4 PRINCIPLES Successful Fitness Business Owners Practice Every Day
By Sean Greeley
Here are two ways we set ourselves up for failure:
- When we don’t plan for success, and
- When we we don’t have the right success mindset.
The idea gets even clearer when we flip it around.
We SUCCEED when we PLAN FOR SUCCESS and maintain our SUCCESS MINDSET.
Let’s break that down:
Know where the goal posts are
What does success mean to you? What is your vision for your own, your family’s and your professional future? Is it clear? For some it may be financial goals and you may be willing to work 60-70 hour weeks to achieve it. Others it may be to be able to spend more time with the family.
The most successful entrepreneurs have a clear vision, they know WHY they are working harder than others and are prepared to. They sacrifice where others won’t because they believe in their own light at the end of the tunnel.
KNOW your business model
Don’t confuse this with service offering. Whether you are a CHEK practitioner, CrossFitter, Personal Trainer, Body Builder, etc., the fundamentals of success and planning for success are the same. Yes. The same.
You need to know your profit margins, how many clients your current business structure and team can handle, how many leads you need to fill it, and what systems need to be put in place to continue growing towards your vision.
Build a TEAM to support your growth
You can’t do it all. No one can. At some point, if you want to grow your business beyond working split shifts and long days of admin/training/everything else you do you need to develop people.
Trainers, administrative staff and eventually managers. You need systems and procedures in place to ensure that they do a great job, love being a part of your organization and see working as part of your team as a great long term career move.
Which brings me to mindset…
There are many components to remaining focused, but here are four success principles that are at the top of my list:
1. Own It
Take active responsibility for your success because no one else can do it for you.
Successful people don’t blame anyone. If something goes wrong, a team member leaves, a client leaves because of something a trainer said … a successful person OWNS THE PROBLEM even when they didn’t cause it.
As fitness business owners we are personally responsible for everything that goes on in our organization. For us to grow, we need to look for opportunities in how we could have prevented it occurring. Solve it. Move forward.
2. Have Courage, Practice Faith.
As a fitness business owner, you must attack your fears to grow.
Growing a business is scary. There’s times when we get caught with unexpected problems and challenges. We get overwhelmed; we’re constantly out of our comfort zone.…
If you feel this way, you’re in the right place.
This is what growth feels like. Solving problems, overcoming fear, and moving forward. The most successful business owners know that fear is part of the equation and work through it, solve the problem and move on to the next one.
3. Commit to RESULTS, not Activity
Don’t get lost in activity. Hold yourself accountable to results.
A great quote by one of my original mentors, Dan Kennedy is “You only get paid for DONE.” Getting things done involves following through until you get a result. Being busy without achieving a result is called procrastination. Set your target (from your planning), attack the plan with persistence, and follow through until the goal is achieved.
4. Be Coachable
We don’t have all the answers.
The most successful fitness business owners ALL seek advice from others who have solved the problems they’re encountering. We all do.
But that’s just the first part. We’ve got to be willing to sit down, be quiet and learn from our mentors… then take MASSIVE ACTION and FTDI (Follow the Dang instructions).
That’s where working with a fitness business coach can help, because even the best coaches need coaching. We provide coaching programs that address how to overcome specific challenges based on where your business is at right now. And we dive into the real numbers that drive long-term success and stability in business.
