Set your hours

I read horror stories before becoming self-employed of PT's working 70h+ weeks, finishing at 10 pm and never having free weekends. I knew this type of output would be unsustainable and would inevitably result in missed appointments, low-quality delivery and unhappy clients. I spoke with experienced business owners, those who had been through the process in the corporate world for advice. The resounding message was simple; set your hours from the off. The temptation, when you have no income and have spent x thousand setting a business up, is to take any work that comes your way, regardless of the rate, hours or consistency. I remember my first 3 months, working 10hrs a day with no interest in my services no clients and of course, no income. On top of this, I had bills to pay and Christmas presents to buy! My first client wanted training on Saturdays. I'd said from the outset that I wanted my weekends and was not prepared to sacrifice them. Things worked out perfectly and we found spare time mid-week for the session. I worked with that client for 14 months and she left with much happier, in control and with a transformed lifestyle. Had I caved in and offered her the Saturday, would she have had the same results? Would she have worked with me for 14 months? And would I have enjoyed working with her as much as I did? The answer to all 3 is a resounding no. Set your hours, and stick to them.

Record Keeping

Ask anyone who is employed and the first thing they mention when you explain you're self-employed is the paperwork. There's no doubt it's the unglamorous part of the job but what job doesn't have a dull side? I'd say I was business illiterate when I began. Thankfully, there's a plethora of help available to anyone wanting to work for themselves. If you are employed and self-employed at the same time, I'd recommend getting an accountant involved as taxation can become complicated. And why stress over something so important? For a small portion of your annual earnings, a qualified professional will give you peace of mind that the books are balanced and everything is in order.

Go Above and Beyond

I've been fortunate to work as a sports coach for almost 10 years before I became a personal trainer. I'd guess I have worked with, taught and coached over 2000 people in that time. When I look back at when things worked and when they didn't, a common theme appears. The times I devoted my full attention, effort and focus to a group/athlete/team/club are the times when the results were best. This may seem like an obvious observation but too often, teachers and coaches (both paid and voluntary) become overloaded with too many to look after. The result? Things get missed and forgotten. Standards slip and striving for mediocrity becomes the norm. Realising its ineffective to take on more than you can manage is an important insight to have. Instead, I prefer to focus on going above and beyond in every session for every client. This is a process driven approach that ensures you, and your clients, remain on track for success. The alternative, should you be so lucky (!), is to fill your diary from morning to evening and deliver back to back sessions which lack enthusiasm, desire and thought. When someone joins Fearless Training, they are asking for my 100%, not 85%. Manage your diary so you can go above and beyond for each client your train.

Reflect

What do you say when someone says, 'how's business?'. In the early days, I would say, “good, thanks!” regardless of how it was. More recently, I've tried to elaborate a bit. I love this question because it forces me to be honest and appraise my business. How is it really going? Try not to gloss over the question, the fact that someone has bothered to ask shows they are interested (or just making small talk...). This is a wonderful chance to think and respond with an honest answer. If things really are great, then great! Tell them. If they aren't, and the person is someone you respect and value, then tell them so. Explain where you are having difficulties. They may be able to offer some advice and help you work towards a solution. Reflection is something that should also occur in a more definitive way too. This could be monthly, quarterly and annually. A reminder in your calendar to sit-down and analyse where your business is at. It would be sensible to take a similar approach with your clients to ensure they are on an upward trend. Don't be afraid to look back at the good and the bad.

Learn

Our clients put faith in the fact we understand our craft and remain at the top of the fields. Nutrition is, and will remain, a contentious topic and there are limitations as to what degree this can be discussed or prescribed depending on your qualifications. Exercise is a much simpler entity and there are established norms within the industry depending on what you want to achieve. Further afield lie other important facets of personal training that will have a dramatic impact on our clients' immediate health and training success. Information is available from thousands of sources and it can be difficult to decide which of these sources and authors are trustworthy. Platforms like Instagram are changing our perception of what is possible, acceptable and appropriate within the industry. Our job as professionals is to cut through the opinion and disseminate the research into fun, workable and effective sessions for our clients. Take time to learn the fundamental principles of training. Buy academic books on human biology, physiology and nutrition. Look at experts in the field who have proven themselves in multiple disciplines (not those just chasing followers or website clicks). Ideally, work alongside the best people you can both within and outside the industry. You'd be amazed how much you can learn from other disciplines. We owe it to our clients to stay at the sharp end; on top of new developments that impact their training. The caveat is we will never know everything! When I am not sure how to answer a question, I will say, “let me check that for you later”, and get back to the client with a researched answer. There is no shame in not knowing, just make the effort to find the answer and learn.