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We asked some of our Success Coaches two questions about overcoming “analysis paralysis.” Every day, they talk to independent gym owners across the country and share their combined decades of experience in guiding them to success. Here’s a look at their answers.

Now, more than ever, identifying what you need to change and taking swift action can mean the difference between being profitable and being bankrupt by the end of the year. Overcoming “analysis paralysis” is crucial to creating and continuing positive business momentum.

1. What symptoms do you identify in fitness business owners that indicate they may be struggling with analysis paralysis?
2. What is your best advice for overcoming a pattern of overanalyzing and lack of action?

Success Coach Craig Myers:

1. Simple tasks take longer than they should, and important decisions take even longer. Another symptom is changing things up too often because you’re over-analyzing every detail and expecting perfection.

2. For ordinary tasks, set a goal for how many you can finish within a certain time. With big decisions, accept that sometimes you don’t have all the information. Have confidence in yourself to make the decision. Leverage your resources, like our coaching, to speed things up and provide perspective.

Talk about it with one of our Success Coaches – Schedule your free call now!

Success Coach Ben Ludwig:

1. It’s easy to compare yourself to others – How is everyone else doing virtual training, how are they marketing, etc. I see so many owners deviating from their long-term visions and following rabbit trails until it’s hard for them to answer “how and why” their decisions are tied to their goals.

2. Make sure whatever decisions you make align with your long-term vision, and don’t fear making the wrong decisions. Your clients will appreciate you trying to make the most of your situation, and they are more willing to endure through your struggles than you might think.

Success Coach Asa Ivers:

1. Fitness business owners who struggle with analysis paralysis also struggle with fear and trepidation.We have a tendency to be perfectionists. I see many owners over-scrutinizing adaptations or ventures, and hesitating to make any changes.

2. First off, organization is key; prioritize the lowest-hanging fruit. Second, the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Your delivery might have kinks to work out, and that’s OK. Third, prioritize yourself to ensure you are staying well.

Success Coach Mike Allen:

1. They tend to avoid making decisions, then change them and stress out. They usually over-plan and under-execute. A history of being a perfectionist or a deep thinker can amplify their analysis paralysis in times of increased risk or high demand.

2. Be aware of the signs. Identify the cost to you and your business. Take full responsibility by realizing it’s a choice. And break the pattern — set deadlines, or create a rule against revisiting decisions.

Success Coach Madison Allen:

1. Taking too long to make a decision; gathering more research than needed; getting more stressed in general. When they’re grasping for certainty and are unwilling to take any calculated risk, that’s a big symptom of cumbersome overthinking.

2. First, determine which business decisions are worth your time, energy and efforts. Not all decisions are created equal. Second, make deadlines for decisions and projects; discuss this with your coach.

Success Coach Pamela MacElree:

1. Right now, everything is constantly changing, so we have to act swiftly. I’m not suggesting that you act without thinking, but rather to not wait for perfection and just take some action to move the needle forward.

2. Refer to your long-term vision frequently. Each day be sure you’re doing something to move you forward. Make sure you are not the person stopping you from achieving your goals.

We have an awesome team of Success Coaches here to talk about this and everything else to shorten your learning curve. It starts with a free consultation, so schedule your call today.

We asked some of our Success Coaches two questions about moving into the online space. Every day, they talk to independent gym owners across the country and share their combined decades of experience in guiding them to success. Here’s a look at their answers.

Question 1: For fitness business owners thinking about offering a permanent, online Core Offer or Front End Offer, what variables should they consider in the creation and strategic design of their new service?

Success Coach Asa Ivers:

Am I making a reactionary decision by adding an online service, or does this fit into my business model?

Do I want to offer this service long term?

How much manpower will I need to invest in maintaining my online offer?

How can I set the pricing correctly to not detract from my in-person training?

Talk about it with one of our Success Coaches – Schedule your free call now!

Success Coach Madison Allen:

When moving into the online space for the first time, it can be easy to get lost in the operational and execution details of your offer, while overlooking the strategic decisions.

Is this designed around the outcome I’m best at getting for clients?

Does a sufficient market exist for this Core Offer to be successful?

Do I have a clearly defined ideal client for this program, and do I have a strong, local market positioning statement that will attract that ideal client?

Success Coach Mike Allen:

Start by examining the “why” behind this effort. A lot of independent gym owners didn’t have a choice but to branch into online offers with the uncertainty of COVID-19. But that’s different from permanently expanding offers online. Develop an understanding of how this fits in with the long-term, strategic direction of your business, if it does at all.

Success Coach Craig Myers:

Understand why a permanent online offer is the right move and get clear on the ideal client for it. Capacity is critical. Do you have the resources to maintain a permanent virtual service in addition to an in-person service? Get a solid idea of what you’re capable of delivering at a high level. And remember, an online offer doesn’t have to be live coaching/training.

Question 2: What are the first three action steps a fitness business owner should take in launching/promoting a new online offer?

Asa:

Determine what you’re offering and how you plan to communicate with clients in the program.

Figure out how much time and manpower will be demanded. This will give you a baseline for pricing. Also, take into consideration your in-person offer so that you don’t price your online as a competitor to it.

You may want to do a “soft launch” and start with a small test group as you work out any kinks. Once you have a systemized program, then get rolling with larger-scale marketing.

Madison:

The first step is to get centered on what you’re offering and what problem it solves for clients.

Next, determine how you’re going to deliver the service operationally. Who will handle the delivery? What resources are needed to deliver the service? How will you measure the success of the service?

The third step is to get the word out using internal, online and offline channels.

Mike:

Step 1: Outline the offer. Identify the ideal client. Craft your product positioning/differentiators.

Step 2: Figure out your resource allocation (team, capacity, marketing needs, etc.) and what you need to accomplish this. Consider operational elements — how are you going to deliver a world-class experience with your online training?

Step 3: Start marketing it.

Craig:

Get clear on your offer — what the service is and the pricing. Consider three broad categories: selling a product; selling a limited service; full-service training.

Prepare operationally. Get the tools and resources you need to deliver a great experience. This may also include beta testing with current clients or prospects.

Use the Triple A method to create your marketing plan and go.

 Our Success Coaches are here to help you with this and everything else you need to make your gym a success. Set up a free consultation now.

We asked some of our Success Coaches two questions about how to set and adjust goals for the rest of 2020. Every day, they talk to independent gym owners across the country and share their combined decades of experience in guiding them to success. At this point in the year, it’s good to look back at how Covid-19 affected you — and how you can move beyond its enormous impact to finish strong.

Question 1: What adjustments should gym owners be making to their year-end goals?

Success Coach Asa Ivers:

First, really dive into your financial numbers to see how you’re trending against your projections, what’s realistic, and what needs to be revised. Second, for many gyms, this is an opportune time to tweak their business model, class sizes, times, etc. 

Talk about it with one of our Success Coaches – Schedule your free call now!

Success Coach Mike Allen:

We’re still in a time of uncertainty, so accept that things are somewhat unpredictable. That being said, you tend to hit what you aim at, so aim at what’s most important. Set goals knowing that you may need to make adjustments along the way. Balance the immediate needs of “putting out fires” with the long-term strategy of the business. 

Success Coach Craig Myers:

Reflect on your long-term vision as the first step. Don’t get caught up in the uncertainty of “how” you get there —  focus more on the “why.” Reconnect with the reasons you do what you do. It’s either going to affirm you’re still on the right course, despite a few more zig-zags than you would have imagined, or uncover important differences that may affect short-term decisions.

Success Coach Pamela MacElree:

Set metric goals to move you back to where you were when the pandemic started. It’s hard for most of us to accept that we might not end the year with the initial goals we set. Being a little forgiving of ourselves is important, since for the most part we had no control over it. Getting back on track and working toward growth is a reasonable way to address the rest of the year.  

Success Coach Madison Allen:

Don’t get caught up in outcomes or the metric goals that are behind pace or no longer feasible. The best type of goals for the rest of this year are process goals, the ones that are made up of action plan or strategy adherence that’s completely within your control. These are distinct from outcome or performance goals because the focus is on behaviors that influence the outcome.

Question 2: What reflection questions will smart business owners be asking themselves? 

Asa:

Do I have sufficient cash reserves to sustain a shutdown? Can my business model adapt to another one? In hindsight, is there anything I would have done differently? What opportunities do I have from this?

Mike:

What can I learn from other gyms in slightly different circumstances (lost more clients, reopened earlier, had to re-close etc.)? How’s the competitive landscape today? What resources or assets do I need? Am I focusing on what’s really most important? What direction can I get from my coach here? 

Craig:

What have we always done really well? What has always been a struggle, and why? What tools or systems are we missing? Where do we stand financially and what’s the trend? Am I leveraging my coach, my team, my network effectively?

Pamela:

How can I continue to grow my business outside of what I’m used to? How can I start to solve problems for my clients before they come to me with them? What have I learned in the last few months that showed my strengths and weaknesses – and how can I leverage the strengths while working on the weaknesses to grow as a leader?

Madison:

What can I learn from the past six months? What has changed in the landscape that will affect resetting my goals? Which process goal would have the biggest positive impact on the business if I made it my top priority?

Our Success Coaches are here to help you with this and everything else you need to make your gym a success. Set up a free consultation now.

As a fitness professional, you’re familiar with how to develop training plans for clients. First you conduct an assessment. Then you ask about their current situation and goals. And finally you develop a map to guide them to success.

But are you doing the same for your business?

Just like those clients, you need a path to help you get where you want to go. At Fitness Revolution, we help you learn where you are with your business now, where you want to take it, and what an individualized journey to success will look like for you.

Schedule a free consultation with one of our Success Coaches now

Making a plan is liberating, not constricting. Think about it: You know how easy it is to get lost in your thoughts about The Big Enchilada, but breaking it down helps you see how to take the step-by-step (bite-by-bite?) approach. This makes it manageable while also shortening the learning curve. And remember — you can always make changes later.

Stage 1: Sell, Sell, Sell.

Your main goal here is to get clients. But you might be limited by self-beliefs like “selling is bad” or “I’m not cut out for this.” Success here comes when you have happy clients making referrals, and your consistent sales efforts are delivering consistent, although slow, growth.

Stage 2: Marketing Machine.

Now is the time to hone your marketing processes so you’re generating leads. You’re typically wondering if you’re charging enough money, and if you’re really cut out for this. You know you’re ready for Step 3 when your aligned marketing messages bring you controlled leads and you’re hitting your sales goals.

Stage 3: Systems Wise.

You’re wondering about making the best use of your time, and you want a break. You’re feeling lonely because you’re spending so much time on work, and you still feel like there are never enough hours in a day. But as you become more of a manager with documented systems in place, you develop enough business understanding that you can even take some time off!

Stage 4: Manager Leader.

This is when you really develop as a manager and a leader – growing from being a service provider to an orchestrator. You might find it hard to give up the day-to-day tasks or to have confidence in the time you spend managing. Success comes when you have an accountable team, more freedom, and time to spend on personal development.

Stage 5: Entrepreneur.

Believe it or not, the biggest challenge here is often boredom. You might feel like you’re not “breaking” new things in the business, and that your employees don’t even need you anymore. But now you have the time and money to develop your team and business further, or maybe even focus on new opportunities and an exit strategy.

We have helped countless independent gym owners by remembering that each one is unique while going through a process we know front to back. It’s probably like the way you’re proud to develop training programs for each client based on individual needs, abilities and goals. You love helping people, and so do we.

It starts with a conversation, so let’s talk. Set up a time for your free consultation with one of our Success Coaches. We’ll do an assessment, learn about your goals, and start helping you through the stages of your fitness journey.

If you borrowed money under the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), you should know about new changes that give you more flexibility in using the money and paying it back.

President Trump just signed into a law a measure that brings much-needed relief for borrowers. The bill was recently approved in the House and Senate.

Here are some highlights.

• Extension of covered period. PPP borrowers can choose to extend the eight-week period to 24 weeks. The flexibility is designed to make it easier for more borrowers to reach full, or almost full, forgiveness.
• You can spend more of your proceeds on non-payroll costs — but be careful. The payroll expenditure requirement drops to 60% from 75%. Borrowers must spend at least 60% on payroll, or none of the loan will be forgiven. Currently, a borrower is required to reduce the amount eligible for forgiveness if less than 75% of eligible funds are used for payroll costs, but forgiveness isn’t eliminated if the 75% threshold isn’t met. 
• You’ll have longer to replace FTEs/restore salaries: Borrowers can use the 24-week period to restore their workforce levels and wages to the pre-pandemic levels required for full forgiveness. This must be done by Dec. 31, a change from the previous deadline of June 30.
• Businesses that remain partially or fully closed through the end of the year will get new relief: The legislation includes two new exceptions allowing borrowers to achieve full PPP loan forgiveness even if they don’t fully restore their workforce. Previous guidance allowed borrowers to exclude from those calculations employees who turned down good faith offers to be rehired at the same hours and wages as before the pandemic. The new bill allows borrowers to adjust because they could not find qualified employees or were unable to restore business operations of Feb. 15, 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• Any unforgivable amount has more favorable terms: Borrowers now have five years to repay the loan instead of two. The interest rate remains at 1%.
• You can defer certain payroll taxes even if you received a PPP loan: The revisions  allow businesses that took a PPP loan to also delay payment of payroll taxes, which was prohibited under the CARES Act.

Have questions on making the most of your financial planning? Go here to reserve time to speak with one of our coaches for free! 

When the coronavirus lockdowns hit a few weeks ago, many fitness pros quickly moved online. It was impressive to see gym owners, studio owners and trainers adapt to keep their clients engaged and exercising.

But, let’s face it. We were all hoping “this thing” would be over within a few weeks and we could return to normal life.

Now that we know otherwise, it’s time to take another look at your online experience. You might need to make some adjustments to improve what you’re doing and ensure your folks are having the best possible experience.

Download our free list of resources to protect your business during the COVID-19 crisis.

Like it or not, this is your reality now, at least for the time being. And it’s your responsibility to give the best online training experience you can. It will keep your clients coming back. It will encourage them to refer their friends to you. It will position you strongly for future growth when “this thing” really is finally over.

Here are a few tips to help you level-up your online game.

1. We recommend Zoom. We’ve been using Zoom for years at Fitness Revolution and have found it to be simple and reliable. People can easily use it right off the bat. And it has a depth of features that make it appealing. It lets you see all your clients, and it lets them see you – and each other, providing that key social component they’re craving right now. Spend a little extra on the Pro account so you have more freedom.
2. Test, test, test. By doing a few dry runs, you and your team will be able to iron out the kinks for the smoothest experience when you do go live. If you’re already up and running – keep looking for ways to improve the “little things” as well as the bigger ones.
3. Play three roles. You and/or your team members need to play three roles during online workouts – demonstrating movements, acting as coach/cheerleader, and offering cues via the chat function. You don’t all have to be together, of course – and you can even perform all three roles by yourself, if necessary. 
4. Open/Close. Prepare a PowerPoint slide to start and end each session. It should have tips and reminders about upcoming events.
5. Share the workout in advance. It builds anticipation, and it also lets your people know how much space and what equipment they might need, if any.
6. Make sure you’re visible. Stand at least 7 feet away from the camera, and make sure your head and feet can be seen.
7. Schedule social time. Plan for a few minutes before and after the workout to let people socialize via Zoom. This is an opportunity for them, and also and a great way for you to continue the community you built up in your brick-and-mortar space.

By providing top-level customer service now, you’re going to retain clients and attract new business. And you might even be building a permanent service option that will endure even after “this thing” really is finally over.

Be sure to check out the free resources we’ve collected here to protect your business and keep you posted.