the grass is always greener

There is a great story I heard some time ago told by a tour operator about a young entrepreneur’s decision to cash in on the diamond rush during the 1800’s. His decision somewhat sporadic was to travel the world looking for diamonds as he believed it would take him and his family from poor to be living like kings and queens. Without any research or knowledge or review of his techniques he spent a lifetime looking for diamonds. By the time the man was 50 he had become very angry, frustrated and annoyed with the world and was lonely as his family had left him while he pursued his mission. Diamonds can be found where white sand meets fresh water and sit 2 metres under the sand, tells the tour operator however our entrepreneur only discovered in his late 50’s that this river system was in his home-town. Only minutes from his backyard lay acres of diamonds.

In true 'fitnesspreneur-ship we all look to neighbouring suburbs, bordering towns or foreign countries to develop our big ideas. Immediate opportunity lies in our own backyard. In the people we know or those that know others. In the businesses and communities of our associates. Avoid spending hours of travel, efforts in strategy and moments of thoughts thinking that the grass is greener somewhere else. Create your own world from your own backyard and use this as the leverage to springboard to wherever you want to take you and your business.

so what's your problem?

Your future successes are determined by overcoming the problem that sits in your life right now. So what is it?

The problem I had recently was productivity and getting tasks completed. I had a mindset that I had to be in bed by 10pm each night and up around 6am. By changing my mindset and habits and by getting up earlier I found I had extra hours in the week that made me even more productive and I established a greater sense of achievement through the completion of these big tasks. Now I can work less.

Traditional thinking and coaching models tell us that you need to do your coaching face to face. In running a business with international clientele as well as having a young family this is simply not an option. By overcoming the problem we now have an online, ongoing coaching program that we can roll out to more people in more countries, more regularly.

But this isn’t about us, this is about you. So what’s your problem and how do you flip your existing problem to help you get to the next level of success. If you can, the world will open up more opportunity as you jump another hurdle and head in the direction of your goals. So what is your problem?

Does it lay in your personal life? A relationship issue, maybe a money mindset or is it a belief system about something in your business? What are you telling yourself that you can’t do?

More importantly, in going forward what do you need to do to move on? Will you take on the problem or keep repeating the existing cycle with the same result. Your future is in overcoming the problem.

Ivan Frangi - BBC07

Ivan Frangi - BBC07



To get excited for Business Bootcamp 2009, please have a listen to a segment of Business Bootcamp 2007!

anxiety

Ah anxiety; that nauseous, gut-wrenching feeling that starts in your stomach and plays with your mind. The result is quite often procrastination or a paralysis similar to a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car on a dark night. Anxiety over time stops movement.

We are the only known species to have developed a frontal lobe as an extension to a normal part of our brain. In fact for 70 million years our brains developed similar to most species before growing what science has called the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe gives us an amazing ability to think forward and develop a business plan, to start a savings plan or to eat well now so that we will be healthier later in life.

If our current situation is great our future is even better thanks to our frontal lobe. However when we hit a rough patch we see future problems. This ability causes the emotions of fear and anxiousness. Because we don’t have control of the future and it looks ugly, our fight or flight mechanism kicks in and stops us from moving forward. What a cool process for survival!! Not so when your in a state of reflux caused by rising stomach acid as a result of anxiety. This is a sign to stop and review.

If you find you get a bit caught up in the future, as opposed to living in the present then there is every chance that you will be the anxious kind. Know that all you can do is your best possible effort today and then prepare for tomorrow. You cannot control future outcomes and if you get too caught up in the future, what will you enjoy about today? I read somewhere that life’s gold nuggets are our great past memories, you can look forward to a diamond like future but the platinum moment is the present.

In times when the financial future is painted as bleak, learn to enjoy the current moment, it’s all you have right now and it is not so bad.

i might wait until i am fit!

Have you ever had this response 'I might wait until I am fit'. A potential client who was thinking about using your services to get fit and healthy comes in and goes through the whole induction process only to decide 'I might wait until I am fit before I join your program'. As health professionals we know their results can be fast tracked by a personalised plan and professional input. So why go and get fit incorrectly and risk slipping back into old habits as opposed to working with someone who has a vested interest in your success and will provide the best advice? I have never been able to understand that thought process.

In our world as health and fitness professionals we may know it as the 'I might wait until I am fit' syndrome but be aware it is not only our clients who are prone to this kind of mindset, it is very standard for most humans to go through this phase in other areas of their life. As business owners we will wait for the next course before we increase our rate or next year until we see that corporate client or later to action that big idea. Well the sun, stars and moon very rarely align and you will need to take action. Action cures waiting.

It is a bit like that game you played as a child where you would spin around 10 times and then try to walk straight. Sometimes our lives are spinning so fast that we fail to walk directly and grab the opportunities available.

What are you waiting to get fit for? Is it more money, setting up your own facility, starting a speaking career, increasing your rates or how about your best year of revenue ever? Avoid waiting until you get fit and in borrowing a Bransonism (Sir Richard Bransons) 'Screw it, just do it!'

If you feel that you want to get 'Business fit' go to our website at www.ptplus.com.au for a range of free tools to help you get started. If you want to fast track your success contact our office on info@ptplus.com.au to discuss the best way to get started.

understanding net profit

So well done on being in business for yourself! Now it is time to judge your financial success. You may be working with purpose, in your area of passion or just had a change of lifestyle and decided to start your own business. Whilst these areas are fundamentally important and personally satisfying you need to measure the financial success of the business.

As business owners under the financial title comes a multitude of different areas including sales, cost of goods, income tax, balance sheets, assets, liabilities and the list goes on. The best indicator of your financial success is your net profit.

A successful net profit sits between 12% - 33%.

Understanding these terms...
So net profit is the amount of money remaining following sales (total amount of revenue) less expenses (the amount of dollars spent). Expenses include taxes, loans, rent, and all the other associated business costs that are included in running your business including your wage.

Therefore if you have turned over a $100,000.00 this year and your net profit is at $12,000 or more and you have paid your taxes, all your business expenses and most importantly yourself then you have a financially successful business.

Now the exciting component for business owners is what that $12,000 can represent. Firstly if you wanted to sell your business a fair asking price would be 2 to 3 times the net profit of your business. So $24,000 to $36,000 for the sale. Secondly if you want to start a wealth creation plan than there are many great tax minimising options available. Thirdly if you want to borrow money from the bank then net profit (and wages) are the figures banks consider in lending money. Generally a 10% deposit is required for borrowing so $12,000 becomes $120,000 upon approval from the bank. Finally if you aren’t at a 12% minimum of net profit then you would be better off financially getting a job and putting your money in the bank at 8% or 9% without the business owner challenges.

Your scorecard for measuring your net profit is your profit and loss statement. Most fitnesspreneurs switch off when these kinds of accounting documents are put in front of them. Profit and loss is the financial indicator of your business. You don’t need an accounting degree you just need to know your bottom line.

Start seriously looking at your net profit if you want to get ahead financially.

hot spots and wi-fi… are you regularly in a hotspot?

In my business if I am in the hot spot things get done.

You know those places that are popping up in airports, cafes and shopping centres? A place where you get access to the wireless internet, for me a place of productivity. The business is so internet based that I rely heavily on these places to get things done.

I was working with a guy the other day who has a great business model, products, website and knew his technical stuff. However he just wasn’t getting the result. It was bothering me.

It came to me in between meetings looking for another wi-fi hotspot. See I had the flash laptop, the wireless connection, even the new iphone but without being in the hotspot it was useless.

Back to my guy. He wasn’t in the hot spot often enough. Not the wireless internet place, but the hotspot where the deals are done. The place where you are in front of the key decision makers, people who want to use your products and services. Hotspots are the place that gives your business long jeopardy. Where people hand over cheques.

Understand it is great to have all the tools, the right business model, the brand, business cards and attend all the workshops. Unless your regularly putting your business in the hotspot, in front of the right people, chances are your not connecting.

inspired by a bigger cause

You know those documentaries that change your thinking well I just watched one.

Put together by the ABC’s Australian Story on a guy by the name of Peter Andrews. My first tip would be to get your hands on this documentary, it serves as a inspirational teaching point about following your passion. In short it tells a story of a guy with an obsession for the environment, particularly the Australian bush. Over the last 30-40 years he has worked to turn salty, arid lands into fertile lavish environments. The scientific world originally deemed his farming methods as unsafe, unconventional and claimed him to be crazy. In a nutshell Peter observed the land then created natural style dams to increase the water table above the ground. Peter tried selling his method to businesses and governments, initially without any success. Without income he was unable to make the payments on his pride and joy, his farm. The bank later took possession of now beautiful property, which was once a salt pit. He also split from his wife and son and suffered the loss of his daughter through suicide. During the process, he fought government agencies, has been investigated by environmentalists, all whilst juggling legal, financial and family challenges. He admits to giving up for a day or two on several occasions, however he stuck to his cause.

In watching Peter in action, following the loss of his daughter, he had a bigger purpose as he was determined to do it for her. He had more dedication and commitment to go about his work. Peter was deeply moved by the loss of his daughter and in his words "he become more motivated and committed to the environment and his cause, through her loss”. This purpose played a significant role in him becoming a world recognised expert in the area of land repair and degradation. During the documentary an acclaimed professor declared. “Peter is the single greatest cause for the environment that we will ever see”. The outcome of his work is mind-boggling.

This confirmed a common belief I have learnt as a Personal Trainer. That is “we will do for others what we wont do for ourselves” I know myself when I have an early morning session booked with my PT, getting out of bed is a lot easier than trying to do it for myself. I don’t want to let my PT down. It is the same for our clients, why wont they do the extra session, train themselves or eat the right foods? They wont do it for themselves, when left to their own devices but they will do it for you, the PT.

Another interesting observation of Peter was the two-part documentary was shot over a number of years. The first part of the documentary was when he was going through the bankruptcy, family split and grief of his daughter, Peter looked liked a weary old man, minimal talk, seemed to be confused and had lost his earlier ambition. The highlight for me was to see a gracefully aged man gladly declare on the property of millionaire Gerry Harvey (who has supported him financially) that governments had removed a lot of previous legislation, different departments where working together, the science and holistic departments had aligned and he was oozing with excitement and zest as he talked about the amount of ground that had been won since the airing of the first show. His farming techniques had been recognised on a global scale and are being initiated on a National level.

Peter is not a scientist, he has no formal schooling he has learnt from getting his hands dirty on the land and engrossing himself to a life commitment of failing and learning. Yes he has failed. Through observation and reassessment and an ongoing focus on researching the areas to better improve what needed to be done, he has written a formula for an expert. However don’t be fooled, the guy is able to mix it with the best of the scholars, explain his concept to professors and average punters. What inspired me was how he has gone about his process of becoming a leader in his field. Through careful observation, deliberate work, overcoming roadblocks but being very clear on his vision. He has written his own course on leadership.

In summary I feel a need for bigger accountability, a need to back a charity, a person, a cause. Someone or some cause beyond coaches, mentors and advisers. A need to do for others what you won’t do for yourself. A reason to make significant differences. A need to start your own cause or back an existing foundation by committing time, effort and money.

It is time to define that bigger cause.

energy vampires

As I jumped out of bed at 5am for a 6am client, I had a quick “ ah no” as I remembered I would be training Carly today. I slowed, hesitated and thought she is not on until 4pm. However it already has an impact on my energy levels, my thoughts process and if I am being honest, I was hoping to get the cancellation text, which is a more regular part of Carly’s training than her turning up.

It is a bit like this with Carly, she whinges and whines about her life for each and every session. We talk about how unhappy she is at work, how fat she has become, why she can't get a boyfriend, how her parents are wrong blah, blah, blah and on it goes.

In regards to her health, she needs to lose body fat as she is straight out of the syndrome x textbook and moving towards diabetes. She is unmotivated to train, so if she doesn’t train with me, exercise is a foreign word in her life. She eats all the wrong foods and binges. Finally she has no ambition or goals; she has no desire to achieve anything with her health and in her life.

Also Carly hangs out with other Carly’s and talks about Carly stuff. So from a business perspective Carly brings to the table:
- A zapping of my energy levels
- A negative thought process
- All her issues
- A lot of my resources and time
- Zero referrals

As Personal Trainers one of the things we regularly do is say yes to everyone. I enjoy a challenge and in saying yes to Carly, knew that I was taking on someone who would benefit from the factors of working with a PT. However Carly was not willing to help herself.

The lesson of the Carly story is sack your energy vampire clients. Life without Carly is so much more enjoyable.

leave

I am writing this whilst sitting on a plane going around New Zealand. A realisation that it doesn’t matter whether it is Sydney, Brisbane, Coffs Harbour, Perth, London or any other part of the world, there is a group of high achievers who just refuse to leave. They don’t take holidays, they are the first to get to work and last to leave and they take on the responsibility of the whole business. These guys are regularly working in senior management positions or business owners.

So learn to leave.

See at the end of your innings how do you want the obituary to read? “We never really knew him because he worked all the time”. This would be a concern.

Learn to do what has to be done and leave. In life it is not how many hours you do at the office however it is way more effective to get things done. Get done what has to be done today and get out of there.

So on any given week you are working 40-60 hours. Occasionally you may do more and rarely less. However why is it that we flog ourselves continuously night after night at the risk of things we enjoy and people we married or once loved.

So learn to leave.

New York changed it’s reputation from the crime capital of the world to have one of the lowest rates of crime following a zero tolerance of any misdemeanor. Anyone that looked suspicious was locked up. Have a zero tolerance on your available work hours and educate yourself and others about your availability.

Why you won’t leave?
1. You’re a high achiever who has hung around other high achievers and have been led to believe more is better. You have seen your mentors and idols work ridiculous hours, so you do the same thing.
2. You’re incompetent and are inefficient at your job. If you are continuously doing more than 60 hours per week then consider how well you are delegating, communicating, prioritising and the skill of your staff.
3. You don’t know what to do with yourself when you are alone or finished early.
4. Work has become your obsession and you have put aside hobbies, your health and chill out time therefore moving you to become out of balance.
5. You feel guilty when you are not at work.
6. Your energy levels are low from being overworked and therefore your promotion of negative thoughts is high. Anything other than work is an effort.

So consider the 5-7 things that are most important to you. Review your diary over the last few days, weeks and months and consider how much time you have put into these areas. We all have 168 hours in a week and and average 4000 weeks in our lives. How will you be remembered?

circle of trust

I have a favourite scene in the movie 'Meet the Parents' in which the father (played by Robert DeNiro) talks about the 'circle of trust'. His reference to the 'circle of trust' is the people he allows into his life.

Whilst the comedy hits the funny mark it led me to thinking about the circle of trust in our business lives.

Who do you turn to for credible, proven, reliable advice?

In the same way our clients rely on us.

Whilst there is a heap of information on the internet, books, workshops, webinars, teleconferences. For peace of mind, you cannot beat face to face business to give sound advice. In doing this we are building a circle of trust of advisers.

In our personal lives we know the address of our rock stars, we know the birth date of our sporting heroes, and we follow the celebrities on their holidays. Imagine the outcome if we put that same effort into building a circle of trust of business stars.

the busy badge

There is a great saying “If you want something done, give it to a busy person”. Having worked with CEO’s, senior managers, stock brokers and mums with multiple kids, it has been my observation that busy people have a high rate of achieving success in their jobs, relationships, with their health and the many other areas that occupy their interest.

When your busy you get on a role, creating momentum in a number of different areas in your life.

So if the opposite of being busy is not busy; are we lazy? I know when I am not busy things take twice as long, I procrastinate and my mind plays tricks on my thought processes. Yeah I get lazy.

Be aware of being to busy and leaning towards being overwhelmed as this leads to burnout.

Are you in the business of being busy ON your business or are you busy thinking your busy? Quite often the thought of being busy can lead us to thinking we are busier than what our bank account tells us.

So what are you busy doing?
Get busy on the right things, the things that matter, the things that will get you results and the ones that create happiness.

I recall, wanting to derive an income from writing. For months I thought about what I would write, the title, the pictures and all the other irrelevant components. What I needed to do was get busy writing. It seems kind of obvious in hindsight however the action was seriously lacking because I thought I was busy.

The busy badge has become a very popular trademark. It starts at the point of introduction when asking “so how are you doing?” the common response is “ah I am so busy”. What happened to “ great mate” or “ yeah good” or “life sucks at the moment”. It seems that we are all busy, busy, busy.

So if the busy people are busy getting it done, how are they doing it? Maybe ask a busy person !

6 reasons why you're a PT

I got started as a PT because I was frustrated at being told where to be, at what time and how much I would be paid.

I wanted to surf more, train harder, become healthier and earn a heap of money doing what I loved as opposed to a job. There was also a burning desire to help others achieve healthy outcomes and to share the great buzz you get from exercise and feeling healthy. From working with 1000’s of PT’s here is what we have established as being the reason you wanted to become a PT.

1. Holidays
2. You love what you do
3. Get paid what your worth
4. Help others
5. It is not a job but a lifestyle
6. Work less earn more

Often we get started with the best intentions however we develop a sickness or a quite winter or maybe a run of cancellations. All of a sudden our income is affected and we lose sight of the reasons for getting started.

Initially great passion and enthusiasm drives us and we march into our business doing what needs to be done in order to survive. See if you only have a PT income chances are that you’re limiting yourself, your income and your opportunity and exposing yourself to an income risk. With a slight shift in game plan, you can develop a multiple number of passive (earn while you sleep) and active (face to face) incomes in areas where your passion lies. Click here to 20 tips to PT success.

Quite often the result is that we are burnt out, buggered and busted if we follow the typical PT model.

When you feel overworked and underpaid chances are it is very hard to make great business decisions. We lose lots of great people in this industry because of the high amount of burnout or PT prostitution.

PT Plus is dedicated to keeping great people like you, following your passion and working towards a high paying income with an amazing lifestyle.

Most people are only exposed to 'other' incomes following income tragedy. Why wait for an income emergency when a small shift in application will open up other worlds of highly paid active incomes and earn 'while you sleep' passive returns.

your B.U.T principles

There are three components to business growth and long jeopardy. I call it the BUT principles.

B = Business
U = You the person
T = Technician

In working with business owners, business growth is applicable to U (you). Your personal development strategy and plan is clearly relatable to how much money you earn. Aside from personal development is the consideration to the following areas:

Development of you includes:
- Your health
- Mental state
- Long relationships
- Personal interests/hobbies
- Social skills
- Personal development
- Family responsibilities

For long jeopardy in business the development of your business skills are a fundamental. Multiply your results by outsourcing the areas you are weak or are not entirely excited about doing and work with your strengths.

Development of business includes:
- Accounting
- Budgeting
- IT
- Staff
- Marketing
- Sales
- Systems
- Business plans
- Multiple income streams

Specialists in niche areas earn the top dollars. They also have a referral-based business and they name their availability, terms and conditions.

Development of the technician includes
- Becoming a specialist in a chosen field. Ideally the area you are most passionate to work in.
- Regularly attending workshops, reading and listening to other experts in your chosen specialist area.
- Regular reading of journals, web surfing, books and developing skill in a specialist field
- Regular writing of articles, blogs and a commitment to educating your clients

In an unbalanced world juggling all three of these principles is the challenge we face. The first stage is awareness. As business owners we have a fair amount of responsibility to ourselves, our businesses and our professions. Constant evaluation and assessment, input from mentors and consideration to what needs to be done is a great way to survive.

personal training prostitution

Are you feeling burnt out, buggered and busted? Chances are, you are prostituting your services. I get quite a few of these cases into my office. Only this week a legend in the industry walked in and said “It got me”. It was very obvious to his wife, family, friends and clients.

The symptoms are
- Saying yes to everyone who asks for your services
- Working mornings, nights and weekends
- Not getting paid enough for your efforts
- Skipping your own training sessions
- Been two years in the industry

These are all classic signs of PT prostitution and when your burnt out, buggered and busted you will probably even deny that this is you. When you are overworked and underpaid life is really tough, decisions hard to make and it will feel like you’re on a treadmill.

My role is not to rescue you but make you aware that there is an easier way. Start saying No, get some self respect and be teachable to other ways. Change your priorities by managing you first then everything else will fall into place.

education is a commodity

A key ingredient to growing your business is via education. If you have an educated client then chances are they are ready to purchase.

Our clients have access to all kinds of information and are more informed than ever before. See we all want to buy, we all want to spend, but no-one wants to be sold too.

The purpose of education is “gently” reminding your database of your business. There is no need to sell, sell, and sell every time you send information. Educate your prospects and clients so that whenever they think of your industry they think of your business. Your purpose is to provide knowledge and information frequently. This also adds to your credibility and paints you as a guru. As a fitness professional and true leader it is your duty to share all those many hours of reading and study with your database. When you share information, those that are educated will buy.

advertising is dead

When was the last time you responded to a TV commercial, radio advertisement, billboard or back of bus advertising? More relevant to health and fitness businesses is the brochure issued in a shopping mall or main street. Those bi-fold leaflets or letter box drop techniques that cost a lot of money and yet are so ineffective.

So why is it that so many of us still use ineffective forms advertising? Is it to do with how we were brought up and sold things as kids. Is it because our personal training course delivered by non-business owners read it from a text book ten years ago! Maybe it is the feeling of perceived credibility? Other reasons may include free advice from your mates, doing it for ego or lack of a marketing plan. All normal and acceptable amateur mistakes in trying to grow a business.Save your valuable money and your resources.

The challenge businesses face in this fast paced world is having a message that sticks and working a strategy of getting into the lives of busy people. Traditional advertising is dead because it does not allow educated consumers to get to know you enough to be confident to purchase your products or services.

In a recent meeting with a newly appointed and highly credible National Sales Manager. Her summary comes on the back of being head-hunted for successfully achieving a record three years of sales in some of the toughest economic conditions. "New age advertising is going back in time. It is now about personalised service, niche business, meeting your clients, building relationships, understanding clients needs, delivering what you promise, thank you gifts and being genuine".

What refreshing news and to prove the point I have built my businesses for the last 4 years without one business card. Interested to learn more effective techniques to building a health and fitness business?

the world is flat – again

the world is flat - again
I clicked on the monthly report and it said 31,252 hits to our webpage. The pie report went on to display the global breakdown. It included Turkey, Brazil, USA, UK, India, Argentina, and Spain. The world is flat and easier than ever before to “surf” around. It is like a return of Captain Cook!

new world and new words
How’s this for a month of work in 2008? Teleconference calls, podcast interview, blog, website stickability, skype and webinars. This new world has new words. In fact the spell check on my computer did not recognize the word webinar. Ironically I had to google it to double check the spelling of the word.

My point- there is a bigger world out there. One that is only an email or a website enquiry away. The information age has created a world that is flat. A world that doesn’t stop trading, a world that is 24/7, a world that is craving education and knowledge. This new world is global but flat and available to those that understand the tools, talk and technology.

one finger typing
So in just over three years how do you go from a one finger typist to having 31,252 hits with an international business? By getting in the information game. By surrounding yourself with the right people. Build a world class team and by investing in your business.

If you’re not working on these areas of you’re business you’re missing out on a lot of opportunity. Especially this industry. The businesses that are keeping up to speed in the information age are the businesses that are really cashing in.

You need to get started.

Click here for information on our information products

who you hang around determines your results...

It was an awesome time. Everyday consisted of early training sessions, then a big breakfast down by Cronulla beach followed by a few hours on the Nintendo at one of the boy’s house, where five or six would gather to see who would star. Lunch was followed by an afternoon nap. Afternoons were filled with more eating before team training at night. Life as a rugby league player was great.

There were other perks including sponsored dinners, free clothing and golf invitations. Weekends we played hard on the field and then would consume approximately our bodyweight in alcohol that night. Mixing it with the supporters, fans and party goers insured there was always a single guy who would have a story or two to tell at recovery sessions with a small element of truth.

Business success has a lot to do with who you hang around. From my own experience who you hang around strongly influences thoughts, how you spend your time and money. It impacts the kind of lifestyle you lead which determines your results

Let me explain.

From the outside I imagine the lifestyle of a rugby league player may sound attractive to some. However the outcome was this, I slept too much and became lazy. If nothing was scheduled in I would just hang around or sleep. I became great at burping and farting and in fact could pull one out on cue. That is the result of consuming a loaf of bread and buckets of pasta everyday as well as hanging around a bunch of guys eating the same gas producing foods in a very competitive environment. Everything was linked to a competition. I was one of the best Nintendo players around but struggled to hold a conversation with anyone who wasn’t a “leaguey”. My mates and I could have bought a brewery with the amount of money we pumped through some of the local night spots. Physically I was fit but mentally I had nothing. The brain just was not being stimulated or educated.

The result was a promising career that ended quickly, the good money I earned I spent, I related alcohol to a good time only and hanging around a bunch a great guys who had to much spare time on their hands led to gossiping and bitching and division in the group.

List who you spend most of your time with and how are their results?

The last couple of years have meant I have had to invest a lot of time and money into myself to shake some of those old habits. It hasn’t been easy.

Fortunately I now get to hang around guys who earn a million plus dollars per year. It is amazing the influence this has had in my thoughts and where I do and DON’T spend my time.

If you want to earn the big bucks you need to consider who you currently hang around and more importantly who you need to hang around. Who you hang around determines your business success.

Hang around with people every month that make hundreds of thousands of dollars by subscribing to our monthly podcast from the PT Plus website.

your best business asset

We all want success in business but are you “tooling” yourself with the right weapons to increase your success? Business tool number one is a database. Check in to see if you have the arsenal to make it in this fast paced business world.

what is a database?
Everyone you meet, every person who contacts you, existing clients, friends, family, neighbours, and business owners are all potential prospects. What you need to do is build a place to store, update and retrieve client information. This is your database and your best business asset.

how to create a database
The easiest way to start a database is to create a table in Excel or Outlook. When building your own database include the following columns:

• First Name
• Surname
• Contact Number
• Email
• Company
• Association i.e. Client, prospect, friend of a friend etc
• Date of birth

There are more advanced database tools available that provide detailed reports and client information, we use www.salesforce.com. Consider these if you plan on building a big business. Keep adding to your list! Have a goal to increase your database by 10-15 % every quarter. Put together a business strategy about how you will build your database.

Whilst having a database is a “must do” in business If you want your business and income to grow, you need to use it. One of the best ways is via a regular newsletter. To really add value write a newsletter that offers education rather than a “hard sell” all the time. A good blend is 80% content and 20% marketing. “People want to buy but they don’t like being sold to”.

Successful business practice puts a focus and strategy on a growing database. Education and awareness of your services via a newsletter will increase your chances of ongoing business growth and success.

6 steps to a 6 figure income

Personal Training is a very limited way of earning money. You are solely reliant on your client turning up. Your income is derived from swapping time and money. Every PT who is only Personal Training has a financial struggle following any major holiday, when a large expense item is bought or in trying to borrow money from a bank. The issue is the lack of income diversity and regularity.

If you’re looking to earn consistently and avoid OFF periods, then you need to start spinning some other forms of income. This will ensure your longevity in this fantastic industry.

Here are the 6 steps to a 6 figure income:

1. Personal Training
2. Group Training
3. Coaching Program
4. Specialist Practice
5. Lifestyle Programs
6. Tailored Packages

To access this file you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer.
Click here to download it if required.