It is very trendy to be an entrepreneur these days but it might not be the best path for everyone!
In the fitness world, working for yourself is an ultimate goal for many. Some of my fitness instructor and personal trainer friends dream about their own premises and their own studios. Everyone knows that being your own boss brings a lot of advantages but there is also a massive, often neglected negative side.
I don’t want by any means to put you off! On the contrary, I really want you to go ahead and chase your dreams but at the same time, I want to make sure you know what it takes.
For starters, to be successful you must be prepared for hard work and 24/7 engagement. Running your own business is very time consuming and you might never be able to “switch off” completely again.
You will have to learn many new skills, work long hours, and not be afraid of a mop, account book or working weekends. You will also have to learn how to juggle different positions, especially at the beginning, being great at advertising, promoting, selling, dealing with customers and, of course, coaching at the same time!
In my opinion, if you only want to focus on coaching, and security, a pension, the stability of 9–5pm working day, free weekends and other benefits, you will be much better off staying employed. On the other hand, if you are ready to take risks, you are super passionate and you have an open mind, don’t wait any longer!
Below you will find a couple of points which might help you with your journey. The order isn’t important, but their application is.
At Fitness Soul, we use these points as a compass and so far we’ve managed to create a fantastic, humble and client-oriented business.
1. Deliver the best product available. Every time.
Quality is not the place for cutting corners.
High standards and professionalism are the best and the only way to create a successful long-term business. Great advertising and superb customer service are important but they won’t help if the product or service is bad.
In our studio, Zumba and other fitness classes are almost always fully booked. This is not because of sneaky advertising or low prices but because our instructors are amongst the best out there. They are passionate and they never stop learning.
2. Personal touch matters.
It might sound trivial but all emails and messages are personally answered by either me or my wife Joanna, as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s 2am or 12pm, quick and efficient communication is key.
3. Loyal customers FIRST.
Take care of them, they are the base of your business. It’s easier and cheaper to keep old customers than acquiring new ones.
One of the many benefits of being a Fitness Soul longtimer is a price cap — your membership fee will never increase.
4. Listen to your customers’ feedback and act on it.
At Fitness Soul, we use the Listen360 application which allows our clients to leave constant, immediate feedback. Within a couple of seconds, the customer can rate her experience and leave a short review.
We love hearing positive feedback but also constructive negative comments which allow us to adjust and grow.
5. Communicate and advertise successfully.
Everyone is different and everyone has their own favourite form of media. That’s why we run active accounts on all main social media platforms.
We use Email, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram …
6. Build a community around your product or service.
We’ve created a platform for our customers to talk and share ideas.
We do this in private Facebook groups.
7. Show that you care, every customer is equally important and matters.
A drop-in client will receive the same high standard of service and attention as a regular.
8. Be a role model. Walk the talk. Always.
9. There is no competition.
The pie is big enough for everybody and your main competitor is your biggest friend. Our common goal should be spreading the love of fitness and healthy living not fighting for customers.
Fitness Soul is always open for new classes and ideas. We rent the room to other instructors and we host many workshops and qualifications with people from around the world.
10. Create fantastic content and share it freely with your audience; motivate, teach, instruct, answer questions.
Check out our accounts to find out! 🙂
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