She Means Fitness Business (career choices)

Need a little boost starting or starting over? 

In case you hadn’t noticed, the fitness industry is well-represented by female leaders. From IDEA, SCW, FitnessFest, Canfitpro, AFAA, and so many more internationally leading continuing education and enhancement of the fitness industry through positive messages. Here in this episode is Sara Kooperman, who’s bio is going to blow you away. 

Before you go feeling left behind I want to remind you that she’s not slowing down. She’s pivoting when some would have exited. She’s doing more when many would have done less. She’s proof that no one starts and coasts. If you’re building now, your rebuilding now, or you’re thinking of starting, it is not your age that matters. 

It’s about so many things, including a willingness to risk and to fail. 

You can’t lead standing still. 

I am about to read an incredibly long bio. And I am going to read every word because it’s been earned and you need to know this funny, talented mom I’m about to interview has been there, done that and continues to… so that you can. Starting now or starting over, it’s all in here.

My Guest: 

Sara Kooperman, JD, CEO of SCW Fitness Education, WATERinMOTION® and S.E.A.T. Fitness, is a visionary leader that has transformed the fitness education community. A successful business owner and advisor, she is a keynote speaker, published author, webinar host, podcast presenter and sought-after industry leader. Sara has launched seven (7) successful MANIA® fitness-professional conventions & Business Summits, another six (6) Streaming Conferences, and over 40 live and online certifications. Her company has touched more than 100,000 Fitness Professionals face-to-face and engaged another 300,000+ in virtual connections. Having produced over 600 Fitness Instructor Training videos, written several books, and been published repeatedly in magazines and newspapers, Sara is well-known for her creativity and impact on the health and wellness industry. She has a unique ability to share her passion and devotion towards fitness education through her humor, enthusiasm, and her effervescent no-nonsense personality.

Sara is committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise as a fitness industry leader for the past 4 decades through speaking engagements across the world. She is a favorite presenter for the IHRSA, Filex, canfitpro, Athletic Business Show, Medical Fitness Association, International Council on Active Aging, JCC, Club Industry, YMCA, Illinois Park & Recreation Association, AYP, IDEA, FitPro, Marriott Vacation Club, Gold’s Gym, WIFA, Nevada Recreation & Park Association as well as over a dozen international events throughout the world. Sara is also the former Owner and CEO of Les Mills Midwest, which she successfully led for over 10 years.

There’s More

Sara is an attorney who graduated from Washington University School of Law and completed undergraduate work from Cambridge University in England. Sara was selected as a Gold Medal winner distinguishing her as a business leader who has contributed to the economic health of her community. She also is the proud recipient of the Illinois State Business Woman of the Year and AEA’s Global Award for Contribution to the Aquatic Industry.

Having been a former adjunct faculty member for the Kenneth Cooper Institute, ACSM, NASM, ACE and AFAA, Sara serves on the Gold’s Gym Think Tank, is on the canfitpro Advisory Panel, was a founding board member for the Women In Fitness Association (WIFA), and is a proud inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame. Sara currently serves on IHRSA’s Headlight Committees for Facility Standards and is also a Co-Host of IHRSA’s Talks & Takes Monthly Talk Show. Recently nominated for the IDEA Fitness Leader of the Year Award, Kooperman won the 2022  Most Innovative Fitness Pro by Fitness Industry Technology Council. Sara has left an indelible mark on the fitness industry as a whole.

The Rest

What I haven’t said is that she could do stand up comedy, she’s a down to earth mom of boys, she’s refreshingly “no BS,” creative, and has the ability to both teach on the level that participants in her fitness classes appreciate and then take in the big picture and change the face of an industry. That’s all before lunch. 

The harder I work the luckier I get.

-Sara Kooperman

00:00

Questions we answer in this episode: 

07:59 What is the best piece of advice you’d give new trainers? 

13: 04 What would you do the same or different?

13:50 What was the biggest leap you’ve taken in your career?

16:14 How much did the pandemic impact you and your businesses? What was the hardest as a leader during that time?

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made and how did they end up helping you? 

25:30 If you were STARTing over how would you promote yourself and your business? 

A few nuggets from Sara Kooperman for starting over or starting: 

  • Just show up.
  • Be on time.
  • Answer emails within 24 hours.
  • Answer your text messages.
  • Be nice.
  • Have your own website.
  • Keep it up to date. 
  • Have a landing page.
  • Be up to date on social media. 
  • Ask for help.
  • Ask for the opportunity. 
  • Ask again.

As a woman in business, I do not cry.

-Sara Kooperman

How to Connect with Sara: 

www.sarakooperman.com

www.scwfit.com

www.waterinmotion.com

www.SEATfitness.com

She’s Social: 

@scwmania

#scwmania

#waterinmotion

@seatfitness

www.scwfit.com/events

Listen to Sara’s Interview on Flipping 50: https://www.flippingfifty.com/midlife-fitness-changes

I built my entire business on "what if"

-Sara Kooperman

Additional Resources: 

Marketing to Women: Copywriting Course: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/copywriting-course

5 Days to More Midlife Clients: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/5daysmoreclients

Other Episodes You May Like: 

Fitness Marketing to Midlife Women: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/marketing-midlife/

When Your Business Isn't Growing: Fitness Marketing Basics: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/fitness-marketing-basics/

 

Direct download: FiMM-_Sara_Kooperman_-_Edited.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 3:00am MDT

Your female entrepreneur playbook is on the way. Better yet, it’s an audio edition, so lace up your shoes and get busy while you listen to this. My guest is going to help you become credible, have authority, and boost your brand. 

00:00

I can tell you the power of a book is great. It puts your words and message in front of many over and over again. Though I don’t like to refer to books as calling cards, I do think they make it easy to the marketing- or self-promotion–adverse. It’s easier to promote a book to get themselves out there when they otherwise would not.

Whether you have a traditional publisher or you self-publish, or you do something between, the value of a book also includes the fact it will force you to express your message clearly and concisely. It will boost your confidence and give you soundbites you’ll use forever. 

Listen in to this episode for the female entrepreneur playbook you’ve been waiting for! 

Want more midlife clients? 5 Days to More Midlife Clients Challenge: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/5daysmoreclients

My Guest: 

Patricia Wooster is a former corporate software executive turned traditionally published author of thirteen books and the self-published author of three business books. She is the founder of WoosterMedia which transforms leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, influencers, and thought leaders into published authors who amplify their message through high-impact books.

Patricia has worked on over 350+ traditional publisher projects and helped countless others self-publish their books. She coaches people through the process of creating a transformational experience for their readers by mastering their message, engaging with their readers, and adhering to the high standards set by the traditional publishing industry. Her clients have landed agents, publishing contracts, speaking opportunities, and best-seller status.

Questions we answer on this podcast:

  • 07:00 How can listeners build their brand online?
  • 10:00 What is and how can someone create a “value ladder” in the digital space?
  • 15:56 Why is a signature story essential to differentiating yourself?
  • 22:24 What can you do to generate revenue fast?
  • 26:30 What are some of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make?
  • 31:10 What’s the difference in time to publish between traditional publishing and self-publishing? 

There you have it. She wrote the book, the female entrepreneur playbook. And she’s not only written dozens herself but she’s made it possible for entrepreneurs just like you to do the same. 

You have a story and a message. No one else has your stories, and each of them makes you unique and connect you to your ideal customer. 

But… only if you tell them. 

Connect with Patricia:

Website: https://www.patriciawooster.com

 

She’s Social: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriciawooster/

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/channel/UCxZRFsJLZT5DMqB4lA_vPew

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciawooster/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/WoosterPatricia

 

Additional Resources: 

5 Days to More Midlife Clients: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/5daysmoreclients

Marketing to Women Fitness & Health Coach Copywriting Course: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/copywriting-course/

Create the Ultimate Freebie: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/irresistible-freebie-how-to/

Direct download: Fitness_Marketing_Mastery_-_Patricia_Wooster_-_Edited.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 3:00am MDT

00:00

Online fitness businesses or virtual studios are the paths many fitness professionals took during the pandemic. Whether you were doing it already, were forced to look at other directions for your business during quarantines, or are considering it now this episode has tips for you. 

00:40

In this episode, I’ll explore ways to grow your online fitness business with an inspiring interview with an award-winning Canadian fitness professional. If you’re: 

  • Struggling to stand out online
  • Seeking inspiration so you can keep going 
  • Trying to figure out why what you’re doing isn’t working

… then tune in and take notes for your own online fitness business success. In three short years, my guest has done something with her passion for exercise that could just reignite the spark in you. 

Success leaves clues. 

02:10

My Guest:

Suaad Ghadban is CanFitPro’s Fitness Professional of the year and a leading fitness and health expert in Canada. She is also the creator of Montreal’s hottest Workout Hot Booty Ballet™. She has 20 years of teaching and training experience which include; dance, gymnastics, circus, and fitness, as well as being a World Dance and Sports Aerobic Champion. Suaad is the fitness correspondent for Global TV Montreal for the past 8 years and has been featured in many media and print outlets such as The Huffington Post, The Gazette, TVA, The Globe and mail, Salut Bonjour, Radio Canada, and many more.

Always at the forefront of creativity and trendsetting, Suaad launched the Hot Booty Ballet™ virtual studio in 2018 to ensure instructors and studio owners had continual access to fresh movement and training ideas. The HBB virtual studio houses a community of fabulous fitness pros who can deliver the program in person, outdoors thanks to ‘Ballet By The Water™’ and virtually all over the world!

As a motivator and a role model, Suaad’s passionate personality and unique energetic style of teaching allow her to connect easily with people, bringing out the best in every individual and helping them go beyond their personal goals and expectations.

06:12

Questions we answer in this episode

  • When did you start your HBB Online studio and why?
  • What are some tips you can offer new instructors in the digital world?
  • What are some tools that have helped you expand your online studio?
  • How did you create a brand that attracts people - super well!?
  • You began in 2018, what do you find is different about marketing a digital fitness brand now compared to when you first launched online?

Don’t Miss Suaad’s Must-Have Top 3 tips for online business! 

You can’t hurry time. You can’t hurry experience.

-Suaad Ghadban

Connect with Suaad:

www.hotbootyballet.com

She’s Social: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotBootyBallet/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotbooty.ballet

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hbbworkout

Additional Resources: 

Marketing to Women Copywriting Course 



What was the most valuable tip you got from this episode? Let me know in the comments.

 

I feel like fitness chose me. 

-Suaad Ghadban

Direct download: Fitness_Marketing_Mastery_-_Suaad_Ghaban_-_Edited.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 3:00am MDT

Wonder if you should be an employee or entrepreneur? There are a lot of reasons why I became an entrepreneur. The entire first two weeks of this year it would be very easy to say I’ve done nearly none of them.

Why I think most of us go into business.

I’ve spent the majority of my time doing things I’m not good at. I’ve been procrastinating doing them, which amplifies the negative impact of them.

And still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I Still Have to Say No

In the beginning, I had tons of time, and no revenue. That was uncomfortable for someone who was used to taking action and seeing results. So, it was discipline that made me say no to opportunities.  More often I said yes. Not necessarily for the right reasons. I went to get the ego hit that comes from being asked to present to a room of your own peers or to author this or that for them. But did I consciously think whether or not it was the best investment of time money and energy? Then, not really. I probably did blow up the credibility benefit of doing it and used the media exposure to my advantage. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether that was productive or not.

And now, I’ve grown to the extent that I have to say “no” to things I actually really do want to do. I recently had the opportunity to author a chapter for NASM, and I love them and the work they do, but I’m having to base my time spend on what is best for the company I run. I’ve been asked to do an adult education course for my alma mater’s Retired Alumni but again, I have to consider what I won’t be doing with that time and energy.

I’ve recently been invited to present at prestigious conferences I used to love presenting for and again, I have to say no.

These might be things that you’d say recharge your batteries and you love and at one time I would have too. But I realize that the writing for someone else, the traveling and expense of that and time away puts a crunch not just on me but on everyone else in my team too if I’m not accessible.

A Tough Decision

There are things I’ll say yes to because being out in front of more people is good for me, but others I need to say no to not just for the time and energy spent preparing but for the steal from what would normally be recovery time.

I share this with you because if you’re a personal trainer starting out … or already out on her own you may be wondering – especially in this climate with gyms not doing so well and online training really not requiring a gym to do it – if you’re best suited for an employee or being an entrepreneur.

Having been both during my 38 years yet literally from the beginning, always having something independent, I can weigh in. I’m also tapping into others who’ve managed, owned, hired, trained and fired and watched employees quit, leave and go it alone.

For a look at who thrived, survived, moved on to becoming an employee again… stay tuned.

Failing on your Way to Deciding Employee or Entrepreneur ?

First of all, I want to say something before we start. Having tried it and failed to reach the success you wanted is still a win. Along the way it’s our failures that teach us far more than the successes do.

If you go the entrepreneur route, I would absolutely make sure that you have someone who will keep you accountable. If you have a spouse and a reason there’s no sweat, it’s a disadvantage.

Trust me, I know this. For 4 or 5 years while supported by my husband my business was a loss. That’s not only a red flag for the IRS but it’s not really a business. If it were paying your bills, or if you were going to ask for a loan or seek investors, no one in their right mind would say yes to that. So don’t fool yourself if your partner (or parent) is gifting you money and so you look on the outside as if you’re a business with revenue, expenses and a profit margin, while inside your books show something else.

It’s not just me. I’ve seen it happen all too often with other fitness professionals too. They’ve been given the money to start. They’ve been bailed out by investors when it wasn’t working. They’ve not been willing to quit the day job to really do it. Without that pressure… which if you’re listening and that feels like a bad thing, you don’t have a reason to do make it work.

How Prepared Are You?

Here’s how willing and – maybe naïve – I was. It was going to work. So, I quit my job, barely worked for 14 months, and truthfully 3 more, while I was figuring it out. There was never – well that’s probably not fully true… I remember looking at jobs at universities and considering applying to teach – but there was never a time when I thought, this won’t work. I sold my house, dipped into retirement funds, whatever it took I was willing to do.

When you have that fall back, and it’s not a formal relationship where you’d pay it back with or without interest, it’s going to hold you back. Your business plan should be strong enough that you can make it work. If you wouldn’t be comfortable asking for a loan, and showing how you’re going to use it, really take a good look at whether you’ll get ahead or just further in debt – even if just emotionally if you don’t make changes.

No matter what you want to do, there’s a way to scale it. But some plans just aren’t scalable and you need to think about that. Then there’s the fact, nothing is guaranteed. I wouldn’t want to have a brick and mortar business in 2020 or 2021 and wouldn’t invest in one now. It’s improving but there’s still a lot of doubt. But that doesn’t make an online business a no-brainer.

So, to answer are you an fitness employee or entrepreneur, answer these 11 questions

  • Do you like to have specific hours and be able to arrive and leave work at a specific time?
  • Do you like to have a dependable paycheck that’s the predictable every time?
  • Do you prefer to have your pay reflect what you did, your effort, and how successful it was?
  • Do you like to grow and constantly learn new things that challenge you?
  • Do you like to make the decisions or prefer to have them made for you?
  • Do you want to have someone to consult, mentor, and lead you?
  • Do you like freedom to do your job when you work best as long as you get the job done?
  • Do you have a creative, problem-solving mindset that everything is figure-outable?
  • Do you have the desire or ability to lead and mentor others?
  • Do you take personal responsibility for your work? Are you self-initiated?
  • Do you prefer to work with a team or work as an individual or leader on the vision?

As an entrepreneur…

You’re never “off.”

If you’re not insanely driven or pressure isn’t good for you…. you will probably be happier as employee.

I will tell you that any employee with an entrepreneurial spirit will do better today. If you find employers who hire for jobs they want done, with the description of success, and you’re the kind of person who wants the freedom to problem-solve and handle things with guidelines and a set of values… along with latitude, you will still do better. You’ll find positions that you like doing and that feel like you control to some extent what you make or how you are able to experience your job.

I’m moving more to hiring the people who have the skills, beyond mine, and defining success, not a job description. When someone doesn’t get the job done or needs constant reminding when they’ve got a task already assigned to them, they aren’t long term.

As an entrepreneur…

You’re always free. You’re free to do the work when you work best. You’re free to take the afternoon or the week. You’re free to make the decisions in the morning and implement them in the afternoon. You’re free to be inspired and put ideas into action. You’re free to decide the direction of your business, who you serve, and how you serve them.

As an employee…

You’re always (or almost) safe. You’re secure. You’re certain what you’ll earn and when it will come.

I can personally tell you that just before I was leaving my position I had a few conversations with my boss about changing the way I was paid. Because they’d never considered the program would grow to this level and my commission override was growing right along with it. And I said, “Don’t do that. If I don’t have a reason to run hard, it won’t be so fun for me.” That was knowing that slower months of revenue would still have meant a consistent income. I was like, “No! If you want me to perform best you won’t do that.”

I like knowing that what I do gets a result. I’m in control.

My son his first couple years out of college was looking for the right fit. As he tried a couple positions, I suggested he considered his own business. He was like, “No way, why would I want that kind of responsibility!?” and then we discussed management because he was outperforming everyone in his first 5 months on a job, including those who had been there for 12. Again, “No, way I just want to do my own thing.”

Until… a couple years later. He’s considering both. I say that for you… you may think you’d never want that, until you do. So, if being an employee and learning the ropes from others is most appealing to you now, there are jobs. And later, you may want to revisit when you have a bigger skill set, more ideas about what works and doesn’t or what you’re not able to do in your current situation that you could working for yourself.

We work a significant part of our lives. It’s important to have purpose in what you do every day. 

Direct download: 2022-01-16-t12-28-02pm-final-mix.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 3:00am MDT

Interested in providing menopause coaching services?

Whether you’re dreaming about having a job you love getting out of bed in the morning for, or you want to ditch your cubicle (or shall we say, kitchen) life right now? Or you love the idea of using your skills and talking to women who want, need, and deserve support… menopause coaching services may just be for you.

Before you dive in though you need absolute clarity about 3 things.

You need absolute clarity about 3 things:

  1. Where you get your leads
  2. How you convert them
  3. How you deliver the transformation they want

Now each of those can go into even more depth.

Take leads for example

That is all about knowing your avatar, or ideal client.

  • How well do you know what your audience wants, hates, needs, and has already tried?
  • What is it that you will give them that is so enticing that they will want to learn more from you and voluntarily give you their email address?
  • How quickly can they consume it and get a quick win?
  • Clarity here is important too. Is your message absolutely clear to them?

Then we can look at the way that you convert leads into customers.

  • Do you email them and then make an offer?
    Do you set up a phone consultation?
  • Do you offer an in-person consultation, first session, or assessment?
  • And… how good are you at converting them? Do you know what you’re going to say, how you’re going to say it and have confidence about that?

Last of those three things you need to be absolutely clear about is how you deliver the service.

Take for instance our Advanced Flipping 50 Fitness Specialists.

They can coach via phone, Skype, Facetime, Zoom or in person if that’s convenient for the client. It depends on the nature of your service and on the geography between you and your client. I, for example will meet via Skype or Facetime with my international clients. We are going over exercise plans, but we’re not working out.

I’m writing a plan for them, and then may provide just that, ask for video of them doing moves to assess them, and I may provide video for those less inclined to follow workouts on their own. I’ve been training this way since the mid 90s. It’s Training Peaks style, though I use my own website and member area.

What Speed are You Going?

Next up, I’m going to walk you through speed. Speed is going to be important for you to look at now and consider whether it’s a match for what you need to happen.

If for instance it takes you a long time to even get leads that you need to fix right away.

I’m sure you can see that as a problem because without what we call traffic whether it’s walking in the door or hitting your website, no traffic means no customers sooner or later.

Is It Your Livelihood?

And if it takes you weeks or months to convert most of your customers, what are you going to live on and eat meanwhile?

The goal would be that once you’ve listened to what your ideal customer wants to buy, you’ve created that and you’ll sell that and they’ve been waiting and excited to get it. Or if they’re new to your list, then they will want to buy it within a predictable time because it’s a great fit for exactly what they wanted.

When it’s predictable how long it will take you to get new customers after you get leads you can relax a little about having a stable revenue. To increase it you’d do more advertising! That’s easy!

Effective?

You then have to talk about how effectively you’re doing these things.

What is the rate of conversions on your leads?

Because if you’re only converting a small number (less than 40% of people who come through) there’s a gap in the quality of leads that you’re attracting or in the messaging and that’s something you want to dig into.

Measuring What Matters

  • The biggest question is, are you measuring what matters?
  • The number of leads within a certain time period.
  • The number of those leads that converted within a specific period depending on your campaign.
  • The number of those leads that convert later.

Depending on the sophistication of your CRM or customer relationship management, in other words, your email and data tracking, you can track these numbers there.

And you can also track where your money is coming from. Then from those products and services you can look at how much time it took you. You’ll learn if there’s really a profit margin for you when you take out your expenses.

Menopause Coaching Service

A menopause coaching service like that of the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist is a business. You want to treat it like one, whether you coach 10 hours a week or you coach 40. Customers expect a level of service that can only come from you investing in yourself, your business, and delivering the best over time.

I’ll link in the show notes to a master class where you can get more information about how to learn more about the business side of personal training and health coaching. I can definitely spare you a few mistakes, and help you find your distinguishing factors that make you exactly the coach someone is looking for.

Referenced in this Podcast: 

Master Class for Menopause Coaching

/menopausecoach

Direct download: start.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 8:43pm MDT

What if I told you I don’t recommend you ever become a personal trainer or health coach? Would you say, are you nuts?How does that make sense coming from a 36-year fitness professional? And on a podcast dedicated to fitness marketing ease & elevating the professionalism of the fitness industry?

Well, stay with me. The truth is no one should aim to be a personal trainer. It means too many things, and too few things, to too many people. If you define yourself as a personal trainer you will be falling into a stereotype where hundreds of thousands of other options exist.

For a short time longer anyway, there are hundreds and thousands of them. Even when those who won’t do the consistent job of showing up doing the things the successful do… you will have competition. Your goal is to eliminate it by setting yourself clearly and distinctly apart.

Don’t Be a Personal Trainer or Health Coach if….

If you can’t describe what you do and how you do it in a way that immediately tells your ideal customer why you, and you alone are the one they want to work with, you’re going to struggle. Right now, we all need to make the road as obstacle-free as possible.

So, you’re not a Pilates instructor, or a yoga teacher or a bootcamp leader, or anything else that puts you into a group of nobodies.

In this podcast I’m going to walk you through examples of a list of questions. I want you to go get something to write with and some paper to write on. And if you love your keyboard, I guarantee you that you really want to tap into your creativity by putting pen to paper when you’re brainstorming.

Don’t be a Personal Trainer without Answering These:

  • What value do you offer?
  • What do you do?
  • How does it help people?
  • What can they do in their lives they couldn’t before working with you?
  • What can they stop doing since they’ve worked with you?
  • Why does someone want it?
  • How soon will it work?
  • What do you do that your competition doesn’t?
  • What do you not do that your competition does? (that irritates your customers)
  • Examples:

I save busy women time and give them energy to do the things they’ve been missing out on

I use the Flipping 50’s after 50 fitness formula for women to get repeatable, reliable results

I design unique hormone balancing exercise & lifestyle programs for women in midlife, I’m a Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist

My customers tell me they can sleep better – some up to two hours more a night in as little as four weeks working together.

My customers can finally stop counting calories and obsessively tracking their food intake on an app and start living their lives again

I help women ditch traditional methods of fat burning that backfire on them in midlife and get real and permanent results

I don’t require calorie counting (in fact I’m completely against it) and workouts are super short not long

I coach my clients more on mindset and changing for good than I do on the physical exercise.

What do you do?
Why do you do it for?

Know how to answer these questions and know where to use these answers in emails, on your website, on consultations, and in conversations to get attention and get clients.

Resources:

Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist

Direct download: dontbeapersonaltrainer.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 1:37pm MDT

Are you a trainer whose business is down the drain?

You think that everything that you just spent your last 20 or 30 or 10 or 4.. recent college grad, I’m talking to you, is all down the drain?

I call B.S.

This episode is all heart… and more than a little frustration.

If you think right now that your education, and all that time that you put into learning how to be a personal trainer or how to be a health coach is a waste of time or it's down the drain. You my friend, are pretending you're a victim.

And you are not.

If you choose not to be.

That is, you've got to get creative.

I know people who will survive, people who are truly personal trainers, understand that they weren't just somebody who had a job.

If you think about what you do, and what I do and how I've done for 36 years….

Its problem solving. We solve problems. You can solve problems on the telephone, you can solve problems, via FaceTime, you can solve problems via Skype, using zoom.

People have problems and you can solve them today just like you could in January and in July 2019.

You can use any combination of those tools, but those are just the platforms. It doesn't change the way you relate to someone.

If you can only deliver your services by demonstrating them? You may be in need of improving your communication skills.

How well can you articulate, either through your voice by speaking it, and giving excellent cues, or by writing it, or transcribing what you speak?

So you are an excellent instructor. You can cue.

You can tell someone how to do something where to feel it, where not to feel it, and how to correct their movement. With the excellent articulation of your instructions.

No one took that away from you.

If you can do that speaking. You could simply transcribe it so it's written. And you have minimal editing to do to make that. I did exactly that with this episode. I created it while on a walk, talking to my phone. But every episode is also a blog post at the show notes on the site. So the transcription has time stamps.

You can create a checklist, a description that accompanies a video of yourself. Now you have a product that you can sell.

Not just to one client, one time, one hour at a time. No, you can sell one thing over and over and over. If you're open to possibilities. And you are really somebody who's passionate, not just about getting dressed, being in a position where you are in front of a mirror, or on a stage, you can do this.

If you're really about problem solving, then you’re not seeing this as a huge obstacle after more than 3 months. It’s just a reason to get creative.

There is always going to be a business model for trainers for health coaches for fitness instructors who are excellent at communication.

As long as they don't get stuck, thinking there's only one model of delivery.

Pick up your telephone call those people who you had been helping. They still have problems. They need them solved.

But the problem somebody has, in June and July and August of 2020 and far beyond that, during COVID-19 are different than the problems that they had in January in February of 2019 or 2019 or 2018. So, if you've been a trainer for a while and you're stuck, thinking, the gym is closed (that you worked for), or it's open but clients aren't feeling safe coming back in. You really don't have a problem.

You have opportunities.

Because your gym isn't serving these people.

So you have two options. If you were working for a gym, you either approach the owner or the manager and suggest that collectively as a team, you begin to deliver service in virtual or digital way, by phone, by Skype by FaceTime, by zoom a combination of those with products or single sessions. That you create that serve problems.

And you've got to remember that this is opportunity.

This may actually make you a better trainer.

If what you've been doing in sessions, has been more about simply accountability. And I don't discount, accountability, because for some people that's 90% of it, but you can still do that in every virtual way that I've just described.

You can also be a better problem solver. A blind person it's said has a heightened awareness and use of every other one of their other senses. They can smell, taste, and feel with their fingers, better than they could, better than sighted people, because they're forced to.

And when you no longer are simply entertaining, you're no longer distracted by everything else going on in the gym, by everything else that a client might be talking to you about, or that you might be excited to talk to them about like what happened to you last night or last weekend. What you're looking forward to tomorrow or next weekend…they've done this weekend and they're doing next weekend.

You know, it's part of conversation, as you're building rapport with your customers. Sometimes that becomes the conversation. Sometimes, to the extent that your training is actually overshadowed by the need for a social life for your client, and maybe for you.

If you think about it, we all spend a lot of time at work, more time that we spent in our own homes. Sometimes with our families. And sometimes we can get confused and the boundaries get blurred.

When you take yourself to digital delivery your other senses will improve. You'll become a better problem solver. So rather than thinking about a creative workout for your client, what you'll be doing more of is creating a workout that solves the problems of that unique client.

And when there's one individual who has those problems there's another one. There may be 10. And there may be dozens, and there may be hundreds, or maybe thousands. And that's where you really give birth to a business model.

If one client has lower back issues.

If one client has a lack of mobility, solving those kinds of problems, then becomes something you can sell to the masses.

Now you have a business model based on problem and solution, not based on personality, not based on how you look, or your popularity. Not based on a single client meeting you for a single hour. There's an opportunity right now that has never been better for trainers who can see it. And if you're willing to do the work you may have a learning curve.

But it doesn't take much to learn how to turn on your FaceTime doesn't take not to learn how to record a training session on your phone. That you then have in a library, not just for one client. For many clients.

To get started, as soon as you're willing to open up your mind to the fact that the strong will survive the creed, those willing to those who really do have a passion, and that platform inside a gym is only one way to look at things. Don't wait to become better.

You can grow and be bigger, and really have a business that's sustainable, potentially than where you were before, where you have more revenue than you had expenses.

So create products that people want because they solve problems.

Additional Opportunities

One of the other opportunities that you've got in front of you is thinking about what do you know, that other trainers and other health coaches need to know. Are there things that you can teach them that they otherwise wouldn't acquire on their own, or that would years for them to acquire, can you accelerate their progress.

Can you accelerate or amplify the reach that they can have by teaching them new skills, making them more attractive to more people. Use your skills and apply them to their specific niche or market.

For Example

So, a trainer works with young student athletes. Maybe High School maybe college. Maybe those that want scholarships, pending we opened back up. At some point, we will. But those students right now may not be working with coaches and won't be necessarily doing team workouts. And those students who have motivation, and they have the programming that can get them ahead. Will Survive potentially and thrive and be the ones who stayed consistent and not waiting for things to blow over.

So can you teach. Another trainer, how to use the skills you have, maybe its back pain prevention is your thing, your special power. You go deep in that. who doesn't need that, right? Specifically athletes need it.

You know, and so how can you teach that and offer it to them? And you can also teach it to trainers who work with older adults, males or females. You could teach it to trainers who do specifically golf conditioning or back issues are common among golfers.

So think about all the populations that you might choose to teach your special sauce to packaging, what do they need to know. So then you've got two different revenue streams coming in. That kind of product or service that you can offer to customers. Virtually on any virtual digital platform.

And you've got the same type of delivery system, and platforms available to you to teach to trainers, and generally when you're teaching it to a trainer who will be teaching to multiple consumers, you can charge more. The value of that product is greater. Remember it is now and has always been about the transformation for the client.

So that may be a revenue stream that you want to look into. If you are feeling like other things, other methods of increasing or earning revenue have closed their doors, other doors have opened. You’re just not looking for them. And you got to get to the handle of the door and try to turn again.

Don't assume that a closed door is locked.

Resources:

https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs

Show notes: Fitnessmarketingmastery.com/bs

Direct download: fitproJuly1.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:44pm MDT

So you want a fitness career.  If spring of 2020 was your last semester, supposedly full of parties, plans, and optimism, you have officially been rerouted.

If you just passed your certification exam or are on your way…

Now what?

It’s a bit of an oh-Sh*# moment.

Stop! Take a bow!

But first… I want to congratulate you. Stop and acknowledge it, especially if you didn’t get to officially cross the stage and flip your tassel, if you just got that certificate mailed to you – even though that’s typically what happens anyway. That job waiting for you may have disintegrated but do not overlook the thing you just did.

The world does need fitness professionals. You can’t be healthy without exercise. You can’t have a strong immune system without exercise. Your weight loss, or sport specific program is not necessarily your best immune boosting program and people need proper instruction now more than ever. 

The Difference that is Now

Fitness is forever changed. It isn’t what it was just a few short years ago when you declared your major. It isn’t what it was when you headed back to school after your Christmas break. It isn’t even what it was at the time you were looking forward to spring break.

So what’s your plan B?

Maybe you were a lucky one and you already were planning on an online business or a hybrid one at least. And yet, even that is different now. Because 100s of thousands of your fitness training and health coach colleagues are now online too.

There’s more competition than ever.

So What is the Plan B if You Still Want a Fitness Career?

Here are 3 BIG  tips for you. 

(1) Don’t blend in.

Do not do what everyone’s doing. That’s easy in part, because no one was doing this and if you just follow the leader it’s the blind leading the blind. Just because someone was successfully established in a face-to-face training business does not mean they will be successful taking that training business online.

For one good reason, if they weren’t there in the first place before COVID19, they didn’t believe online training was effective.

If you believe that in your gut, you will relay that and no one is going to buy from you something that you don’t even believe in yourself.

An established business with a track record is starting at square one just like you are when they go online.

In fact, the more conservative, and set in habits and at pricing and package structures, the more they used a script and stuck with the script that worked decades ago… the harder time they’ll have.

(2) Do homework.

You have to set yourself apart and you’ll do that by doing foundational work. Know who you want to serve and why. Know what their problem is, in their own words.

Three big mistakes any trainer can make are starting with:

  • I want to teach….
  • I want to use…
  • I want to be on… (social media platform)

So let’s go through them one at a time:

I want to teach kickboxing… or yoga… or zumba …

If you start like this you might have some success. But it’s limited. So someone has to be shopping for Kickboxing or yoga or zumba, first. Then you’re going to potentially have a problem already. Who might be searching for yoga, for instance? Someone who loves it. And that could mean an 18 year old, a 50 year old, and a 70 year old. Could be a male or female, an athlete or a woman with hot flashes and stress. It could be someone suffering from depression and anxiety.

And the same is true for Zumba or Kickboxing (or fill in the blank). So starting that way can make it hard to write an ad or an email to someone. Don’t you talk differently to an 18 year old girlfriend than you would to a 50 year old man who’s dealing with depression?

So if you want to have a fitness career, start with one of those people and the problem they have you can talk to them all day in a way they’ll listen.

I want to use… bodyweight only… or TRX… or trampolines…

I get it. Some tools are just sexy and fun and are easily accessible. But, to play devil’s advocate again, body weight training is going to eliminate anyone who has a shoulder issue and it makes it hard to do pulling exercises unless you’ve got a swing set – and even then… can you do a pull up? So you miss one of the most-needed posture-balancing exercises needed today.

Should it be about the tools? Or about the problem someone has? If you find someone you work with is say, over a keyboard much of the day do you want them doing push ups for their workout? Or if they need to improve bone density, will body weight alone do it?

If you focus on the person with the problem you can create a solution.

I want to be on …. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok…

By now you get where I’m coming from and if you can pick the person and the particular problem you solve, the only platform you should care about is the one that customer uses and loves. YOU may love TikTok and Instagram but if your customer is on Facebook or LinkedIn is an even better opportunity, that’s where you want to be.

There is one universal platform no matter who you serve and that’s YouTube. It’s a search engine all by itself. Owned by Google and you can’t go wrong with it.

Well, wait – you actually CAN go wrong with it. You have to be talking to one person. You have to appeal to the wants and desires of that person. You may know what they need. But they don’t necessarily (even if they think they do) so you have to meet them where they are.

Message them in a way that gets their attention.

Make your posts something they envy, want, desire, resonate with. Hate something they hate. Love something they love. Peak their curiosity.

Avoid being teachy, preachy, or condescending.

If you want to be shared and saved make it something they don’t want to forget. Make it something that makes them say, Yes! Or Huh, I didn’t know that, or I love this!

(3) Never Give Up.

What you try the first time won’t always work. What you try many times won’t work. You may get laughed at, told it’s risky, told no – for a loan or by a potential client, or told you’re crazy by your parents, friends and still feel like yes, this is absolutely what you’re meant for and want to do.

Don’t give up. Surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to be doing, who can teach you and mentor you, and who have struggled too. Anyone with staying power has struggled a lot, made a lot of mistakes, and still believes so much in what they’re doing they learned how to make a good business decision – over and over again. They learned how to be scrappy and save money and where to invest it and where not to.

Where to Turn For Help When No One Has Navigated THIS Before?

Usually success leaves clues. If you follow someone who has stuck with it and created more than one business, they are usually the ones who can do it again. Make good decisions about following who you know is successful not based on their social media popularity.

There you have it. If you want a fitness career there is still plenty of opportunity. It looks different. And you can do it.

If you work with or want to women in midlife, the Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist is the first and only hormone balancing fitness training that focuses on women in all stages of menopause. There are 46 million of them and they’re looking for support. The back end of the training provides business support to launch and leverage your knowledge. Now is the time. https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/programs

Comment?

Leave your comments below the show notes at fitnessmarketingmastery.com/want-a-fitness-career

Whether you’re a University Lecturer, gym owner, recent grad, or newly certified fitness professional let me hear your thoughts.

Direct download: want_a_fitness_career.m4a
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:57pm MDT

Got Client's Who Want Exercise in Pregnancy Experts? 

Be it!

In this second (of three) podcast episodes dedicated to women’s health, fitness, and hormones I’m joined by exercise in pregnancy expert Danielle Spangler. This follows my interview with Dr Michelle Maddux on adolescent female fitness. Next up in this series I’ll round up with insight on training that booming market of women in perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause.

Exercise in pregnancy and after delivery can be a significant part of working with women. As part of a new course being developed by the Medical Fitness Network, pregnancy and post partum are discussed in this episode. The course will launch in 2020. There will be a live pre-conference workshop at the Medfit Tour stop in Irvine in Feb 2020.

Pregnancy and Exercise Expert

Danielle Spangler, creator of CORE MOM (Corrective Obstetrical Related Exercise), is also a nationally known speaker, presenter, and contributing writer for the Medical Fitness Network and Medical Fitness Education Foundation. She’s been researching in the prenatal space since 1995.

She owns her own boutique fitness studio and together with her husband is parenting three children. (She’s been there, done that!) In addition she’s authored prenatal programs for continuing education for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Fitness Learning Systems.  

  1. What are some common mistakes and myths with exercise during pregnancy and after delivery?
  2. What are some key benefits of exercise for women and their unborn baby?
  3. Why is this Medfit Women’s Health, Fitness, and Hormones course so important to the health and fitness professional?
  4. How will this [Medfit] course affect the health of a woman and empower her after childbearing years?
  5. Why do you think this course is unique compared to other courses out there?

Connect with Danielle:

Danielle@coremomfitness.com

www.coremomfitness.com

More information:

Medfit Specialist course 

Women’s Health, Fitness, and Hormones pre-conference workshop at Med Fit Tour in SoCal

Thanks for leaving a rating in iTunes!

  1. visit Voice for Fitness Professionals in iTunes
  2. click listen in iTunes
  3. leave a star rating and a comment
  4. know how much I appreciate it!

Women's Fitness & Hormone Expert?

hormone balancing fitness expert 

 

Direct download: FIT_PRO_DANIELLE_Splangler_-_Edited_-_2.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:00am MDT

Accounting and Bookkeeping don’t come naturally to most fitness professionals. You’ve got so many other hats to wear that it is likely something you only think if you start up and need a loan or investors. If you’re a trainer or coach going solo or online, you may never have needed (or so you thought) additional revenue.

Have computer, open for business may have been your motto. (I get that, it was mine too, until I realized all the courses I needed to invest in and the contractors who I needed to build out what I wanted).

Taxes are No Joke 

If anything is a guarantee in fitness business and life, it’s taxes. Building a sustainable fitness business that’s truly a career not a hobby is not easy. It’s easy to spend hundreds or thousands on tights, music, and equipment and realize you still have no clients. With guaranteed taxes and expenses and no guaranteed revenue you can quickly have a problem. 

Want good news?

There’s a solution to this. Get savvy on the taxes, accounting and bookkeeping structure that can help you now. You’ll sleep better. 

There’s a big difference between someone who offers accounting and bookkeeping services and someone who really cares about your business. A lot of people will just crunch the numbers and tell you how much your taxes are. Someone invested in your success will help you determine whether something is a good or bad decision right now.

 Accounting and Bookkeeping Roles

Your bookkeeper is going to do monthly P&L balance sheets and any kind of special reporting you need.

Your accountant is going to handle big-picture recommendations for your business that include legal changes, legal obligations, vision for the company, corporate tax return and possibly personal tax returns.

In most instances accounting and bookkeeping services are provided by two different people.

Your accountant and attorney might need to talk about what kind of entity you should be. Is LLC right for you or S-corp, or C-corp, for example? Sometimes your decisions are both legal and financial.

Money Mindset

If you’re still in the mind-set of “this is how much I make per hour, earned today, this week or month = this is how much I can spend,” you can get in financial trouble quickly. Likewise, credit cards make it easy to overextend yourself with items you really don’t have an ROI on.

My guest in this episode answers a few questions - specifically about taxes - for you. 

Shannon Weinstein 

Shannon is a CPA and fitness professional based in Connecticut. After working in accounting for over ten years she discovered her passion for fitness, she decided to apply her background into her passion. Shannon provides one on one coaching for fitness professionals and business owners, as well as tax and accounting services. She operates most of her business virtually, serving clients all over the country. 

Accounting and bookkeeping shannon w

Questions we cover in today’s podcast:


  • Tell me more about how you became interested in the subjects of finance and fitness.  
  • What are the common mistakes you see fitness professionals make when it comes to managing money? 
  • What should our listeners know if they are moving from being employed to becoming self-employed?
  • How much does it cost to hire a bookkeeper or accountant and what are the options? 
  • How can our listeners get in touch with you to find out more about accounting and bookkeeping services?

Connect with Shannon:

http://bit.ly/fitnancial

https://www.instagram.com/shannonkweinstein/

https://www.facebook.com/fitnancialsolutions/

That bury-your-head-in-the-sand approach really gets worse with time. That desire to just focus on making more money will limit you and the good you can do.

With 6000 women a day entering menopause, not finding the trainers who understand hormone balancing exercise, this investment will pay of with a single client. The Flipping 50 Specialist  Enroll now.

 Flipping 50 specialist

 You'll learn how to create programs for hormone balance, coach women based on signs of perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause for natural hormone balance with exercise, interpret labs for exercise changes, suggest questions for your clients' practitioner, and market to a distinctly hormone balancing fitness expert for a population that controls wealth.

Direct download: Fit_Pro_Shannon_Taxes___Accounting_-_Edited_-_2.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:00am MDT

9 Lies About Work Fitness Owners Need to Know

This book review may change your beliefs about work, specifically lies about work. If you've been under a spell about how your work life - and maybe even personal life should be, this will open your eyes. You may get insight about yourself or employees. 

The Reviewer:

Tom Durkin, Owner operator Ames Fitness and Fitness World Ankeny in the Midwest.  The CEO of Health & Fitness Management and 40 years experience in fitness industry sales and management. Not a silent partner but someone in buildings every day responding to phone calls, emails, of 315 employees and thousands of customers. He like so many others who have successful track records is a voracious reader and has a personal library of over 2000 books. 

The Book:

9 Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall

The 9 Lies:

  1. People care which company they work for
  2. The best plan wins
  3. The best companies cascade goals
  4. The best people are well-rounded
  5. People need feedback
  6. People can reliably rate other people
  7. People have potential
  8. Work-life balance matters most
  9. Leadership is a thing

We dive into three of these 9 lies about work more in depth to give you an inside look at the content.

The three lies we selected:

People care about which company they work for

Reality is that people like you and I want to be valued.

Work-life balance matters most.

And don’t miss the biggest question, would you recommend it?

Lies About Workis a look at the myths that can create unease or dissatisfaction in your life. When your view of life is all should, ought-tos, and comparison of your life with potentially no real life, it’s hard to be happy.

Leave a rating in iTunes !

  1. Visit the show in iTunes
  2. Click view in iTunes
  3. Click leave a rating and review
  4. Leave your star rating and comment
Direct download: 9_lies.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:00am MDT

Taking Your Fitness Passion to a Living You Love

You’re passionate about fitness. You love it. You love what it’s done for you. You like helping people. You like teaching.

Do you have a limiting belief about how much you can earn or how much you have to work to do it?

Do you believe if you’re going to make a living as a fitness professional that it would all be able selling?

Do you change your voice and turn into someone else when you have to ask for money? 

Today’s guest is going to help unpack some of that baggage.

PHIL KAPLAN

Phil Kaplan is a 30-year veteran of the fitness field and a pioneer in the realm of Personal Training.  The first Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient from Personal Fitness Professional, he’s appeared on over 1000 TV and radio shows sharing “the Fitness Truth.” Through seminars, articles, appearances, and programs, Phil paved the way for personal trainers setting a model for Professional Excellence and establishing oft-imitated paradigms for “selling fitness” in health club, corporate, and studio settings.

With extensive experience as a health club owner, media personality, author, and international speaker, he’s gained rare insights into the elements of mind, body, and spirit that integrate to manifest positive physical change and has created programs with unprecedented levels of outcome and compliance including TRANSFORM (over 75,000 copies sold) and The ANSWER.

  • starting with the belief that a lucrative career and loving a career are not mutually exclusive
  • You do some mindset work – exercises without sweat - with clients (and I’m putting you on the spot here) can we do a little of that right here with trainers listening?
  • Trainers often copy, follow, do what everyone is doing… and if making a career out of fitness is a problem, and most trainers do struggle, then that’s going to be a problem. A trainer today really has to be Different, How can a trainer listening take steps to break out and finding a unique voice?
  • Being contrarian, breaking rules and not being afraid to stand out get uncomfortable. They go against that desire trainers have to be liked
  • You recently – a little bird told me this – had a group of trainers you’re mentoring raise their rates by $4 a session. Share the reaction you got when you instructed them to do that? And what happened when they came back?
  • “Scale or fail” is a commonly spoken mantra these days… and for trainers the truth is, you’re going to run out of hours. You can raise rates to an extent but scaling a fitness business may require other revenue streams. What suggestions do you have for that trainer who has raised rates, is still full, is finding that as she increases rates she gets push back… what’s next?

Resources:

The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge

“Creative Tension” the gap between you now and where you want to be 

Phil is instrumental part of promotion of MedFitNetwork, a place for medical fitness professionals to gather, for consumers to find them, and to improve lives with quality education and service based on the belief exercise and nutrition can both be medicine used correctly. 

Find Phil Kaplan:

Medfitnetwork.org

Direct download: PHIL_KAPLAN.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 3:00am MDT

Osteoarthritis is prevalent in the two largest segments of the population – baby boomers and seniors – there is an increasing need for qualified health and fitness professionals like you to work with individuals experiencing degenerative joint conditions of the spine, hips, and knees. [These are individuals, who often have a sense of urgency and more disposable income- who are activity looking for you].

During this interview, my guest osteoarthritis expert Dr. Osar will share with you the three keys to developing and designing a safe and effective program for individuals diagnosed with spine, hip and/or knee osteoarthritis. If you’re already training clients with osteoarthritis you’ll love this.

Additionally, Dr. Osar will share how to attract and develop a business model that successfully serves the needs of this rapidly growing population. If you wish you were training clients with osteoporosis, this will help you position yourself as a credible expert among doctors with patients they’d love to refer.

Questions We Answered During This Episode:

  1. What are the 2-3 differences between training the older adult population with spine, hip, and/or knee osteoarthritis and the younger apparently healthy population?
  2. What are key things that need modification and/or you want to avoid in training the older adult population with spine, hip, and/or knee osteoarthritis?
  3. How can fit pros best position themselves as experts in working with the actively aging adult population with osteoarthritis?

Even if you’re already training clients with osteoarthritis (it’s hard not to!) you’ll pick up some tips to boost your confidence and reinforce the value you’re giving so you can position yourself better.

Connect with Dr. Osar

  1. Learn more about the continuing education: IIHFE.com
  2. See Dr. Osar at the MedFit Conference in San Franciscowhere he’s presenting on training clients with Osteoarthritis.

Details about the Medfit even in San Francisco: Main conference registration (Saturday & Sunday) include: + Nine educational sessions (with CEUs for fitness professionals) + Two 90-minute lunch & learn discussion groups + Networking and Expo + Saturday evening mixer with drinks, appetizers, and music + Complimentary 1-year professional MedFit Network Membership ($169 value!). Four optional half-day pre-conference workshops will be available on Friday, September 7 before the main conference. This 3-day event is for you if you want to start or enhance your career in medical fitness.

https://medicalfitnesstour.org/event/sf/ 

See you in San Francisco!

 

 

Direct download: Dr_Evan_Osar__fitness_pros.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:00am MDT

PTonthenet is an online education portal for health and fitness industry professionals worldwide. Since it merged with PTA Global, the two are a powerhouse of education, business tools, and convenience for a busy personal trainer or business owner who regularly onboard staff members. 

Kevin Steele, PhD President of PTAglobal/Ptonthenet is my guest on this episode. I talked with Kevin about his career and the mission of both companies. We dive into specifically special populations and medical exercise growth. His unique perspective and ability to look at the need and the demand for education in specific areas provides clues to the growing needs for the aging population. 

We answer not only questions about Ptonthenet and PTA Global, we covered these questions in this episode: 

  • What have you noticed since PTonthenet was "born" in terms of popularity in special populations
  • How has the demand for special population Ptonthenet content changed over time 
  • What specific areas of special population content are growing more rapidly
  • Is there a demand in one area that stands out
  • How you can access ptonthenet for continuing education and business support
  • How business owners can employ ptonthenet tools for a team of trainers or other staff members
  • How you can contribute to PTonthenet (as an author)

We also discussed the new relationship between PTonthenet and the Medical Fitness Network. (Founder Lisa Dougherty will be an upcoming podcast series right here). 

The MedFit Education Foundation is working with PTA Global/PT on the Net to launch 12 medical fitness courses that include a donation to the foundation & a one-year membership to the MedFit Network registryfor course participants so the public can locate professionals like you who are qualified and ready to help them. 

Are you a medical exercise specialist or want to be?

The Medfit tour includes a two-day conference in San Francisco September 8 and 9. Main conference registration (Saturday & Sunday) include: + Nine educational sessions (with CEUs for fitness professionals) + Two 90-minute lunch & learn discussion groups + Networking and Expo + Saturday evening mixer with drinks, appetizers, and music + Complimentary 1-year professional MedFit Network Membership ($169 value!).

See details and Register here: https://medicalfitnesstour.org/event/sf/ 

Early Bird Registration through June 30th - save $100. This 3-day event will offer fitness & allied health professionals an opportunity to grow their knowledge in the field of medical fitness. Four optional half-day pre-conference workshops will be available on Friday, September 7 before the main conference.

Direct download: dr-kevin-steele-final-mix.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:00am MDT

Build a profitable fitness career with the business hindsight and predictions from one of the midwest's longest standing fitness business success. Opening a fitness business today is much less risky than it was 40 years ago. There was no personal training. There was a need to educate customers on the importance of exercise before they bought.

Today's guest may have helped more people with a fitness journey and more employees get started with a fitness career than any other privately owned business in the midwest. 

As he prepares to open two newly designed fitness centers in the next six weeks, hear what he has to say about the future for fitness businesses, and personal trainers. 

Leaver your questions below the show notes. With 7 business locations he's in daily working with 320+ employees, he's a little busy! I'll be sure we get the answer to your questions and post them here. 

http://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/the-voice-for-fitness-professionals-podcast/

Direct download: Fit_Pros_.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:30am MDT

Today's guestJanice Jaicks Shares Her Journey from Instructor to Presenter to Conference Planner and beyond. She's now a conference planning consultant. You never know where your career will take you! You'll catch Janice's enthusiasm! You can catch it live and in person this April 28-May with a promo code Leap2016 and save $30 just for being here! For more information about FitnessFest go to FitnessFest.org or reach Janice Jaicks at:

480-461-3888

janice@fitnessfest.org

To connect with Debra:

www.voiceforfitness.com/fitprosolutions

Direct download: janice_jaicks.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 2:27pm MDT

Passion To Profit

Guest And Balance Yoga Lounge owner, Sandy Eimers shares her journey from safe, secure job to entrepenuer. The risks of taking the leap, the risks of not taking it are here. 

The Yoga Teacher's Toolbox Sandy mentioned can be found here.

and the book One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model For Work/Life Success is by Marci Alboher.

Connect with our guest Sandy at Balance Yoga Lounge or on Facebook

As always you can find Debra at www.voiceforfitness.com

Facebook

Twitter

Direct download: SandyEimersFitPro.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 11:13am MDT

Every industry professional today knows creating a niche is important. Choosing and narrowing scope is scary for some. With Medically-based fitness facilities the qualified personal trainer may have found the way to continuous leads, income security and stable schedules. If you're in it or you're weighing your options hear what Don has to say about his career track. Stay tuned for the reason why you don't wish for insurance coverage of our fitness programming. You can reach Don for more information or consideration of an internship at his Cinncinati-based program at Donald_Gallucci@trihealth.com Any further questions or comments you know where to find us at www.voiceforfitness.com

Direct download: 14709451-136120884.mp3
Category:career choices -- posted at: 4:13pm MDT

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