The fitness industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s the war you want to be in.
If you lack credibility and influence, attempting to reduce variance and error by controlling every process and detail of your business unit will erode the loyalty, urgency, and purpose needed for success.
It only makes sense to start your own gym, fulfill your passion, and make boatloads of cash in the process, right? Maybe not.
When I registered for this event, I knew that not only would the presentations be top-notch, but so too would the social event.
Thanks to your valued partnership, after nearly two decades of business we are still focused on the future.
When you start patting yourself on the back for basic shit you’re supposed to be doing anyway, you’re missing the whole point. You’re a failure.
We seek enough, for what? To prove we did something? That we’re good “enough” at something? I’m fighting every day to overcome this and you should too.
Whether you’re starting your business or have been around for years, one of the most important parts of your success is understanding and controlling consumer perception of your brand.
Listen to Dave, in his own words, explain why he chose each presenter for the summit and how he believes their knowledge can help any professional in this industry.
Our 20th wedding anniversary coincided with the end of a 13-month stretch of time that included eight bodybuilding competitions. It’s no surprise that Christina was experiencing angst for vacation.
For a good staff member, a salary can just get in the way of a great career. Coaches need an unending opportunity with some limitations, and this is where you come in.
While it may seem like a simple, quick way to gain more clients, competing on price is usually recipe for failure.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for a client—or staff person, or child—is to make a decision for them.
Retirement has changed. Where our parents went from 100% work to 0% work, the new economy allows us to go from 80% to 20%. Or from 53% to 47%. Or anything we can create.
How do you know if you are a good leader in the eyes of your people? What are some ways that you can evaluate how well you are doing? It can be profoundly complicated.
Without passion for what I do, I would have closed down a long time ago. I get a lot of questions about starting a facility similar to my own, so here is some advice I wish someone would’ve given me years ago.
In the realm of strength and conditioning, you are always selling yourself to administrators, athletic directors, sport coaches, your boss, athletes, recruits, and everyone else around you. Will they like what they see?
With the exponential growth of the fitness industry over the past 20 years, the roots of elitefts still hold strong: a foundational trunk of knowledge sprouting enough branches to accommodate nearly every training discipline imaginable.
I was once told by a trusted friend that the most important thing in life is your perception and your own personal judgment. At the time this seemed to make sense, and then I realized just how dangerous that mindset is.
Everyone wants to be the head strength coach at a school that has a realistic opportunity to compete for a national championship, but I don’t think enough people put the right kind of plan in place to get there.
There are so many pieces to a successful online training business, and I honestly feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface yet. In part two I discuss what to do once you’ve started the business and are looking for growth.
The first year is tough, and that’s when most trainers fail. If they stick with it they start to break through their second year — but only if they put in the ground work their first year.
I don’t care if you have the best athletes and the best equipment in the world — a shitty gym atmosphere can DESTROY their results.
Most people just suck at time management. Have you ever paid attention to how much time you spend every day doing stupid shit that doesn’t matter?
Business leaders, coaches, and teachers agree, day one must be the day where expectations are communicated and group culture is explained. This conversation takes about 45 minutes and these topics are always covered.
Within part one of this article series, I want to pass on the basics, the startup, and the initial thoughts before starting an online training business.
In sports performance, sometimes you need to shut up, take a seat in the back of the room, and learn before you are ready to lead from the front.
My last year as a personal trainer I averaged over 40 billable training hours a week and sometimes did over 60 hours a week. The tactics I used to get to that point are now the basis of our trainer development program.
Sometimes a client gets bored. Sometimes they get busy. And sometimes they just want something new.
As painful as it might be to ponder our actions in the event that the rug is pulled out from underneath our feet, it pales in comparison to the pain of not having a viable Plan B when life happens.
At times, we can be paralyzed by the complexity of our professional lives and it can be very valuable to find simple, yet proven philosophies that help us find our way.
For over a year, I thought it was my job to accommodate her. She was my client; I was being paid to “treat” her condition. Right?
Your time on this earth is limited, and much shorter than you likely realize. Don’t waste it.
I’m putting the satire on hold for one article. Here’s some straight-up information to help you become a better online trainer.
It wasn’t until about five years into my professional career that I started to notice some problems with my upward mobility plan.
Through minor challenges and major setbacks, Elite Custom Fitness has thrived since 2012. Now it’s time to find a new five-year goal.
The customer is the ultimate determinant of your product and what it’s about. It doesn’t matter how you perceive your product — it matters how they do.
Every topic they discuss leads to one crucial point: We’re all here to make this industry a better place. What are you doing to make that happen?
With nearly 17 years of business ownership under my belt, I’m willing to admit I don’t possess all the answers. However, Garden Fresh Foods continues to thrive.
The first month we opened we had around 30 members, two trainers, and I worked 80+ hours a week.
Having recently read Michael Speidel’s “5 Lessons from 13 Years in Leadership”, I reframed it to personal training.
If I were to write a note that would be applicable and truly helpful for leaders of all kinds, what would it say?
Personal training is a field that allows for creativity in how you do things with exercise, but at its core, it is still working with people. You need them to like you.
When I began this career, I was 26 years old. I’ve learned a lot since then. These are some of my most valuable lessons.
Three years ago I wrote about habits of trying to be successful. Since then, these practices have evolved into something better: rituals.
Unsure where to set prices for 1:1 or small group training? Here’s an in-depth look at the industry’s current rates and how to best incentivize your trainers while bringing more clients—and money—to your gym.
I’ve spent the better part of these last two years working with hundreds of new clients and continuing to meet and learn from seasoned coaches.
I get asked a lot about what to do about workouts, diet, etc., while on vacation. My response?
Changing the culture or environment of your team is not easy but it may be the single-most important factor for your success. Here are three things to get you started.
If you want your gym to be successful and your clientele base to grow, you need to take that traditional sales funnel and flip it upside down.
Over five years of owning a facility, through the survival stage and growth phase, I’ve learned a lot. Good and bad, owning a gym is a…
If training is getting lost on your daily to-do list, change your approach.
You may decide to use one or all three of these options to best set up your facility for profitability. What’s your plan?
When Dave told me to create a list of my values, I thought it would be no problem. Instead, it has proven to be an extremely difficult exercise. Here’s why.
Much of our success can be attributed to insanely hard work, lots of sacrifice, and a good bit of luck. But first I had to answer these questions.
Here are a couple of ideas that you could do today to improve your work or team culture — they all start with reducing negativity disguised as venting.
I want to share some of the key principles to success that I have learned over the last few years. Start here and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.
I am going to describe the similarities between three money management strategies and their application to your time in the iron game.