- 0
Posts Tagged ‘Rachel Holmes Coaching’
April Quick Fix Choreography Block with Rachel Holmes
Wednesday, 11 April 2012 11:07
0 Comments
Fitpros Feel the Fear……You know the rest!
Saturday, 03 March 2012 06:59
0 Comments
Do you fear the fear and do it anyway?
This is a title of an extremely popular self help book, I bet you have read it or its probably hanging out on one of your book shelves somewhere. Maybe you have the audio tucked away on itunes?
Does it apply to you?
Are are you still procrastinating because you have a fear of failing? Talking to Instructors on a workshop yesterday promoted me to write this blog post. Many of us seem to still have a barrier up, when going after what we really want in our fitness business, and why….what IS the worst that can happen.
I’m definitely a glass half full kind of girl and you need to be if you want to propel your fitness business, career and even life forward.
What is the worst that can happen?
Barrier 1.
I want to start a new class, Bootcamp or course or create a new brand but what if no one comes?
Solution 1
Do your market research FIRST. Ask on Facebook if your friends want this new class, at this time, in this venue. Don’t commit any time or money to promotion until you have confirmed there is demand. Survey your customers and clients get market research first.
If there is potential demand. Go for it and if no one turns up, try another time, another venue, another class type. But you must find out if there is demand first
Barrier 2
I want to create an online product, website but what if no one buys it or looks at it.
Solution 2
See above.
Online products may take weeks or months to gain momentum and take of.
Build a buzz and generate interest before launch. Ensure you do tons of pre promotion like Blogging, Vlogging, Facebook count downs, Twitter updates, Special promotions and deals on the day of launch.
Explore new social media like Pinterest, Google +, Foursquare,
Harness the power of youtube
You have a lot of channels to use and get your message across
Barrier 3
Ive got loads of ideas and dont know where to start
Solution 3.
Open a folder and collect as much information on each idea as you can.
Write to do lists and find people who can help you with your project.
Work out costings, profits and timelines for each project.
Prioritise each project and decide which one to follow though first..
Give yourself a completion deadline and stick to it.
Don’t be scared of failure, you won’t die of failure!
Every single fitness entrepreneur has failed spectacularly at something, some idea they thought was THE idea and it fell flat on its face.
I’ve had multiple failures, countless ideas that I thought would work and didn’t, usually because I didn’t find out first, what my customers wants and needs were at that time.
Don’t let a small failure stop you. Embrace it,accept it, understand what went wrong and carry on.
Remember feel the fear and do it anyway.
What do you think? Id Lurveeeeeee your comments
If you are interested in my coaching and mentoring courses Lets talk!
Instructor Newsletter 23 February 2012
Thursday, 23 February 2012 07:37
0 Comments
Welcome to the C2Go Newsletter
Lots of great comment this week on Facebook and Twitter and via emails I’m getting from many FitPros, who are finding that class numbers seem to be declining for some disciplines and it’s becoming harder than ever to get people into classes and Bootcamps. So what is the answer. Is the market now getting saturated with Zumba, Bootcamps and Fat Loss?
Is the general public looking for something new?
What does the general public want?
Do they even know?
Katie Bulmer, owner of The Little Black Dress Club and Real Results, feels small group training is emerging now as the front runner. You still get the mix of a group, so all of the interaction, camaraderie and fun, but small enough to give individual personal attention. You also don’t need the quantity of clients but more quality clients.
It goes back to deciding who you actually want to train and work with. Shock Jock marketing such as Drop a Dress Size, Skinny Jeans etc definitely works……… in the short term; but what about filling classes year after year and building a sustainable business. Many new customers seem to be quite fickle, they jump from class to class, gym to gym, program to program. Are they the sort of customers you really want?
I’ve been in the Fitness Industry for over 24 years now and I’ve seen all of the trends come and go. What appears to happens next is always the complete opposite of what is big right now.
For example, if huge classes with massive numbers are popular today then small, personalised, semi private groups training will start to emerge as the “purple cow”. The industry always does a 180 degree turn
You get the group dynamic but with the results the clients want.
Changing the advertising slant of your classes to the health benefits of exercise would also change the clientele, change the marketing style and rethink who your target market actually is for the long term.
The most affluent demographic of people in the UK are the Baby Boomers 50 – 70years. This group has the most disposable income, but they also spend their money wisely. They consider every purchase carefully and weigh up all of the pros and cons, they aren’t looking for the cheapest option but the best quality and they don’t always want to pay into a membership or direct debit scheme.
Lots to think about and I would love your thoughts, feedback and opinion. Tweet me @RachelHolmes, Facebook or email me with your views and opinions.
How to Build Your On Line Fitness Business – Live EVENT in Birmingham with Rachel Holmes
I’m really looking forward to this one day event I will be running.
Bring your lap tops, Bring your ideas and Bring your enthusiasm. The date is Saturday 28 April at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham NEC. Its a one day event and you will be able to book from tomorrow. I’ve got tons of new ideas , systems and strategies on teaching how to get set up and create your online Fitness Business.
I will be covering Networking, Public Speaking, Running Events, Creating Online strategies, Creating Online Courses and Webinars, Writing ebooks and I will only be holding this as a one of day at the NEC.
The NEC is an easy venue to get to by road, rail and airport. Why not come by train? Its easy and painless. There will only be 30 seats so check your diaries and watch out for your invitation.
Fitness Pilates 2 Day Certification New Date – 9th/10 June in Derby David Lloyd If you want to jump onto the Fitness Pilates course. Heres the new date and booking information click here
I mentioned Pinterest last week and it seems many of you are taking a look at this relatively new social networking site that allows users to create online image collages, then quickly and easily share those collages — called “pinboards” — with other Pinterest users.
It’s fun, easy, and catching on like wildfire right now
Because it’s image-based, the core of Pinterest is overwhelmingly positive. I like to think of Pinterest as Facebook without the whinging!.
Yes, Pinterest is beautiful. And yes, its users love it. But don’t let all the hearts and flowers fool you. Behind those lovely images, Pinterest is fast becoming a heavy hitting marketing tool for brands and businesses … like our fitness businesses and I think there could be some serious potential here for Fit pros who want to create an online fitness business.
What is Pinterest and why should I care?
Once you’ve got a Pinterest account, you can create online collages (“boards”) for different topics you’re interested in, and then add images and videos to your boards by “pinning” them (the equivalent of using glue sticks on old-school vision boards, but faster, slicker, and considerably cooler.)
Pinterest has nearly five million users, and is rapidly growing. Nearly 1.5 million unique users visit Pinterest daily, spending an average of 15 minutes a day on the site.
Think those inspiring vision boards don’t result in referral traffic to websites and blogs? Think again. In January 2012, Pinterest drove greater traffic to websites than LinkedIn, Google Plus, Reddit, and Youtube — combined.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how Pinterest could help us grow our businesses and connect with customers using these appealing online collages.
Here are some powerful ways I’ve come up with to incorporate Pinterest into your marketing mix.
Pinterest marketing for beginner pinners …
- Make sure you feature your business name on your profile for maximum exposure. Use your business name as your username, or change your profile name to your business name after your profile is set up.
- Add a paragraph about who you are and what you’re interested in to the “About” section on your Pinterest profile. It will show up right under your photo, and will be one way that users can find out more about you.
- Connect your account with your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Not only will it help you gain followers, but making this connection adds social media icons under your profile picture that link to your Facebook and Twitter profiles.
- Don’t forget to add your website URL in your profile, too!
- Pin lots of stuff. Pin content steadily, instead of in huge bursts, to maximize your exposure and engagement.
- Come up with creative and interesting board names. They get shared whenever you pin something, so make them enticing. But be creative — you need to keep your board names short. There isn’t a lot of room for long descriptive titles.
- Tag other Pinterest users in your pins by using “@username” in your descriptions. Network with other professionals and business owners in your area and in the fitness arena by using this feature. Not many people are doing this yet, so it’s a great way to build your following and stand out.
- Comment on other people’s pins. Just like with tagging, this feature hasn’t really caught on yet, so use it regularly to really engage with other users. Obviously, use the same good manners and common sense you would when commenting on a blog or other social media site.
- “Like” other people’s pins to give a thumbs-up when you want to recognize great content.
- Pin from lots of different sources, instead of just from one or two sites. Variety is important on Pinterest.
- Mix pinning your own unique finds with doing lots of “repinning,” which is repeating someone else’s pin to your followers (just like a Retweet on Twitter). The person whose image you repin gets notified via email, and they also get a credit on your pin, which increases their following.
- Feel free to pin your own blog posts, but don’t over-promote. Follow the usual etiquette rules of any other social media site, and don’t be the boorish one at the party who only talks about himself.
- Pin videos! Pinterest has a special section just for pinned videos, and there are far fewer videos than images on Pinterest at this point, so use them to distinguish yourself. Any YouTube video is easy to pin.
- When you pin an image, add a description under it. Be smart about these descriptions — a good description will stay with an image as it gets repinned all over the Pinterest world. If the image is something from your own site, definitely use your business name in the description.
- After you pin a new image using the very handy Pinterest browser bookmarklet (a great tool in its own right,) use its built-in social media prompts to re-share your pin on Twitter and Facebook, too.
- Get the Pinterest iPhone app, so you can repin on the go, pin from your camera and add a location to your pins so others can find your images.
- Create seasonal or holiday boards that relate to your brand. Example: New Year’s Resolutions, Spring Time Fitness, Beach Body Fitness Ideas etc
- Add a prominent Follow Me on Pinterest button to your website to advertise that you’re a pinn
Happy Pinning – YOU can connect with me and my boards on http://www.Pinterest.com/RachelHolmes1
You can now PIN all of the pages on Choreography so please feel free to Pin your fav downloads
Fitness Blogging by Rachel
Though they had been around for many years, blogs burst on the scene as a hot marketing tool around 2003 when marketers discovered easy-to-use blogging platforms like Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress.
Over 50% of blogs are abandoned within the first 90 days. While this isn’t really important if you’re writing a personal diary, political or celebrity blog, it is very important if you start a blog for your business and don’t keep posting on it consistently and with purpose.
What is a fitness business blog?
Because a blog is an inexpensive, fast way to build an online presence, it is an ideal way for fitness entrepreneurs to establish their credibility and expertise. Since your readers can post comments, you create a conversation with your audience and build rapport and trust as a result.
The very nature of a blog is perfect for the busy fitness professional. They are quick and easy to update. You are creating fresh content frequently (two to three times a week is recommended minimum) that is useful to your prospects and customers and loved by search engines. In contrast to “traditional” static website, a blog is a dynamic site that encourages your visitors to interact with you through commenting so they can get to know you better.
When you create a conversation with your audience (visitors, readers, prospects), you are establishing your credibility. You build your network and increase the visibility of your products and services in a casual way.
A blog is an essential tool in the professional’s marketing toolbox. Combined with a website, an ezine, database management and ecommerce system, you will have everything you need to develop and run your fitness business globally and online.
10 Steps for Starting Your Blog
Before you get to the nitty-gritty of setting up your blog, there is some pre-work to do. This will ensure you start right and put your best foot forward.
1. Before you do anything else, examine the reasons why you want to publish a blog. What is the purpose for the blog? How does the blog’s purpose relate to your business purpose?
2. What are the business objectives or outcomes or goals you want from your business blog? Some people use a blog as a lead generator to build their database. Some are looking to build a visibility platform while others use the blog to develop content for other purposes like books, articles and programs. What do you want to get out of your blog?
3. Who is your ideal reader/customer? Who are you writing to/for? With most of my coaching clients I’ve worked with, the ideal reader is similar to their ideal client. It’s important to know your audience so you can meet their needs and address their concerns, challenges and what they’re looking for to improve their lives.
4. How do you want your readers to feel when they read your blog? This may seem like a weird question, yet it will help you tap in the emotions of your audience. Do you want your reader to be inspired, motivated, and moved to action? Again, tapping into this will help you focus your content on serving your reader.
5. What do you want your readers to DO when they read your blog? This relates to the goals you set for your blog. If your blog is a lead generator then you must have very clear steps for guiding your reader to subscribe to get blog updates and/or get your lead generating content.
6. How much time do you have to devote to your blog each week? This is getting to the heart of blogging. If you cannot commit to creating constant, consistent content, then you’re doing yourself and your readers a disservice. Be honest. The most effective and successful blogs are those with fresh, new content posted at least two to three times per week. Is that reasonable for you to manage? Remember, there are many, many ways to create content. It doesn’t have to be all you all the time and you can share content with other fitness friends.
7. What’s your blog’s core message? This relates to the topic of your blog and the niche you are focused on. What do you want your readers to learn? Why should anyone read your blog and more importantly why should they subscribe and follow your blog?
If you regularly write a Fitness Blog I would love to read and subscribe to it. Please Tweet me your Blog information http://www.Twitter.com/RachelHOlmes
What is eating clean? by Sally Ghafoor
Some people are super strict, some do it for weight loss, some for medical reasons, but what is eating clean.
The above variety of reasons is why eating clean to one person is completely different to another person.
Fit pro’s perceive eating clean different to others, some allow some things, others say no way, some allow cheat meals, some don’t and say that’s wrong. Many people say the only way to truly eat clean is to eat only raw food.
There is no wrong or right way, it depends on you and your client and their lifestyle choices. In an ideal world, we would eat completely clean, but you have to remember this is not a perfect world, you will not get a perfect client, who will do everything you want them too, well you do very occasionally, but will they do it for the rest of your life.
Now some people do have the ability or desire to eat clean without the need to cheat, some people follow the 80/20 rule, some cheat at the weekend.
Many factors have to be taken into account, psychological, motivational, reasons for eating clean, is it something you/your clients can do for life. We can get carried away with what we as fitpro’s will do to achieve eating clean, but I have a sneaking suspicion many people do not practice what they preach.
So what are your ideas of eating clean I would love to know? how much does each plan differ from fitpro to fitpro and where do you source your information?
I will be hosting a webinar in the near future on simple and effective nutrition and how to implement it, I hope to have details for this ready for next weeks newsletter, in the meantime I would love to hear your comments on what you think eating clean is.
www.facebook.com/sallyghafoor or on twitter @sallyghafoor
Are you a second class stamp? OR are you a first class guaranteed recorded delivery? by Jill Gardner
If you needed an important letter to be sent and wanted to make sure it got there safe, fast and guaranteed. Would you spend just pennies on an ordinary second-class stamp!
It’s time to ring some changes in the industry don’t you think?
Despite it only being February I am getting a distinct feeling of discord, exhaustion and unease amongst some in the community class sector. Up until Christmas I was working flat out trying to build my empire. I wanted to offer great value for money as well as lifestyle solutions for all my clients’ problems. It was like the beginning of a love affair – my clients couldn’t get enough of the classes and my passion and I couldn’t get enough of teaching and seeing them all thrive. But Christmas and winter took its toll and the love affair started to wane. The novelty factor was fading and I was becoming wallpaper in the background. I was just a few pounds a week to people. So why would they take me seriously? It was so demoralising!
There is no denying it. It is hard graft keeping class numbers up when every street has it’s own Pilates, Zumba, Bootcamp or some quick fix solution. Everyday the posts on social media streams are all becoming very diluted and it’s the same noise. We are all shouting out and desperate to be the one heard amongst it all. We bombard our clients and potential customers with newsletters, updates, tweets, emails, texts, and blogs………. There is a sea of information and we are all drowning in it and we have become a cheap disposable commodity!
How can I get people to take me more seriously? How could I get them to listen to ME? I have spent thousands on becoming an expert in my field! Why wasn’t I being appreciated?
Well this is what I did! I decided to make some big changes to my timetable and if it meant losing people that weren’t going to take me seriously then so be it.
· No more free sessions, trials or special offers – no more devaluing
· I upped my PAYG class fee to £7 per hour. That was nearly a 50% increase – I am an expert after all!
· I reduced the timetable by half – giving them less class and times to choose from – no more dilution
I shut my eyes fearful for a backlash of emails of people complaining or leaving but instead I was pleasantly surprised.
Not only did people congratulate me on making the decision but I got a sea of emails from people asking to sign up to a monthly standing order. I had been underestimating how much value people had placed on me. They ARE willing to pay. Now I have even more people paying me monthly, taking me seriously and genuinely appreciating all that I do. By charging more I have elevated my expert ranking another notch. I am more expensive that most of my competitors but I get a guaranteed monthly income and I don’t have to stress so much over advertising and marketing. By making my service more Bentley than Skoda I have people banging the door down to become a Fitstop VIP member! Now let’s all do the same. Let’s all raise the game together!
Jill Gardner – The Fat Controller – www.hateitchangeit.co.uk
#StupidQuestions by Jayne Nicholls
On Friday I got a fantastic discount on a great bag in House of Fraser, why am I telling you this? Because I only got the discount because I asked for it, even the sales assistant was shocked that her manager agreed. I told her that my line of business has taught me that if you don’t ask you don’t get anything. I can’t help wondering though whether this has gone too far.
Like you I am dealing every day with people who want something from me, whether it is a class or a course I am giving what I consider to be value for money and so much more with ongoing information and help and most likely, like you I often wonder where to draw the line.
Here are 2 questions that I have received in 1 week: ”I hate exercise and can’t be bothered to move – what can I do to get fit?” My refusal to offer any advice was met with a rolling of the eyes. ”I want an app that tells me what exercise I can do while sitting on the bus” This one I did answer – just put my number into your iphone under bus app and call me – whereupon I will tell you to get off the bloody bus and walk!
Everyone wants the results of what we do without the effort or the commitment and this has to stop. It’s not instant and it is not easy, any result has to be worked for whether it is a fitness goal, a qualification or a better job. Asking the right questions may get you through the door but hard graft pays off.
I Believe…………By Andrew Crawford
This morning, just before jumping into my bubble bath, I got up with these words ringing in my mind…..
“…I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside……..Give them a sense of pride to make it easier, let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be..
(the most powerful part)….I decided long ago never to walk in any ones shadows, if I fail if I succeed, at least I live as I believe, no matter what they take from me……they can’t take away my dignity…….”
Why?
“….Because the Greatest Love of all is happening to me……!!”
Where is it….?
Inside of you…!
Click below…close your eyes ……and listen….and yes…sing…!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEGpwdwHBCQ
And for those who are mourning Whitney Houston’s sudden demise…this one is for you……………… Oh yeah ………get some tissues…!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk20DGmlsIU
So Andrew…..
What has Georgie B and Whitney ‘Bad Bobby Brown’ Houston got to do with finance?
Well…I believe…..
.. we should instil in our children the ‘foundations of finance’
Why?
So that they grow up not fearing figures, they will be good with numbers, they won’t be diddled or scammed out of their money, they know how to save, when to spend, how to accumulate, how to invest, when to buy, value money…add subtract and multiply..
Some time ago, I was really good with figures….I was able to go to a restaurant with a handful of people and when the bill came I could add up…’In my head’..the total bill…and get it right!!!
There were times when I found that the restaurateur accidently added a few extra bottles of wine to the bill……so these ‘accidently on purpose’ costs were speedily deducted and apologies followed when it was pointed out to them.
I found that this usually accidently happens when there is a LARGE crowd (20 plus) people out for dinner, usually splitting the bill and paying in CASH…
So….watch your bill next time you’re out in a crowd…..especially the bottles..!!
Nowadays, if you give me 5 numbers or more, I will be reaching for my calculator..!!
In the good ole days of ‘O Levels’….remember them?…we had to do maths without calculators. (Long division springs to mind). Then suddenly they introduced the use of calculators. Exams became longer and harder.
Transferring to ‘A Level’ maths was another mindfield but we had our trusted scientific calculators by our side never to leave me again..!!
My uncle used to test our ‘mental arithmetic’ each time he visited us.
What is ‘Mental Arithmetic’?
Without using a calculator or your fingers, do this in your head… in one go..
6 times 6, times by 3, divide by 2, add 7, subtract 2
Keep a mental picture of your answer and I will reveal it at the end of this article….btw, I got the answer right..!!
That is Mental Arithmetics.
Now, I became very good at this because my uncle incentivised us…(that’s me my brothers and my sisters). …with sweeties….once it was 10 bob (50p). I became his star and I eventually grew to love his visits…sweeties and money.!!
Today our kids are interested in Jack Wills, Hollister, Abercrombie and fitch i-phones, i-pads, i-everything, Nintendo wii, make up, BMX bikes, driving lessons, new cars, ballet, tap, UGG’s, Xbox, Play Stations , laptops…..without knowing the value of money….You with me??
They fail to realise that these things cost sweat and hard earned money…not to mention credit cards…..after tax…!!
….because their friends may have them, they want them too….to be part of the in crowd…we called this ‘Keeping Up With The Jones’……
Who has to fund their lavish young lifestyles?…….You..!!
………….and when they do get them…they are never satisfied..!!
This is what I hear sometimes………”I get no pocket money…I’m bored!!!”
My answer….
Go upstairs in your bedroom, turn off the 48 inch flat screen TV, the DVD player, the i-pod, your laptop, put away the make-up, perfumes, false eye lases, ballet shoes, the wii, the Xbox, the guitar, the electric organ, ghd straightners, pick up those leather boots, leather handbags, bangles, body glitter, the new Jack Wills top I bought the other day, cancel the piano lesson, the horse riding lessons, the dance lessons, the guitar lessons, and read a good book..!!
They don’t know they’re born..!
However………..these words still come back to haunt me……
“I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside……..Give them a sense of pride to make it easier, let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be..
So……it is up to us…..that’s you and me…to
Teach them, Show them, Give them……..
Foundations of Finance
I believe the children are our future so much that I have come up with a new programme entitled ‘Junior Finance Programme – Foundations of Finance’ launching later this year. This is for juniors from aged 13 – 18.
They will be short and punchy workshops….3 hours in duration.
I have listed all the Principals of finance which I will teach them: including:
· Spend / Save
· Buy / Sell
· Bank / Cash
but if there are areas which you may wish me to cover, please email me at : info@fitnessindustryaccountants.com and let me know.
All your kids and friends kids are invited. With you accompanying them, you can learn together if you want. This workshop is intended to help them with the Foundations to overcome the ‘Fear of Finance’. This will help them in their adulthood. More on this to follow.
In Closing…
I have found that some of the top powerful people who are great with numbers, figures and business were the so called ‘School Drop Out’ …so why is this?
I cannot answer that question……..
However…Answer to the Mental Arithmetic question was 59. Did you get it right?
I believe… now THIS is what I’m talking about…get your tissues again!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCdYCv-7tv8&sns=fb
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
What is your passion? By Tanith Lee
Are you passionate about your job? Do you love what you do? Truly? I believe if you are really passionate about your job then it doesn’t feel like a job.
I haven’t always thought that it was possible to think like that.
I’m fairly new in the industry (7 years). I remember nervously taking my ETM. I was so excited and full of passion for my classes. I was self-employed and taught many classes in the local gyms and clubs and it was
great. Then the passion started to go. It became a job and I started to feel disillusioned about the industry. I felt stuck; I didn’t know what else to do. I started up community classes that limped along. I didn’t have any
marketing or business skills. You don’t get taught that on ETM.
Nearly two years ago I knew something had to change. I wanted to make more of an impact on people’s life’s. Teaching classes wasn’t enough anymore. I was getting more and more interested in nutrition and did some studying. It
still wasn’t enough! Then I hit an early menopause and I wanted to make it as smoother ride as I could. I started researching menopause and hormones and I realised that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to help women
through the menopause by making changes to nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle choices.
I also realised that I wanted to teach other FitPros how to help their clients. I found my passion, I have found what I really want to do and it feels great! I have ditched loads of my other classes. I felt the fear and
done it anyway. I have condensed my business down to Fitness Pilates, Back to Life Health and Wellbeing Project and TLC Fitness – Embracing the menopause. I really feel focused and have got a vision of where I want to be
in the future!
To enjoy life and your career you need to find your passion. When you are passionate about what you do people will be drawn to you naturally. It becomes effortless. When you have passion you have enthusiasm which is very
attractive to clients. Find that thing that you love to do and do it!! Life is too short not to love every minute of it. It doesn’t matter what it is, be brave and stand out of the crowd. Tell your story, let people get to know
you and see the difference you will make.
Take ten minutes today to sit and think about what really drives you. What will make you jump out of bed in the morning ready to embrace another day?
Share your passion with the world, find your destiny.
Have an amazing week xx
Here’s a link to a menopause fact sheet to give to clients
1.pdf>
Join my menopause group
for FitPro’s on Facebook
This is my Facebook group for anyone going through the menopause
. Please share with your clients
@tanithleefitnes
First Aid for Fit Pros by Cori Withell
Connect with friends and colleagues every day through meet ups, phone call, Skype, whatever. This business can be very lonely, especially when you are self
employed.
Make friends with local instructors. Work together, not against each other, you could be great for each others businesses.
Take time out for you every single day. Lunch with friends, cinema, manicure, walk in the woods, massage, meditation - whatever! You are just as important as
everyone else.
Stretch every day. We tell our clients to but do we stretch enough ourselves. We punish our bodies day in day out, start taking care of yours.
Remind yourself you are a human being and not a superhero, you can't have to, and don't have to do everything yourself.
Let your clients see that you are human. They don't always want to see a perfect image, sometimes they want to see someone who let's their hair down, has
a bad day, eats chocolate cake or gets annoyed at daft things, it helps them to connect with you.
If you are stressed, talk to someone.
Support yourself with positive people around you, let them know what your plans are so they can support you better. It is hard to support people if you don't
know what they are doing.
If you have an idea for a project and it feels right for you then go for it - the worst that can happen is it does't work. So what? Dust yourself down, have
a re-think and try again.
We work in a tough, potentially lonely and often bitchy industry. You are just as important as the next person so please don't forget to look after you first.
Follow me on Facebook www.facebook.com/coriwithell, Twitter www.twitter.com/CWFitness
and sign up to my weekly newsletter at www.cwfitness.co.uk
Health and happiness x
Cori x
Have a wonderful week
Love Rachel xxx
Simple Tips to Manage your Time
Monday, 20 February 2012 21:08
0 Comments
Are you making the most of your time?
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
Instructor Newsletter 16th February 2012
Thursday, 16 February 2012 07:51
0 Comments
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
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
#IAmLeader, last year I toured the I Am Yoga Tour as a celebration of myself, my product and the instructors who had invested time and energy into Freestyle Fitness Yoga actually crossing a line and having the confidence to say YES I am part of the Yoga world and what’s more, my fitness background actually escalates me to a level beyond that of an everyday instructor. As every day passes I become more and more confident in my product and you the instructor absolutely flying with it, despite a constant resistance from the traditional Yoga world in regard to our history and debut into ” their Yoga domain”.
So my point this week is what gives us the right to stand up and call ourselves a leader and what responsibility do we have to those we lead?
1. As instructors we lead those who pay us in either groups or 1 to 1. We are obliged to provide them with a product that is consistently high in its delivery, presentation and reliability. If we fail on any of these counts then the paying client is well within their rights to complain and criticise. I have never met anyone more reliable than a Group X Instructor!
2. We lead by example, if we take part in our sessions then we lead them with the ability to challenge everyone and by displaying our expertise in our trade. We ”Practice What We Preach”. We set an example of verbal and physical excellence that displays that we are on top of our game. Now make no mistake, I am not debating fat and thin here, I am discussing our role as a leader and that means that we are physically, academically and empathetically in charge of our paying customers.
3. We lead ourselves and this is the most important point. If you criticise me, it only harms me if I agree with you in any way, shape or form. If I am confident in the fact that I have given you 100%, fulfilled my obligation to you and provided you with a product that you can use, regardless of whether you block it or choose not to – then I am a confident leader.
Last week I walked out of a meeting where traditional Yoga instructors blocked my plans and looked down on my fitness background. I walked out on air because I know that the first rules of Yoga are acceptance, giving and releasing the ego, the 3 key factors that make us lash out in defence.
So my friends #IAmLeader and if you are, then follow my lead and rise above everything that holds you back, focus on what you do well and others will follow you, not depend on you, not allege with your clique, while they might empathise with you they will never feel sorry for you and more important they will never hold you back. As long as you believe in your product at least 90% for 90% of the time, you will be successful. The other 10% is a work in progress, that thing that makes you human and is the margin for error and change.
Jayne Nicholls www.freestylefitnessyoga.com
Nutrition confusion by Sally Ghafoor
So we have 14 day detox plans, intermittent fasting, protein based nutrition, carb loading, carb timing, it can get rather confusing. What do you do with your clients after the 14 day detox or intermittent fasting is it something they must follow for life – if I am right, and from the emails I have been getting I think I might be, a lot of people in the fitness world are a bit confused as to what to do when clients are following a nutrition plan for fat loss.
I think most of the fitness world has worked out that fat loss is not about calories in and calories out there is a lot more that goes on, fat does not make you fat, you need fat, low fat will mean get fat, hormones play the role in weight loss/gain.
Now personally I run online fatloss groups, I do it to get people their health back as you know I am an advocate of find health and the weight will drop off. I find this is definitely the case, we detox for the first 2 weeks then show them different ways of cooking foods that they love, bread, pasta, processed foods are then ditched forever, this gets amazing results and must importantly its achievable for your typical joe public, when they find out they can have cakes, they can have chocolate, just made in a healthy non processed non sugar non preservative way the plan they are following seems easy! They don’t feel deprived and all of a sudden the plan is easy and rewarding, the most common comment I get is “how am I losing so much fat when I am eating fantastic food and so much of it”. Yes some people need adjustments to the plan, carb timing will then be added, although the easier you make the plan the better response you get, remember this is joe public the majority of you are dealing with, not fit pro’s or people looking to achieve a certain percentage bodyfat.
These people have families and jobs which are nothing to do with fitness, we preach to people that they are lazy if they miss a workout because we wouldn’t do such a thing, or they are hopeless if they can’t follow what we think is a simple nutrition plan, but for them it’s hard, this is a big change to what they are used to, if you don’t give people the right tools i.e. recipes to follow and not just recipes you have quickly found on the internet, real recipes that the whole family will enjoy, then they will fail. There is a big need to understand people are not passionate about health and fitness like we are. Their passion may lay in food or drinking or anything not fitness related.
Yes we know what’s bad for us, you don’t have to be a fitpro to know that, but why are certain slimming clubs so popular? Because people eat the food they love still, you have to educate people there is a better way to eat and make things, they then feel the difference in their body, they feel so much healthier and when they do indulge in “non-foods” they recognise how they body reacts to it and no longer want to eat it but they are still eating yummy foods. Us fitpros may love eating broccoli and other greenery on its own but guess what the majority of joe public and their families get bored and want more, they feel deprived and then fall completely off the plan. This does not make them a hopeless case that does not warrant our time or help, it means they are human and probably count for the majority of the population.
We see so many before and after pics, which is fantastic, but what happens to those people once they are off the plan, does the weight stay off, have they been educated that it’s a lifestyle change? You decide, they are after all your clients.
In order to help those whom are finding compliance hard I have created another recipe book, this time for adults and the whole family, it is a book full of recipes made by me or my ladies following the 21 day fatloss challenge I run, they are not found on the internet, they are all home made family meals which are all compliant with my fatloss plan that I run. This is a plan for clients for life, I have also created the 21 day fatloss challenge plan which gives you all the info on how to follow the plan which you can use for yourself or your clients……..
The recipe book is on sale NOW at just £12 and if you buy before Monday you will get detoxify your child for free here is the link to pay or http://uploadnsell.com/buy/uFV4ZQ/ if you want more info go to my website www.gethealthsavvy.co.uk or find me on facebook I am the only Sally Ghafoor on there!!!
Why are we so afraid? by Cori Withell
Having spoken to many, many fitpros over the last few months I have been blown away but the lack of self-confidence in the industry. Our fear of what our peers may think is physically holding us back.
But WHY???????
We decide we want to work in this industry, we go and study our course, we do our exams, are practical assessments, our case studies, we pass (maybe not the first time, but we pass or we decide a different career choice!)
SO
What stops us believing that our knowledge is any less than that of any of our peers or any other health care professional for that matter? Why are we SO worried what other people think anyway? Why is our self confidence and self esteem at an all time low? Why do we always think that other people know better, that their products will be better than our own?
Why do we LET this attitude hold us back?
I know of several of my fellow fitpros that are not launching their product through self confidence. For fear of what their peers may think to their product. Why does it matter? It is YOUR product – tailored to YOUR niche and created by YOU.
What does it matter is someone does not like your product. Their dislike of your product is not going to stop your product selling to your niche. You have done your research, you have done all the leg work, why wouldn’t it sell? If you really think it won’t sell then work out why, decide whether you want to launch it anyway and then tweak it at a later date if you need to.
I have only recently discovered what I really believe I am here to do and lots of people may think I am talking rubbish or think I am on so weird career tangent
BUT
It feels completely right for me, I am doing what I love and quite frankly I don’t care what other people think, fitpros or Joe public. I have spent the time studying and researching and continue to do so. I am lucky enough to be doing what I love and earning money and the best bit is having a really positive aspect on someone else’s life – that is the best feeling in the world as far as I am concerned.
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 
Lack of self confidence can be so totally debilitating and people who don’t suffer with it probably find it a really difficult concept to grasp BUT it can completely stop you living you life the way you want to through FEAR. Even worse, the longer you leave it the worse this fear gets as it mentally ‘grows’ in your head. What started as a fairly small irrational fear of other opinion of failure ‘grows’ into this huge fear that you genuinely believe you cannot overcome.
So, remember that you are allowed to be you, utterly and completely. No one else, ever has the right to affect how you feel about you
BUT and this is crucial
What others think about you is up to you but how YOU respond to it is totally and utterly your decision.
This isn’t easy to change if for years you have let the opinion of others affect how you feel about you but it can make a huge change to how you feel.
Tell yourself every day how wonderful you are and how powerful you are in your own life. You can take your life and your business to any and every level that you want to.
· I am also holding a mindful health and wellness webinar on 19th Feb at 8pm and you are all welcome to come and take part, it is a question and answer session in response to requests on Facebook, initially about panic attacks but we will be looking at all aspects of emotional health – hope to talk to you then and here is the link https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/625164029
Health and happiness x
Follow me on Facebook www.facebook.com/coriwithell and Twitter www.twitter.com/CWFitness and you can follow my blog on www.cwfitness.co.uk/blog
Have a wonderful Thursday
Love Rachel x
