I love owning a fitness business! We have so many cool toys, fads and trends to jump on and off of that every day is a new experience. I have owned Momentum Fitness for over 11 years and have been a personal trainer for 15 and yet I am always learning new things. Last year I took up the sport of triathlon and did my first race, Ironman Florida, in November of 2010. The thing was, I didn’t know how to swim. I did know how to sink though. In one year I went from not being able to float to swimming 3.86 KM (2.4 mile). Not an easy feat for this ectomorph. How did I do it? I implemented the tools I needed to gain success: I hired a coach, I took swim lessons, I used paddles to feel the catch, I used fins for the kick, I followed a plan and most importantly, I listened to all the advice I could get.

What are some of the tools you need for your fitness business to swim instead of sinking?

Fitness Business | Tool 1 Hire a coach
I knew I didn't know how to swim so for my Ironman it was an easy decision. When it came to my fitness business, however, I thought I could do it all. It took me two years and a lot of unnecessary stress to learn I suck at sales. Not the marketing but just the sales part. Marketing was fine because I love to talk and I love fitness but closing a deal - not good. So bad in fact I would often provide people with an out instead of locking them in. I’d actually say, “Go home and think about it.” I could get people in the door and I could chat about anything fitness but what I could not do is close the deal. If they didn't forcibly hand me their credit card I’d let them walk. Solution for me was to hire a coach to teach me how to get past the close.
Fitness Business | Tool 2 Limit Print material
Printers will always try and talk you into buying more to save money. Here are the things I learned to actually save money: print digital, print cheap and print often. Nobody reads brochures and if you flyer or mail them out you're spending money to assist a recycling program. Best to post all your pricing and services on your website and keep your brochures more information based. When people walk in have them fill out a quick “More Info Card” get a name and email and send them a PDF with pricing on it. Your prices will change and there's nothing worse than having to toss a thousand out of date brochures.
Fitness Business | tool 3 Implement software today
I waited three years to build the software that eventually changed the way we run our fitness business and lead to the success we have today. Why? Because I thought Mfit was too small, that we didn't have enough staff, that we didn't have enough members and that our sales were too low. In reality, when we implement our software and back entered just three months of data I found $5,000 dollar worth of mistakes ranging from scheduling to billing errors. Boy, I really could have used that money too. Implement all of the software and tools that will guarantee your success today - no exceptions!

What other tips have you found to be critical in your fitness business?

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