The 30-second article
• To move from freshly graduated fitness
professional to owner of a successful
business that can continue growing
even in your absence, requires a journey
through 6 stages
• Each stage has its own challenges, and
tackling them will give you valuable
experience and prepare you for the next
stage
• Each stage will have different specific
goals and markers of success
• Moving from sole trader to small
business operator and then employer is
not easy, but the work you put in and
sacrifices you make will enable you to
achieve your goal of running a business
that is not reliant on you for the day-to-
day operations
• By growing a team of great people that
work daily to grow your business, you
can focus on the bigger picture strategy.
It’s tough to consistently challenge yourself to
put in the work, sacrifice more than others
would, and push yourself toward your dream.
Not every day is fun. This is real work. Your mind will try to trick
you into thinking (incorrectly) that it would be so much easier to go
back into Stage 2 – working for yourself, keeping all the money you
earnt, not having much risk or responsibility to anyone or anything…
But there is no leverage there. You must press forward. By growing
through the challenges, you’re preparing for a more serious level of
commitment yet to come.
4
Committed to long-term business success
Revenue: $10,000 - 25,000 per month.
Challenge: You don’t have the systems, skills and team needed to
continue increasing total client numbers. You may feel overwhelmed
learning all the new skills required to grow your business, as well as
scared of losing personal income. And although you probably feel
confident training clients, you’re still unsure whether you have what it
takes to be a successful business owner.
4
3
The truth is, it’s a question of developing
the right systems, using the right tools,
and bringing to bear the right resources
that create success. For example, growing
a business takes a tremendous amount of
re-investment. A new facility, equipment,
software, insurance, and more don’t
come cheap. You need revenue in order to
continue growth.
If you don’t have enough money to re-
invest, you’re going to have to sell your way
to get some more! You may also need to get
some assistance in order to help with your
work, whether a part-time admin person, or
an additional trainer.
You’ll need to learn a system for
managing what you say, to whom, and when
in all your marketing activities. You’ll need to
define who your best prospective client is,
where they live, and why they buy. And you’ll
need lead generation marketing strategies
so you can add 10-30+ new clients to your
business.
It’s tough to consistently challenge
yourself to put in the work, sacrifice more
than others would, and push yourself toward
your dream. This is where your vision and
commitment get tested as never before.
Goal: You’re ready to get serious and committed to growing and
expanding your business, finding a sustainable balance between
your personal and professional roles, and becoming a successful
business owner.
Success factors: Professional Development, Sales & Marketing,
Operations.
By this point you’ve had some business experience. Maybe
you’ve got married, decided to buy a home, or have children (or a
new baby on the way) that are dependent on you.
Regardless of the motivation, it’s time you achieved even greater
financial success with your business. And you can’t simply continue
‘working harder’ and expect things to change.
You’ve got to invest significantly in your business now and
develop a plan for your long-term success. You’ve got to have very
clear goals and a rock-solid business plan that you actively pursue
each and every day.
You will need strategic marketing plans that outline how you’ll
consistently grow your client base. You’ll need advanced sales and
marketing systems and skills that allow you to uniquely position your
business against competitors in your area. And you’ll need personal
and professional management systems that allow you to monitor and
manage all the different functions of your business and team.
Most people don’t get this far, let alone progress into, or beyond,
this stage. It takes a strong commitment in order to grow your
business from the early stages to the $10-25,000 per month mark.
You should expect to meet challenges along the way and
get knocked about at times. But no matter what setbacks or
challenges you encounter, you must continue progressing forward
in order to grow.
NETWORK SUMMER 2018 | 17