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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:

“Your body never asked you for perfection. It never asked you to conform to society’s unrealistic standards of beauty. So what if, instead of trying to lose weight, you tried to lose the expectations you’ve placed on your body?”
                                                                       - Nelao Nengola (@nelaonengola) on Instagram

*Nelao, an online trainer who works with survivors of sexual assault, is featured in our latest article:
--> How Five Coaches Grew Their Online Business in Difficult Times
Watch for this newsletter from the Personal Trainer Development Center each Sunday.

In this issue:

  1. The problem with fitness business coaches
  2. The social media mistake that destroys your career
  3. This week on the Online Trainer Show
1. The problem with fitness business coaches – Jonathan Goodman

Just about any day on Facebook, you can find fitness and nutrition pros confused by, complaining about, or making fun of business coaches.

And for good reason.

I get pitched constantly by fitness business coaches. They pester me on every email account and send me DMs on every platform.

I also hear from coaches who made the mistake of hiring one of them. One friend, for example, told me she finished a $5,000 “mentorship” program and had zero return on her investment.

What she did have was a slick website filled with meticulously edited content and an eight-email sequence for her product funnel … but no way to get people into the funnel.

She had a ton of gasoline, but no fire.

The worst part is that she thought she was paying for a mentor. What she got instead was a glorified done-for-you program with no way to match their tactics with her unique personality and coaching style.

“Their ‘systems’ made me feel more like a clone than a mentee,” she told me.

Her story stuck with me for two reasons:

  • A mentor isn’t someone you pay for. It’s not someone who sends you an unsolicited pitch on Facebook or Instagram. It’s a relationship you earn.

  • She wasn’t ready for a business coach. What she really needed was to take a course.  

If you're wondering what the best next investment is for you, read my newest article:

--> Course, Coach, or Mentor: Which Is Best for You?

2. The social media mistake that destroys your career – Lou Schuler

The fitness industry is both big and small. It’s big in the sense that so many of us are involved in it. No one can follow all the conversations on every platform, in every network. It’s hard enough keeping up with friends and colleagues in our own networks.

What makes it small is that we’re all just a couple of degrees separated from everybody else.

Your behavior in your own network can have consequences in other networks you aren’t even aware of.

I’ve seen it countless times in my time as a fitness writer and editor.

Back in the dial-up modem days, a few outspoken trainers made names for themselves by trolling brand-name fitness pros. Their friends thought it was hilarious. But the friends of the coaches they attacked weren’t amused, and they had long memories.

The trolls, then and now, will never know how many opportunities they missed.

They’ll never know how many connections they’ve permanently severed with their racist or sexist insults, or because of the crazy-ass conspiracy theories they promote. They’ll never know why their work isn’t shared, or why their friend requests are deleted, or why their comments are ignored.

You certainly have the right to express those thoughts and believe in those things. No one is saying otherwise.

Just be aware that the fitness world gets a whole lot smaller when you cut yourself off from people who might’ve been willing to help you out.
3. This Week on the Online Trainer Show
The Online Trainer Show is proud to be sponsored by PT Distinction. After carefully reviewing all the major software platforms, we recommend PT Distinction because it offers a unique combination of flexibility, coaching tools, and ease of use. That’s why we use it in Online Trainer Coaching, our just-launched personal training business.

Click here to get a full 60-day FREE TRIAL to try PT Distinction with your own clients.

Here’s what podcast cohosts Jonathan Goodman, Carolina Belmares, and Ren Jones talked about this week on the Online Trainer Show:

In Episode 29, How Online Trainers Must Manage Their Money, Jon shares some harsh truths:

  • Tax laws in the U.S. and Canada are too complex for most fitness pros to navigate without help. A good accountant will save you far more money than you pay them.
  • Few fitness pros begin their careers with a strong financial education. But that’s no excuse for mindlessly throwing money away on discretionary expenses like takeout meals.

  • If you don’t watch your money carefully, you’re an easy mark for banks and credit card companies. Give them an opening and they’ll hit you with penalties and fees you never knew exited.

In Episode 30, Using Strategic Partnerships to Fast Track Business Growth, the cohosts talk about partnerships, including their own.

It’s always tempting to reach out to people you know and like. But Jon knew the podcast wouldn’t work if he recruited cohosts with similar knowledge, skills, and interests. He sought out Ren and Carolina to complement his strengths as a subject-matter expert with their personalities and diverse experiences.

The most productive partnerships, Jon says, will emerge when you go deep in a community, engaging with and helping people who will in turn be excited to share your work and your message.

You’ll find every episode here:

--> The Online Trainer Show
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways we can help you:

1. Grab a free copy of The Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide to Online Training
It’s your blueprint to building a fitness or nutrition business online. --> Click here

2. Join the Online Trainers Unite Group and connect with other online trainers  
It’s our Facebook community where fitness and nutrition pros like you can share insights and advice about starting or running a successful coaching business online.
--> Click here

3. Join the Online Trainer Academy
Our world-class certification course is everything you need to responsibly and profitably coach fitness or nutrition online. --> Click here


**Thanks for reading. What to do next**



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