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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.1

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 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.

Categoriesfitness business

Coach and Grow Rich

Fitness professionals are reticent to talk about money.

Part of this is because it’s a topic we’re not taught.

Ever.

I don’t recall the “Financial Savviness” or “SEP IRA” chapter in my NSCA textbook.

Too, partly, I think we’ve been programmed to think that we’re “selling out” if we bring up money or that we’d like to make more of it. Fit pros are just supposed to shut-up, work long hours, and take pride in the grind.

That and apparently create the facade of wealth by posting lots of shirtless or arms crossed pictures next to sports cars on Instagram…😉

Nevertheless, finances is a dearth topic in the fitness industry and something that should garner more of our attention. To that end, I’ll hand things over to fitness financial expert, Billy Hofacker, who chimes in today with the first of THREE installments of a series I believe will help a lot of people.

Enjoy!

Copyright: tuk69tuk / 123RF Stock Photo

Coach and Grow Rich

If you’re like me, you got into the fitness industry because you had a passion for fitness and/or helping people.  You probably realized you needed an understanding of anatomy as well as how to relate with different kinds of people.

However, what often catches us off guard and derails us is managing money. In my case, the realization wasn’t subtle. I was surprised to hear a knock on the door at the crack of dawn one spring morning about 10 years ago. I opened the door to see a guy standing there with no shortage of tattoos, muscles, and piercings.

Confused, I looked past him and saw my new white Honda Accord hooked up to his tow truck.

My car had been repossessed.

The craziest thing about this is that I was actually surprised. In other words, I was so far behind on payments that the repo man had to come and I didn’t even see it coming. That’s how off track I was.

This was a major wake up call for me to say the least. Thankfully, it has a happy ending.

My wife and I went on to pay down over 130K in non-mortgage debt in 5 years. Yes, we had that much debt. We owed money to everybody!

Not only did we pay off all the debt but we went on to create a nice life for ourselves. More importantly, I discovered my mission for helping fit pros achieve financial freedom .

As fitness professionals, we’re some of the hardest working people I know and unfortunately many have little to nothing to show for it.

As Tony says, “It’s just not a topic we’re taught, ever.”

The good news is that regardless of your situation, there is hope. You can absolutely get to the next level. To make this happen, three of the most important areas we need to address are:

  • Money Mindset
  • Destroying Debt
  • Building Wealth

In the first of this three-part series. I’ll be diving into Money Mindset.

Marching orders will be included as knowledge is useless until it’s applied.

Money Mindset

This is a broad area and a topic that comes up a lot in my Fitness Profit Coaching Group.

One thing I’m certain of after being on this journey for 10+ years, is that we are affected by our upbringing and experiences.

All of our actions are based on emotions which stem from thoughts which are completely shaped by our backgrounds.

This is why we can learn all of the techniques but still find success to be elusive. We are limited by our own beliefs which aren’t necessarily true. They are simply what we learned and don’t have to define us.

After countless hours of study, I’ve come to realize that financially successful people and those who struggle think completely differently.

There are many examples of this.

Some are obvious.

For instance, most of us agree that financially successful people are more likely to take control of their destiny. They don’t simply hope for the best. They make it happen.

Additionally, you’ll rarely hear a financially successful individual complain about their circumstances. Those who struggle often play the blame game. They seem to always have a reason for where they are in life. Whether it’s the economy, their age, their boss, their spouse, their kids, or most commonly their parents, they find something or someone to justify their lack of success. It provides some short term benefit. If the reason for their position is outside their control, they don’t have to take responsibility or change.

Change is uncomfortable.

Here is a common but not as often recognized self defeating belief. It’s one that I believe has affected me negatively. It’s the belief that money isn’t important.

Perhaps someone told you that there are more important things than money – things like relationships or time to enjoy life. This belief is commonly taught in religious circles. It’s almost as if having money makes you less spiritual.

Here’s what I now know to be true:

👉 None of those things I mentioned are mutually exclusive. It doesn’t make any sense to compare them. My relationships are extremely important but so is money. The fact that my relationships are important doesn’t negate the fact that money is too.

👉 Whoever says money isn’t important doesn’t have any. The belief that money isn’t important causes people to do things that are destructive to their financial health. They don’t pay attention to it. When you don’t pay attention to it you wind up in trouble.

👉 They don’t talk about it. When you don’t talk about it to those close to you, relationships are strained. We know it’s the biggest cause for marital problems.

👉 It doesn’t make anyone less spiritual. People can’t be fed and religious buildings can’t be built without money.

Money really magnifies character or lack thereof. When a generous person becomes wealthy, they become more generous and make the world a better place. When a greedy or dishonest person gets money, it magnifies these traits.

It wasn’t caused by the money.

The key is uncovering these beliefs, recognizing them for what they are, and working hard to develop new and more productive beliefs. This is hard work but one of the most valuable things you can do for your finances and your life.

Here are your action steps:

1️⃣ Think about an emotional experience you had around money when you were young.

2️⃣ Write down all of the thoughts, statements, and feelings you had around money, rich people, wealth, etc. when you were young.

3️⃣ Write down the habits and thoughts around money that your parents or caregivers had.

4️⃣ Write down the effect all these things had on your finances and life thus far.

Hopefully after spending some time in this area, you can acknowledge that not all of those things are necessarily true. They just represent your experience. Someone with a different background and experiences would have a completely different set of beliefs and values. Now it’s time to decide that moving forward you will adopt a new set of beliefs.

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.