Crikey - it's a gold rush!

'That's it!' He yelled as we put the final touches to the business model. A shriek that would have been similar to 'Eureka', the famous call from those that found gold nuggets on the goldfields a hundred or so, years ago. While the shrieking relief that comes with the realisation about nailing that business idea may sound similar, the pathway to generating a great business and lifestyle is getting easier, especially within the health and fitness industry. The problem with most great business ideas is that they sit dormant in the minds of the creator. Surfacing only when you notice that someone else had what it takes, to take it from idea to action!

Do you feel as though you have the equivalent of a gold nugget in a business idea but are uncertain what to do next?

Understand that health is the gold nugget that most of our population is looking for and your big idea has never been in a better situation to really enjoy what's coming your way. With the advent of the 'information age' the demand for healthy information from the greater population has seen 80% people go to the internet first before consulting a doctor. Readers Digest report that 50% of all internet hits are health related. This is a concerning outcome, however the reality is that this is how modern business is done. In fact if you can get better at developing modern skills of business, you will find yourself a part of the current gold rush the industry is experiencing.

A 'Gold Rush' is that sudden wave of migration to new territory because gold had been discovered. In the health and fitness industry it seems that the indicators for our own gold rush are evident in these early days of the new decade. If we look at the gap between healthy people, like you, and sickness the gap is widening in a majority of the population. The bridge to reducing this gap lies in education and information. Let me remind you that we are in the information age, where information is a commodity. Healthy people, like you, are healthy because they have educated themselves via attending conferences, reading books, surfing the web and paying for good advice and information. This information is a commodity that is transferable for dollars in the current global market.

The information age is certainly easier than digging through the layers of earth in the hope of finding a nugget. The answers lay within the depths of your frontal lobe. Putting together information products is the skill of extracting that information and putting it in front of your target market who will happily pay for the information.

Are you a flash in the pan or gold finding expert?

Hundreds of thousands of people hit the gold fields with a lantern, tent, shovel and pick in the hope that they would find gold. A flash in the pan was what they where looking for amoungst the rocks, dust and debri. The 'flash in the planners' survived on hope and luck.

Others developed their skills by using maps, studying geology, testing for minerals and paid for qualified advice while taking a considered approach before lifting a shovel. They became experts in the skill of finding gold.

This year thousands of business owners in the business of health and fitness will forage and shovel hoping for the flash in the pan. Using traditional business models and old techniques they will find it a back-breaking experience. A few will strike gold however the experts will continue to enjoy the gold rush as they work and develop their business skills by staying current with their tactics, further develop themselves and continue to understand the needs of the market by providing great quality service.

To join experts and to cash in on the information age gold rush, we have 6 spots available for you to develop and record your own CD series as well as put together a range of supporting e-books. We estimate a minimum $10,000++ in extra revenue by developing these products. Using our technology and experts for support you can be cashing in on the huge demand for health and fitness information required by the market. 'Develop your own information products' starts January 31st and is a 3 month coaching program that you can use over and over throughout your business.

Click here for more information.

business overhaul on TV

Recently on the Channel 10 series 'Body and Brain Overhaul' I had the opportunity to work with personal trainer Christian Ennor. His story is very typical of what most PT's, studios and gym owners experience in their business. Thanks to the Personal Training Academy and Christian our segment will highlight the reasons so many struggle to succeed and why we have a high turnover rate of health professionals in our industry. The following article will identify these key findings.

Prior to working with Christian we had assessed his business using our business diagnostic and stocktake. These tools ask for leading questions and responses to business fundamentals linked with successful health and fitness businesses. To see how you score email us for a copy of the diagnostic.

In assessing Christian we found a standard response from going through this process. These include:

1. Lots of great business ideas
2. No time or energy to pursue his goals
3. Business ideas without strategy
4. A lack of business skills in achieving some of his goals
5. Inconsistent cash flow
6. His business advice was coming from other personal trainers with limited business skill or success in the area of his goals.

Outside of these 6 key observations, Christian's business score was a 15/60 based on his completion of the diagnostic. The higher the business score the greater the likelihood of success and long jeopardy in the business. This low score indicates how much work needed to be done. However with Christian's passion in his career and coach-able attitude, he is a 'renovator's dream' for a business coach.

We find by collecting independent data we can then put specific tailored strategies with a support structure to achieving set outcomes. During the show we discuss how to overcome these common business obstacles that PT's, studio's and gym owners experience.

Interestingly in the aftermath a few of Christian's colleagues have seen more positive change to how Christian now runs his business. This sparked some interest in pursuing what Christian had achieved. However few have followed through on any of the initial steps that Christian took by being apart of the show. This asks a leading question 'if you knew you would succeed would you invest the time and money into one of your great ideas?' For most people the answer is an obvious YES. However, very few put this idea into action.

Dr Roy Sugarman and Paul Taylor are great at extracting the data as to why you won't take action. Even why some of the actions you are taking are not aligned with where you are headed.

Without giving the results away from the show Christian's results were determined by 6 key factors.

1. If you want a different result you need to do something different
2. Map out a plan to achieving what you want using someone who has achieved a similar goal. Pick something that you are passionate about that keeps you immersed in creative thought and positive energy
3. Be coach-able and invest in quality advice
4. Identify roadblocks and obstacles
5. Do something everyday towards achieving your desired task
6. Have fun, enjoy the journey and review your progress weekly

As business owners in the health and fitness indutry what we can all learn from Christian is his ability to implement the above success factors. He removed himself from his comfort zone and found a greater cause to work for being his wife and kids. He wants to be the best he can be in an area he is passionate about and does it with a real sense of humour and love of life. His personality is infectious and he has a deep knowledge of his area of expertise. I think is we could all be a lot more like Christian we would see some more successes in our careers. However you need to watch the show for the full story.

Scott owns PT Plus, a business dedicated to business building and coaching skills for PT's, studios and gym owners. You can email Scott at info@ptplus.com.au to talk about your business challenges or go to www.ptplus.com.au for a whole bunch of complimentary business resources.

business building tips

"How do I build my business?" is the most popular question we get asked.

During the next couple of months we are going to unpack a whole bunch of hints, tips and tactics to support businesses in building. In Part 1 of our Business Building series we start by getting you, the business owner on track. Here are some things to consider when building a business.

1. Pick a purpose
Your purpose has to be an obsession. One that keeps you up at night and consumes your thinking throughout the day. It has to numb you with excitement yet make you nervous about it's success. A more targeted and specific purpose creates greater impact. If it is purely money dominated then it may be the wrong area of purpose. You have every right to make a lot of money by defining your purpose as that is the result of being great at what you do, however watch it being the motivator. Consider tacking on the why? So why have you chosen the purpose and what satisfaction does it give you personally?

2. Map out a strategy
A strategy should consider the outcomes of dollars and cents. If you are going to put time into a project you need to get paid. It also requires marketing. Combining online techniques, traditional marketing and the plan to build a recognisable brand are fundamental to a good strategy. An overall annual strategy broken into quarterly, monthly and then daily tasks insures an outcome.

3. Have complete belief
This is an unusual ingredient to have in a concoction of specific business techniques, however it is the most critical. Without belief business won't happen. To build belief you need to associate with big-thinkers, build a strong team of individuals who challenge you as well as commit to developing yourself, the individual.

4. Create daily action
This is where the rubber hits the road and some business owners become polarized. The best idea is only an idea unless it has action. Daily actions will take you outside your comfort zone, however if you have a big enough purpose combined with complete belief then the action is not even work.

5. Accountability is king
It is why personal training and business coaching works with a higher success rate than training yourself or trying to implement a good business idea on your own. The commitment to investing in yourself and tapping into the expertise of someone else for accountability compliments your belief. 'We will do for others, what we won't do for ourselves' is very true of most people.

make hay while the sun shines

While our Northern hemisphere subscribers bunker down for the snow and cold, our Southern hemisphere-ians are enjoying the benefits of the extra sun. There is something about this time of year that has many of our Health and Wellness business leaders reporting record increases in people signing up getting fit. The most recent Sensis report highlights that on average consumers are spending $637 per person this Christmas with the average person buying for 12 people or spending $53 per person. For families this may be up to 2-3 times more, with higher income earning families contributing a greater amount than average.

Either way, north or south, health or wellness the benefits for business owners can be as rewarding as you want them to be, as the sun (or snow) combined with the 'end or world' mentality associated with the 8 weeks to Christmas, increases in consumer spending and opportunities to make a positive difference to the health of the market.

However a lack of strategy, focus and awareness around the next 3 months could have you eating spaghetti out of a tin in January, while your mates enjoy tinned beverages on a foreign beach. So here are some tips to help you make hay while the sun shines so that you not only enjoy the moment, but the benefits of reaping the rewards of some of these seeds, with a 'considered strategy'.

- Have set availability
'Chunk' blocks of time so that you are either ON or OFF. This will make you more efficient and effective in the delivery of each session
- Clients plans for Christmas
Check in with your members and clients and get an understanding of when and if they are away over Christmas. Next confirm a January 2010 appointment with clients during December. This will allow you to project your January revenue and avoid clients dropping off on a summer crusade drinking from tins with your mates. The objective is to come back to a full diary following a well earned break
-Simplify your life
Create a set of business systems that automate appointment booking, payment of bills, client files and any other medial simple tasks. Also keep your life outside of work supportive to having good energy so that you are as consistent as the sun shining
- Get paid at the start of the month
Get your clients to pay you at the start of the month so that you can get on with business. With money in the bank you will have more time to get on with it and less time worrying about the bank balance
-Control spending
It may seem that there is a lot of money coming in however measure what is going out. Save a bit for a rainy day and keep on top of taxes and regular expenses. Set a budget and stick to it. If you can apply the same discipline to spending money as you do to your fitness regime you will have a healthy bank balance and a fit body
- Keep marketing
Typically marketing runs a 90-day cycle. So what you do, or don't do, today will typically impact your business in January. My observation of up/down businesses is that marketing moves down the priority list, as the business gets busy. Stay committed to marketing during your busy periods. Avoid a yo-yo style cash flow by keeping consistent with marketing
-Have a plan for January
Plan now for when you return in January. Consider how much you want to earn and then implement a strategy. Do the work now and join the family and loved ones and have a well-earned rest so that you can continue to make a healthy difference throughout 2010.

Our PT Plus mission is to see more health and wellness business making more money so that they can make a significant difference. By contributing to increasing the health of communities, employing more staff, providing charity support and donations and by generally practicing healthy business. As an industry we first must help ourselves so that we can serve this greater mission. Work smart during these next few months and make your own difference to your immediate community of clients, you deserve it, while the sun shines.

the busi-ness of Christmas

This one sentence "Did I tell you I was diagnosed with cancer 3 months ago?" completely changed my perspective on a busy time of year. As I sat across from my colleague (who prefers to keep the matter to himself) and considered his world of a hundred plus team of personal trainers, a management team, Christmas business deadlines, kids, a wife and a serious health challenge, I found myself considering this busy time of year and the busi-ness of Christmas in a refreshing light.

It seems inevitable to be busy during the lead up to Christmas. Consider the changes that occur this time of year.
-The weather and the energy requirements needed to deal with this shift
-General increase in business combined by finishing up clients and starting new ones and a real need to be ON
-Increase in social events results and normal productive downtime being exchanged for interaction with people
-Overall energy demands required to deliver in all areas is increased with the need to be everywhere for everyone
-Mental stimulation of the demands of Christmas life and trying to juggle all the requirements of business and personal demands
-The big deadline! A lot of people behave like the world ends this week... with the deadline of Christmas the urgency for response(s) and a normal days business is put on steroids as clients and colleagues overcompensate in order to get your response

So with all these changes at this extraordinary time of year, a strategy on the busi-ness of Christmas can only help us to survive. Let's face it without a strategy you will end up like most people limping into the end of the year low on energy, 'over' dealing with people and overwhelmed with the overall busi-ness of this time of year. It certainly is not business as usual during this time, so consider perspective as the key ingredient to survival.

I have a mission to serve. To develop the health and fitness industry to have more profitable businesses and create leaders who positively effect a great population of healthy people. I find great advice and inspiration from someone right in the middle of a battle. Beating cancer requires a different strategy to daily life I imagine. So the extraordinary lesson passed on to me to help beat the unusualness that comes with this time of year is best summed up here.

Embrace the busi-ness of Christmas with all your might. Work hard and rest even harder so that you can get up again and give it another crack tomorrow. Enjoy the work that it brings, the people you meet and the rewards that come from working hard. For it will be short lived if you lose perspective.

a guideline for designing your best year ever

The start of a new year brings exciting expectations about what is possible and of course the dreaded unknowns and challenges that occur with any journey.

I noticed the interesting change in my neighbourhood, brought about by a new start. Cars and cleaned and polished on front lawns that are groomed and green. The local boat ramp is busy launching happy families and friends on a day on the water while people's bodies and brains seem fresh, relaxed and in a state of anticipations about the 2010 journey.

How does this relate to business? The best in the business stay on track during the easy early phase of a goal by committing to the following.

So the neighbourly events had me asking questions. How many of these cars will stay polished? How will the lawns and gardens look in four, five or six months? The intention of having a boat is to be in it, on the water. However how many people will have their boat in the water over the coming weeks or will the boat become another part of the garden? And what about those healthy bodies and minds that are full of anticipation, how will they be around the middle of the year? Unless they are under your healthy guidance, chances are they will end up somewhere else!

I found inspiration last year from so many leaders in the industry who have common behaviour patterns and habits. Here is a guide to having your best year ever:

- Get 'you' right. Manage the most important person in your life - you
- Stay mentally fresh by booking your next holiday
- Consider not only the physical aspects of being healthy and fit, set up some techniques to being in a prime mental space most of the time
- Stay committed to 2010 objectives by locking in supporting programs and events that help to achieve the outcome
- It is also OK to not achieve, to simply have another year is absolutely acceptable, just be aware of a demon named complacency
- Enjoy getting uncomfortable on your new mission
- Align your goals and ambitions with another cause like a charity, kids or a loved one. 'We do for others what we want to do for ourselves'.

During Business Bootcamp 2010 I will talk you through the 6 figure success and deal with the how, what and where, plus share with you some 7 figure secrets of those that have come through our 2009 programs, setting you up for the next decade. Live business case studies as well as setting up a business strategy tailored to your outcomes to improve your income and lifestyle.