3 Benefits of Strategic Planning for Fitness Businesses
Here’s a fun fact: Hamsters running in wheels have been known to run more than five miles in a single night!
Now that’s pretty impressive.
Here’s another fun fact: At some point, every business owner feels like he or she is stuck running on a hamster wheel getting nowhere.
OK, that one isn’t really a fact, and it’s definitely not fun. But I don’t think anyone would argue that it’s not mostly true. And if it’s mostly true, then it’s 
likely happening to you, and it doesn’t feel good.
So what can you do about it? It’s actually pretty simple. Follow a strategy for planning and setting goals for your business.
This is what high-performing business owners do, and there are three really important ways it’s going to help you. So why do we need strategic planning for fitness businesses?
Benefit 1: You’ll Have the Power to Say No
When you follow a specific cycle of planning and goal setting you’re routinely committing to what’s most important. If you take this seriously you’re giving yourself permission to say no to things that aren’t going to help accomplish those goals.
I won’t dwell on the power of focus.
The point here is that at any given time, you should know what your #1 priority is. When that happens you’re able to put off the things that really can wait, and you end up being more productive with better results.
Benefit 2: You’re Better Prepared to Handle Curveballs
I know—first hamsters and now baseball, but stick with me here. ?
Really great hitters are able to see the seams on a baseball and which way they’re rotating. The incredible thing is this happens in fractions of a second, and they react usually with better results than average hitters.
As a business owner part of planning and setting goals has to include reviewing the past. You look at what worked and what didn’t work, and you try to explain why for each of them. You take that information and use it to make better plans and set better goals.
Life’s curveballs become easier to see because you’re constantly assessing, prioritizing, and executing.
You won’t see them all coming. But when one does, you’re less likely to get thrown completely off track because you know how to take a step back and repeat that cycle: assess, prioritize, execute.
Benefit 3: Everything Has a Purpose
I’m sure at some you’ve asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?”
Maybe that happened when you realized you spent 2 hours looking for an article to share on Facebook, even though you can’t remember the last time you actually got a client from Facebook.
Or worse… it happened when doubting why you’re running your business!
This is something deeper than knowing your priorities and staying focused. It’s about knowing why your priorities are what they are. It attaches the “why” to all the work you’re putting in.
Strategic planning for fitness businesses affirms the “why” behind your work.
In the Fitness Business Alignment System™ we use the Strategic Alignment Plan as a key part of planning and goal setting. Your Core Values and Long Term Vision are right there at the very top. The purpose is never lost when these two things are kept so present.
I know the question you’re probably thinking right now: “Sounds great, but how do I actually do it?”
I’ll give you the simplest example:
- Create a Long Term Vision
- Create 1-Year Goals
- Create 90-Day Goals
It doesn’t need to be more complex than that. At the end of each period, repeat the three-step process: Assess, Prioritize, and Execute.
Become a High Performer
No one is immune to getting stuck on a hamster wheel going nowhere fast. But follow even the simplest example to strategic planning for fitness businesses, and you’re likely to start feeling, acting, and producing like a high performer. Our coaching program can help you get unstuck and go further, faster – with less effort.
