Why did you start your own fitness business?

This is part of a series of posts I'm planning with the goal of trying to help fitness professionals grow their businesses and achieve what they set out to achieve.

Obviously this won't apply to everyone who reads this post as there are many highly successful trainers and coaches out there and many of them I know through my fitness platform Training Tilt. There will be others who are struggling, some with growing pains and others who've plateaued. Hopefully their will be some take homes for all these situations as business is a journey not a destination.

Here are some reasons why fitness professionals start there own business

• Financial independence
• To be your own boss
• To spend more time with family
• To take more time off
• To make your own decisions
• To help people get results and achieve their goals
• To build something of your own
• To work when you want to work

The reality for many small businesses often turns out differently. As a fitness business owner how many of the above goals are a reality? I'd really like to know. Flick me an email (hello@trainingtilt.com) or click the little message icon at the bottom right of the screen, I might be on line right now.

Any of these realities sound familiar?

• You work more hours now than when you worked for someone else
• You earn less money than you did as an employee
• You end up working when you'd rather be spending time with family
• Your income is unpredictable
• Your clients don't do what you tell them then complain about results
• You're scared to raise your prices in case you can't keep enough clients
• You tried hiring some trainers to help you but they ended up taking your clients

Making the leap to go out on your own is tough but staying out there is the real challenge, you will make many mistakes along the way and be tempted to throw it in an go back and work in a nice stable job where you can help someone else achieve their financial and lifestyle goals. Bear with me though as it's not all doom and gloom because where there is a will there is a way. In the next few posts I'm going to try and give some usable actionable advice to take your business to the next level and really achieve what you set out to do.

I'd really like some feedback on your experiences and challenges running your business. Use the message icon on the bottom right of the screen to get in touch but make sure you leave your email address in case I'm not on line now. Or if you are a Training Tilt user already you know how to reach me.

Over the next few weeks I'll be covering the following topics

• Working IN vs ON your business. What does that even mean?
• Marketing - and why you aren't doing any
• Becoming an "authority" in your field
• Content Marketing - playing the long game
• Re-marketing - how to influence purchase decisions

That's it for now. If you have a topic you'd like to hear about or just want to say hello, get in touch I'd love to hear from you.