5 years ago I spent over 4 hours on the phone with a guy by the name of Alwyn Cosgrove.
I'm talking 4 + hours straight, not an hour here and there.
I "met" AC through special business forums that Ryan Lee created, which were membership forums. The most motivated dudes were on this forum, and back then, as they are now, these were industry leaders.
I was living at home, die hard passionate about doing what I do now for a living. Guys like Brian Grasso, Lee Taft, Jason C. Brown and Pat Bieth were members.
Back when AC spent time on the phone with me, he helped me create a system to run my business, which at the time was being run from the garage of my new home.
Except, back then, my home was being worked on - it was getting a complete overhaul, but, the first thing that got the overhaul was my 2 car garage, ha ha 🙂
I lived with my parents for a YEAR as the house was getting rebuilt, and I payed our contractors through the money I made with my training business.
Little did I know that the smartest man in the fitness industry was lying in his bed with tubed sticking out or his body as he was fighting Stage IV Cancer - you see my friend, AC NEVER told me he had cancer.
He was so passionate about helping me do what I love, he didn't mention a word about it.
I speak with AC regularly via phone and e mail, and aside from his Coaching group , there isn't much chance you can connect with my mentor.
But, his Blog kicks serious ass and he gave me permission to borrow a recent post which you will see below. It's quite powerful and if you have any inkling of a thought that you want to run a fitness business, then you better read every word of what's written below....
"The business model has changed and will continue to do so. The old ways no longer work and what was driving business two years ago is also not going to work now. For success you need to know how to thrive in change or better yet lead in change. In tough markets the rules are different but basic values will always guide the way.
I do feel there will be a lot of gyms, training centers and personal trainers who will not make it past 09 but the reasons will be their own fault for not embracing change but fighting it." - Dave Tate
“It’s time to reinvent ourselves. The time has never been better or more urgent in which to question every truth, belief, premise, product, service and price of your business. This is a time of transition to a new economy which you are going to participate in, willingly or reluctantly, successfully or unsuccessfully” -Dan Kennedy
“There has never been a chance for greater growth in the fitness industry for those willing to reinvent their businesses and grow with the coming consumer“ – Thomas Plummer
“You’ve got to reinvent your business to fit the realities of the new market” – Seth Godin
“Reinvent your business constantly. The end goal may be the same, but the tools and methods are constantly evolving.” – Ken Tucker
If you are a trainer or coach in this field - ask yourself if your business practice is the same as it was last year, or two or three years ago. Ask yourself if your programming has evolved to meet the demand's of todays consumer. If you haven't changed your model radically - you will be left behind in today's economy.
The only constant in today's world is that everything is changing.
Your marketing has to be different. Your sales script has to be different. The services you offer have to be different. The actual workouts you put clients through have to be different (today's client is physically different and has different goals from even ten years ago).
It's time to evolve and reinvent.
This year for Perform Better I am speaking on the Evolution of the Fitness Profession - "tested Methods to Transform your Personal Training Business - and am sharing proven strategies that will allow your business to evolve and grow in 2009. Hopefully I'll see some of you on the road.
We are also releasing a book this month called "55 Fitness Business Strategies for Success" - which could also be tiled "how to avoid all the mistakes we made when we first opened"...
The book will launch at the first Perform Better event of the year and will be available online early February.
--
AC
++++++++++
Wow! That was profound!
I receive e mails from countless people on a daily basis who are excited to make a business out of their passion but what's the difference between a regular guy like myself, and why AC was willing to help me, and 99% of others?
The BIG difference is relentless action. I NEVER gave up, never quit, kept on keeping on and I made it happen.
The e mails I receive 99% of the time say this:
- I don't have the money
- I'll do it when ________ (fill in blank with lame excuse)
- I'm waiting for ___________ (fill in blank with lame excuse)
Look, I had NO money when I bought my first product from Ryan Lee. I invested with a credit card because I knew the return would come back 10 fold.
Things are changing, but, things won't change for YOU unless you get off your ass and take action.
The repercussions of NOT tkaing action for me would have been:
- Being stuck at a dead end job forever
- Not giving my kids what they wanted
- Telling my wife we can't afford that
- Looking myself in the mirror 10 years from now hating myself for being chicken shit
The price of success is FUCKING HARD! I will not lie.
But, the price of losing, especially if you never try is 100,000 times worsed.
Because once you "try", the game changes, and you are in it to WIN, and then you get the same attitude I have, which is to kick ass 100%.
Alwyn Cosgrove and I used to talk about life's top 10%.
The more we spoke it became life's top5%...
Yesterday we spoke and we realized that it's Life's top 1%, and, we also agreed, it's probably less than that!
What repercussions will you face if you don't do "it"?
Kill it!
--Z--
PS: I have 1 more Underground Strength Coach Certification coming up in February. Spaces are filling up. Look at what attendees said in their videos over at https://zacheven-esh.com/Coaching.php
PPS: For the February Underground Strength Cert. we have attendees coming from Canada and all over the USA. We've had attendees travel from The UK as well.
