very little, you can cultivate a generous spirit. It might be with a few dollars, a higher tip, or even a compliment.

Being generous can become addictive. It feels so good to give that you want to earn more just to give more. It becomes a positive cycle of doing good, earning more, and creating a greater impact.

As That’s That

As you can see, building wealth doesn’t have to be complicated.

It can be rather simple.

It’s not easy.

It’ll take years of hard work, discipline, and courage. It’s not all that different from setting a goal in any important area like fitness or relational. I challenge you to do all or most of the seven things mentioned here for the next 30 days. You’ll see that you can win with money and hopefully be on your path to achieving financial freedom!

About the Author

Many fitness professionals get stuck in the day to day and have little to show for their hard work. Billy Hofacker helps them get on a plan to achieve financial freedom. You can learn more by listening to the Your Fitness Money Coach podcast or visiting www.yourfitnessmoneycoach.com.

Categoriesbusiness fitness business personal training

8 Career Traps For Personal Trainers to Avoid

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Virginia based personal trainer, Detric Smith. In case the title doesn’t give it away, there’a a bevy of sage advice below geared toward fitness professionals on common things that can (not always) derail career advancement.

HINT: Not listed: Male pattern baldness and big biceps…;o) 

This is a great read and I hope it helps any personal trainers out there reading.

Copyright: tawhy

8 Career Trap For Personal Trainers to Avoid

Welcome to an industry where trainers with an overnight certification or with a few shirtless posts on Instagram can take clients and money away from you. Even if it’s unfair, there’s not much you can do about it except rise above the trainers who only care about one thing.

Those who lack the dedication, knowledge and true passion for personal training will likely fall by the wayside while you’ll be still putting in the work to make a good living. But some of you have the potential to be great and need a little direction in becoming a career trainer.

A career trainer must do their job with a purpose of changing lives because this allows you to stay in the game.  You must be able to put aside all the distractions, long hours, and temporary setbacks.  

No one would blame you for falling for one of these 8 traps because easy money is almost always enticing. However, if you want a lifelong career as a personal trainer, read on to learn how to avoid these 8 potential career pitfalls. 

Trap #1: Getting Promoted Too Soon

Is it too good to be true to become a gym manager or personal training supervisor within your first year of employment? Financially, it might be the best option for you.

But are you really prepared?

Getting promoted before you’ve had a chance to learn from your mistakes and mentors may derail your career. Because if you aspire to make fitness a profitable career you need to spend years on the floor, interacting with clients and perfecting the art of coaching.

This doesn’t mean turning down a promotion if you’re doing great things. But if you do get promoted, continue to train people, and do the smallest of jobs. The best business owners understand their customers by investing their time into what matters, which are listening, coaching and problem solving.

Trap #2: Confusing IG and FB Likes With Success

No one’s arguing Instagram and Facebook are outstanding marketing tools. But they’re just tools and not a means to make a sustainable income. You don’t own or control the platforms and have no control if you’re kicked off or not.

If that happens, then what? 

Even if you have enough likes to make money off IG and FB, it could be taken away from you in a heartbeat.

For career trainers, judging your success by social media likes is a huge trap. Instead, focus on turning those likes into real-life clients by getting their emails, interacting with them via DMs or your stories and trying to help solve their problem.

Trap #3: Neglecting Continuing Education

Graduation and getting a certification doesn’t mean you know everything because you’re a newbie.

This industry is constantly changing, and your market is constantly changing also. The people I trained ten years ago are different than the ones I train now. Physiology is important, but no one cares about the Krebs cycle. They only care about losing their love handles.

You know, in case you’re ever short on dinner conversation

Don’t know what’s left to learn?

Study business management, psychology, finance, the art of coaching… anything.

Hell, dive into the history of welding if you want to. Learning new things keeps you excited, challenges your brain, and helps you become a more creative and compassionate coach.

Trap #4: Unrealistic Income Expectations

Remember, you want to be a career trainer, not a part-time trainer. No one gets an undergrad or certification and instantly becomes a “trainer to the stars”, pulling in millions a year. It took Ben Bruno many years of training under Mike Boyle before he trained the likes of Justin Timberlake and Chelsea Handler.

You’re going to invest lots of time, effort, and probably your own money into your business for a long time before you’re turning any real profit. You’ll likely be working 12+ hour days, with a lot of hours early in the morning and late in the evening.

And you may need a second job to make ends meet. 

If you’re not prepared for this, you have been warned. However, if you love what you do and embrace the grind, you will be rewarded. You’ll be able to work for yourself and create your own hours. Plus, you will be making real money but only if you prove your worth first. 

Trap # 5: Targeting The “Wrong” Market

Some newbie trainers want to train athletes and people who look like them. 20-somethings who are already in relatively good shape and have tons of options, and quite frankly don’t really need you. The reality is you need to be training everyone who walks in the door until you figure out who you like to train. 

These are typically general population clients between the ages of 30-70 who have the time and disposable income money to pay for your services. Make yourself different by being better than the other trainers who ignore them. 

Then educate these clients about how you can make a huge difference in their lives. 

Trap #6: Sacrificing the Truth For Quick Cash

Sure, you might get someone in for one or two sessions through a flashy ad making promises you cannot keep. But is this long-term strategy for success or a great way to shoot yourself in the foot?

Making a sale is about finding a problem you can solve and then solving it.

Understand and listen to the story they’re telling themselves because it’s possible they aren’t fully aware of their own problems.

Dig deep, create a connection, and try to find their why.

Once you‘ve connected with them, answer their objections, and show them you’re invested in them. When you get this right, the money won’t be a factor, and they’ll stay with you long-term.

Trap #7: Selling A Product Before It Exists

This product is you.

via GIPHY

Take the time to intern, get a good mentor and gather as much experience as you can. 

Know when you don’t know, and don’t be a fraud. Honestly, telling someone “I don’t know, but I’ll find out for you or connect you to someone who does” puts you in a position of trust.

People make buying decisions, especially with their health, based on trust. Even if you lose a client today, you’ll gain five down the road by earning trust while expanding your expertise in the meantime. 

After gaining invaluable experience, study business, and build your product. This is your career, after all, not some side gig. Learn from the best about how to grow your personal training business. 

Trap #8: Following The Crowd

Everyone is doing it, so I should too.

Didn’t your mom tackle this issue with the “if your friends jumped off a bridge…” question?

I know you think that’s where the money is but it’s a trap. The money might be there short-term, but the long-term is a different matter. Unless you originated something, studied it for decades, and you’re a top name on a topic, you won’t stand out from the crowd.

Instead, go in the opposite direction. Do what no one else is doing because I’ll guarantee you there’s a market somewhere that’s being ignored. Maybe it’s the over-50 crowd who want a safe, effective, team-oriented group training session where they get personal attention. And when you find them, go all in. 

Wrapping Up

I’ve been a trainer for 20 years and I’ve seen excitement and trends come and go. You do not want to be a one trick pony in this industry if you’re interested in a long-term career. Invest time in yourself, your career, and in the right clientele, and you might just crush it.

About the Author

Detric Smith, CSCS, ACSM EP-C, PN-1  is the owner of Results Performance Training in Williamsburg, Virginia. He has over two decades of experience as a personal trainer and sports performance coach. 

He develops personal trainers through his site DetricSmith.com, and serves as a mentor through various fitness organizations. 

Follow Detric on FB and IG

Categoriesbusiness

Maintaining a Sense of Calm and Comfort: How Fitness Professionals Can Serve Their Clients Amidst the Chaos

The world has changed.

I’ve joked about the impending “zombie apocalypse” for years now. And while zombies are fake and don’t exist (except they 100% do), what we’re all currently experiencing with the COVID-19 outbreak is very much real and very much scary.

The entire world is being held hostage to the unknown.

At least with zombies you can see them (and run really fast in the other direction or throw an ax at their face).

With this virus, however, we’re just stuck with this invisible inevitability of a dumpster fire. It’s going to affect our lives in every shape, form, and fashion for weeks, months, if not years to come.

The health/fitness industry, like many industries, has been decimated in a matter of days. People have lost their jobs, income, and (sadly) much, much more.

I am not going to sit here and say I’ve figured it all out. My business has taken a hit too in the past week, and there’s no clear path as to when things will return to normal. Nevertheless, I wanted to share some insights and ideas I’ve used and implemented in recent days which I hope will help others.

Copyright: idealnabraj / 123RF Stock Photo

Maintaining a Sense of Calm and Comfort Amidst the Chaos

1. Be a Leader

I understand this may sound cheesy and a smidge “eye rolley.”

I mean, the real leaders out there are the doctors, nurses, care givers, researchers, and scientists out there who are trying their damndest to circumvent the storm.

Telling someone not to round their back on their deadlift does not a leader make.

I think one of the things that scares people the most given current events is our daily routine(s) have been disrupted:

  • Schools and daycares are closed.
  • Concerts, workshops, seminars, conferences, sporting events, hell, sport seasons have been put on pause.
  • Self distancing and in some cases, shelter-in-place protocols, have been put in place.
  • We can’t go to the movies or visit our favorite bars and restaurants.
  • It’s impossible to find toilet paper (huh?) or kale (fuuuuuuuck).

Compound all the above with gyms closing and there’s only so much a person can tolerate…

via GIPHY

We have to be a voice of reason and comfort for our clients.

Their fitness is not going to deteriorate.

I’ve reminded several of my clients that both aerobic endurance and maximal strength “stick around” for a fair bit of time.

Much of the research states that the residual training effect – retention of changes induced by systematic workloads beyond a certain time period after cessation of training – for both aerobic endurance and maximal strength hovers in the 30+/- 5 day range.

Meaning, given a drop off in exercise duration/intensity/frequency you can (and most likely will) maintain those physiological and motor abilities for 25-35 days.

Put another way: Unless someone succumbs to a MAJOR case of the “eff its” and decides to do nothing but binge watch Netflix and bathe in Cheetos dust their fitness levels won’t drop off as much as they think.

The body only needs subtle reminders to maintain those qualities. In lieu of lifting “heavy” we can tweak things like tempos, rest periods, drop sets, mechanical advantage sets, pants on, pants off, lots of things.

(Speed/Power, on the other hand, dissipates quickly…to the tune of 5 +/- 3 days. But even this can be maintained with sprints and simple plyo drills like skipping & bounding).

So, just doing that – and reminding clients that all their hard work won’t just disappear – will go a long way in dampening their anxiety.

HOWEVER: It’s imperative as their coach to encourage them to be proactive.

2. The Part Where You Encourage Them to Be Proactive

One of the first things I did was to email my clients to give them my plan and to offer direction/options.

I’m in a bit of a lucky situation in that I train people in a semi-private fashion out of a small studio space. Unlike larger commercial gyms I haven’t had to shut down (yet), but I have taken precautions to practice social distancing:

  • No more than two clients in at any given time.
  • All clients are required to wash & sanitize their hands upon arriving, and are encouraged not to train if they feel ill or have a cough or fever.
  • Workouts are limited to 60 minutes only.
  • All bars, DBs, KBs, handles, pens, everything will be sanitized between transitioning of clients.

Still, and respectively, 40-50% of my clientele have opted to stay away from the gym altogether.

So the second email I sent was a link to PerformBetter.com who are offering FREE shipping on all online orders.

OG status right there.

I encouraged my clients to pick up, at the very least, some (mini and super) bands in addition to some kettlebells, and told them that between those two things – in addition to basic bodyweight movements – they’d have hundreds of exercises to choose from and to keep them occupied.

To that end, I plan on filming and sending my clients 2-3 “at home” workouts per week that utilize minimal equipment.

Here’s an example I shared on social media the other day:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I’ll play! . Like many of my colleagues I’ve been busy tweaking all my clients’ programs to reflect the times we’re currently in. . I.e., More “at home” workouts. . And while I’m up for the challenge I’d be lying if I said I haven’t had to conjure up my inner McGyver: . “I’ve got one band, an ab wheel, a mat, a roll of duct tape, and a yo-yo. I need a 3x per week program.” . Go! . I’ve been enjoying seeing what everyone else has come up with and it’s helped me tremendously tap into my creative juices. . Here’s a sample day I’ve sent a few of my clients: . Each exercise is done as a EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) set. Once you complete an exercise you rest until the top of the next minute. . 1️⃣ Scissor Jumps x4-5/leg (substitute = 20 Jumping Jacks or 5 Vertical Jumps w/reset). . 2️⃣ Push-Up w/Elbow Tap x4-5/side (substitute = 8-10 “regular” reps elevated). . 3️⃣ 1-1/2 Reps Squat x 8-10 reps (no substitute. Fucking do it…😉). . 4️⃣ Prone Pulldown w/ Hip Add-Abduction x8-10 (props to @movement.with.meghan for this one). . 5️⃣ Step-Through x5/leg (substitute = Reverse OR Forward Lunge only). . Optional: Practice nunchuck skills. . Perform for 5 Rounds. You’re so diesel! . I’d like to post more of these moving forward so long as people want them and find them useful?

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

If there’s ever a time to lead by example it’s now.

3. The Part Where You Encourage Them to Be Proactive (Part II)

I don’t think we’ll see any shortage of coaches uploading at home workouts on social media in the coming weeks/months (thank goodness).

I am flabbergasted at the inventiveness and creativity of my colleagues.

A few resources I’ve been directing people towards are:

  • Dr. Ryan DeBell’s At Home Movement & Workout Program (it’s free to download, but you have the option to donate $$ if that fills your love tank).
  • Jen Sinkler’s Lift Weights Faster Daily (you get DAILY emails highlighting workouts that use minimal equipment).
  • THIS free bodyweight training manual via Jim “Smitty” Smith of Diesel Strength.
  • Dean Somerset is offering two months of free access to his High Tensile Strength resource (which includes a section on bodyweight training)
  • Citizen Athletics’ home workout program(s) – HERE.
  • Anything BJ Gaddour produces – particularly his “Daily BJ” (which is just a brilliant marketing name).

And, honestly, I think going out of your way to check in with your clients via email/texts is an apropos way of doing business.

I’m challenging my clients to send me accountability emails after completing the workouts I send them. One of my clients sent me this message yesterday:

“Workout 1 in the books. I think this will work just fine 🙂 For extra fun, I added some rucksack curls and wore the rucksack during pushups.

Thanks so much for putting this together. Didn’t realize how much it would boost my mood (didn’t even know my mood needed a boost). Excited to keep going on the coming days.

Thanks again.

PS: I miss your biceps (<— added by Tony).”

He even sent me a screen shot of his workout stats:

I want more of this.

ADDENDUM: My good friend, John Rusin, had a nice re-frame regarding this whole fiasco. He reminded everyone that while it’s cool we’re all trying our best to serve our clients and inundate them with at home workouts to perform, we also can’t forget about CONNECTING with them.

He’s encouraging fit pros to just talk with their clients, check in. Another coach, Melanie Redd, suggested making a private group on FaceBook or Slack.com to share ideas on books to read or shows to binge or to just co-hyperventilate into a paper bag (my add, not hers).

In short: Remain human with your clients.

4. Distance Coaching – It’s a Thing…;o)

I’d do this discussion a disservice if I didn’t defer to Jon Goodman, founder of Online Trainer Academy:

“You don’t need to pay for software to start online training. But if you do want to use it, any of them are more than adequate. Google Drive and email is fine too for now. It doesn’t matter what video tool you use either. Skype or Zoom both work. And you can accept payments with PayPal.

There, that answers the 10,000+ questions I got yesterday. I know that this is a change and it’s scary and feels foreign and uncomfortable. Everybody is struggling right now. Nobody really knows what’s going on. We’re all scared.

But I beg you, don’t overthink this. Move fast. Speed is paramount right now. Jump all in and it’ll be fine and you’ll figure it out. I promise.”

5. A Brief Rant on Selling Products During This Time

For starters have some feel and use common sense.

While it’s a very small percentage, I’ve seen some health/fitness professionals (not coincidentally ones they have a vested, financial interest) suggesting certain diets or supplement stacks will slow down, stave off, or altogether silence the Coronavirus.

In short: To say they suck is an insult to sucking.

They’re the worst.

Secondly, I’ve seen a rash of Tweets and IG posts from some fitness professionals reprimanding other fitness professionals for having the audacity of selling their products during this time. I can’t help but think these are the same people who just hate and complain about everything; even kitty cuddles.

From what I’ve seen the vast number selling products are adopting this tone:

“Hey, if you’re going to be stuck inside for the next several weeks you may as well get smarter and earn some CEUs!”

I think it’s a completely fair and ethical approach.

Tossing myself to the pitchforks I’ve not only lost income from clients pressing the pause button on their in-person training, but have also had all my workshops in the coming months cancelled as well.

I know others have it far worse, and I am not looking for a pity party.

I’m going to be okay, but still…

…that’s revenue I won’t be getting back.

Is the expectation that I (and others in a similar predicament) am supposed to offer free services and 100% off codes on all products for the foreseeable future? Am I supposed to renege on the endless hours (and $$) I’ve spent producing these resources?

Am I?

Would you?

Listen, it’s one thing to be a dickhole and market things in a way that’s blatant profiteering (not cool). It’s another thing altogether to make a living (totally cool).

All of this to say: Assuming you’re not the former example…if you’re someone who has products to sell amongst a horde of fitness professionals yearning to kill some time and learn I say…sell away.

  • Offer payment plans
  • Give people an option of what they want to pay (you’d be surprised how many will pay more than you think).
  • Free hugs for every purchase?
  • I don’t know.

We’re in a weird time now.

I hope this helped.