The Business of Fitness Podcast
Actionable ideas to build your fitness business. Presented by Fitness Business Mentor, Dan Williams.
info_outline
89: 9 leading business owners share their biggest lessons from 2025
01/13/2026
89: 9 leading business owners share their biggest lessons from 2025
In this episode Dan Williams sought out nine of the most successful fitness and health business owners of 2025. He asked each of them to share their one biggest lesson that will carry them to more success in 2026. You’ll hear from Emily McPhillips, Jason Lim, Sam Cassells, Jake Morgan, Emily Moore, Jade Webb, Grant Hancock, Scott Hook, and Ben Luckens, as they share the lessons and decisions that shaped their year in business.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/39710845
info_outline
88: How Ben is building a fitness empire & how Dan thinks about the world.
12/15/2025
88: How Ben is building a fitness empire & how Dan thinks about the world.
In this episode, Dan is a guest on Ben Lucken's podcast, where he sits down for a really wide ranging conversation about business mindset. Benny asks Dan about how he thinks about building a life that aligns with your own definition of success. They also discuss some of the frameworks Dan uses to think about the world, including: Why mindsets are trainable skills. The magic of 3-hour deep work blocks. The 7 words that define business success. The 4 Archetypes of happiness. How to balance journey vs destination. Why experience always beats technology. They dive into Benny's journey with Life's Peachy FIT: The meaning behind the name. His rebrand away from F45. What's next as he launches franchise opportunities built around leadership, member experience, and genuine human connection in an AI treatment future.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/39418750
info_outline
87: How to plan a marketing photoshoot for your gym
12/02/2025
87: How to plan a marketing photoshoot for your gym
Summary: In this episode I explore how a professional photoshoot can transform your fitness business marketing, with practical steps to plan, capture, and use high-quality photos that attract the right clients. 5 things you’ll learn: Why professional photos are one of the most effective marketing tools for fitness businesses. How to choose photo subjects that reflect your target clients and build connection. The types of scenes and interactions that create powerful, versatile images. Why staged photos deliver better marketing results than spontaneous action shots. How to plan and run a photoshoot that maximises time, efficiency, and usable photos. Done well, a photoshoot can be one of the most powerful marketing tools for your gym. The right type of photos can give potential clients a glimpse into your business, and can transform both your website and your social media presence. Great photos are an important part of all the . This guide will cover some of the considerations for a photoshoot, including examples of the sort of photos you're looking to acquire from a photo shoot I ran for my business (you can find these at the bottom of the page). Firstly - it's highly recommended that you use the services of a professional photographer with professional equipment. The difference in quality is noticeable, and brings a new layer of professionalism to your business. If you're using a professional photographer, this guide might help to give them some direction on what you're looking for. Photo Subjects: The subjects of your photos should match the types of people you're looking to attract to your business. We're not looking for perfect, airbrushed models here - we want real people. We want your target customers to look at the photos and think 'those people look like me'. Well in advance of the photoshoot, you want to contact some of your current clients to ask them to appear in the shoot. We're looking for at least 12 people. Make sure you've got a broad representation across different ages, nationalities, skin colours, shapes, sizes, genders, sexualities etc. You want to get any staff you have to be available for the shoot. If the shoot is for a website, it's also important to get photos of the people who you'll be featuring in testimonials and client feature stories. Photo Subject Matter: As mentioned, the photos themselves should be of people who match your avatar (target customer). They should be working with your staff (ideally in a one-on-one capacity, like hands on technique corrections etc). They should be smiling, laughing and having a good time - while still working hard. The more interaction the better (between staff and client, and between client and client (if you have multiple clients in each photo). Fist bumps, high fives etc are great. We want photos of all the services you provide. If you offer one-on-one coaching, get photos of that. If you offer small group training, include multiple people in you photos, but there should be one person who is featured in the image - the others are just there for context. If you offer any sit-down consults, make sure you get photos of them. Photo Composition: As tempting as it it to have a photographer roam around during a class, or following a PT around during their session, these 'action shots' never come out as well as staged photos. With this in mind, the best approach is to stage the photos, and take multiple shots of each 'scene' - each being slightly different. This will give plenty of options to choose the best shot. We want these photos to have as many uses as possible. To help with this, the subjects shouldn't be shot from too close. We don't want them filling the frame. This will allow use to 'cut in' the photo to get both portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) images - based on what we need to use them for. Lighting is really important - we want the photos to be light and bright, with natural lighting being ideal. Be aware of what else is in the scene. We don't want busy, untidy backgrounds. Keep things clean, simple, minimalist. Planning the shoot: To ensure as many uses as possible, plan to have around 12 subjects, with three to four scenes each. For example, one scene might be pushing a prowler, one might be doing a deadlift, one might be doing a dip. Getting 10-20 photos of each scene should result in a choice of 2-3 good shots to choose one great shot from. You'll end up with 36-48 great photos from your entire shoot. Here are some examples of potential scenes that a strength and conditioning facility might use: Air squat Deadlift set-up Deadlift lock out. Barbell front rack position. Bottom of a front squat. Air bike. Rower. Bottom of overhead squat. Ring row Russian KB swing Prowler push. A group of 3 people people training together. Dumbbell bench press. Coach and client fist bumping. A bunch of your members chatting and talking (maybe while sitting around / mobilising etc). Where possible, costume changes between scenes will ensure the photos don't end up looking like they were all taken on the same day (even though they were!). You need to be super organised, with all exercise equipment pre- set up before the photographer arrives. Five minutes for each scene, three scenes, equals 15 minutes per 'model'. 12 models means a total of three hours. You'll probably need to pay the photographer for four hours to allow set-up, pack down time. Your models don't need to be there for the entire shoot, as long as they're there for their allotted time. You should create a run sheet / shot schedule which will look something like: 9am: John with PT prowler push. 9.05am: John with PT deadlift. 9.10am: John with PT dip. 9.15am: Sarah and John rowing. 9.20am: Sarah and PT front squat. 9.25am: Sarah and PT KB swing. etc. A well-planned photoshoot can elevate the way people see your business, creating a professional and approachable first impression. With the right preparation, you’ll have a library of images that showcase what you do best and attract the clients you want. Your action steps: Hire a professional photographer to ensure your fitness business photos look polished and trustworthy. Select a diverse mix of clients and staff who represent your ideal customers. Plan multiple staged scenes that showcase your services, interactions, and client enjoyment. Prepare equipment and create a detailed shot schedule to keep the session efficient. Use the resulting images across your website, social media, and marketing campaigns to strengthen brand presence.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38574665
info_outline
86: Solving Exercise Physiology’s Identity Crisis
11/18/2025
86: Solving Exercise Physiology’s Identity Crisis
In this episode Dan Williams explores how goal dilution contributes to the identity crisis in Exercise Physiology and shares how defining what EPs don’t do can help the profession stand out. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why Exercise Physiologists struggle with public recognition and a clear professional identity. How goal dilution weakens the perception of Exercise Physiology for clients, referrers, and allied health partners. Why defining what you don’t do creates stronger positioning and clearer boundaries in a crowded industry. How choosing a niche and sticking to it leads to greater credibility, referrals, and brand differentiation. How EPs can shift from the red ocean of competition to the blue ocean of being in a category of one.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/39043590
info_outline
85: Building a Career as an Exercise Physiologist - lessons from 20 years as an EP.
11/04/2025
85: Building a Career as an Exercise Physiologist - lessons from 20 years as an EP.
Today we bring you an episode of the Kinetic Careers podcast with Jeremiah PEIFFER. Dan Williams was lucky enough to be invited by Jeremiah for the very first episode of his podcast, which helps sport and exercise science students and graduates to develop their career. Jeremiah and Dan had a wide ranging conversation where they covered: Dan's pathway through exercise and sports science How the EP profession and ESSA have evolved The way Dan has designed his businesses around being a present dad and building a lifestyle not just an income The role of failure, networking and lifelong learning in career growth Practical advice for students and new grads on positioning themselves, building business acumen and creating remarkable client experiences in an AI-shaped future.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38903755
info_outline
84: The AI takeover. Why coaches can no longer compete (and what to do about it)
10/21/2025
84: The AI takeover. Why coaches can no longer compete (and what to do about it)
If you are an online coach, or you program for your clients, this is for you. In this episode, Dan Williams talks about the very real threat that AI is bringing to people who provide programs for their clients. Dan explores how AI is transforming exercise programming, why online coaches face potentially career ending risks, and how fitness professionals can pivot to protect their careers in the AI-driven future. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why AI-powered exercise programming is advancing faster than most fitness professionals realise. How real-time data from wearables, sleep, mood, and recovery can reshape training sessions instantly. The limitations of empathy and human connection as a defence against automation. Why online programming is becoming a commodity and what that means for pricing. How to pivot your business towards unscalable, in-person experiences that AI cannot replicate. If you are in the business of exercise programming, everything is about to change. You may think that empathy and human connection is going to save you, but in this episode Dan shares a story that shows how difficult it will be to compete with AI. Your action steps: Reassess whether online programming is your long-term career plan, given AI’s rapid advances. Explore ways to integrate AI tools into your business as a facilitator, not a competitor. Build in-person, non-scalable experiences that prioritise connection and value beyond what AI can deliver. Educate clients on the unique benefits of human-led training and the experiential side of fitness. Begin shifting your offers towards services that are harder to commoditise, such as bespoke coaching or community-driven experiences.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38722290
info_outline
83: How my business earns me 23 hours a week
09/28/2025
83: How my business earns me 23 hours a week
Summary: In this episode Dan explores why business owners should stop measuring success only by money and start valuing time as their true currency, helping you design a more profitable and balanced business life. 4 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why revenue and profit can be misleading measures of business success How tracking hours worked reveals your true hourly rate and workload What it means to switch from 'dollars as currency' to 'minutes as currency' Practical ways to redesign your business to earn time, not just money Transcription: I think just about every single one of us is measuring the wrong thing in business. I’d like to share something I’m struggling with a bit at the moment. My very first business was selling shells I’d picked up off the beach. My business premises was the top bunk of my bed. My customers were Mum and Dad. I was six. From this moment, the measure of success of my little business was how much money it earned. And from that moment forward, every business I had was measured by the same metric. Money. And it makes sense. We live in a capitalist world. And I’m fine with that. I believe that people should get paid for solving other people’s problems. But living in that world makes it really hard to gauge the success of your business by anything other than the size of your bank account. That mindset has been drilled into us since before we could walk. Money is our measure of business success, and for some of us, it’s also a measure of life success. Society tells us that dollars are the currency that matter – they’re the scoreboard that tells us if we’re winning the game. And we know it shouldn’t be like this, but it is. So back to the thing I’m struggling with. I’m struggling to break way from a lifetime of ‘money as the measure of success’. Within the last couple of years, I’ve made some major structural changes to the businesses I run. Let me take you back to what business looked like before these changes. I was working around 45 hours a week on multiple businesses, I had a team of 12 staff, brick and mortar premises, and my wife and I owned a home and three investment properties. Revenue was high – I was earning more than I ever thought I would. But the nature of running businesses in that way meant expenditure was high too – but not so high that there wasn’t a very tidy profit margin. And it’s that profit that was my scoreboard. If I profited more in February than I did in January, I was becoming more successful. Sure, it was pretty stressful, and I was always worrying about something, but that’s just a cost of doing business right? But then, I made some very deliberate and intentional changes to how I worked. Fast forward to today. Zero staff, no premises, no investment properties, lower revenue. By most traditional measures, you’d say I’m now less successful than I was. However, expenditures dropped by about 75% and profit (which is the only financial metric that only really matters to me) dropped by only about 10%. And importantly, most importantly by far is something the accountant can’t see. I’m achieving this off the back of an average of 22 hours per week of work – that’s all types of work – billable work, admin, business development… everything. You’ll remember I was working 45 hours a week. And it’s now about 22. That means I’m doing HALF the amount of work I was. 50% of the work for 90% of the profit. That’s a massive increase in profit per hours worked, and probably a 90% drop in stress too. But you know what, there’s a tiny little niggling part of my brain that’s still telling me I’m less successful than I used to be. Because of that small drop in profit. Part of me is still a slave to the notion that dollars are the true and only measure of success. I’m working really hard on this, and I think I’m slowly winning. I’m slowly honestly believing that the currency that measures the success of my business is not money, but time. Time is the currency. Time is the resource I’m earning. I’m flipping my thinking. I no longer engineer my work to optimise for financial earnings, but to optimise for temporal earnings – earnings of time. I base business decisions on the time they’ll earn me, not the money. The changes I’ve made are paying me 23 hours a week. That is the value of the business I’ve built. That’s the salary my business pays me. Not money, but time. A traditional approach would see people put that 23 hours back into their business. For my highest financial value tasks, I charge my consulting out at a rate of $300 an hour. That’s just under an extra $7000 a week if I was to trade my free time in for money. But you know what, I’d rather have the extra 1,380 minutes per week than the extra $6,900. Bear in mind that I started my business 19 years ago – and I’m not denying the need for hard work and long hours. But I am denying that that mindset needs to continue just out of habit. Just look at the number of depressed, divorced billionaires. I believe there is a better way. How could your life be changed by switching from ‘dollars-as-currency’ and adopting more of a ‘minutes-as-currency’ mindset? It’s a change that’s worked for me, and something I explore in great depth with the business owners I . If you want to start making this change, I recommend you start by introducing some new KPIs to the metrics you track. Start tracking your hours of work across all work types, and then calculating your TRUE hourly rate. How about also implementing a self-administered ‘quality of life’ scale each month – just as a regular reminder of what’s most important. What get’s measured get managed, and you can’t manage your time without first measuring it. Episode 61 of the podcast is called ‘I tracked every minute of work time for a year. Here’s what I learned.’. , or . I’d recommend you check that one out if you’re interested in how I track my time. And all the way back in episode three, I spoke about ‘Your REAL Hourly Rate: The True Cost of Running a Fitness Business’ ( | ) Those two episodes are a great place to start if you want to switch to a minutes-as-currency mindset. If you’re interested in the philosophy of money, time, work, and life in general, I’ve got one more resource for you. This is an I wrote and released as a , where I break down my general philosophy of how to live a full and good life. In it I attempt to answer questions around: The role of pain and suffering in life. How do I remove them? Should I remove them? How can I balance ambition with contentment? Striving with settling? Journey and destination? How can I balance work, productivity, time and money, to give me a ‘good life’. When I strip back the work I do, who am I? Do I use busyness and work as a distraction from the question of what I actually want to do with my life? What are the elements of a ‘good life’, and how do I get more of them? That episode was published in May of 2025, I hope you check it out ( | ). And I hope you can consider a switch to a ‘minutes-as-currency’ mindset. My life has never been better than since I made that change. Your action steps: Start recording every hour you spend on all business tasks to calculate your true hourly rate. Add new KPIs that track time, such as weekly hours worked and a monthly quality-of-life score. Analyse which tasks or structures reduce your hours without harming profit and adjust your business model accordingly. Resist reinvesting every freed hour into more work; protect and use reclaimed time for life and health. Revisit your definition of success regularly to ensure it aligns with both profit and lifestyle goals.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38380255
info_outline
82: How to turn your website into a lead generating machine
09/16/2025
82: How to turn your website into a lead generating machine
In this episode Dan Williams explores the six essential sections every fitness business website needs and the psychological strategies you should include to convert more leads into paying clients. Let Dan help you build a beautiful, one-page website that generates leads for your business: . 6 things you’ll learn in this episode Why your website should be the centre of your fitness business marketing The six must-have sections that guide visitors towards taking action How to write customer-focused website copy that speaks directly to your audience Psychological principles like scarcity and loss aversion that boost conversions Practical examples of how to apply these strategies to your own fitness website Your action steps: Redesign your website around the six core sections to guide visitors from interest to action. Use customer-centric language that speaks directly to your target audience’s pain points and goals. Add short, clear testimonials and client stories to build trust and social proof. Apply psychological principles like scarcity, loss aversion, and the endowment effect in your calls to action.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38233860
info_outline
Quick thought: Is your work becoming your identity?
09/12/2025
Quick thought: Is your work becoming your identity?
In this 'quick thought' Dan asks us to rethink identity, not as what we do for money, but as how we actually live and spend our time.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38125415
info_outline
81: Listener Question: Help! How can I stop new leads ghosting me!?
09/08/2025
81: Listener Question: Help! How can I stop new leads ghosting me!?
Like a lot of poeple, Ben Luckens from Life's Peachy FIT has a great conversion rate when his leads come in for a trial. But the issue is actually getting them in the door. In this episode, Ben asks Dan about his strategies for less ghosting and more conversions. You'll learn: Why adding friction can actually improve lead quality and boost show-up rates. The surprising response time that multiplies your conversions by nearly four times. How to deliver remarkable client experiences before someone even sets foot in your gym. Five psychological triggers that ethically nudge leads from enquiry to committed member.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/38069135
info_outline
80: How to bring back ex-members to increase revenue
08/19/2025
80: How to bring back ex-members to increase revenue
Dan explains a simple client reactivation system for fitness businesses, show how to track resurrection rate, and share easy steps to win back ex-members. 5 things you’ll learn: How to build a list of ex-clients and calculate a monthly resurrection rate for your fitness business. How to improve offboarding with quick exit interviews that record clear reasons for leaving. How to trigger win-back messages the moment a client’s original blocker is removed. How to use Fresh Start timing and milestone contacts to lift replies and bookings. How to reach past clients with Meta Custom Audience ads and a direct booking link. Transcription: If you’re looking for a new way to grow your business, generate a list of all your previous clients and members. I’ve never seen anyone do this and not be shocked by how long that list is. There’s a huge number of people who, at some point, used your service, but are no longer paying customers. People who once needed you, but who, for some reason, got to the point where they didn’t need you any more. And this list provides an opportunity for reactivation – converting ex-clients back into current clients. And that’s what I want to discuss, a strategy guide to client reactivation. Generally, we spend most of our time on two things, client retention, and lead generation. We build systems and pipelines for lead generation, and we design client journeys to provide valuable experiences to keep people around. But once they leave our business, too many businesses cut them lose, going back to focus on retention and new leads. And sure, these things are important (particularly retention), but reactivation often seems to be forgotten. I want to fix that. But first, there are five things you need to do before even beginning to think about client reactivation. I’ve spoken a lot about these before (and I’ll give you some recommended content if you want to dig deeper), but I’m not going to go into detail, but let me summarise what you need to do BEFORE you start the process of reactivating past clients. 1: Provide a remarkable experience so people don’t leave in the first place. Check out my article ‘’ or listen to . 2: Build a system to alert you of your three clients who are at highest risk of departure each week and add value to them that week. Read my article ‘’ or listen to . 3: Conduct an exit interview with all departing clients, and identify the reason they’re leaving. Keep a table of all the reasons for departure in seperate columns, with the list of all the people who left for that reason under the heading. 4: Identify how long into their client journey each customer is when they leave. Identify the most common time to leave (for example, it might be between four and 6 months, and increase the experience people are receiving for the eight weeks leading up to that point. This will plug your biggest leak. Read: ‘’. 5: Make sure memberships on hold (dormant customers) receive weekly contacts of some kind. Ok, so assuming you’re doing those five things, we can move onto some ideas to help you reactivate your past clients. If you’re not doing those five things, the strategies we’re about to discuss won’t work as well. It’s really common for business owners to bump into ex customers who say to them ‘oh, I’ve been meaning to get back in touch with you guys’. It’s definitely something I’ve experienced. This tells me people are open to working with you again, they just need a bit of a nudge to take that first step. Firstly, what gets measured gets managed. So start measuring what’s called your ‘resurrection rate’. This is the percentage of past clients who you come back to you each month. We calculate this by dividing the number of returning clients in a month by the number of past clients at the start of the month. For example, if you start March with a list of 200 ex members, and during the month of March three of them restart, that’s 3 / 200, or 1.5%. So your resurrection rate is 1.5%. This number will allow you to gauge the success of the reactivation strategies. Ok, so once you’ve started measuring your resurrection rate, we can start the process of increasing it. Client departure: And we begin with the client departure. How can you make this a great experience? People expect a great experience to START their journey with you, but it’ll really blow their mind if the END of their journey is equally remarkable. How you do this is up to you, but the litmus test is whether your departing client tells a friend about how good the departure experience was. That’s the definition of ‘remarkable’ – able to be remarked about. As part of this departure, you need to have some sort of exit interview or survey which will tell you why they left. Removing reasons for departure: And this brings us to the next strategy. Contact your ex clients when their reason for departure has been removed. Remember I spoke about keeping a table of all client departures, with each client listed under their reason for departure? This where you can use that. For example, if you launch online programming, contact all ex clients who left because they were moving away from your gym. If you’re introducing a new, cheaper option, contact all clients who left for financial reasons. If you’ve built a new system to help clients exercise around an injury, let all your clients know who left due to injury. Service updates: Similar to this, you can contact past clients with any announcements about new products or services you’re offering, introducing new staff, announcing changes to the facility, or anything else that indicates a change in how you’re doing business or the experience people can expect from you. If you’re about to launch a service that is limited to a certain number of people, use this scarcity as a tactic to encourage re engagement – maybe you can offer this limited service to ex clients first, giving them 24 hours to register their interest before you open up the opportunity to everyone else. The fresh start theory: With a bit of knowledge of marketing psychology, we can take advantage of what’s called the ‘fresh start theory’. This well research phenomenon tells us that people like to start something new or undergo a big behaviour change on a Monday, the first day of the month or the first day of the year etc. So, make sure you’re timing your communications with them to be just prior to a new week, month or year. For example, you might contact your database of ex clients at the start of the new year saying something like, ‘We know a lot of people are wanted to take back control of their health this year – just wanted to let you know we’re here to help and ready when you are.’ Milestone contacts: You should also be contacting people during milestone moments in their life. Again, we’re not trying to make a hard sell here – or even a soft sell for that matter. You’ll remember I was talking about the number of people who express interest in returning to your business after bumping into you in person. Contacting people during milestone moments in their life just provides a ‘virtual bump’. They should receive a handwritten birthday card in the mail for every birthday. You should make a particular effort when people are approaching a major milestone birthday. People who’ve just turned 29, 39, 49, 59, 69 etc. are more likely to be wanting to get back into exercise. The most common age for people to run their first marathon is 40, with peaks of participation at the start of every new decade of life. Take advantage of this to help them along their milestone journey. You can also contact them on their anniversary of starting with you. Maybe they initially started in the lead up to summer, or when the weather meant they couldn’t get outside to run. Whatever their reason for contacting you at a certain time of year – that reason may reemerge on their anniversary of starting every year. Content Marketing: Staying front of mind is key, and this is where content marketing becomes important. The purpose of content marketing as a general marketing strategy is to position you as an expert to your target client. This becomes doubly important as a reactivation strategy, as a way to remind your previous clients that you’re still there, and available to help solve their problems. As part of your regular content marketing, you should be email everyone in your email network fortnightly with your latest articles, videos, podcast episodes, carousels, infographics, or whatever other medium you choose to use. Past clients should definitely remain a part of this email network. Make sure that a percentage of your content is about topics that are specifically relevant to people who you’re hoping to attract back to your business. Maybe tips about how to restart exercise after a break, how to rebuild a broken exercise habit, or the psychology of loss aversion and the ease with which a person can maintain a baseline level of strength and fitness. Paid Advertising: While paid advertising is commonly used for new cold-lead generation, it’s not often used for internal marketing (for example upselling your current clients), or to attract old clients back in. For example, within Meta, you can create a ‘Custom Audience from a Customer List’. This is where you can have an advert running that is visible only to past clients. You don’t need to re-sell them on your service, or educate them about what you do, because they already know that. Instead, you should have a very strong call to action to make it as clear and simple as possible for them to restart. Because this custom audience list size will be very small, you can achieve a lot of success here from a tiny budget (the minimum Meta will allow). General Engagement: Regularly engaging with your ex clients on social media by commenting on their posts is another great way to stay front-of-mind. Again, this should be 0% sales, and 100% general interest and encouragement. Final thoughts: Ok, some final thoughts that run through all these ideas. Make as many of your communications as possible, as one-on-one and individualised as possible. A personal email is much more likely to be read than an email to a mailing list. And finally, the general feeling of all communications is ‘we’re ready when you are’. You just want to make sure you’re remaining front of mind, so when they’re ready to restart, you’re the first business they think of. A strong reactivation strategy deserves a place right next to retention and lead generation on the podium of business growth strategies. If you’re not prioritising reactivation, it’s time to start. Your action steps: Export every past client into one spreadsheet, add a ‘reason for leaving’ tag, and start tracking your monthly resurrection rate. Set calendar reminders to contact people when their blocker is solved, for example new pricing, online options, or injury support. Schedule Fresh Start messages before Mondays, new months, and the new year, and send birthday and join-anniversary notes. Keep ex-clients on your fortnightly email with ‘restart’ tips, simple plans, and a one-click booking link. Upload the past-client email list to Meta Custom Audiences and run a small-budget ad that sends straight to booking. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one: ‘‘ or listen to . ‘’ or listen to . ‘’ or listen to . ‘’.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37873375
info_outline
79: The one page fitness marketing checklist. Just do these things.
08/06/2025
79: The one page fitness marketing checklist. Just do these things.
In this episode Dan shares the one-page marketing plan he recommends to every fitness business he mentors, focusing on 11 proven marketing areas that consistently drive long-term growth without chasing fads. Four things you’ll learn in this episode: How to simplify your marketing by focusing on 11 essential categories that actually work. How to build systems for storytelling, referrals, and reactivating past members to drive growth. The most effective way to run paid social media ads without wasting money. Why consistent, low-glamour marketing actions outperform chasing trends and short-term tactics. Transcription: I’ve spent 19 years in business searching for the magic bullet of marketing – first for my own businesses, and then for the hundreds of business owners I’ve mentored. And believe me when I tell you I’ve tried everything. Spoiler alert, there is no magic bullet. And the more people search for it, the more they’re distracted from the tried and tested basics of marketing… the things that actually work. There’s an exercise I’ve found myself setting for a lot of the business owners I mentor. I tell them to create a list of non negotiable marketing tasks. A one page marketing manifesto. A list of actions they need to regularly take to ensure they’re covering all bases of marketing. Then, as long as they’re ticking these boxes, I don’t have a problem with them running off chasing the shiny objects and short term trends that they hope will be the next big thing that promises to bring them 30 clients in 30 days. Almost always, this thing will be a waste of time and money, but if they’re incessantly doing the basics, at least they’ll experience the consistent, persistent, regular, steady growth that comes from doing the basics well. So I thought I’d formalise this one page marketing plan, and share it with you guys so that in a world of distractions and broken promises, you’ve got something simple, tried and tested to come back to. Here’s how I’m going to structure this. First, I’ll give you a list of the 11 areas of marketing you need to focus on. Second, I’ll give you a broad description of each, so you know how and why that marketing strategy works, along with a rough overview of what you need to be doing. Third, for each of the 11 areas I’ll give you a very short and succinct, and HIGHLY actionable task list for that area of marketing. I’ll tell you what to do, and how often to do it, with no bullshit. And finally, I’ll summarise each of the 11 areas into a weekly task lists to give you your one page marketing plan. Two big caveats before we kick this off though. Caveat number one: The single best marketing strategy is to be so good they can’t ignore you. Without this, your churn rate will be high, and retention will be low. You can build a solid business with no marketing strategy other than providing a remarkable experience to your clients. By the same token, even if your marketing plan is absolutely world class, you simply won’t be successful if the product and experience you provide isn’t up to scratch. You should combine this with a system to identify clients who are at high risk of departure, and a system to minimise the risk of this departure. Caveat number two: If you don’t know who you’re for, don’t waste your time starting the process of marketing. A marketing strategy needs to begin with an intimate awareness of your avatar – your target customer. You need to create highly detailed documentation of the avatars your business serves. This should include demographics, relationships, dwelling, occupation, education, values, personality, spending habits, content consumption, future goals, and roles in purchasing decisions. For each avatar, you should understand their level of awareness and summarise their pain points clearly. These avatars should guide your decisions about your products, services, and customer experience. Your marketing needs to be purposefully designed to speak directly to them. Ok, with those two disclaimers out of the way, and remembering that a red hot customer experience and an understanding of your avatar need to come first, let’s jump in, we’re going to cover the following categories: Website Documentation and Storytelling Content Marketing Micro-Influencer Marketing Referral Process Email Marketing Customer/Member Reactivation Paid Social Media Advertising Paid Search Engine Advertising Offline Marketing Promotions and Tactics WEBSITE: Your business needs to have a professional, functional website with a strong user experience. It should act as the central hub for both current and potential clients, serving as both a marketing destination and an educational resource. The site needs to be optimised for organic search traffic and include dedicated landing pages with clear, low-friction calls to action for each service. The messaging should focus on who you help and how you help them, not just what you do. It needs to compel visitors to take meaningful action. Actions to take: Build a one page website that has just five sections. A description of who the business is for and how you solve their problems. A brief description of the services offered by your business. Social proof through testimonials and success stories. A call to action. And then, at the top of the page, a maximum 25 word summary of the entire website, so people can learn everything they need to know without scrolling. DOCUMENTATION AND STORYTELLING: You need to consistently document the life of your business on social media through tools like Instagram and Facebook Stories. These should offer potential clients a window into your business and help build a strong, authentic culture. You should regularly share client success stories using a structured narrative (e.g. a five-act story) to highlight their journey. Your business also needs to share real-time, day-to-day content and repurpose short-term content into longer-form storytelling. These posts should feature clients who match your target avatar and clearly show how your business helps them solve their problems. Actions to take: Every week, post one client story to all social media platforms (post to feed, not stories). Use the five act narrative: The Dream, The Obstacle, The Mentor, The Path, The Arrival. Ideally, this will be a video story, but a series of five carousel images with text is also great. Every day, post to ‘social media stories’ (Instagram and Facebook) at least five times. Feature videos and photos of clients who match your target avatar, having a good time, using your business to overcome their problems. With the text on the video/image, either tell a story (using the five act narrative), or teach people something. Tag every client who appears to encourage reposting. CONTENT MARKETING: You need to regularly create and distribute high-quality, valuable content across multiple formats — written, video, image, and audio. This content should be repurposed across several platforms including social media, YouTube, Medium, and LinkedIn. It needs to position you as the go-to expert in your niche and directly solve the problems of your target avatar. Actions to take: Every week, solve the problems of your avatar by posting educational material. Choose one topic each week, and leverage this content into as many different media (article, carousels, video, podcast) and platforms (Your website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Podcast Player etc) as possible. MICRO-INFLUENCER MARKETING: You need to have systems in place that encourage your clients to share their experiences with your business. This content should then be featured through your social media channels, helping build social proof and trust with others who match your avatar. Actions to take: Build a program that rewards clients for sharing their experiences at your business – every post gives an entry into the draw to win a prize worth $200-$300 every two months. Every week, distribute something about this micro-influencer marketing program either through online private members groups, in-house signage/announcements, or face-to-face (e.g. before a group class). Complete everything in the ‘documentation and storytelling’ section. REFERRAL PROCESS: Your business needs a structured and consistent referral process. You should make it easy for clients to refer their friends and provide both incentivised and non-incentivised options. Every client should understand how the referral process works, how to use it, and what their friend’s experience will be. You also need to run ongoing messaging that keeps referrals top of mind. Actions to take: Build a referral reward program where you make a donation to a charity on behalf of your referring client for every referral. Every week, distribute something about this referral reward program either through online private members groups, in-house signage/announcements, or face-to-face (e.g. before a group class). EMAIL MARKETING: Your business needs to maintain a well-organised email database of current, past, and potential clients. You should be sending regular newsletters that focus on solving client problems, not just promoting your services. While some sales messages are fine, most of your communication should add value. You also need to use your email list to create targeted social media audiences for social media retargeting. Actions to take: Send an email every fortnight to all clients, and anyone in your wider network. Include any content marketing you’ve done in the previous fortnight, any client stories, and one mention of both your referral reward program and your micro-influencer incentivisation program. CUSTOMER/MEMBER REACTIVATION: Your business needs a system to track and reconnect with past clients. You should know why they left and be able to reach out with personal, timely, and relevant messages. These reactivation efforts need to be warm, low-pressure, and connected to seasonal or life-stage triggers. Clients should return because they feel remembered and understood. Actions to take: Build a system to alert you of your three clients who are at highest risk of departure each week. Every week, do something to improve the value of the experience you provide to these three high risk clients. PAID SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING: You should complete the latest courses from Meta to learn the up-to-date best practices. Your business needs to run social media ads that match the customer journey. Cold leads should see helpful content, and warm leads should see testimonials or direct calls to action. Use batching. Run short, high-spend campaigns, then pause to review and reset. Ads should blend into the feed, with strong visuals and clear messaging. Target three groups: people likely to be interested, people already familiar with you, and people similar to your best clients. Test, refine, and make decisions based on performance. Ads should support your broader marketing system and move leads to act. Actions to take: Spend five hours doing Meta’s ‘Facebook Blueprint’ courses. Find a way to justify a $500 monthly paid social media advertising budget. Run a social media ad for two weeks with a $500 budget, then run no ad for two weeks. Repeat. PAID SEARCH ENGINE ADVERTISING: You should complete the latest courses from Google to learn the up-to-date best practices. Your business needs to run search ads that appear when people are actively looking for your service. These leads are warm and highly motivated. You need clear messaging that matches what people are searching for and reflects your unique value. Ads should target your local area and link to relevant pages on your site. Your business should test different ads, track conversions, and improve over time. Google Ads should support your wider marketing system by capturing intent-driven leads ready to act. Actions to take: Spend five hours doing Google’s ‘Skillshop’ ads courses. Run Google search ads year-round. OFFLINE MARKETING: Your business needs to be a visible and valued part of the local community. You should show up at events, cafés, sports clubs, and community hubs, proudly representing your brand. You need to form real relationships with local businesses and professionals and support them publicly. When people say, ‘I see you everywhere’, that needs to be true — because consistent community presence builds trust and word-of-mouth. Actions to take: Do three offline things every week to make you and your business famous in the local community. PROMOTIONS AND TACTICS: Your business needs to avoid relying on short-term promotions or reactive marketing tactics. Instead, you should have a proactive, long-term strategy that builds brand value over time. Occasional short-term promotions can be used strategically but must never replace a strong foundation of consistent marketing. Actions to take: Every quarter, promote and run some sort of promotion to get a bulk influx of new clients. Ok, so that’s the overview, and here’s your one page marketing checklist. One-time tasks: Be so good they can’t ignore you. Define your avatar. Build a really good website. Build a program that rewards clients for sharing their experiences at your business. Build a referral reward program. Build a system to alert you of your three clients who are at highest risk of departure each week. Spend five hours doing Meta’s ‘Facebook Blueprint’ courses. Spend five hours doing Google’s ‘Skillshop’ ads courses. Every day: Post to social media ‘stories’ five times. Every week: Post one five-act client story to all social media platforms. Create problem-solving content and post it in as many forms as possible to as many platforms as possible. Distribute one piece of information about your micro-influencer marketing program. Distribute one piece of information about your referral reward program. Every week, do something to improve the value of the experience you provide to your three highest risk (of departure) clients. Do three offline things every week to make you and your business famous in the local community. Every fortnight: Send an email to all clients and your wider network with all the content marketing and storytelling from the previous fortnight, as well as one mention of both your referral reward program and your micro-influencer incentivisation program. Every month: Run a paid Meta Ads campaign for two weeks and at least $500. Every quarter: Promote and run some sort of promotion to get a bulk influx of new clients. Every year: Run an ongoing Google ads campaign. Do these things, and it will be almost impossible for you not to achieve persistent growth. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one:
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37698995
info_outline
78: 3 gym owners share 20 must-read books behind their success
07/30/2025
78: 3 gym owners share 20 must-read books behind their success
Dan spoke with three leading fitness business owners to discuss their top five books for fitness business owners. Jake Morgan, Ben Major and Scott Hook give us their most impactful and business-changing book recommendations. The boys also discuss their reading habits, and why reading (or listening) to books has been instrumental in every level of their success. Add these to your wishlist! Jake Morgan, Habitual Strength and Conditioning. 1. Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara 2. The Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan Heath 3. 10x is Easier than 2x by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy 4. Atomic Habits by James Clear 5. Happier by Tal Ben Shahar Ben Major, PrimeFit: 1. Man Up by Bedros Keuilian 2. The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle 3. Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne 4. The Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan Heath 5. Endless Customers by Marcus Sheridan Scott Hook: VSC 1. Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape 2. Get Different by Mike Michalowicz 3. Cult Status by Tim Duggan 4. Built to Serve by Evan Carmichael 5. Beyond Entreneurship by Jim Collins Dan Williams 1. 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman 2. Company of One by Paul Jarvis 3. Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara 4. Deep Work by Cal Newport 5. Influence by Robert Cialdini
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37604790
info_outline
77: Easily earn $300/hour: This is how I'd rebuild a fitness business from scratch
07/15/2025
77: Easily earn $300/hour: This is how I'd rebuild a fitness business from scratch
In this episode Dan breaks down how he'd build a fitness business from scratch in 2025, including the exact model, setup, pricing, and marketing he’d use if he were starting again. What you'll learn in this episode: Why Dan would start by designing his ideal lifestyle before building the business The overlooked role of community in delivering long-term client results How he would structure semi-private sessions to maximise both coaching quality and social connection The type of space he’d choose to operate from, and why less is more Who he would and wouldn’t work with, and how he’d attract natural referrers Why he’d charge premium rates and how he’d justify the price How he would keep admin, payments, and scheduling simple and low-cost What he’d do differently when it comes to equipment, technology, and gym setup How he’d market the business without spending anything on advertising
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37408255
info_outline
76: How to boost retention by helping your clients build habits that stick
07/08/2025
76: How to boost retention by helping your clients build habits that stick
This is part two of a conversation between Tim Karajas and Dan on the Extension Fitness podcast. Tim and Dan we explore how to improve retention by helping our clients and members build long-term exercise habits within your business. They talk about practical strategies and mindset shifts you can use to turn your customers into life-time exercisers. We work so hard to increase retention rates in our business, but if you’re not building habits in your clients, you’re fighting a losing battle against human psychology. Today, Dan explores how to win that fight. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode Why making exercise laughably easy at the start is essential for building lasting habits. How identity-based motivation increases adherence to exercise and turns actions into lifelong behaviours. Why loss aversion is a powerful psychological driver—and how to use it to help clients stay consistent. How to apply the minimum effective dose to avoid burnout and ensure sustainability over decades. What mindset traits, like growth mindset and life-structure alignment, are common in people who succeed with long-term exercise. Your action steps: Help clients design a starting exercise habit that feels so easy it's impossible to fail. Ask clients to picture their worst possible week and build habits they can still stick to even then. Reinforce identity-based language by helping clients move from “I exercise” to “I am an exerciser.” Use loss aversion by tracking progress and helping clients see what they risk losing by stopping. Check for alignment between a client’s stated values and their calendar—then help them close the gap.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37232745
info_outline
75: How I predict if a fitness business will succeed (do these things!)
07/01/2025
75: How I predict if a fitness business will succeed (do these things!)
Dan was recently interviewed by Tim Karajas on the Extension Fitness podcast. This is part one of a two part conversation between Tim and Dan. Today, you’ll hear Tim ask Dan about whether there are clues he can pick up on when first speaking with a business owner that let him predict whether a fitness business will be successful. Dan talks about the importance of being unique, how to test new ideas quickly, and the importance of designing your business around the life you want to have. Tim finishes by asking Dan to distil what it takes to be successful in business down to three points. 6 things you’ll learn in this episode Why being different is more achievable (and more effective) than being better than your competition. How niching down—sometimes to an extreme—can unlock loyal client bases and long-term business success. What a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is and how to use it to test ideas with minimal risk and effort. Why quitting fast can sometimes be smarter than persisting with the wrong business idea. How Dan reverse-engineered his business to support the lifestyle he wanted as a dad. A simple 3-step framework for building a successful business through value creation, marketing, and value delivery. Your action steps: Define a unique problem your fitness business solves and make that the centre of your offering. Build a minimum viable product that looks complete from the outside but takes minimal time and cost to test. Use feedback and traction (or lack of it) to decide quickly whether to evolve or abandon your business idea. Focus your marketing on making your uniqueness obvious, not just your qualifications or features. Deliver an experience so good that clients can't help but talk about it—make referrals effortless.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37232740
info_outline
74: 9 unique ways to make your business stand out (to get more clients)
06/24/2025
74: 9 unique ways to make your business stand out (to get more clients)
Dan Williams explores nine powerful ways fitness business owners can stand out by being truly different, because in today’s crowded market, being better isn’t enough. For each area of differentiation we’ll look at a well known business case study, and Dan will brainstorm some unique fitness business ideas. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why competing by being ‘better’ traps you in a red ocean, and how to escape it. How to define your unique selling proposition (USP) with one sentence. The nine key areas where your fitness business can stand out from the crowd. Creative, real-world examples of differentiation across gyms, PTs, EPs, yoga and martial arts studios. Why living your USP through repeatable actions is more effective than generic claims. Episode Transcription: The single most important thing that people need to get right when they’re in the early stages of building a successful fitness business is also the most difficult thing. It’s one of the very first things I work on with , and is without a doubt, the thing they struggle with most. This incredibly important, yet incredibly difficult task, is how to make your business different. So today, I want to make it easier for you, by giving you the nine ways you can be unique. I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of businesses either fail, or just as bad, slowly fade away into obscurity while paying their owners a fraction of what they deserve based on the work they put in. It’s hard to be different. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and if everyone was doing it, you wouldn’t be different any more. And yet, if you’re not different, you have no advantage over your competition. Why would people choose your 24 hour gym over the one on another street corner? Why would they choose you as a PT over the ten other options they’ve got in the same gym? Why would they come to your semi private classes, when there are five other businesses offering the same service within 2km of your door? You might have . It’s a topic I often explore when I’m giving live, in person talks and keynotes to business owners, and I recently covered the need to be unignorably different in . If you haven’t listened to that one, I recommend you check it out, because it’s a great accompaniment to this episode. But basically, I spoke about a blue ocean strategy. Most business owners are in a red ocean, where they’re fighting with their competitors to try and be the best. There’s blood in the water – hence the ‘red’ ocean. Everyone looks the same, competes on the same points, and fights to be slightly better. But being ‘good’ isn’t good enough. The goal isn’t to be ten times better than your competitors, it’s to step out of the fight completely. The goal is to be different. To build something so unique, and so remarkable, that you create your own blue ocean, a space with no competition. In that episode, I gave two action steps. The first is to define your USP – your unique selling proposition, and the second was to make of list of the actions you take in your business to make that USP true. To define your USP, the exercise is simple. Complete this sentence. ‘The thing that we do that is different from everyone else is…’. But as I’ve said, finding the thing that makes you different is really hard. When I ask people what makes them different, I’m met with boringly predictable answers. Boutique gyms tell me they have the best community. Personal Trainers tell me they’re empathetic, offer an individualised approach and meet people where they are. Again and again, I hear words and phrases like ‘individualised care’, ‘going the extra mile’, ‘building relationships’, ‘a science-based approach’, ‘world class programming’, ‘professional coaches’, ‘a non intimidating environment’, ‘amazing communication’, and the list goes on and on. But this is what everyone is saying, so it’s not different. It’s brainstorming your unique selling proposition that is the challenging part. Working out what it is that makes you stand alone. And in that previous episode about being unignorably different I teased at nine different areas you could be different in. They were: Your target market, price point or revenue model. The problem you solve, the tools you use to solve that problem. Your location, the experience you provide, your area of specialisation, your use of technology, or your support of a cause. People told me these were a great starting point, but that they were still struggling. So I thought now we could go a bit deeper, and have a look at some case studies of these nine areas. I wanted to get your creative juices flowing by looking at some very well known global brands that are a great example of each of the nine areas of differentiation. Then, after each case study, I’ll give you a couple of examples of how I might use that area of differentiation for a few different types of fitness business. Some of the ideas I’ve come up with are pretty out there – but that’s the whole point. Unique Target Market: Let’s start with a unique target market, where you stand out by choosing a specific group of people to serve. A good example is Barbie by Mattel, which stands out because of who they chose to serve. While most toy brands try to appeal to kids broadly, Barbie focused deeply on young girls’ aspirations and identity play, and more recently, expanded that target market to adult collectors, feminists, and even critics. Mattel’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… we sell dolls that reflect cultural identity and ambition.’ In the fitness and health industry some examples might be Personal Trainer: Coaches only postnatal mums with twins, offering dual-pram-friendly outdoor sessions. Martial Arts: Teaches self-defence exclusively to FIFO women in remote Western Australia. Pilates/Yoga: Runs men’s-only yoga retreats for FIFO workers with stress and sleep challenges. Unique Price Point or Revenue Model: Our second potential area of differentiation is a unique price point or revenue model where you stand out by charging or earning money in a different way. One company that took a different approach to how it makes money is Spotify. Where most music platforms sold tracks or albums, Spotify used a freemium model, offering unlimited music streaming for free, monetised by ads, with optional upgrades to premium. Spotify’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… free music access, anytime, anywhere, on any device.’ Fitness examples could be: Group Fitness Gym: Pay-as-you-go model, no memberships, priced per visit with tap-and-go access. Exercise Physiologist: Subscription model includes unlimited consults, plus remote health tracking via app. Online Coach: Offers $5 weekly challenges with leaderboard prizes, instead of long-term coaching packages. Unique Problem: Let’s move on to the next area of difference – the problem you solve, where you stand out by helping people fix a problem others ignore. During the pandemic, the video call platform Zoom took a different route by solving a problem others overlooked. While competitors focused on corporate-grade video conferencing, Zoom simplified remote connection for everyday people, solving the problem of ‘video calling that just works.’ Zoom’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… make video meetings effortless for anyone, anywhere.’ I came up with three examples of this for the fitness industry. Pilates/Yoga: Focuses only on helping women with endometriosis manage pain through movement. Online Coach: Solves the “I hate exercise” problem with gamified home workouts requiring zero equipment. Martial Arts: Designed specifically to help neurodivergent teens improve focus and emotional regulation. Unique Tools: Our next area is the set of tools you use to solve a problem. This is where you can stand out by using unique tools or methods to help your clients. Tesla shows what it looks like to solve a problem using entirely different tools. Instead of relying on existing automotive supply chains, Tesla vertically integrated everything from battery production to software, using proprietary tools to change how cars are built and upgraded. Tesla’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… we build cars like software, not hardware.’ In fitness: Exercise Physiologist: Uses AI gait analysis to assess and optimise walking patterns for injury rehab. Group Fitness Gym: All programming built using heart rate zone tracking via wrist sensors. Semi Private Coaching: Coaches use VR visualisation tools to teach Olympic lifting mechanics. Unique Location: The next way you can make your business different is through a unique location – being based somewhere unexpected or delivering your service in a creative place. The Burning Man festival is a great example. Few brands have made location part of their identity the way Burning Man has. Held in the middle of a Nevada desert, its remote location is not a limitation, but a feature, enabling an environment where radical creativity and community are pushed to the extreme. Burning Man’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… create a city in the desert that disappears.’ If we apply that to the world of fitness: Martial Arts: A dojo on a restored train carriage in rural WA. Personal Trainer: Offers mobile training from a fully kitted-out fitness van that parks at beaches. Pilates/Yoga: Hosts sunrise sessions on remote clifftops only accessible by kayak. Unique Experience: Our next area of differentiation is one of my personal favourites – the experience you provide. You stand out by making the experience feel special or different. When it comes to creating an unforgettable experience, Disneyland takes a different path. They don’t just sell theme park rides, they sell immersion in a magical world where every detail, from trash cans to character actors, is part of the show. Disneyland’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… turn fantasy into reality, every step of your visit.’ In fitness, this might look like: Semi Private Coaching: Every session ends with a cold towel, smoothie, and gratitude journalling. Group Fitness Gym: Gym with themed workouts: ‘80s dance, jungle survival or a natural disaster scenario. Online Coach: Coaching via voice notes only. Unique Specialisation: The next way we can be unique is by having an area of specialisation, standing out by focusing deeply on one specific skill or type of client. The online design software, Canva, does this really well. They offer a great example of what it means to specialise in a specific user. While design software giants catered to professionals, Canva specialised in democratising design for beginners, helping people with no background in design to make beautiful graphics quickly. Canva’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… design tools for people who aren’t designers.’ If we transfer this across to our industry: Exercise Physiologist: Works exclusively with kids with cerebral palsy in regional communities. Pilates/Yoga: Specialises in strength-based reformer Pilates for ex-powerlifters and strongmen. Personal Trainer: Coaches amateur golfers on building rotational power and injury-proofing their swing. Unique Technology: Our next potential source of difference is the use of technology. You can stand out by using technology in a smart or surprising way. Let’s look at Uber, who carved out a unique space through the way they use technology. They didn’t own cars or employ drivers, they used tech to connect people in real time, fundamentally changing how we think about transportation logistics. Uber’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… turn your phone into your driver.’ There are a few ideas for how we can use tech in the health industry: Online Coach: Uses AI to auto-adjust workouts daily based on Apple Watch recovery data. Group Fitness Gym: Gym built around live hologram coaches delivering sessions globally. Exercise Physiologist: Remote consults conducted via interactive 3D body scans and motion capture. Unique Cause: Our final area of differentiation is the support of a cause, using your business to support something bigger than fitness. Let’s look at the Aussie company, ‘Thankyou’, a great example of purpose-led business or what’s called a ‘social enterprise’. They don’t just sell consumer products, every product funds life-changing projects in developing countries, and their entire business is structured around giving. Thankyou’s USP might be: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is… sell products to end global poverty.’ Here are some fitness examples. Pilates/Yoga: Every membership funds trauma-sensitive yoga programs in domestic violence shelters. Martial Arts: Profits go toward providing free training for refugee kids to build confidence. Semi Private Coaching: Partners with Indigenous health orgs—every 10 sessions funds one rural health check. Hopefully some of these ideas get your creative juices flowing. I don’t have all the answers for you, and only you can find out what makes your business unique, but I hope this deep dive will help you in this journey into the blue ocean. But what I do know is that business is hard. And if you’re trying to just be better than everyone else, you’re making it even harder. You either need to be different, or you need to be ten times better. And it’s easier to be different than it is to be ten times better. Maybe not at first, but once you’ve got your point of difference, once you’ve got your USP, there’s a much higher chance of your business becoming a runaway success. Your action steps: Choose one of the nine areas of differentiation and brainstorm how your business can apply it in a bold, specific way. Write out your USP by completing the sentence: ‘The thing we do that is different from everyone else is…’ Create a list of 20 consistent actions that prove your USP is real and not just a marketing slogan. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one:
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37129655
info_outline
73: Multiple income streams: 9 owners share how they did it.
06/17/2025
73: Multiple income streams: 9 owners share how they did it.
In this episode, Dan explores how successful fitness professionals are building multiple income streams. He covers real-world examples, lessons from failed ideas, and a repeatable framework to help you test your own. Dan is joined by Bodie Webster from Intent Strength and Fitness, Jake Morgan from Habitual Strength and Conditioning, Aidan Dawson from CrossFit Access, Lucia Tennant from Formotion Physio, Scott Hook from Vasse Strength and Conditioning, John Quinn - an online course creator, Jade Webb from Sixty7Six Strength and Conditioning, Rob Dicey from the Chasing Better Group and Ben Luckens from Life’s Peachy Fit. 9 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why building extra income streams early in your career is crucial for long-term success. How to test ideas quickly using a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach without risking time or capital. A simple way to rank ideas based on effort vs. return using a 2x2 matrix. The most common mistake fitness professionals make when adding a new revenue stream. How to avoid cannibalising your core business when launching something new. Real examples of income streams fitness professionals are using, like retreats, apparel, online coaching, retail, and courses. The benefits of 'psychic income' and why non-financial returns also matter. Why personal connections often outperform paid ads when growing a new venture. How to use Google’s '20% time' concept to build new streams without hurting your main business. Your action steps: Start a list of all the income stream ideas you’ve had and add to it every week. Choose one idea that excites you and solves a real problem your clients have. Build an MVP in under six hours - no polish, just enough to test if it works. Allocate a weekly time block to your MVP project and protect it from distractions. Use early feedback to double down on what works, or cross it off and move on.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/37037020
info_outline
72: He teaches me how to make gym videos people actually watch and share
06/10/2025
72: He teaches me how to make gym videos people actually watch and share
Today we’re talking about how to create better videos for your fitness business. In the first half of the episode, you’ll hear Dan talking to professional videographer, Bruce Garrod from Gingerbeard Media. This was part of a webinar he ran for the business owners he mentors. Bruce teaches us how to create better video content with our phones. He covers the fundamentals of filming, lighting, audio, framing, composition, camera techniques, editing tips and the tech needed to get the most out of your phone. Then, in the second half of this episode, Bruce analyses your Instagram feed, as well as those of other fitness business owners and shares his advice for how to improve them.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/36933105
info_outline
How to live a full and good life
05/26/2025
How to live a full and good life
Here's something very different from my usual stuff. Here’s something I wrote for myself to help me ‘work out life’. It helped me. Maybe it can help you too. I cover: The role of pain and suffering in life. How do I remove them? Should I remove them? How can I balance ambition with contentment? Striving with settling? Journey and destination? How can I balance work, productivity, time and money, to give me a ‘good life’. When I strip back the work I do, who am I? Do I use busyness and work as a distraction from the question of what I actually want to do with my life? What are the elements of a ‘good life’, and how do I get more of them?
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/36723605
info_outline
71: How this Exercise Physiologist doubled her Medicare conversion rate
05/11/2025
71: How this Exercise Physiologist doubled her Medicare conversion rate
In this episode, I explore how Jesse from Bloom Allied Health consistently converts short-term trial clients into loyal, long-term customers, sharing her proven strategies to double client conversion rates. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: - How Jesse consistently converts 30–50% of trial sessions into long-term paying clients—double the industry average. - Three practical strategies to effectively turn short-term or trial clients into committed, long-term customers. - Why shifting your client’s motivation from external referrals to internal goals dramatically boosts retention. - The importance of offering flexible, affordable entry points to build client commitment without compromising premium services. - How Jesse built an award-nominated business while balancing motherhood, lecturing, and research commitments. Your action steps: - Set clear expectations from day one that short-term sessions are just the beginning of a long-term journey. - Ask deeper questions to uncover your client's real, personal motivations for engaging with your service. - Provide financially accessible options that allow clients to remain involved beyond their initial sessions. - Use future-focused language consistently to shift your client’s perspective toward ongoing commitment. - Automate and systemise key business processes now to create freedom and flexibility in your future. Listen now on The Business of Fitness Podcast: podfollow.com/the-business-of-fitness-podcast
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/36291695
info_outline
70: A two year waiting list - how this Exercise Pro did it.
05/08/2025
70: A two year waiting list - how this Exercise Pro did it.
In this episode, I explore how Grant Hancock built a thriving fitness business with a 167-person waiting list by uniquely positioning his services, overcoming burnout, and balancing growth with life priorities. 5 things you’ll learn: - How Grant created overwhelming demand in a regional location with minimal competition. - The hidden downsides of rapid business growth—and how to handle them. - Practical strategies to use scarcity ethically in your business to boost demand. - How Grant transitioned from burnout to a balanced business model that supports his lifestyle. - The power of defining a niche to become a market leader, even in competitive industries. Your action steps: - Clearly define your ideal client and position your services uniquely to meet their needs. - Regularly assess your pricing and adjust based on market demand rather than guilt or undervaluing your services. - Implement a waiting list management system that regularly engages your audience through valuable content. - Focus on building your business to fit your ideal lifestyle rather than letting growth control your personal time. - Prioritise your wellbeing by creating non-negotiable boundaries around work hours and personal activities. Listen now on The Business of Fitness Podcast: podfollow.com/the-business-of-fitness-podcast
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/36291685
info_outline
69: Delivering an Experience: The Strategy of 'Being Different'
04/29/2025
69: Delivering an Experience: The Strategy of 'Being Different'
Exercise Professionals shouldn't sell 'exercise' or even 'results'. To create positive, long term change, they need to deliver an EXPERIENCE. In this episode, Dan explains why the best business strategy is to be DIFFERENT, not better. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why trying to be better isn't enough—and how being different creates your own category. How to write a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that actually makes you stand out. Why common claims like “personalised care” are no longer differentiators, but expectations. How to prove your USP with 20 repeatable actions that back up your claims. How to create micro and macro client journeys that make even mundane moments memorable. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular podcast episodes on topics similar to this one:
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/36241345
info_outline
68: Your missing marketing strategy. The power of storytelling.
04/16/2025
68: Your missing marketing strategy. The power of storytelling.
Stories are the most powerful marketing tool we have for sharing ideas and experiences. In this episode, Dan shares the content from a presentation he's giving at the Exercise and Sports Science Australia National Conference in Hobart. He'll teach you how to craft and share stories to benefit your business, your career and the impact you have on the world. 5 things you’ll learn: Why stories outperform facts in driving behaviour change and building trust with potential clients. The evolutionary reason storytelling is hardwired into human communication—and why it still works. A five-act storytelling formula used by top-grossing films and how it applies to fitness business marketing. Why your clients should be the heroes of your content, not you or your business. Practical ways to tell stories across social media, Google reviews, video, memes, and more. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one:
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/36183955
info_outline
67: 6 steps to a multiple income stream side hustle
04/01/2025
67: 6 steps to a multiple income stream side hustle
In this episode Dan unpacks the six-step system he uses (and recommend to fitness business owners) for launching a successful fitness side hustle – from identifying real problems to testing and scaling the idea. This is based on the process we follow in the . 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: Why starting with a problem, rather than an idea, is the key to building a viable fitness side hustle. How to generate and filter multiple business ideas using your avatar’s real pain points. The frameworks I use to evaluate and prioritise ideas with low risk and high reward. What a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) actually looks like in the fitness industry – and why you should never build before testing. How to assess whether your side hustle is scalable, sustainable, and worth growing. Resources mentioned: The four Es. A framework to build fitness businesses. | 9 ways to pivot your fitness business to earn more. | 10 ways to ensure your side hustle idea will make $50k. | A strategy guide to generating multiple income streams for Fitness Professionals.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/35955195
info_outline
66: How she grew her business by being locally famous (strategies)
03/24/2025
66: How she grew her business by being locally famous (strategies)
Dan sits down with Renee Cabassi, who gets 80% of her new clients and members by being 'locally famous'. Renee walks us through the actual steps she took to make her fitness business widely known and talked about in her local community. This episode is extremely practical, and offers up clear and immediately actionable steps you can go out and take starting tomorrow. If you want to create local buzz around your business, this is the place to start. Renee offers up this actionable take-away you can implement immediately: 'Put on your branded shirt, go to a local café, buy a meal or coffee, post a photo or video online tagging the business, leave them a positive review, and genuinely engage in your community.' Here's a summary of the key strategies Renee and Dan discuss: Offline Profile Building Strategies: Tell people what you do Strike up conversations at parks, playgrounds, sports training, etc. Don’t hide what you do; be friendly and approachable, not salesy. Network with Local Businesses and Health Providers Connect and regularly meet with local healthcare providers (physios, acupuncturists, nutritionists, coaches, etc.). Actively share and tag them on social media; promote each other. List these trusted advisors or partners publicly (website, social media). Support Local Businesses Regularly visit local cafes, businesses, and actively promote them online. Tag local businesses on your social media. Host events or meetups at local businesses. Attend and Engage with Local Community Events Participate in council events, community gatherings, markets, fairs, etc. Share and promote these community events online. Use Car Magnets for Branding Place branded magnets on your car; strategically park where your target audience will see them. Increase local visibility through regular presence. Wear and Gift Branded Clothing Create appealing branded clothing that clients proudly wear. Gift branded clothing to local business owners and community members. Consider meaningful branding (e.g., core values printed on clothing). Donate or Sponsor Local Events and Fundraisers Provide prizes or vouchers for local fundraisers, school P&C raffles, quiz nights, sports clubs, etc. Offer free training sessions or events for local clubs (e.g., youth sports clubs, netball clubs). Volunteer and Get Actively Involved in Your Community Volunteer for local groups or committees unrelated to your core business. Show genuine care for local issues; build authentic community connections. Use Studio or Facility Signage Ensure clear signage if you have your own space. Leverage visibility even if in a shared/community space (car magnets if signage is limited). Distribute Flyers and Posters (Strategically) Place posters and flyers strategically at locations your target audience frequently visits. Give Talks or Workshops at Relevant Local Groups Offer free educational talks or workshops to mother's groups, daycares, community groups. Enter Local Awards and Recognition Nominate yourself or your business for local business awards, community awards, or similar recognitions. Online Profile Building Strategies: Build a Strong and Clear Digital Presence Maintain a clear, consistent presence online (website, social profiles). Ensure it’s immediately clear who you are, who you serve, and your USP. Create Valuable, Authentic Content Consistently create content aligned to your niche. Focus on authentic, relatable, observational humour, or real-life struggles relevant to your audience. Engage in Community Facebook Groups Be an active, helpful, genuine contributor in local community groups. Rarely, if ever, directly promote your business; instead, participate as a community member. Leverage Client Testimonials and Word-of-Mouth on Social Media Encourage clients to mention you in online groups when relevant conversations occur. Actively thank or acknowledge these recommendations publicly. Create Facebook Events When hosting events or fundraisers, create Facebook events and encourage clients to share. Have a Cheerleader Group (Micro-influencers) Set up a group (e.g., Messenger or WhatsApp) of loyal clients who can promote and share key posts. Sparingly use them to amplify important social media content. Create Locally Relevant Guides or Articles Write articles or guides (e.g., “Pram-Friendly Walks in Bayswater,” “Family-Friendly Bushwalks”). Share these resources widely online, tagging councils and local groups. Regularly Perform the “Google Test” Regularly Google yourself and your business to ensure your online presence aligns with your desired personal and business brand. Make sure top results reflect positively, demonstrating active community involvement, quality content, and clear branding. If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one: Episode 55: The 19 ways to get more gym clients ( | ). Episode 54: How his referral network earns him $3000 a week (). Episode 45: A gym advertising guide for every budget: ( | ). Episode 41: 13 Habits of Highly Successful Business Owners: ().
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/35815605
info_outline
65: Hyrox: Answer these 6 questions before adding it to your gym.
03/04/2025
65: Hyrox: Answer these 6 questions before adding it to your gym.
In this episode I explore whether gym owners should add Hyrox training to their fitness business, by unpacking six key questions to help decide if it’s the right strategic fit. 6 things you’ll learn in this episode How to assess whether Hyrox actually solves a meaningful problem for your specific target market. Why understanding your gym’s USP is critical before adding new programs like Hyrox. How offering too many services can dilute your positioning and weaken your brand. The importance of being either 10 times better or meaningfully different when competing in crowded fitness trends. How to spot hidden opportunities by zigging when other gyms are zagging. The risks of aligning your gym’s brand with external brands like Hyrox, and how that can impact your reputation long-term. TRANSCRIPTION: Gym owners are always looking for the next big thing. That thing that can add a couple of zeros to the bottom line of their bank statements. So when Hyrox came along, a lot of gym owners saw dollar signs. Here was a global fitness movement that has captured the attention of both recreational exercisers and pro athletes. If you’ve been living under a rock, Hyrox is basically a cross between a fun run for people who get bored easily, an obstacle course race for people who don’t like getting mud in their hair, and a CrossFit competition for people who can’t walk on their hands. This is a movement that is expected to reach almost 500,000 participants this year, across 85 events in 26 countries. There are around 5,000 affiliated gyms worldwide. For gym owners, the barrier to entry is really low. Most, if not all gyms already have all the equipment needed to offer their clients and members the Hyrox experience. The initial financial outlay is virtually non existent. But here’s an interesting observation. If you look at a map of Hyrox Gyms, a lot of the 5,000 gyms listed as offering Hyrox are actually CrossFit Gyms, F45s, or other existing ‘functional fitness’ businesses. With astronomical growth numbers, and this low barrier to entry, it almost seems like a no-brainer that you should consider adding Hyrox training to your service offerings. But there’s a pattern that repeats time and time again in businesses that are easy to start. Because people don’t have to work hard or invest heavily to set them up, and because the hurdles to clear are so low, there’s very little filtering. There’s nothing to keep out and protect the people who maybe aren’t cut out to run a business like that. And that means everyone gets to play. And things start to get pretty crowded. It’s like the PT industry. It’s getting easier and easier to become a qualified PT. And the rates of people leaving the industry are getting higher and higher. I’ve spoken about ways to pivot your fitness business before, in episode 48 of The Business of Fitness Podcast, (). So it got me thinking, is there a filter we can apply to Hyrox to help you decide whether it’s a smart business move for you? So before jumping aboard the Hyrox train, there are the six questions you should be able to answer ‘yes’ to. Let’s run through them and unpack each one. Question 1: Does Hyrox solve a problem your avatar has better than the solution you’re already providing? Every single successful business on earth solves a problem. Coca Cola solves thirst. Disney solves boredom. Amazon solves lack of time to shop. And each of these businesses has a very clearly defined avatar who they solve this problem for. And your business should too. Without thinking about it, you should be able to clearly and easily complete the sentence ‘My business helps [type of person you help] to [problem you solve]. For example. My business helps over 60s build stronger bones. My business helps isolated mums build healthy social connections. My business helps skinny blokes build bigger muscles. If you can’t complete this sentence for your business, you’ve got a bigger problem than whether or not to introduce Hyrox. Start by working out who you’re for and how you help them. The type of person you target is called your avatar, and how you solve their problem is called your value proposition. But let’s say you can complete the sentence. You know who you’re for, and the problem you solve for them. And this brings us back to the first question you need to be able to answer ‘yes’ to, ‘does Hyrox solve a problem your avatar has better than the solution you’re already providing?’. Dumping your current avatar and disregarding their needs isn’t a smart business move. It’s like McDonalds deciding to stop selling burgers to their loyal clientele of convenience-chasing Big Mac lovers, and instead switching to pizza. Their customers simply don’t want pizza. It doesn’t solve their problem. You shouldn’t switch to Hyrox because it’s trending, you should switch because it’s a better solution to the problems of the type of people you’ve decided to help. If your avatar are competitive people who like to have something to train for and love doing cardio, and you feel like Hyrox does a better job of providing this than whatever you’re currently doing for them, then yes, adding Hyrox to your gym might be a good idea. If this isn’t your avatar, or you feel like the unique experience you provide is better for your people than what Hyrox offers, maybe question making the switch. Question 2: Does it strengthen your USP? One of the very first things I work on with the fitness business owners I is establishing their USP – their unique selling proposition. This is the thing that their fitness business does that is different from everyone else. In a cookie cutter, copycat world of gyms that seem to be dodgy photocopies of one another, being different can be the biggest advantage you have. When establishing a USP – the thing that’s unique about your business, there are two paths we can take. We can work out what you do better than everyone else, or we can work out what you do that’s different to everyone else. It’s easier to be different than better, so that’s what I focus on. You should be able to complete this sentence for your business: ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is…’ For example the environmentally conscious clothing brand, Patagonia might say, ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is we build outdoor gear that supports environmental activism, not just adventure’. Tesla might say ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is we make electric cars desirable by combining high performance, innovative tech, and sustainability’. And Ikea might say, ‘The thing we do that is different to everyone else is we make stylish home furniture affordable through flat-pack design and self-assembly’. Once I’ve helped a business establish their USP, I then ask them to list 20 things they do (or things they need to start doing) that make that USP true. I need to be able to read that list and think ‘Wow, yes, this business truly is unique, and they back that up through the daily actions they take’. If Patagonia, the environmentally conscious clothing brand, were to list 20 points that support their USP, they might include things like: We donate 1% of sales to environmental causes. We actively encourage customers to buy less through campaigns like Don’t Buy This Jacket. We run the Worn Wear program, which buys back used Patagonia gear for resale. We run a self-imposed Earth tax to fund environmental initiatives. We publicly share our supply chain information for full transparency. You can see that each of these points adds evidence to their USP being true, that they really are the best at building outdoor gear that supports environmental activism, not just adventure. So my question for you is, would adding Hyrox training to your gym support your USP or detract from it. If your USP is something along the lines of ‘we support recreational athletes in their preparation for community-based physical challenges’, then the answer is yes – Hyrox would support your USP. If your USP is more focussed around creating a friendly, inclusive, non-intimidating environment, then perhaps the addition of Hyrox isn’t in your best business interests. Question 3: Does it dilute the services you’re already offering? Picture this. Your walk into gym as a potential client of that gym. Your goal is to get strong. As you walk through the door, you’re greeted by a series of posters proudly displaying the bios of the Personal Trainers at that gym. Below a cringe quote that says something like ‘true growth happens outside your comfort zone’, there’s a list of the areas of expertise for each PT. Remember, your goal is to get strong. Under ‘areas of expertise’ the first bio you look at lists weight loss, sports specific conditioning, injury rehab, pre and post natal training, toning, hypertrophy, pilates, boxing, weight loss and strength training. Under ‘areas of expertise’, the next bio simply says, ‘strength training’. If you want to get strong, who do you choose? You choose the trainer who specialises in strength training… and only strength training. This is called goal dilution. It’s a psychological phenomenon that basically tells us that the more things we claim to be good at, the less people perceive us to be good in each of those things. Now, if the services you’re offering in your business are focussed around improving cardiorespiratory conditioning, the addition of Hyrox may add to that goal. If you’re F45 or a high intensity interval training centre – the goals might be supported. But if that’s not what you’re famous for, addition Hyrox might only act to create a goal dilation, which can lead to your marketing dropping the perception of the value your can provide. Question 4: Can you do a better job of offering Hyrox than anyone else OR can you offer Hyrox differently to everyone else? In 2005, the book ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ was published. It talks about two different ‘oceans’ your business can operate in. The red ocean is one where everyone is competing to be the best. You’re all doing pretty much the same thing, with everyone trying to be better than everyone else. There’s so much fighting going on that there’s blood in the water – the red ocean. The blue ocean is an ocean that only you are in. You’re not spending your time trying to be better – instead, you’re trying to be different. If you’re different to everyone else, there is no competition. To succeed in a red ocean, you need to be ten times better than everyone else. To succeed in a blue ocean, you just need to be different. And it’s easier to be different than it is to be ten times better. And this brings us to the question. ‘Can you do a better job of offering Hyrox than anyone else OR can you offer Hyrox differently to everyone else?’. Let’s break this question into two parts: Part one: ‘Can you do a better job of offering Hyrox than anyone else?’ This one is really tough, because to do this you’re in a red ocean – fighting with everyone else to be the best. And it’s really hard to be the best when there’s a lot of competition. I wouldn’t recommend introducing Hyrox because you can do a ten times better job than everyone else. It’s unlikely. Part two of this question, ‘Can you offer Hyrox differently to everyone else?’. Ok, this one has more potential. If you can find a unique twist on Hyrox, you might just be on to something. Maybe you target a certain demographic, like masters or teens, maybe you treat training as a periodised ‘season’ rather than just ongoing classes, maybe you offer a high-tech, sports science, data driven approach. Whatever you choose, you need to either be ten times better, or different. If you can’t be one of those things, Hyrox may not be worth the inclusion. Question 5: Is there a hidden opportunity to go in a completely different direction? One of the best pieces of business advice I’ve ever heard is to ‘zig while everyone else is zagging’. If everyone is moving in the direction of Hyrox, maybe there’s a hidden opportunity to go in a completely different direction. Maybe you surrender in the battle to be the best Hyrox gym and stop trying to chase the highly competitive type A market of Hyrox participants. Maybe you go in the opposite direction and zig while everyone else is zagging. This might look like anything from a boutique studio focussing on breath guided work, mindfulness, and movement flows, right through to an intuitive-based strength training gym, that focuses on tempo training and movement exploration. Where Hyrox is competitive, intense, measurable, time-based and standardised, your alternate path could be non-competitive, gentle, unmeasured, intuitive and personal. If you’re interest in some of the other ideas I’ve had for fitness models that are a little out of the ordinary, check out (or ). Question 6: Are you confident Hyrox won’t dilute your brand? Your business’s brand is one of the most precious things you can own. I don’t mean your logo or your website. I mean everything your brand stand for. The culture, the experience you offer, how people feel when they think about you. Brand is something you should protect with your life. Your brand is yours and yours alone – it’s something you have built and nurtured to be exactly what you want it to be. You have complete control over your brand. It’s deeply personal. The risk in aligning yourself with an external brand like Hyrox (or CrossFit for example) is that you take on some of their brand – the bad as well as the good. You’re handing over creative control. Look at what happened to CrossFit in 2020. The founder and CEO, Greg Glassman, posted a racially insensitive tweet. This is widely accepted as a turning point for CrossFit where its growth trajectory slowed. The public lost trust with the brand, and thousands of CrossFit licences had their brands damaged by association. You need to decide if you align with the values of Hyrox’s leadership and company brand, and are willing to accept any negative blow back that might occur in the future, or whether you’d prefer to be the master of your own destiny. Look, I’m not anti-Hyrox in any way. I’m not ‘anti’ and fitness movement. I think anything that gets one more person exercising that otherwise would be is a net win. But I am contrarian. To repeat a line I’ve already used, I like to ‘zig’ when everyone else is ‘zagging’. I covered a similar topic in . And I know how hard it is to run a successful fitness business. So I wanted to play the Devil’s Advocate, and at least encourage people to question their choice to go down the Hyrox path, and examine the option from all sides. Ask yourself these six questions. Does Hyrox solve a problem your avatar has better than the solution you’re already providing? Does it strengthen your USP? Does it dilute the services you’re already offering? Can you do a better job of offering Hyrox than anyone else OR can you offer Hyrox differently to everyone else? Is there a hidden opportunity to go in a completely different direction? Are you confident Hyrox won’t dilute your brand? If you answered ‘yes’ to all of them, Hyrox might just be an excellent business decision for you. If you answered ‘no’, it might be worth digging a little deeper before taking the plunge. Your action steps: Review your business’s core avatar and value proposition to determine if Hyrox training directly solves a top priority problem for them. Clarify your gym’s USP and evaluate whether adding Hyrox strengthens or dilutes that unique positioning. Audit your current service offerings to ensure adding Hyrox won’t create goal dilution or confuse your ideal clients. Brainstorm ways you could offer Hyrox training differently to stand out, rather than just competing to be the best. Consider alternative services or training models that could appeal to underserved segments instead of following the Hyrox crowd. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one: Episode 63: 10 ways to ensure your side hustle idea will make $50k: | . Episode 48: 9 ways to pivot your fitness business to earn more: | . Episode 42: Saunas/Icebaths: A Money Maker for Gyms? | . Episode 38: 8 crazy fitness business models you haven’t considered. | .
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/35522900
info_outline
64: We Asked 8 Experts: Is ChatGPT now better at programming than you are?
02/25/2025
64: We Asked 8 Experts: Is ChatGPT now better at programming than you are?
Summary: In this episode I ask eight experts to rate the quality of ChatGPT generated training programs. I explore how AI-driven programming frees up hours for PTs by automating routines, preserving personal style, and allowing you to shift your focus to empathy and human connection. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode How to use ChatGPT prompts to create programs for a wide range of fitness goals. Ways to systemise programming to make your work more time efficient. How you can balance AI collaboration with your personal coaching voice. Techniques to preserve your unique style and ensure the highest quality of programs for your clients. The importance of human connection and soft skills in an AI-driven programming future. TRANSCRIPTION: One of the biggest uses of time for a PT, gym owner or online coach is programming. The problem is, all the hours we spend programming doesn’t actually get us anywhere. It doesn’t move our business forward. I’m not saying it’s not important – because it really is. I’m saying that this type of work would be classified as working ‘in’ your business. It’s something you need to do as a bare minimum to keep your head above water. Like replying to emails or invoicing, it’s a non negotiable to be able to serve your clients and members. And because it’s a non negotiable, it’s not something you can eliminate from your monthly task list. For a . So many of the spend WAY too much time on programming. One of my recommendations that came out of this was around what we should aim to do with the time where we’re doing unbillable hours, working in the business. Programming fits in this category. In of the podcast, I said: ‘For this use of time, we want to build systems to automate the tasks in this category as much as possible. There is no direct financial return for the hours we spend working in the business, so we obviously want to turn the dial down here. The asterisk on this is that no one should be able to tell we’re spending less time on admin. The whole point of systemisation is to be able to automate processes so they are still done as well as, or actually probably better than they would be if you were grinding through each individual step yourself.’ So how do we do that for programming? I wondered, can we use an AI agent like ChatGPT to create programs that are even better than what we could do ourselves – without losing our unique programming style and philosophies, and the personal voice that only we can bring to programming? I’ve done , but now I want to focus on programming. I spoke with eight of Australia’s leading health and fitness professionals – each an expert in their field, to get their opinion on the quality of AI generated exercise programs. Now before you disregard using AI to help write exercise programs, let me make one very important point around using AI for programming (or using AI for anything really). It’s the concept of ‘garbage in, garbage out’. This is a computer science phrase that basically means if you write poor quality code, you get a poor quality program. Think of it like an elite athlete fuelling their body with junk food. If you use poor quality fuel, you get poor quality performance. When we’re talking about using ChatGPT for programming, the ‘garbage in’ refers to bad prompts. If you use specific, detailed, well constructed and well constrained prompts, you’ll be amazed at the world class quality of the programs you can create. It’s important to note – ChatGPT is not doing the programming for you. It’s doing it with you. It’s a collaboration between you and AI to produce a higher quality program for your clients. Your role changes from being a solo programmer, to being a prompt engineer who uses your knowledge of exercise science to work in collaboration with technology. You’ll see I go pretty deep into some exercise science in the prompt examples I’m going to share – it just shows that it helps to know how to drive if you’re behind the wheel of a supercar – otherwise it won’t perform like it can. Until recently, I didn’t feel like ChatGPT was advanced enough to offer the quality of programs that our clients need and deserve. But with recent upgrades, that has all changed. I’ve used ChatGPT o1 which was released in December 2024. This is an updated version of GPT-4o that has an improved capacity for complex tasks and logical reasoning. So I’ve engineered some ChatGPT prompts to help us explore the power of AI as a collaborative programming partner. The potential of this is almost limitless, and growing by the day, but for this example, let’s look at how we might work with ChatGPT to create eight different programs: A hypertrophy program. A high intensity interval training program. A powerlifting program. A pre-season sports strength and conditioning program. An Olympic Weightlifting program A running program. A hybrid program. A CrossFit or functional fitness program. I’ve also create a PDF you can download with all of these prompts, so you can use and modify them to suit your purposes. I’ve included the full programs that each of these prompts generates. You can find the link to download the PDF here. So let’s go through these eight prompts. For each, I’ll also discuss some of the key elements of the program that ChatGPT generates, as well as some of the sample workouts. Let’s start with the hypertrophy program. Prompt: I would like you to help me create a 12 week hypertrophy training program for an intermediate level exerciser. Use a push-pull-legs split. Four sessions a week, each lasting between 45 and 60 minutes. Build the program around compound lifts. These lifts should comprise 60% of the program, with the remaining 40% being isolation. 50% of the program should be in the 8-12 rep range, 25% should be in the 3-6 rep range, and 25% should be in the 20-25 rep range. The program should indicate how many reps and sets of each movement to complete, as well as movement speed and the amount of rest between each set and/or each exercise. Use a 1-10 rate of perceived exertion scale to determine intensity. There should be a progressive overload through the 12 week program. To ensure this progressive overload, number each session, and indicate in future sessions where the exerciser should refer back to previous sessions that they should be increasing intensity from. Assume full access to pin loaded equipment and free weights. It’s important that the program has enough consistency and repetition of exercises over the 12 weeks to create a training effect through the principle of specificity, but also important that different exercises are used to keep the program interesting. It’s more important that the compound lifts are repeated throughout the program, and it’s ok to have more variation in the isolation movements. Where appropriate, use the following hypertrophy techniques as part of the program: drop sets, stripping, negatives and accentuated eccentric training, tempo training, supersets, giant sets, post-exhaustion, partial reps and forced reps. To get some feedback on this and on this program, I spoke with the head coach of Total Physique Performance, Tim Williams. Tim is an experienced hypertrophy expert who specialises in bodybuilding comp prep. Let’s move to a high intensity interval training program. Here’s my prompt: Create me a 12 session high intensity interval training program that can be completed on an exercise bike, rower, ski erg or treadmill. Don’t indicate which option to choose, just make the program suitable for whichever I like. Over the course of the program, the aerobic threshold, the lactate threshold and the anaerobic threshold should all be trained. The purpose of the program is to improve the ability to use the phosphocreatine, glycolytic and oxidative energy systems to produce energy over varying time domains. For the aerobic threshold intervals, follow the following guidelines. Interval length should be 10 mins plus. RPE should be 5-6/10. For the lactate threshold intervals, follow the following guidelines. Interval length should be 1-3 minutes. Work to rest ratio should be 1:2 for the longer lactate threshold intervals 1:3 for the medium length lactate threshold intervals and 1:4 for the shorter lactate threshold intervals. Use active recovery, not passive recovery. RPE should be 7/10. For the anaerobic threshold intervals, follow the following guidelines. Interval length should be 15-30 seconds. Work to rest ratio should be 1:3 for the longer anaerobic threshold intervals 1:4 for the medium length anaerobic threshold intervals and 1:5 for the shorter anaerobic threshold intervals. Use active recovery, not passive recovery. RPE should be 8-9/10. Three sessions should only train the aerobic threshold (sessions 1, 5, 9), three should only train the lactate threshold (sessions 2, 6, 10), three should only train the anaerobic threshold (sessions 3, 7, 11), and three should train all thresholds in the same session (sessions 4, 8, 12). Where all thresholds are trained in the same session, the anaerobic threshold intervals should come first, followed by the lactate threshold sessions, and finally the aerobic threshold sessions. For the sessions that train only the lactate on anaerobic thresholds, have at least three different lengths of intervals. For example instead of ten 30 second intervals for an anaerobic threshold session, have a variety of intervals between 15 and 30 seconds. The aerobic threshold and mixed sessions don’t need to have different interval lengths. Indicate the required RPE for each interval of the program. Each session should be between 20 and 40 minutes. For this HIIT program I spoke with Greg Maserow. With his brother, Seth, they co-own BodyMBrace, a group of very successful boutique studios that specialise in small group HIIT classes. BodyMBrace has been around for over 15 years and bring a strong scientific slant to their programming. Greg is an Exercise Physiologist. Let’s create a powerlifting program. Create me an eight week powerlifting program that will increase my absolute strength in deadlift, bench press and back squat. Three sessions per week, each a maximum of one hour. Use principles of the Conjugate Method and the teachings of Louie Simmons. The program should include max effort upper body, max effort lower body, dynamic effort upper body, dynamic effort lower body and accessory work. However, unlike a true conjugate method, I want to make this more time efficient for a novice to intermediate lifter by combining some of these session types into one session. Each session should begin with part A, which is the dynamic effort work. Part B will be max effort work. Part C will be accessory work. Part D will be general physical preparedness work. 10 minutes should be allocated to dynamic effort work, 35 minutes to max effort work, 10 minutes to accessory work and 5 minutes to GPP. If dynamic effort work is upper body, both max effort and accessory work should be lower body, and vice versa. For dynamic effort work, the priority should be bar speed. Use any form of accomodating resistance, including, but not limited to bands and chains. Weight should be 40% of max, plus 25% band tension or chain weight. The program should indicate how many reps and sets of each movement to complete, as well as movement speed and the amount of rest between each set and/or each exercise. Use a 1-10 rate of perceived exertion scale to determine intensity. There should be a progressive overload through the 12 week program. To ensure this progressive overload, number each session, and indicate in future sessions where the exerciser should refer back to previous sessions that they should be increasing intensity from. Assume access to a fully equipped powerlifting gym. For a review of this program, I spoke to Corey Miller. He’s a veteran of the powerlifting scene as both a coach and a competitor. He trains and competes out of Perth’s strongest gym, the Muscle Pit, and has competed on the platform over 25 times. I was interested to see what ChatGPT could put together for a pre-season sports specific strength and conditioning program. Here’s what I asked. Create me an eight week pre-season strength and conditioning program for an elite level basketball player. Three sessions per week. The program should focus on the five key areas of the force-velocity curve: max strength, speed-strength, peak power, strength-speed and max speed. The program should also improve both agility and change of direction ability. The program should be periodised in such a way that all points on the force-velocity curve are improved, but so that ‘peak power’ is optimised for by the end of the eight week program. The max strength work should include very high loads (90-100% of one rep max) and include movements like powerlifting exercises (squat, deadlift, bench press). The strength-speed work should include high loads with increased velocity, including Olympic Lifting work at around 80-90% of one rep maxes. The peak power work should include moderate loads at high speed (30-40% of one rep max). Elements of the ’second pull’ of Olympic weightlifting (like hang power cleans), loaded jumps (jumps with weight added), weighted sprints (like sled sprints or prowler push sprints) and ballistic moderate-weighted throws. This peak power work should aim to increase rate of force development. The speed-strength work should involve low load, high speed work (30-60% of one rep max). Include movements with a slow stretch-shorten cycle but no repetitive ground contact – like a max height counter-movement jump. The max velocity work should include very low load, very high speed plyometric movements with a fast stretch-shorten cycle like sprinting, depth jumps and hops. Use repetitive ground contact with very high ground reaction force and low contact time. Organise the training for the different points on the force-velocity curve in such a way that they are not impacting or compromising each other either during an individual session, or in subsequent sessions. Assume full access to a fully equipped strength and conditioning gym and basketball court. For this program, I spoke with Ryan Gaias, the Director and Head of Performance at Ludus Sports Performance. An Exercise Physiologist, Ryan is also the High Performance Manager for the Fremantle Football Club Women’s team and South Fremantle Football Club’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. Next, I wanted to create an Olympic Weightlifting program. Here’s the prompt: Write me a 12 week Olympic Weightlifting program for an intermediate lifter who will be training three times a week. The program should increase their snatch and clean and jerk, and peak them for their first lifting competition immediately following the 12 week program. Combine the best elements of a Russian approach (wave loading and block-style programming with an emphasis on assistance exercises, pulls, squats, and general physical preparedness) and a Bulgarian approach (a focus on the competition lifts and very closely related variations (for example, power snatches, power cleans and front squats). Where appropriate use technique specific drills, strength development exercises, accessory work, plyometrics and explosive training, segmented and paused variations and complexes. Assume full access to a fully equipped Olympic Weightlifting facility. I spoke with Gabi Scaffidi to get her thoughts on this program. Gabi is one of the most exceptional coaches I know, and is a national level weightlifter with thousands of hours of weightlifting training, coaching and programming to her name. Next, a running program. Write me a 12 week running program to help a beginner runner run 12km in under an hour and 12 minutes. Their current 3km PB is 20 minutes. They will be running outside three times a week, with a maximum of 60 minutes per session. Two of the sessions should focus on lactate threshold training and the third session should be a longer stamina or tempo run. For the lactate threshold sessions, the aim is to raise the lactate threshold and train the glycolytic and oxidative energy systems. Interval length should be 1-3 minutes. Work to rest ratio should be 1:2 for the longer lactate threshold intervals, 1:3 for the medium length lactate threshold intervals and 1:4 for the shorter lactate threshold intervals. Use active recovery, not passive recovery. Program the work interval as a certain run distance, but the active recovery as time. For the tempo run, the aim should be to increase aerobic endurance using the oxidative system. Include Three different measures of intensity for all running in the program, a 1-10 RPE scale, a target heart rate, and a kilometre pace goal. The pacing should progress in such a way that it build towards the 1:12 12km run is achieved on the final day of the program. For the running program, I wanted to speak with Tim Karajas. An accomplished long distance runner, Tim is a qualified Physiotherapist and a running coach who provides both high level running programs and biomechanical running assessments. We’re going to combine powerlifting and running into a hybrid program: Create me a 12-week hybrid training program that maximises both my 5 km run time and my absolute strength in the bench press, deadlift, and back squat. The program should be structured so that at the end of Week 12, I am prepared to test my 5 km run at maximum effort and attempt a near-max or 1RM in each of the three powerlifts. I want to train four to five times a week, with each session lasting between 60 and 90 minutes. Within these sessions, two to three days should focus primarily on powerlifting work, and the remaining two to three days should focus on running. The lifting sessions must include the bench press, deadlift, and back squat as central movements each week, with accessory exercises (such as rows, overhead presses, posterior chain work, and core stability) included to address potential weaknesses and maintain balance. For the powerlifts, please provide sets, reps, rest intervals, and RPE (1–10 scale), and clearly lay out how I should progressively increase loads or volume over the 12 weeks, culminating in a peak or test week. My running sessions should be structured to progressively improve my 5 km time. I would like a balance of easy or moderate runs to build my aerobic base, interval or threshold sessions to develop speed and lactate threshold, and occasional longer runs to enhance endurance. Please specify target paces or RPE for each run, along with approximate distances or durations. A brief taper in the final one to two weeks is important so that I feel fresh and ready to perform both my best 5 km time trial and my heaviest lifts. Because this is a hybrid program, organise the weekly schedule so that high-intensity runs do not fall immediately before or after very heavy lower-body sessions, in order to reduce interference and fatigue. Include strategic rest or active recovery days where necessary. Also note that each training session should fit within 60–90 minutes, so please keep the workload realistic and well-distributed across the week. Assume that I have access to a fully equipped powerlifting gym (rack, bench, bars, free weights, etc.) and adequate running facilities (whether outdoors, track, or treadmill) to complete the running sessions. I wanted to ask Joel Redman for his opinion. Joel is a strong proponent for a more scientifically-backed approach to hybrid training. Previously a national level long distance running, Joel is now an Exercise Physiologist and a strength and conditioning coach for long distance runners. Finally, here’s the prompt I used to create a CrossFit / Functional Fitness program: Create...
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/35214765
info_outline
63: 10 ways to ensure your side hustle idea will make $50k.
02/05/2025
63: 10 ways to ensure your side hustle idea will make $50k.
Summary: This episode uncovers the ten key questions every fitness business professional should ask to evaluate their side-hustle ideas, boosting the chances of success while minimising risk. 5 things you’ll learn in this episode: How urgency can determine the immediate success of your fitness side hustle. Why narrowing down your market size can help you attract paying clients faster. How pricing potential and client acquisition costs affect long-term profitability. The importance of creating a unique offer and protecting it from being easily copied. How to test and rank multiple ideas before committing time and resources. You’ve probably got a great idea for a ‘fitness side hustle’. It’s part of your pursuit of as a fitness professional. And I’m all for it. I think it’s a great idea in the health and fitness industry, where the badge of ‘fitnesspreneur’ is displayed proudly. And I know you’ve got no shortage of ideas. I know, because I’m the same. I call them ‘projects’ – side quests from your primary income stream. But all these ideas leads to one big problem… which one to choose? The biggest mistake I see people making when launching a new project is that they simply launch the first half decent idea they think of and try to turn it into a business. But honestly, what are the chances it will work? Out of the thousands and thousands of ideas you’ll have in the next few years, what are the chances that the very first idea will be the one that gives you that financial freedom you’ve always dreamed of? Tiny. The chances are tiny. Just like the chances of throwing a dart at a dartboard and hitting the bullseye on your very first attempt. The best way to hit the bullseye is to throw more darts. Throw 100 darts, and you’ll probably hit the centre with one of them. But what if we could increase the size of the bullseye? What if you could test your business idea before launching it (before even building it) to grow the bullseye and increase the chance of success. What if you could rank the potential of your ideas so you know which ones are most likely to succeed? Well you can, and you can do it by asking ten simple questions before you spend any time or money on turning that idea into a business. In his book, The Personal MBA, Josh Kaufman gives us ten ways to evaluate a market. I’ve adapted these into ten questions a fitness business owner can ask to tip the odds of success in their favour. I’ve spoken about this book before, in an episode of The Business of Fitness Podcast called ‘‘ (you can also read the article ). Let’s look at these ten questions, and give a few examples from the fitness industry to help to understand how we can apply them. Question 1: Urgency. How urgent is the need for the service you’re providing? If the level of urgency is high, your business will experience success sooner. And for something that’s starting as a side-hustle, immediate success is really important because it gives you the feedback you need to turn this idea into something bigger. A treatment program for diabetes or osteoporosis has a high level of urgency. So does a body transformation program for brides-to-be, or a pre-season sports program. A gym membership catering to general population isn’t as urgent. Question 2: Market size. How big is your potential market? This is an interesting one, because generally speaking, the bigger the market, the more people who will pay you money. But if you make the common mistake of trying to create a service for everyone, you’ll find it’s too general and not actually specific enough to solve a narrow problem and attract paying clients. But you do need to make sure your market is big enough to sustain your idea. Short, high intensity small group exercise classes run at lunch time in the CBD have a large potential market. Those same classes in a small country town don’t. Question 3: Pricing potential. How much are people prepared to pay for your service? So many of the business owners I come to me with business ideas, but they collapse when you actually run the numbers. Many ideas just aren’t financially viable. If people aren’t prepared to pay enough money, the return on effort will be so low that you’re better off trying a different idea. An intensive and all-inclusive exercise, heath and nutrition coaching program in high earning suburbs will attract a high price point. But people will pay a lot loss for an access-based gym membership. Question 4: Cost of client acquisition. What does it cost to acquire new clients? This is a big one. Generally, if your business attracts more customers, it will be successful. But attracting customers will cost you time, money and effort. After school exercise classes on the school’s oval for secondary school students will have a low acquisition cost. On the other hand, trying to build relationships with health professionals to refer to your business will drain a lot of your resources. Question 5: Cost of value delivery. How much does it cost to deliver the service you’re providing? It doesn’t matter how much people are prepared to pay, if it costs you a lot of money, time or effort to provide a service, your profits will be low. The overheads of a modern, fully equipped gym with multiple staff are high. Online coaching and programming with well built systems has a very low cost of delivery. Question 6: Uniqueness of offer. How unique is your idea, and how easy is it to copy your idea? This is one of the very first things I work on with fitness business owners I . To be successful in business, you either have to be ten times better than your competitors, or you have to be different. And it’s easier to be different than it is to be ten times better. This is called a ‘blue ocean’ strategy. And it’s not enough to be unique, you also need a ‘moat’ around your unique idea to stop other people copying it. I spoke about this ‘blue ocean strategy’ in episode 55 of The Business of Fitness Podcast: ‘‘ (). A personal trainer who also has a psychology degree and an interest in paediatrics is a unique combination which is hard to replicate. Functional training classes are common, and easy to copy. Question 7: Speed to market. How long will it take you to build a business that can start earning? When you’re testing the viability of a side-hustle, time is your biggest enemy. If it takes 12 months for your business to start earning, and it doesn’t work like you hoped, you could have tested a lot of other ideas in that same time. If you’re already working as a PT, it’s very quick and easy to test partner assisted stretching sessions with your current clientele. But opening a recovery centre is a much bigger time sink. Question 8: Upfront investment. How much will it cost you to build a business that can start earning? Most of the business I see that fail financially are due to a big upfront investment before the idea has been properly tested. And that’s really hard to recover from. Offering online programming for family and friends using a Google spreadsheet has start-up costs of close to $0. Building a custom and state-of-the-art programming app could end up costing tens of thousands. Question 9: Upsell potential. What is the upsell potential of the idea? A good way to earn more money from an existing customer base is to identify what related products or services they are already spending their money on – then offering them in-house. Sports-specific strength and conditioning offers opportunities to sell supplements, equipment and sports psychology services. Exercise classes for over 60s in the local community hall don’t have an many upsell options. Question 10: Continuing effort. How much ongoing work will this idea require to continue generating income? We have finite time. Everything we do has an opportunity cost – if we say ‘yes’ to one idea, we’re saying ‘no’ to everything else. So if you enjoy the process of building and testing new ideas, be wary of building a business with a high opportunity cost that chains you down. Building a system that allows you to make individualised nutritional recommendations take a lot of work up-front, but very little to continue. On the other hand, a full roster of PT clients where you earn a set amount of money per hour requires you to trade your money for time. The only way you can earn is by giving away your time. So those are the ten questions. Urgency: How urgent is the need for the service you’re providing? Market Size: How big is your potential market? Pricing Potential: How much are people prepared to pay for your service? Cost of Client Acquisition: What does it cost to acquire new clients? Cost of Value Delivery: How much does it cost to deliver the service you’re providing? Uniqueness of Offer: How unique is your idea, and how easy is it to copy your idea? Speed to Market: How long will it take you to build a business that can start earning? Upfront Investment: How much will it cost you to build a business that can start earning? Upsell Potential: What is the upsell potential of the idea? Continuing Effort: How much ongoing work will this idea require to continue generating income? Josh Kaufman, the author of The Personal MBA suggests scoring each question on a scale of 1-10. He says that if the score is 50 or below, move on to a new idea. If the score is between 50 and 75, the idea has potential, but will take a lot of hard work, time, and money. Maybe move on to something a little easier (there are easier ideas out there, find a business you can roll down hill instead of one you have to push uphill). If you score over 75, you might just be on to something. Invest the time into building a minimal viable product to test the idea with a real market. Being an entrepreneur is so exciting. The ability to be in control of our future and be genuinely in love with the process of creating, testing and building is such a privileged position to be in. Generating ideas will never be your problem. The problem is in deciding which of these ideas to pour our valuable time into. By spending half an hour asking yourself the questions we’ve explored today, you’re setting yourself up to make sure your next idea is your best idea. Your action steps: Ask yourself the ten questions for your top three current side-hustle ideas. Use a scoring system (1-10 for each factor) to test multiple business ideas and focus on the most promising one. Build a minimal viable product for the highest scoring idea so you can test it in the real world. If you enjoyed this, you’ll also enjoy the following, they’re some of my most popular articles and podcasts on topics similar to this one: The four Es. A framework to build fitness businesses. | A strategy guide to generating multiple income streams for Fitness Professionals. 8 crazy fitness business models to boost your profits. | Ranking the most profitable fitness business models. | The True Cost of Running a Fitness Business: Your REAL Hourly Rate. |
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/35155980
info_outline
62: How to create a strategic plan for 2025
01/25/2025
62: How to create a strategic plan for 2025
In this episode, Dan explores how to review your fitness business for 2024 and strategically plan for a stronger and more successful 2025 using a step-by-step framework and . 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: How to assess the impact your business has on your life and make adjustments for improvement. A method to align your time usage with your top business priorities and avoid pseudo-productivity. The importance of SWOT analysis and how it identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in your business. How to design a perfect week that balances business success with personal fulfilment. Strategies for pre-empting business challenges through a pre-mortem and using the 4 E’s framework to prioritise ideas.
/episode/index/show/84826860-13f4-44b6-a0eb-fe22478f31d0/id/35003430