Niche Bootcamps and Classes by Rachel

If you area is packed to the rafters with Bootcamps and Classes you could try marketing a NICHE BOOTCAMP. I’ve write a few articles in the past for the newsletter about “Niche Bootcamps” and I would like to share some ideas.  For example Fat Loss Bootcamp for 40+ Ladies

Juliette Page emailed me this week.

“ I felt like I had come into the Bootcamp Market a bit too late. In my area we already had BMF, loads of outdoor Bootcamps and the local leisure centres are all catching on, so I thought I would narrow down my market and focus on 40+ Ladies…I am 45 and female so I AM my target market, I socialise with 40 + females, I have 2 x 40 + sisters, my friends are mostly 40+ , most of my Facebook friends are ……yes you guessed it 40 plus” said Juliette

Which, of course, makes total sense. Juliette realised it would be easier to market to 40+ ladies as she is her target market.

“I put a status update on facebook. 20 Ladies Over 40, wanted to drop a dress size, lose weight, tone up in a non intimidating environment”Nothing ground breaking, nothing unusual but targetted.

I had 30 ladies contact me in 4 hours. I then hosted a free seminar workshop to everyone who had signed up so I could talk to them about fat loss, healthy eating, exercise and why they should come to my Bootcamp.

Juliette promoted her seminar on Facebook and Twitter. Organising a Fat Loss Seminar at a local hotel and marketing it using social media earned her loads of credibility and elevated her from Instructor to Weight Loss specialist and speaker, which equals an EXPERT in her area. Without realising it Juliette had positioned herself differently to the other local Instructors by taking this professional way of promoting her business and services.

The seminar involved a talk by Juliette on the best way to lose body fat, the best exercises, myths and misconceptions about weight. she created handouts and did a power point presentation.

YOU are YOUR target market and will attract people like you to your classes and Bootcamp. You probably socialise with people of roughly the same age so why not capitalize on that and market your services to a smaller niche and become the GO TO PERSON for your niche!

I would love to hear you thoughts on Niche Bootcamps.

The most common comment I get on email and face to face with Instructors is “I never have enough time”. This is something I have been looking at and studying over the last few months . There are some fantastic time management books and audios where you can learn the best methods to getting more done in less time, so over the coming weeks I will look at strategies to ensure YOU are making the most of your time.

95% of the things you do every day only 5 % will move your business forward.

Out of everything you do every day only 5% of your tasks will go to moving your business forward. Outsource everything that other people can do and focus on driving your business forward.

Write down a list of you goals – where do you want to be in 6month’s time or a year’s time? If you only move your business forward 5% a day it’s going to take forever to get there.

Write a list of everything you do everyday in any one given week. Then go through the list and see what you can outsource.

For Example…… A few years ago I was teaching 32 classes a week. Personal Training, working out myself, running my websites, creating workshops and preparing presentations, getting up at 5am to answer emails, being permanently shattered and not moving my business fwd.

I could see no way out of this cycle and it was also equal to = No social life, never seeing my friends, trying to get my mum to work for me every day for free, having no partner, getting up at 5am to answer emails and being permanently shattered……..sound familiar?

I desperately needed chunks of time to be able to sit down and get my teeth into loads of projects and ideas I had swimming around in my head.

Make a list of everything you do in a typical day

1.Clean the house

2.Do the Food shopping

3.Do the Ironing

4.Take the kids to school

5.Create choreography workouts

6.Write emails, articles, do social media etc

7.Teach 3 classes

Now out of this list, look at what you can outsource or pay someone else to do

1. Get a cleaner

2. Order shopping online

3. Get an ironer

4. Get a friend to take kids or take it in turns with another parent.

5. Create choreography – you still need to do that yourself!

6. Save all emails I write and set up FAQs on the website or get an assistant

7. Look at employing another Instructor to teach some classes for you, so your business can run without you being there.

Of course, these things will take time to get sorted and arranged, but think of the time you will have free and be able to move your business forward into the next level of your masterplan.

What is your Masterplan?

Where do you want to be this time next week? next month? or next year.

Are you looking to be a presenter, employ others to teach your Bootcamps or classes or running an online business…..whatever your goals, hopes and dreams are, make sure you take daily steps to edging closer to your goals.

Hope that inspires you today!

Love Rachel xxx

Note from Rachel

The snow slowed us all down yet again.  It’s half term and Valentine’s day all in one week!

You may have found numbers a little lower this week or you may even have been enjoying a break yourself. If classes did nose dive  then do make a concerted effort to explore ways you can create an online angle to your business.

I know, I’ve been harping on about this for years but unless you still want to be in the hamster wheel cycle of jumping on every new trend that comes along you need to take some action and make an online plan for you and your fitness business.

The beauty of creating online angles is you can reach, serve and help so many more people. You will be providing more back up, support and help to your existing clientele and opening up your business to make a passive income and it’s really not as scary and techie as you think.

If you decided you wanted to train in Fitness Pilates or teach Kettlebelles or even offer a Fat Loss package you would go on a course, you would buy DVDS, read everything you could. You would turn into Sherlock Holmes and investigate everything about the new class style you would like to teach.

It’s the same with online.

If you want to create an online product, program or plan you need to research everything you can about it, how to create it, who can help you bring it to fruition and go for it. Have a think about exactly where you would like to be in 6 months and a year and the kind of lifestyle you would like to create. If you look back in past newsletters you will see tons of ideas and info I have written about over the years that will inspire, help and point you in the right direction.

You can do this you know…the only person stopping you, is you.

This week I’ll be in Southampton teaching The Fitness Pilates Updates Tour click here if you would like to book and Kelly will be delivering Level 3 Pilates in Edinburghso, if you are in Southampton I look forward to seeing you there.

Spring Time Workshops – How to Create Your Online Fitness Business

I’ll be running a new Business event called How to create your online Fitness Business in April which will be a full day of new Business Ideas, Training and inspiration and the  nuts and bolts of setting up your online business with myself and guest speakers.

I’m finalising dates and the event will run at The Birmingham NEC . If you are interested  Tweet me @RachelHolmes

Marbella Fitness Retreat – Ive now sourced a venue and Im working on the package so again watch this space for dates and information.

Top Tunes – New Music for your classes

Are you looking for some music for your classes? Here’s my Top 5 Recommendations. You can find them all on Pure Energy Digital. Use the code Holmes12 to get £5 discount

1.Dont Stop the POP -I LOVE THIS MIX I’ve used it in HiLO/Step and Body Con this week LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT

2. Active Seniors (by Rachel Holmes) My new mix for Seniors

3.Essential Bootcamps - A real banging mix of tracks that are totally inspiring and uplifting

KSFL2012 UPDATED – Fitpros Body Redesign Restarts Monday

As you know the response for my KSFL2012 for Fitpros has been phenomenal! You can check out the before and after photos on the KSFL2012 page and they are outrageous, I’ve been doing more and more studying and self experimenting with foods and workouts.

I am bringing the new Updated KSFL2012 to starting on Monday. This is a longer plan, it’s 21 days and again I’m tweaking all kinds of foods to get you the best results.

You can sign into from today and get your preparation sorted. The FAcebook group will open later this afternoon.

Have a read through the information on the page and if you feel ready and it’s for you, come and join me click here for all of the info

Pinterest

I am loving this right now.

Its a really cool tool and I’m still experimenting with it but go and check it out. Its a virtual pinboard and I think there will be great scope for your online business ideas.

I’ve just created a PinBoard about KSFL2012 and the supplements you will need and I will start to add recipes and information related to KSFL2012 Updated over the course of today.

I’ll add a choreography board and other things I am interested in. Please feel free to add me and Ill follow you back http://pinterest.com/rachelholmes1/ and explore Pinterest today http://pinterest.com/about/

Tweet me and let me know what you think @RachelHolmes

FPVIP – Fitness Pilates VIP Club

The FP VIP club is now going from strength to strength with over 200 Fitness Pilates Instructors in the club. Every month you get a mix of new downloads including new routines and sequences, A Fitness Pilates focus download, Business information, Press Releases and use of the new branding. We now have a private Facebook group to discuss FP. The club is £11.95 per month and you can join here

Social media is a way to connect with people.

People are my prospects, my friends, my clients and my customers. It’s an amazing way to connect with people all over the world 24/7.

How do you “do” social media?

Is what you’re posting on Social media ?

• Bringing in more people to your list,
• Growing your client base,
• Increasing your profits and
• Building your brand,
• Serving your customers
• Helping your clients lead happier, healthier lives?

Here are a few tips that can help – let me know what you think

Rachel’s new Facebook Fitness Rules

1. Social Media Is Like Texting:

Think about all the times you’ve texted someone. It might be a friend, family member or even business colleague. Now, think about what you’re posting on social media each day. Are these the same messages you’d send to a friend? This is a good gauge to tell if you are on track.

Try not to send the same updates over and over and over again about your super fantabulous class/product/service.

When you are posting things on social media ask yourself if you would ‘text’ this to a friend?

2. Make Communication A Two Way Conversation:

Have you seen professionals or business trainers who are following no one on Twitter? This is someone who has a message to be heard but doesn’t want to have a relationship with anyone. Social Media is an environment where two-way conversations thrive. Make it your goal to not only educate, encourage and build up your followers, but communicate with them as well!

Social Media is not the place for drama. People can get this in their own home for free, why would they want to follow someone with a lot of drama. Posts that say things like, “I hate xyz…….. “OMGh I can’t stand XYZ…..” Oh I feel like a slobby lump of lard” are not going to be followed with excitement and enthusiasm and will only attract more negativity and bad vibes.

Remember that Social Media is designed to be a two way conversation. If a bad day of drama and emotions tempts you to write about it on Facebook or Twitter, ask yourself this valuable question, “Would I post this when I knew the best client I’ve ever had in my business history was reading?”

We never know who is reading, so don’t give yourself any allowance for personal venting.

3. Be Regular and Consistent With Content:

A big reason many people who use Social Media to market their classes don’t see the results they want to have is simply because they are inconsistent. This is a huge mistake and one we must be on guard against.

If Social Media interactions with your prospects and customers is focused on bringing value to them, then being inconsistent quickly devalues your intentions.

Be honourable, consistent, post regularly and listen to your friends and customers. If you really care about your fitness business and your customers, you’ll enjoy doing this and learn far more than you would have imagined!

4. Share Your LIFE! – or some of it.

This is one I’ve heard such conflicting input on it really surprises me in the age of New Media we live in. If you don’t share your life people might not take you seriously. They don’t connect with you simply because of what you do in business- they want to have a relationship with you. People connect with other people, not products. They also are loyal to people, not products but they don’t want Drama.

Share, inspire and encourage with your own life. Your clients will love you for it!

5. Model What You Want Your Customers To Be

Remember, you are a business owner. When you choose to do a personal rant of how you liked or didn’t like something, as a Secret reader and believer, you are creating thousands of customers just like that who will find their way into your business….eeekkkkk!

Like does breed like. If you want to have amazing customers, be amazing to be around.

If you want customers filled with drama, trauma and hassle. Post tons of this on your wall and those customers will find you!

Be warm and inviting. Take pictures and videos! Show how you are growing if you are a coach so that your students will have increased confidence in your ability. Talk about your students and show how important they are to you…. if you want more.

Everything matters in Social Media. We don’t get a day off, a time out or excuses.

You can use Social Media to attract more clients, build your business or practice, close more sales and reach out with your knowledge to more and more people. Don’t abuse this power, use it wisely to inspire, help and motivate.
But above all things, have fun. Social Media can become a very fun activity to do every single day! I LOVE hearing from you all day long! YOU encourage, inspire and make it all so worth it for me!

Give Yourself A Pay-rise…..!!! by Andrew Crawford

Why is it that this may be the ONLY industry where you don’t get a pay-rise depending on your experience, skills and abilities?

Check this……

A newbie Fitness Instructor can be paid the SAME as an established Instructor with 15 – 20 years experience..!!!

So… someone who has JUST qualified to teach can walk into one of the established leisure centres and be paid ….what?…..£27 per hour??

In fact…when I worked for one of the Wandsworth’s leisure centres the hourly rate actually went DOWN… gee whizz…!!!

Compare this to a trainee Accountant.

This was the scenario…..

Once being trained you can expect anything from between £18,000 – £25,000 per annum to start but knew that once you qualified, the minimum starting salary you would expect was between £35,000 – £40,000. More now.

It didn’t stop there……

As the years pass by (they call it Post Qualifying experience) you could expect your salary to GROW with time from £45,000 – £70,000. In some sectors this could rise to £150,000 plus….

Mind you…..this was WITHOUT any further qualifications……it was just experience..!!

Some of you, I know, have qualifications as long as my arm….as a new fad comes in everyone jumps on it with workshops and certifications …but does this additional qualification get you additional money?

If not….why not?

I was speaking to someone this week from the South West area who has level 4……now level 2 and 3 are in abundance ….but level 4!!!!!

I asked how much she was being paid…the answer made me sad ..!

If you put all your qualifications together and the knowledge required by a qualified fitness expert….are you all not Junior Doctors???

So Andrew……

What’s this got to do with Accountancy , Tax and the price of a peanut butter and jam sandwich?

Well…

This caller wanted a change….she wanted to start up on her own and wanted to know all the basics. At present she is working full time and the amount of questions that was asked, I knew they were serious.

Now I loved this…as I know that when I dropped out of the 9 – 5 Rat Race…it was hard….I had to leave the comfort of the monthly bacs payment, personnel coming round each month with the wage slips, signing in and signing out, the office bolloticks, the annual Xmas party, overtime..undertime, one hour lunches, quarterly performance appraisals, monthly deadlines, the closing of the accounts, the dreaded Audit, clock watching, disciplinary, the 2-3% salary increment, 30 days annual leave add to this 10 – 15 days sick leave……tee hee ……(I used 7 of these days to go to Club La Santa EACH YEAR…..lol…. ALL PAID FOR…….Thanks full time employment)…..lol

Same with some of you….right??

You came to a cross road whereby you either jumped, treaded water, swam and survived or…..you didn’t take the plunge at all.

Otherwise, there are some of you who tried it but didn’t like the insecurity and the uncertainty of where the next pound was coming from…..it was frightening wasn’t it??

In addition, I told the caller to keep the full time employment job as they were used to that level of income, then start slowly with one client at a time, rent their own halls and if necessary, work for one of the big fitness chains to learn the business.

I told them a story about one of my classes…which used to run on a Monday…briefly……, I was getting between 120 – 150 per week…and was paid £18 per hour plus 10p a head over 40 people. You may well laugh…but at the time I thought this was ‘Da B**ll**ks’ but it turned out to be….just ‘b**ll**ks’

Why?….

They short changed me over a few weeks…..!!!

Can you imagine that……stealing crucial 10p’s from me….!!!

Well…I was angry.

So….what did I do?……I hired a hall next door to the centre for £8 an hour!

I filtered….I mean coerced clients to attend my little class next door on a Wednesday night in addition to Mondays.

This was so successful, I started another one on a Thursday night…I was getting between 40 – 60 each week at £4 a head……I was getting paid brothers and sisters…!!

2 people were break even (2 x £4= £8)…..the rest was for me…..and my ‘Silent Partner’…..the Tax Man…!!

Yes……we ALL run Parnerships!!

I gave myself a pay-rise.

If you’re self-employed, when was the last time you gave yourself a pay-rise?

Are you able to charge your own fee at venues or do you have to stick to what the venue pays?

What must be on an invoice?

If you invoice for your fees here is a list of the essential items you should have on your invoice.

· The invoice number

· The date

· The customer’s name and address

· The purchase order number….if you have one

· The description of service or product

· Your name and address

· If limited company, full company name, registered office, company registration number, place of registration (England or Wales)

· The price

· The VAT number if registered

· Details of any discounts

· The interest is invoice paid late.

Don’t forget to add interest for late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act.

You can add 8% above the Bank of England base rate.

Speak soon

Andrew Crawford

Visit our website at: www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com for more FREE resources and articles.

‘Like’ our page at: www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants

Andrew Crawford can be contacted on twitter @tax4fitness or info@fitnessindustryaccountants.com

Jayne Nicholls

So, have a little bit of self belief, go with your heart. If you create something that people criticise, let them. It isn’t worth your energy worrying about it. Your sales will tell you if you have got it right or not. Oh and by the way, if it doesn’t sell, it IS NOT a failure, you have just learned what doesn’t work so that next time your odds are getting it right are even better

Have a wonderful Thursday

Love Rachel x

Writing Fitness Articles by Rachel Holmes

You know how important writing articles for your Newsletters, Blogs,Social Media and ebooks etc is, I thought I would do a quick bullet point to keep you on track and focused.

Writing/Publishing Articles
Writing articles is a powerful way to build credibility and visibility. Your aim is to educate your prospective clients about your ability to apply what you know to their situation.

1. Titles and Topics – What is of most interest to your target audience?

2. Headlines - How can you get attention and interest and lead readers into reading the body of the article?

3. Writing an Article - How can you most efficiently and effectively produce a good article, suitable for publication?

4. Getting Published – How and where can you get your articles published?   Facebook/Your website/Blog/Handouts/Write an ebook

5. Leverage – How can you use the articles you’ve written to leverage your business?

Once you have taken the above points into consideration put finger to key board and write an interesting article, If it’s your local paper you are hoping to get your article in then consider writing a series of short articles that can  be included as a weekly series, maybe write a weekly FIT TIPs column covering a whole host of fitness issues. If you can’t get in the local rag then do a weekly Fit Tips Column on your Facebook page…why not!!!!!!

Let the world see your knowledge and expertise

These are my top 10 FIT TIP Topics:
1.New Trends
2. Healthy Eating/Fat Loss
3. Fitness books or DVDs that you can recommend/review
4. Review Home equipment
5. Fitness Pilates information and exercises
6. Personal Training
7. Weight Training for Woman
8. Pros and Cons of Low Fat Diet v Low Carb Diets
9. Kids Fitness
10. Pre and Post Natal fitness

or whatever is your niche!

Make each article snappy, informative and always conclude each article with your contact information, list of classes and a little picture.
You probably won’t get paid but a short series of articles with your contact details is worth it’s weight in marketing gold. So go for it, send your series off to all the local papers in your target area and see what happens – it can only cost you your time.
EMAIL me if you try this idea and let me know if it works for you. RachelLHolmes@aol.com

Twitter for Fitpros – Embrace it by Rachel

Since I’ve been writing a lot about Twitter this year LOADS of you have joined and are tweeting away with great success. Twitter is a amazing way to gain contacts, network, and strengthen your personal brand. But sometime the 140 characters can seem a bit short. So here are some ideas to get your message across LOUD AND CLEAR in 140 characters or less

I always seem to get a warm-fuzzy feeling when I use up all 140 characters in a concise descriptive tweet….(Proper saddo!)

Here are some tips for making the most of those few characters you get to use. I still have to get to grips with grammar as I do like a bit of text speak ( my weak point, I’m sure you have noticed and someone commented on yesterdays Blog!

1) Use shorthand codes. BRB, LOL, RT, TY, etc. S. Acronyms and abbreviations for commonly used words and phrases. Check out my list below of popular abbreviations .

2) Be clear and concise. Make sure you are not being redundant. Remove any words that might be irrelevant to what you are trying to convey. Be succinct.

3) Use URL shortening. This one is pretty obvious and is even built in to Twitter. However, there are some URL shortening services that can save you a few more characters than TinyURL. I use IS.GD and another popular one is XR.COM which even allows you to customize the URL or Bit Ly http://bit.ly/a/sign_up

4) Use special symbol characters. You may not know it, but Twitter accepts more than just normal characters. You can actually create hearts, stars, smilies and other symbols that can represent words or ideas in just 1 character. TheNextWeb has created a great tool called TwitterKeys which allows you to have all these symbols at your fingertips.

5) Use labels. Labelling your tweet has some cool benefits. A label is like a tag at the beginning of your tweet. Your followers will know exactly what you are sharing right away and they may even increase your chances of being re-tweeted. Here are some examples… (Reading:, Stumbling:, Digging:, etc.)

6) Be simple. This is a writing tip…simple words work better than big ones. Write ‘get’ instead of ‘procure.’ Write ‘use’ rather than ‘utilise.’ Use the longer words only if your meaning is so precise there is no simpler word to use.”

RT = Retweet.

PRT =/ Please Retweet.

OH = Overheard.

DM = Direct Message.

@ : Reply to .

BTW : By The Way

FTW = For The Win.

FTL = For The Loss.

IRL = In Real Life.

FTF = Face to Face.

IMHO = In My Honest Opinion.

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary.

BR = Best Regards.

b/c = because.

JV = Joint Venture.

LMK = Let Me Know.

Please follow me on Twitter and I’ll follow you back http://twitter.com/RachelHolmes

Your Marketing Message – THINK before you update your Facebook status, Tweet or send an email newsletter by Rachel

Weather you think about it or give it that much thought everything you write on Facebook or Twitter is shouting and promoting your personal brand. So the next time you update your status or tweet on Twitter or send your newsletter out think about it carefully.  Your marketing message is the bridge that connects your business to the outside world. Even on your busiest, craziest day, you must filter out the madness happening behind the scenes and deliver your message in a clear, compelling way that gets results.

Before you write down a word, you should know WHO your audience is. Many writers, dancers, singers, and actors — those in expressive, creative fields — are often advised to zero-in on one person in the audience and perform for that individual. That way, you know you’re connecting with one person, and there’s a good chance others will perk up for your message as well. Try this exercise for yourself and see how much it helps.

QUESTION 2: “What do they want?”

Once you’ve got an image or idea of that one person reading your marketing message, try to think of what they need. And think outside of your product on this one . If it’s Monday, maybe they’ve got the post weekend blues and need some inspiration. A new mum might need a laugh. Think of all types of needs that this person might have, like assurance, relief, hope, fun, connection, to name just a few.

Don’t limit yourself. Even just having a few different needs of your audience floating around in your head while you write will help.

QUESTION 3: “How can you meet their needs?”

Brainstorming potential needs of your target market can make it easy to come up with your “angle” — the decisive way in which you’ll appeal to your audience.

From a marketing perspective, you want to be able to match your audience’s needs with your product/services/classes. But if you can’t set up a perfect match, it’s okay — just be sure to satisfy the need. So, if you like the idea of offering a little inspiration to your readers in your Monday morning broadcast, be sure to deliver inspiration.

QUESTION 4: “What next step do you want them to take?”

It’s funny how many people forget to make this part clear in their marketing messages. As much as you want your readers to opt-in to your ezine, become a fan on Facebook, attend your class and buy your product, you MUST focus on only ONE “call-to-action”!

Good luck with your writing and make sure your personality shines though on all of your marketing messages!

I want to be a Presenter – So what do I do? by Rachel Holmes

I get so many questions about presenting that this article is all my top tips on how to become a Presenter. I hope it inspires you. I have been tweeting tips as well about how to become a Presenter, so make sure you follow on Twitter as well http://twitter.com/Rachelholmes for more top tips.

1.Get as many qualifications as you can. Attend as many workshops as possible ,educate your self to the max. Go to EVERYTHING, conventions, conferences, workshops the whole caboodle.

2.When you attend workshops and conventions watch presenters how they speak, lecture and organise their workshops. Notice the set up of the day, how you are welcomed and how the information is presented to you. Notice the mix of practical and theory. Ask yourself how did it feel? Was the presenter interesting, funny, serious, make notes about the things you liked about the workshop and how the speaker presented themselves and the information

3. Decide what are you going to present – masterclass, workshop, seminar, lecture – Who is your audience? Group X Instructors/Bootcamp Instructors/Personal Trainers/Business Development

4. Create your workshop, write it, practice it on a test group and film it. It must be unique, researched and polished. Create workshop notes, outline, slides and power point if its a lecture.

5.Do a “test presentation” for free in front of a test group. Get a friend to film clips ready to starting marketing yourself and your fitness presentation on your website and social media.

5a. Start a Facebook Fan Page and open a Youtube account, Begin Tweeting every 4 hours minimum and begin to create an audience..

6. Begin to promote yourself as a presenter, put video clips of you speaking and presenting on your Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Websites.

7.Network with other presenters, introduce your self on social media. Tell us what you do and what you are aiming to present. Many  convention organisers ask me what’s new and who is up and coming. Show me and other presenters what you can do…

8. Create several different presentations to offer convention and event organisers.

9.Create an electronic Portfolio to email out, include video clips, resume, CV, qualifications, biography, PPL, Insurance, presentation info

10.Create a short, punchy Biography about you written in the 3rd person that organisers could use for event publicity

11.Build your personal profile and brand using social media and your website.

12. Look at the Fitness Industry and what EXACTLY other presenters are doing. What can U do that is DIFFERENT, where will you fit in? You have to offer something that is  unique to you and your skills. Don’t be a copy cat be an innovator!

13.Hone your writing skills and offer articles to blogs, newsletters an magazines. Post your articles on social media.

Finally…….The Snow Came….WE had been gleefully rubbing our hands in previous newsletters and smugly smiling about January class numbers but, of course, the inevitable had to happen. As it was the weekend I’m not sure how it effected you but boy did it effect Kelly and I who were both on the road travelling to workshops and trying to get home. Poor old Kelly left Manchester at 430 and didn’t get home till nearly 11 and unfortunately we had no choice but to cancel Birmingham Super Seniors. We are both so sorry, but we felt it was the safest decision to make. In nearly 19 years of workshops I have never had to cancel before but this time it was the best option. I made it back from London as far as Northampton and then the snow came in taking me another3 hours to drive 40 odd miles. The joys of the English winter. I really hope the snow hasn’t affected your business too much this week.

Today’s newsletter has some great articles regarding ideas for writing and growing your list from me, plus in light of Harry Rednapp winning his case last night against HMRC, our resident Tax Expert Andrew Crawford remarks on this and considers travelling expenses. My coaching Students Claire Mockeridge and Alice Ramchareen have penned articles on what happens if you get injured and setting up in the community, and as always my goal is to provide you with a useful read, a shot of inspiration, motivation and, of course, confidence to go out and create  the fitness business and life you desire.

19 Day Create an Online Fitness Business – Next Course starts Monday 13th

My new Online Business Coaching and Mentoring Course in creating your online Fitness Business has been going great guns. Every day the group gets a new mini webinar from me on a crucial aspect of setting up their online business. Each member then works on that task for the next 24 hours with group support. Each small step brings you closer to building your brand, working social media, writing and vlogging. The Facebook group provides 24 hour help and support. To see how the Entrepreneurs are getting on check out this page and click on the videos to see how far the group have come. The next course starts on Monday 13th February 2012 and you can sign up here ready to start on Monday.

Check out Andrew Scott. He came on the Jumpstart with me 7 days ago Click here and has already achieved so much from the course. If you are desperate to stop working and teaching so many hours and  need to get on to establish your business and brand online then don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to create your online fitness business with me.

Quick Fix Choreography

I’ve uploaded my weekly Quick Fix Choreography Block. Hope these help give you a quick shot of inspiration

Click here for Body Weight Interval Training Ideas

No Carbs before Marbs?

For 2012 I will be arranging  new Weekend Fitness Retreats for Choreographytog’ers in Marbella Spain. They will be weekend retreats with Classes, Business Ideas, Nutrition and FatLoss including the whole KSFL2012 with myself. I am finalising the dates and venues and will be back to you next week with all of the details. If you are interested Tweet me and I give you all the details as soon as it’s ready to go. @RachelHolmes

New Choreography Downloads online this week

Are you Growing your List by Rachel Holmes.

I’ve talked lots of times about growing your lists and I wonder how you are all getting on with it. All Fitness Instructors need to build a list with all the emails of your clients on it so you can send out your weekly newsletter, breaking news information, new classes and courses you are running and build an online relationship with your customers. It’s IMPERATIVE to  your success. Hopefully, by now you have signed up for a Mail Chimp account or something similar so you need to get your opt in box on your website so people will leave their email address.

So, what can you give away for free to encourage people to leave their details. You need to give away something that you could legitimately put a price on, something of great value to a potential customer. For example a free video  download workout, Free class passes, or Free manual etc something that will be useful to your potential customer.

This is your Currency of Connection.

From then on you can begin your customers online journey by sending them your weekly newsletter and updates.

More Ideas for Writing Articles, Blog Posts and Copy for the Busy Fitness Entrepreneur.

The Secret Bullet!

What happens when you get injured?

By Claire Mockridge – Ante/Postnatal Fitness Expert

Morning everyone,

I hope you’re well and wrapping up against the elements.  Today, I thought I’d touch on something that’s quite personal and a topic that, as Fitness Professionals, we tend to hide from our clients – injuries.

Have you ever had an injury?  Are you suffering with an injury now?  How are you coping?  Are you seeking the right treatment?  Have you sought help from an Osteopath, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor, and it hasn’t helped?  How did you come to get injured?  Over-use?  Muscle imbalances?  Did you get the right diagnosis first time, or did you have to see 3 professionals before finding out exactly what was wrong with you?

Several years ago, pretty soon after I qualified as a Fitness/ETM Instructor, I suffered badly with a foot condition called plantar fasciitis.  If you’ve had it, or you’re suffering with it now, you’ll sympathise with me, that every time you place your foot on the floor to take a step forwards, backwards or to the side, you feel pain, either in the heel, or under the sole of the foot.

How did I get this injury?  Well, you know what it’s like when you first qualify.  You say “yes” to every class going, do extra cover work, take on extra shifts at the gym, feel guilty when you neglect your own training and just never stop working.  You try to get your name around, increase your profile and exposure, but you still end up with all of the jumpy-jumpy, hi-impact, hard-core classes that make you feel 80 years old when you wake up in the morning.

When I got diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, it knocked me for six.  It was so painful I wanted to cry (in fact I did, regularly).  I tried to put aerobics routines together to that avoided the steps where I felt pain.  I did the exercises and stretches the Physio gave me, religiously.  I rested etc.  I got properly fitted insoles in my trainers, but, it still took me 18 months to recover, and even now, 3 years later, I get the odd twinge if I overdo things.

So, how can you safe-guard yourself against injuries?  Well, I have no magic cure here, I’m afraid, accept to say, stop whatever it is you’re doing that’s making the condition worse.  Your body needs rest and lots of it.  Seek professional advice, and if you don’t get a proper diagnosis or receive treatment you’re 100% happy with, phone someone else.  The first Physio I saw was excellent, and had 15 years Podiatry experience, so it was pure luck that I went to a Physio who knew a lot about feet.  But, honestly, if the professional you’re seeing doesn’t really know what’s causing your hip, neck, shoulder or back pain, find someone else, ok, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about doing it.

One of the main reasons I qualified to teach ante/postnatal women (and later went on to qualify to teach Pilates) was, because it’s easier on the joints.  I knew high-impact exercise would end my fitness career if I didn’t do something, and sharpish.

Think about it – everything for pre/postnatal women is low-impact and the emphasis is more on “instruction” than “doing” with these types of classes.  You have to be very mindful of technique when dealing with pregnant and postnatal women obviously, so you must have an eye for detail, and not be afraid to get “hands-on” and correct people where you see fit.  But, you simply demonstrate a couple of reps, set them up in position, cue the breath and off you go, wandering around the room, busily aligning and coaching your clients into position.  There’s not a lot of impact at all.

If, after reading this, you’re starting to think “Maybe I do need to change direction”, or “I can’t carry on the way things are now”, then perhaps it’s your mind telling your body it needs a rest.

Does ante/postnatal instruction interest you?  Have you thought about running a class for new mums to help fill in your daytime slots?

If so, why not join my Private Facebook Group for FitPros who either a) want to get qualified to teach pre/postnatal or, b) are already qualified, but want hints and tips on making their business more successful: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/clairemockridge/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/clairemockridge1

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/clairemockridge

Blog: http://clairemockridge.wordpress.com/

Claire Mockridge

Ante/Postnatal Fitness Expert

Travel and Your Business  by Andrew Crawford

“What exactly can you claim …What they say…What I say and how?”

Following the long extended month of January, I needed a break from my cell (office), my screens and from my email service…  so I invited myself down to  good ole Essex wherein lies the ‘Pied Piper of Fitness’ better known as the fitness guru…the legendary Kardy Laguda.

He wined and dined me at the local tai restaurant….what a night that was…lol..!!

Before this, however, I visited the Shortts over there in North London area, (Borehamwood to be precise).

Now, this couple are a good example of great clients ……I just love visiting them, not just because I like them as clients but also sometimes I get a big fat plate of real Caribbean cooking….lord have mercy…..!!

On this occasion….I was late….so had to have cake and coffee instead.

Now…what the blast has Caribbean food, tai restaurants, the Shortts and Kardy  Laguda got to do with travel?

Well….was the travel not for business purposes? Therefore… claimable??

The reason was this …….

Up until this time, a Fitness Professional was trying to get hold of me….they were being audited by the HMRC who wanted to disallow their travel from their house to a venue that they worked at.

Here is an extract of one of the emails I received…..I pasted this here because it is typical of some business operations at present PLUS….it will give you an indication as to what the HMRC is looking to disallow….if you ever become inspected…!!

“….Cutting a long story short, I’ve been in the fitness industry 24 years this year and am currently going under a Partial Tax Audit.  Everything has been cleared however they have denied my travel expenses.  The reason being that I apparently don’t come under the category of itinerant trade. The reason being is that I hold weekly classes, but in the same places – 6 different venues.  They are on a completely self employed, free lance basis. He has said if I went to the same clients home and did 1:1 instruction, I would be o.k but to go the same venue weekly for the group classes, classifies it as a commute.  I am currently challenging him, and my accountant here is great – but I am his only fitness person he deals with.

The inspector is understanding and knowledgeable and has said that I am a technical first however he would need backup to my argument to convince him otherwise…..”

Ta x rules will deny a deduction for expenses of ‘ordinary commuting’.

Ordinary commuting is defined as travel between either:

a)       Home and a permanent workplace: or

b)        place that is not a workplace (a hotel or someone else’s home) and a permanent workplace

This means that travel expenses incurred from home to your normal place of work will not be allowable.

You must remember that when these rules were written, I suspect that there was not many ‘work from home / home as an office’ type of thing going on.

Also note the word permanent because this may be an issue for some of you.

Once at work, (permanent workplace), if you travel to visit clients from there, this is not ordinary commuting therefore these expenses are allowable. Therefore office to client travel is allowable.

There is another one…..Substantially ordinary commuting

What is this?

If you attend a college and the journey to the college is substantially the same as the distance to your permanent place of work, no deduction is allowable.

What if I travel from home to a client’s premises?

HMRC will accept that this is not ordinary costs of commuting but only providing that the client’s premises constitutes a ‘temporary workplace’.

A temporary workplace is defined as a place which you attend in the performance of your duties in order to perform a task of limited duration or for some other temporary purpose.

My Advice

In summary this is the advice I gave her to provide backup to her arguments.

Since she worked from home, this was her permanent workplace or her normal place of work. Therefore travel from home to workplace….disallowable.

Travel from home to clients premises, for one 2 one…allowable

Travel to classes…..allowable

Only disallowable if venues were a ‘permanent workplace’…Since we have established that her permanent workplace is from home, these venues are temporary….especially as she was only in them 2-3 hours a day then moved on to 2 or 3 other clients / venues for the rest of the time.

She was spending more time at home …oopps ….permanent workplace ..in preparation…!!

Unless my interpretation of permanent is incorrect, 3 hours out of a possible 8 hours, by definition, must be temporary.

I will await the outcome and let you know.

**** Remember the HMRC DO NOT like to lose……!!!

**** Update *******  Except in the Redknapp Case

Can you believe that???  HMRC  lost in court!!!  (Somebody got paid….lol)

A five-year investigation, which is believed to have cost about £8m. The HMRC could not have had a solid case……ALLEGEDLY.

Travelling Abroad

In this world of globalisation it is not uncommon for you to have to take a train, boat or plane overseas for the purpose of your business

On occasions you may find yourself having to travel abroad to participate in meetings, attend masterclasses or research venues for future projects.

As long as you can demonstrate that these expenses, flight costs etc were incurred properly for your business, these expenses are  claimable.

I would resist using the word holiday..!!

In a past case the HMRC disallowed all the plane flights…(just like in the case above) the reason was as follows.

They saw that there were 2 names on the flight ticket, and asked who the other person was. It transpired that it was the partner of the taxpayer.

It was also discovered that the second named person was not paid for their time abroad, therefore the HMRC took it that although evidenced by some documentation, that the passenger was the partner of the taxpayer and was not paid for their time abroad, therefore disallowed all the foreign expenditure and travel costs.

Sounds familiar?

Tax tip: If you have to go abroad on business…learn this….

·       If a partner is going with you, either pay them or put them on a separate ticket (technically, you cannot claim for them, however, ensure that the expenditure was incurred for the purpose of your business so pay them and claim the full costs…let them invoice if necessary).

·       If you are attending a seminar/masterclass, have a copy of the brochure or timetable to show which classes you attended.

·       If you were invited abroad and you were not paid for your time… have a flier which clearly shows your name and picture as one of the speakers, then claim your travel and hotel costs.

·       If you are on a research trip….. have a diary and brochures of where and who you visited.

Club La Santa springs to mind………….

Speak soon

Andrew Crawford

Visit our website at: www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com for more FREE resources and articles.

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Andrew Crawford can be contacted on twitter @tax4fitness or info@fitnessindustryaccountants.com

Setting up classes and surviving in the community, part 2! By Alice Ramcharran

So here is the 2^nd part of my tips and guide to having a successful community fitness business – I hope that you found part 1 useful and have been able to put some of the tips in to practise already.  My next 5 tips are:

1. Develop a thick skin – this is a necessity!  Don’t worry about what people think – not everyone will like you or your classes – FACT.  And there is nothing you can do about it!  Don’t try to please everyone that walks through the door, as no matter what you do some still won’t take to you.  So instead, don’t worry about them – instead concentrate on those that do like your classes and keep coming, as they are the ones you need to look after.

2. Don’t be afraid to ditch toxic or underperforming classes – there’s been a lot of discussion about this on various forums of late, and I too have been guilty of letting classes run on for far longer than they should.  I can generally tell now after a few weeks of setting up if a class is going to be successful or not, so give yourself a timescale and if it’s not working don’t be scared to ditch it.  If you have a long standing class that has started to dwindle too then know when to call it a day – maybe put the class on review and try and put the  onus on participants – offer them referral schemes, prizes etc. for bringing new people to class.  Do what you can to make the class a success, but again give yourself a timescale and if it’s not working don’t be afraid to stop it and try something else.  We are in this as a business at the end of the day, and if you are not making money, or even worse losing money then that just makes no business sense at all.

3. Don’t worry about what other instructors are doing – if instructor Joe Bloggs wants to set up down the road from you teaching the same class, yes it might be annoying but there is nothing you can do about it, so instead of worrying or looking at what others are doing, then concentrate on what you are doing and don’t waste any valuable energy.  Chances are you’ll soon find that they are looking at what you are doing and trying to imitate so just lead the way instead.

4. Always stay one step ahead, and at least 6 months ahead.  As mentioned before, things in the fitness industry come and go and change.  So always stay one step ahead of others, know what the latest trends and fads are and use those to your advantage.  Always work at least 6 months ahead too – I’m already thinking about what I’m going to be launching come September time!   That way it ensures that you are prepared for changes in trends and can plan in advance for bringing out new and exciting classes.

5. Be accessible- make sure you are there to set up way before class starts so that you can meet and greet and chat to clients as they come through the door and sign in.  Also chat to people after the class, and make sure you are available to answer any questions  Engage with clients on Facebook too – they want to know what you get up to outside of work, and know you are human to, so interact with them and engage them.

Hope this helps you a little – there are more I could have put here, but running out of space, so please feel free to drop me a line if you need any more advice.  alice@pyramidfitness.co.uk

Alice Ramcharran

www.pyramidfitness.co.uk

Add me as a friend on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/alice.ramcharran

Follow me on twitter – Pyramid Fit

Let’s talk about passion for a few minutes, shall we?

I’m passionate about seeing people move forward and accomplishing their goals.

I’m passionate about helping Fitpros earn the money they should through Fitness Business ideas, Provide them with the tools (class content, choreography business ideas)so they in turn can teach and lead their clients. I’m Passionate about  Inspiring Fitness Instructors to become amazing role models both physically and mentally. Working with FitPros is my absolute passion.

What’s your passion?

What makes you jump up at 5am in morning to bash out an idea you have had?

It’s important to know what your passion is because you’ll never make the money you really want or have the lifestyle you desire or the clients you crave in something you can’t believe in. For example, if you dont like Bootcamps or Pilates or dare I say it Zumba, you shouldn’t build your fitness business involving any of those topics. Even if those models are super fashionable and potentially could make you a lot of revenue.

Your passion, what you’ve been wanting to do forever will actually lead you to not only your ideal client and niche, but it will also lead you to your destiny in many unique ways.

If you have got a burning desire to create your own Fitness Brand, Class, Workout or Program or have a burning passion to empower people to lose weight, or enjoy a healthier lifestyle then dont spend any more time procrastinating and get a plan together and do it. What on earth is stopping you?

This weeks newsletter is all about helping build your confidence, arming you with fatloss information which you can use to help your clients, building your community classes, helping you  run your business so you can schedule in holidays and taking time out to enjoy life and as always I hope you find it inspiring, uplifting and motivating.

The good thing is we are in a fantastic industry that is still in its infancy, therefore identify your passion within fitness and run with it and create your dreams and goals

How do you know what your Fitness Health and Wellness Passion is?

Heres my little test?

So are you ready?

Here are the questions. Please get out your pen-

#1- What do you always find yourself daydreaming about in relation to your fitness career or business?

#2- Where do you really want to be in 6months time – (anything goes here – Be bold and wild here )where do you want to be and have achieved?

#3- What makes you excited, motivated, encourages you and inspires you within the fitness industry?

Once you really work out what your Fitness Passion is you can then plan out a pathway to get there.

The one person you need to work on the most is yourself so you are ABLE to speak to your ideal client. To find them, ‘read their mind’ and speak their language, you’ll need to work more on yourself than anyone else.

Your ideal client or market needs you to find your passion! Fire is what people follow and passion is what will help you achieve the fitness business and the life of your dreams.

Id really love you to tweet me with what you are Passionate about in Fitness – Who do you want to help and serve and create exciting programs for?

And if you feel daring, share with me some of your answers from above as well!

I am passionate about helping you succeed in your Fitness Business! Let’s do this together!