The COREntrepreneur Podcast

One unfortunate reality of the modern world is that there will always be someone willing to work longer hours for less money. That’s as true of the fitness industry as any. With so much competition, how can you as a personal trainer stay afloat and run your business sustainably? Make yourself specialized. Selective. Even a little bit scarce. Not only will your personal brand stand out and attract the right clients, but you will be more effective at achieving real results and building long-term working relationships.

If you’re stuck in the rat-race mentality, that can be a scary transition. We have been conditioned to take comfort in a full schedule, and voluntarily passing up a potential client seems like financial suicide. Don’t make the mistake of exchanging short-term gain for long-term pain. Just think carefully about who you are how you can provide the best value for your clients; the rest will fall into place.

“We're not focused so much on your technical skills, in terms of being a personal trainer; that's a given. You're assumed to have those. And that actually won't really differentiate you from anyone else, because everyone else can do those technical things. But it's you as a person that becomes the thing that stands out.”  – Andrew Cooke

About Andrew Cooke

Andrew is the Director of Growth & Profit Solutions, a company dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs unlock their full potential through strategic planning. Andrew holds an MBA from London Business School and has over 20 years experience in numerous countries as a management consultant. In this episode, Andrew shares his valuable insights on how personal trainers can achieve long-term growth and personal satisfaction in their work.

Show Highlights

• Why trainers should be open to collaborating with specialists in other fields.
• Learning to say no: why it’s bad business to accept every potential client.
• How the simple act of listening to clients builds your reputation and brand.
• How to find your niche and tie-in your unique skills as a personal trainer.
• The economics of ‘bundling’ and ‘un-bundling’ in the fitness industry.
• Why a personal touch–not technical ability– will set you apart from the competition.
• Be a gardener, not a hunter: let clients come to you.

“The analogy that I always like to use is that people don't buy a quarter-inch drill, they buy a quarter-inch hole. They don't buy what you do, they buy what you do for them. As a personal trainer, what is it you're doing for people? Not just as you think, but as they think, as they see it. Because of their perception...is the reality.”

Sign up for The Free Personal Trainers Master class and discover the 7 steps to a personal training business that works.

The master class will provide you with 7 real-life processes you can use right away that draw from what works in the worlds best personal training businesses. We’ll work together to close the gap between the PT business you have, and the one you really want.

Plus, you’ll get a free digital copy of the personal trainers road map workbook. To sign up for this masterclass please head to www.corecollective.sg/blog/ptmasterclass.

People see a hairdresser to style their hair; a dentist to inspect their teeth; a chiropractor to help with their back. So when it comes to physical fitness, why do people think they can do it on their own? Even when it comes to people who are serious about getting in shape, they are often reluctant to sign on with a personal trainer. Is that a problem with the public’s attitude, or with personal trainers in general? On a special episode of the PT COREntrepeneur podcast, two guests share their progressive approach to heal that divide and get everyone–trainers and clients alike–to think differently about personal training.

“It's all about the experience. If a personal trainer spends an hour with a client, the client will probably not remember every exercise that they've been through; but they will definitely remember how they felt at the end of that session...It's not what people think, it's how you make people feel.” - Hadyn Parry

About Pete Banbury and Hadyn Parry

Pete and Hadyn are respectively CEO and director of HPT5. Founded in 2016, HPT5 offers innovative programs that help personal trainers, gym owners, and managers prepare for the future of the fitness industry. Their foundational Specialist Programme combines instruction in body mapping, functional biomechanics, and injury management. Their combined experience in professional fitness and team management, along with a shared passion for education, is creating a new breed of personal trainer: one that makes exercise irresistible.

In this episode:

• How HPT5’s programs encourage trainers to think differently about their work
• Why a thorough and hands-on knowledge of biomechanics is a must for trainers.
• Why trainers need to orient themselves towards an aging public.
• Understanding injury management, and why therapy and fitness are inseparable.
• How inspiring others comes not from lecturing, but by asking the right questions.
• “Your value is not in programming.” Why trainers need to focus on cultivating client experiences.

“This is a health brief; it’s not fitness, big biceps, big abs kind of message. I feel that at the moment, the fitness industry is missing the mark and it needs to get it’s act together...We need to stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking about the millions of people out there who can do with our help. So, that’s why I set up HPT5, to reach those people.”

The PT COREntreprenur Podcast is a project from Core Collective.

This episode is brought to you by Nuzest. Nuzest premium nutritional supplements are formulated by global industry leaders and based on the latest scientific research.  These are in fact our go-to supplement for all things vegan. Personally, the clean lean protein bars and good green stuff bars are my daily snack go to… as they offer something that is quick, convenient and nutrient-packed that gives me balance when life demands a lot of me, and could also be a great supplement for your clients.  Anyway, go check these supplements out at www.nuzest.sg/. Nuzest is offering the listeners of this podcast a 10% off discount to try some of their products. So when you purchase, you’ll get 10% off by using the coupon code Core10 on the shopping cart page.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. That’s not to say knowledge and skill don’t matter; but they mean little if you have no clients. You can be the most qualified person in your field, but if people don’t perceive and spread the word about the underlying value of your work, you don’t stand a chance financially.

Not a ‘people-person?’ Feel uncomfortable asking for referrals? Don’t have time for networking? Bad news: if you want to run a successful personal training business, you’re going to have to find a way to deal with it. Good news: it’s not as difficult as you might think. There are simple steps you can take to increase both referrals and introductions and improve your chances of capitalizing on those opportunities.  

“Some people are afraid to ask for help, and they see that asking for referrals is kind of a weakness. The truth is, as any psychologist will tell you, being able to ask for help is a sign of good ego strength. In this case, we're asking for help to help others. We're asking for help to bring the important work we do to other people.” – Bill Cates

About Bill Cates

Connection. Engagement. Leverage.  Those are the cornerstones of Bill Cates’ Referral Marketing System, a proven method to increase client referrals–and ultimately revenue–without increasing marketing expenses. Bill’s three published books, live talks, and online resources have helped 170,000 professionals successfully expand their client base. In this episode, Bill applies his extensive knowledge about increasing the occurrence and effectiveness of referrals and introductions to the fitness industry.

Show Highlights

• How to make your search for referrals and introductions more narrow and purposeful
• The ‘consistency theory,’ and how social events can give your business a boost
• Why confidence–not aggression or arrogance–is key to selling your brand
• How nurturing ‘centers of influence’ leads to reciprocal referrals
• Finding your personal ‘why,’ and how to communicate your passion to others
• How to effectively discuss professional certifications with clients
• Finding the right time and place to request a referral

“All things being equal, people do business with people they like. All things not being equal, people still do business with people they like. They may have to drive further or pay a little more for you, but if they like you and they see the value, they'll do it.”

The PT COREntreprenur Podcast is a project from Core Collective.

This episode is brought to you by our very own Email Core Insider Newsletter. It's becoming ever so popular amongst personal trainers not only in Singapore but around the world. We deliver it to your Inbox once a month, usually around the 1st week and it's packed with new articles, podcast episodes, and key learnings from the COO of Core Collective. You guys have asked us to provide a follow up to these podcast episodes that include show notes, links to resources, short actionable steps, and we’ve done this with this newsletter. Those that are subscribed also receive an exclusive Core Insider video, that isn’t shared with anyone or shared anywhere else. Just for the eyes of the email newsletter subscribers only. And it’s free and you can learn more at corecollective.sg/blog

You’ve got the website. It’s filled to the brim with 3rd-party content, advertisements, and referral links. Somewhere on every page is a shirtless photo of yours truly, as if to say “You too can look like me, just sign up.” Now all you have to do is wait for the people, and their money, to start flowing in. You’ve got this online fitness thing down lock, stock, and barrel.

Wrong.

Don’t make the mistake of confusing ‘likes’ and page views for actual effectiveness. Personal trainers are supposed to help people, not win popularity contests. The rapidly emerging field of online training has huge potential to make fitness both more accessible and cost-effective. But that potential is frequently abused by way of self-promotion and get-rich-quick schemes.

Our guest today, Jordan Syatt, is one trainer who is doing online fitness the right way, by putting aside his own ego and offering his clients effective, personalized programs.

“You need to focus on helping people, not being like ‘hey look at me!’ That’s the difference. People don’t care about you, people care about how much you care about them.” - Jordan Syatt

About Jordan Syatt

Jordan Syatt is the owner and head coach of Syatt Fitness, a web-based training company catering to clients of all ages and backgrounds. Jordan has a long history in the fitness industry, starting his career as a personal trainer at age 14 and later completing a Bachelor’s in Health & Behavior Science. He is one of only a handful of people to deadlift 4x his bodyweight and is a 5 time World Record Powerlifter.

Nowadays, Jordan shares his insights and experience through www.syattfitness.com as well as on Instagram and Facebook. Along with providing hundreds of online fitness articles in plain English, Jordan stays in daily contact with his clients through social media and email, ultimately holding them more accountable and building stronger relationships than with conventional training.

Show Highlights

• Why the best program is the one that can be followed consistently.
• Where trainers fail with social media, and how to shift the focus from ‘I’ to ‘you.’
• Why online popularity is a poor gauge of actual impact and effectiveness.
• Why the psychology of decision-making and motivation is essential for trainers.
• How to find a balance between your own fitness and the growth of your business.
• “Doing the right thing is always the right thing.” Why making a quick buck through false promises never works in the long-run.

“But first you need to be honest with yourself and aware of how you're coming across… If all you're doing is selfies and that stuff and you are not getting more business, then clearly you are not making the difference that you think you are.”

The PT COREntreprenur Podcast is a project from Core Collective. This episode is brought to you by Biostrap. The Biostrap is something I am currently using to hack my health. The Biostrap helps you measurably improve your sleep, recovery, and performance. The Biostrap platform utilizes a wristband and shoepod that work in harmony to help you understand your body and take your training and health to the next level. The coolest thing I have found aside from tracking my sleep, HRV, blood oxygen saturation among many other biomarkers, is that it can track detailed activity like cadence when I'm cycling, velocity and even reps when I’m working out at the gym.  

Right now Biostrap is offering a special 15% discount for all our listeners and it is valid for 7 days. The code is CORE15. To claim your Biostrap head over to www.biostrap.com Click on the shop button, choose which set you would like and once you are on the shopping cart page, just enter the following code to receive 15% off when you pay in full. The code is CORE15 go and check it out at www.biostrap.com

Listen to what Evan Button has to say about growing his personal training business with Core Collective. 

We can all think of that one person who doesn’t know when to say ‘enough.’ Maybe it’s money, or food, or sex. Outwardly, they seem to have everything they need. But inwardly, they are trying to fill a bottomless hole with ‘more.’ For those in the fitness industry, it’s their size, their strength, their reputation, and their earnings. How does a healthy activity like exercise become corrupted by insatiable and ultimately self-destructive desire?

Buddhism has a lot to say on the matter. Just about everyone has heard “The root of all suffering is attachment.” So where do our attachments come from? From comparing ourselves to others. It’s only by practising mindfulness that we can stop feeling guilty and unsatisfied about our lives – including our personal appearance and fitness – and start acting in accordance with our true values. But don’t worry, it’s not necessary to join a monastery or even become a Buddhist to practice mindfulness.

“The reason we’re so addicted to more is because we haven’t defined what enough looks like.” - Timber Hawkeye

About Timber Hawkeye

Timber Hawkeye is the author of two books, The Buddhist Bootcamp and Faithfully Religionless, a memoir. After studying Buddhism for many years, Timber Hawkeye had a realisation - that the lessons contained in Buddhism about mindfulness and gratitude are equally relevant outside of a religious context, and can be adopted by just about anyone. He presents key concepts from Buddhism in accessible, non-academic language. Quiet your mind, take an honest look at yourself, and feel grateful for your own life.

Show Highlights

• Why training the mind is equally as important as training the body
• How practising mindfulness puts us in control of our emotions and behaviours
• How to stop comparing yourself to others and start doing things for the right reasons
• Developing gratitude: treating everyone you meet as a potential teacher
• Why careful self-reflection is the key to discipline
• How meditation helps us locate and listen to the wise voice within us 

“That’s your goal - to be just as flexible with your mind as you are with your body and vice versa.”

Sign up for The Free Personal Trainers Master class and discover the 7 steps to a personal training business that works.

The master class will provide you with 7 real-life processes you can use right away that draw from what works in the worlds best personal training businesses. We’ll work together to close the gap between the PT business you have, and the one you really want.

Plus, you’ll get a free digital copy of the personal trainer's road map workbook. To sign up for this masterclass please head to www.corecollective.sg/blog/ptmasterclass.