Your Business is an Echo
This is a simple yet deep statement.
Have you ever heard a quick sentence that actually made you stop for a second and really think? Well, I was talking to my martial arts instructor, Master Garcia, the other day and during the conversation he said ‘You are an echo’.
Wow, that’s powerful.
Think about it, what you eat, how and what you do to workout, your work ethic, your commitment to your family and friends, the effort you put in daily truly reflects the person you are and what you get back in return.
This ‘echo’ really tells us if we are successful and if we are not, there is only one reason for that.
When you look at your physique, you know this to be true. It’s easy to tell who is dedicated and putting in the work right?
When you look at it from the business standpoint, the ‘You are an echo’ still stands true.
If you are a great coach, you get great results, and you spend your time learning to be an even better coach – that’s amazing and needs to be done but that’s only one half on being successful in the sports and fitness industry.
I’m sure you know of some coaches and trainers that get great results with their clients but are struggling because they either need more clients or need to get in front of more people to show their skills.
Same thing goes with running a sports camp. I’ve seen it firsthand. A top coach decides they want to put on a sports specific camp and they think that their name alone will get athletes in to fill the camp. Well, they think that until the day the camp happens and their numbers are real low.
If Bill Belichick, Doc Rivers, or Terry Francona (I know I am New England biased) wants to put on a sports camp, you would think that would be successful right?
Well, if nobody knows they are putting on the camp then it’s going to be tough getting people to go. These are top coaches and even they have to market to get people into their camps.
But what if you name is not as big as theirs?
Most coaches and trainers think that their name and their initials after their name are a lot bigger than they actually are. Really, for the most part, your name doesn’t mean anything to athletes coming to your camp. If you work in the NFL, ok it helps a little to a high school football player. But most of us are not NFL coaches so we have to work even harder.
What I’m trying to say, is that it takes more than being a great coach, to be a successful coach. If you own your own business or are trying to get more clients, you know this to be true.
Being able to run a camp and market your camp are both skills. The act of getting more clients is a learned skill. And you need to constantly work on these skills to improve them.
Honestly answer these questions:
How much time are you spending trying to be a better coach?
Now how much time do you spend trying to grow your business?
These answers should be close to a 50/50 relationship. If they aren’t, well at least you know the area you have to work on.
My first 5 years or so in the industry, I spending a 100% of my time trying to become the best coach possible. Reading, watching training DVD;s, going to seminars, getting every certification there was, I did an internship with the best coach in the area, I basically was studying and applying what I learned non-stop. Now don’t get me wrong, I needed this to become a good coach.
The problem was, I thought I could be helping more people and should be making more money than I was at that time, especially with all of the hours I was working. It wasn’t until I put in the time to learn advertising, marketing, sales, and even the structure and technical side of the business, where I started to reach my potential.
It wasn’t fun at first to learn how to market, but once I got and started applying it, it changed my whole life. I can now work whatever hours I want, make more money than I thought was possible at the time, and I am able to help even more people than ever before.
Discovering the business and marketing side of the sports and fitness industry is truly what separates successful coaches from the rest. If you are serious about growing in this industry, you must put your time in.
Believe me; no one is going to do it for you. The work you put into actively becoming a better coach and businessperson shows.
Your business is an echo of you. What are you saying that’s worth repeating?
Please feel free to comment below. I would love to hear from you.
To your success,
Pat Beith
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