Four Fitness Business Success Strategies
Owning your own fitness business isn’t easy, but it is super rewarding once you put the time in and build a personal training business that people flock to.
You have an enormous number of things to deal with daily such as marketing, maintenance of your property and equipment, dealing with the general public, staff, accounting and paying bills.
Plus there’s all the other stuff you have to take care of outside of your business too: your personal relationships, your vehicle, your home – and the list goes on.
Truth is, it’s sometimes hard to separate home life and work life when you’re running your own fitness business.
It’s all too easy to get overwhelmed, so what I suggest you do is take a few hours away from everything and re-evaluate where you’re at, what you want, and course correct if you need to.
The BIG Fitness Business Danger to Avoid
One of the biggest dangers of running your own business is that something will happen to you – you’ll get sick or so snowed under that you’ll give in and lose control. Fear does that to people. And it’s a normal response, but you have to learn to over come it.
YOU are the most important part of your business, so always take time out for yourself and your family and enjoy life.
To have a Successful Fitness Business you’ll need a Healthy Mind too
Being able to think clearly is incredibly important when you’re starting a fitness business from the ground up. If you’re under too much pressure or you have to delegate important decision-making to staff, things can go wrong.
If your mindset is off, and you allow limiting beliefs to set in then you’re likely to sabotage all the hard work you put into your training business.
Being in the fitness business you undoubtedly exercise regularly which keeps your body healthy. But what most business owners forget to do is keep their minds healthy by being around other success minded people, reading books on self help, business development, and marketing.
Step away from your business for at least an hour a day. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with the kids – It’s amazing how the brain will sort out problems when you think you’re not thinking about them! Worrying solves nothing.
One thing that really clears my mind and helps me ultimately focus more on my fitness business building is going to the book store. There’s something about going to a book store that helps to refocus.
Tony Robbins talks are incantations to help you better visualize where you want to be.
Every morning look at yourself in the mirror as if you’re talking to someone else and say “I WILL succeed”, “I am NOT going to get so frustrated today”, “I am in charge.” This may sound goofy to you, but I can tell you from first hand experience that this works.
Psych yourself up as if you’re going on stage to do a speech. Learn how to be self-confident and buoy up your entrepreneurial spirit – even if it’s lying exhausted on the rocks. You have a plan and you’ve set goals for yourself (realistic ones I hope!) so constantly remind yourself why you do what you do.
Don’t be a Ball of Confusion
I’m a great believer in never putting off until tomorrow what should be done today.
Procrastination sucks!
You’ll end up with all those tasks nagging at you and becoming a major mental burden. This is where making lists is amazingly therapeutic and NOTHING feels better than crossing things off your 
list.
Put the most challenging thing you have to do each day to drive your fitness business forward AT THE TOP of your list and do it first. Get it over with and you’ll be surprised how good you feel for the rest of the day. That task is no longer a burden; and everything else will be easy in comparison. As with plans and goals, lists should always be realistic. It’s pointless setting the bar so high that you’re always pissed off and disappointed.
If you can earn $100 OR MORE an hour doing personal training, why in the hell are you wasting your time doing something someone else can do cheaper? If you spend 5 hours a week posting articles on your website and cleaning the showers, get someone else to do it! You could be $500 a week better off AND get some R&R!
Effective time management is vital. You need to know where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing at a specific time in your work day, not rushing around getting Kleenex and toilet cleaner in the middle of the afternoon. Get it delivered, get one of your staff to buy it. Get organized and stop wasting your valuable time!
Marketing – that Dreaded Word
Beats me why marketing isn’t taught in schools. Even if you’re not starting a fitness business and look for a job, it’s all about marketing yourself so YOU stand out over all those other job applicants.
If you haven’t built a large enough clientele or the people you’re attracting aren’t staying, change your tactics or take the trouble to call Mrs. B and ask why she hasn’t been in for the past three weeks. You’ll get a lot of pathetic excuses but for those who are honest with you, don’t be offended if they point out something they didn’t like. Learn from criticism and know that you’re not always right. Keep an open mind and improve all the time.
How many times have you been disappointed with a product or service? Plenty I bet. One of the best ways to market yourself is to be honest, reliable and deliver what people want – and more!
Exceed the Reward your clients with little gifts when they achieve goals. Email them words of encouragement, acknowledge your clients on your blog or FaceBook quickly, and always be available to offer sound advice. If you haven’t got a tablet or a smart phone get one. They’re great for reminding you about appointments and if someone’s late, you’ve got 10 minutes to answer some blog comments. Invest in anything that will save you time or help you be more efficient.
Above and Beyond
When it comes to clients in the fitness business you probably already know who you can build valuable relationships with. By the way, a good client relationship is a two-way street, give her as much as you can and always be the
re for her. Offer help and encouragement, and she may reward you by recommending an equally valuable client. I’m not saying ignore the other 95% of your clients – far from it. Focus on building great relationships with about 5% of your top clients – and not just because they pay you the most. Encourage the most appreciative and positive ones, and reward them well for referrals.
Don’t ever promise something that you know can’t be delivered – especially to clients. If a 350-lb client comes in expecting to lose 200 pounds in a month, tell him politely to get real. Explain how dangerous that is and how losing a little every week will be far easier and healthier.
You don’t want him telling everyone else you don’t live up to your promises, even if he is shoveling down a big Mac and fries at the time. Get to know him and if you think he’s a worthy cause, make him a priority. He’ll be a walking billboard for your fitness business if you can help him succeed.
Forget the money; forget your business while you build relationships. You started in the fitness business to help people didn’t you? Just don’t overlook the things that will help you become more successful – money will follow.