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Stronger Sundays

Dominate your fitness business with this weekly collection of strategies, tips, and tricks.
By trainers, for trainers.

03/28/2024

Quote of the week:

"Stop treating workouts and nutrition like a one-night stand and more like a long-term relationship." —Andrew Coates on Twitter
Watch for this newsletter from the Personal Trainer Development Center each Sunday.

In this issue:

  1. The hidden story behind our new course
  2. Thou shalt not steal
  3. How to ace your next job interview
  4. Two upcoming live events
1. The hidden story behind our new course —Jonathan Goodman


We’ve now published three versions of the Online Trainer Academy textbook.

Until I took this photo, I’d never seen such a clear visual representation of our growth.

Version 1.0 was 281 pages. The next was 317 pages, and the one we currently use is 342 pages.

But saying the book is 61 pages longer doesn’t begin to describe the work we’ve put in.

The evolution from 1.0 to 2.0 involved thousands of hours of work and cost more than a million dollars in labor, R&D, and the hiring of outside consultants, including a senior course developer from Yale, who did an audit to assess the quality of learning among OTA students.

Honestly, I’ve forgotten more than I remember about the journey, and the many ways we’ve grown, evolved, and improved the program since 2013.

That’s why our refund rate is below 1 percent—a number that astounds anybody who’s created a course or mentorship.

It really is quite amazing. And with the first cohort of OTA Level 2 currently underway, it still feels like we’re just getting started.

Online Trainer Academy Textbook
Versions 1, 1.01, and 2 of the Online Trainer Academy textbook and my son, Calvin, playing with a train.
2. Thou shalt not steal —Mike Doehla

I love this industry, and I go out of my way to help people succeed in it.

I’ve written articles on how to become a nutrition coach. I’ve been lucky enough to contribute to Jonathan Goodman's newest book on getting more personal training clients. And I spend hours a week interacting with industry colleagues. If you have a question and I have an answer, I’m happy to help.

But that isn’t an invitation to steal our materials.

I might sound grumpy, but until you have your stuff stolen—something that’s become a weekly occurrence—you’ll never understand what it’s like.

It’s not flattering. It just sucks. And the excuses make it even worse. When someone says, "I didn’t know I couldn’t use your stuff," it makes me think it’s too damn easy to start an online fitness business.

Just be better, everyone. Don’t use other people’s stuff. Don’t change a small part and pretend you didn’t use the bones. Don’t tell people you do the same for less.

Raise this industry up. People need help, and it’s up to you to prove you can do it with your own skills and resources.

Not someone else’s.
3. How to ace your next job interview

"You’re not really a trainer until you have clients to train," writes Calvin Huynh in this new PTDC article. For most fitness pros, that means getting a job in a commercial gym, and gaining valuable experience as you figure out your next career move.

Huynh is a veteran of some two dozen job interviews. The only one that didn’t end in a job offer was the first. That was his wakeup call, forcing him to learn more and prepare better.

In his experience, most interviews focus on these three areas, usually in this order:

  1. Fitness and nutrition
  2. Coaching and communication skills
  3. Sales

Sales isn’t last because it’s least important, Huynh writes. It’s because so few entry-level trainers have sales experience, and almost all of them are intimidated by the idea of selling. And yet, "selling is a non-negotiable part of personal training. You won’t get clients until you sell them on your service."

The interviewer’s goal is to figure out if you have enough potential as a trainer to bring you on board and teach you how to make those crucial sales.

4. Two Upcoming Live Events

We're excited to share that Jonathan Goodman will be coming out of the shadows to appear at two incredible live events in the coming months.

1. Canadian Fitness Business Summit - March 13 & 14 in Burlington, Canada (just outside Toronto)

CFBS is dedicated to supporting fitness entrepreneurs (both in-person and online) by bringing them the best speakers in the industry and allowing them a space to network, all with the goal of feeling supported, constantly staying up to date with where the industry is moving.

This event's happening very soon. Get your ticket now, and be sure to say hi to Jon when you arrive.

--> Canadian Fitness Business Summit tickets ($349 CAD)


2. The Final Fitness Summit - May 1 & 2 in Kansas City, Missouri, United States

After 10 years, the Fitness Summit is going out with a bang.

Featuring amazing speakers and even better networking, this event has been a mainstay in our industry. Sad to see it go, but this final event is primed to be great.

--> The Final Fitness Summit tickets ($325 USD)
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