Despite that credo there will be clients that want some guidance and support even when you are away. This is one way, and there are many, to support them using a simple document you create and keep updating as your business changes and research information becomes updated. 

The Holiday Survival Guide:
This can contain whatever you like but I like to have the following content in mine. This is a give away and can be a useful lead magnet or a free gift to your community as well as clients:

• Personal Intro, who you are, in case it has been shared (logo + contact details in header/footer)
• Some healthy recipes including food swaps for those challenging parties & get togethers
• Several exercise sessions (varying in duration)– use this to show off your talents, mix them up and offer some range and make sure it’s simple to follow but can be PROgressed (as my friend Ginera would say) in some way
• Simple tips on not putting one loads of weight over the silly season
• Eating smart when out and about
• Healthy snacks that work for your goals
• Keep going as much or a little as you want……

Balance is important so not being a food nazi is helps here but offering tips and tricks will go a long way to embedding the advice you have been giving over the year so that the progress made so far is not all going to go backwards.
Thanks for reading over the last few months – have a great Christmas and New Year.
​

Your brand?
Defining your brand is a critical step to understanding how you're going to position yourself and your business to attract the clients that you want who you are and who you want to work with are really important steps before setting out.
Is there one or more overriding concepts that define what's unique about you unique in that it will help you sell yourself to your target market. Something that may be different from your competitors. 

How does this look?
Think fonts colours logos look and feel what is it that you want to communicate about your brand to your target market. Dig deep on this take time to think about the elements that make up your brand. Be sure that it fits with your values and helps communicate exactly what it is you stand for. I share this document with mentees to help guide them on what their brand looks like. Feel free to swipe it here.

Credibility Indicators?

• What traditional qualifications do you have E.g. diplomas, degrees, certificates
• what registrations do you have E.g Register of Exercise Professionals
• what non-traditional qualifications do you have like courses, seminars, workshops
• what continue education do you have under your belt
• what experience do you bring to the table time in the job particular people that you may have worked with sporting achievements speaking or writing for example.

Your story?
If you were to write a book about your life what would you say? Writing down important aspects of your story that are unique to you. Include challenges that you have been through, how you overcame them. Tragedies you may have endured what you learned from them and any anecdotes along the way. 

What are you?
Beyond your vocational title what is it that you do day-to-day think about this in terms of how you communicate what you do and who you are with your target market. There are lots of modalities and areas of speciality that you could use to differentiate yourself and define your brand more accurately get clear on this and it will help you communicate more easily.

What do you do?
Summarise exactly what you do in the shortest way possible this could also be known as your mission statement.

If you need a helping hand then reach out it's a great process to go through with someone else and once complete, clarifies so many things for you moving fowards....

Inspired by Time Rich Practice ~ Cliff Harvey

The same can be said for any business. During times of challenge our business structure can be truly tested. COVID has provided that challenge for most of our particular businesses. Have you been able to “cut your cloth” in your business so that it remains intact and can keep trading?
 
Let’s take a look at an example. A large part of this ability to cut your cloth comes down to overheads. Generally, businesses have some fixed costs and some variable costs. The fixed costs are things like rent to a landlord or gym you work at. Variable costs could be power, consumables things that generally increase the busier you get. The trick in cutting your cloth is to have your fixed costs as low as possible and your variable costs being able to drop to a very low base. Add these two together and ideally, they are lower than or at very least equal to your turnover on your worst week of the year. 

Formula:
Sales – (Fixed + variable costs) = gross profit
 
Example: Healthy trading environment
So, in an ideal world this may look like this:
$10,000 – ($5,000 + $2,500) = $2,500 You make money – phew!

Example: Poor trading environment no “cutting of cloth”
However, in a downturn like COVID this may look something like this:
$7,500 – ($5,000 + 2,500) = $0 you break even – you are still in business – how long can this go on?
 
However, if you were able to scale back your variable costs because you have less turnover you’ll be cutting your cloth to fit the change in circumstances. This may then look a healthier picture.

Example: Poor trading environment with “cloth cut”
$7,500 – ($5,000 + $1,200) = $1,300 you make money again
 
Often the fixed costs are just that – they ain’t moving. The skill is to get as many of your fixed costs into the variable costs category in your business so the cloth cutting process is an integral part of your business rather than something you have to work on when it’s critical and need to be done yesterday!

Examples of doing this could be a phone plan that scales up or down based on usage rather than the same every month – negotiate with your provider they may be able to help. 

You may be able to get a better price point on some consumables if you buy in bulk and negotiate a better price or purchase from a different provided at a lower rate ongoing.
 
You may be able to have part time staff or team members on contracts that are casual rather than part time allowing you flexibility to scale up their hours when you need to and down when you don’t.
 
The key is to take a magnifying glass to your expense lines and see what can be done with each of them to really make a difference to your business.
Track them every month – see where changes can be made and keep being ruthless with these numbers until you have them where you want them!
 
Once you can cut your cloth to fit you’ll have both a more resilient business and a business model that will stand the test of time that could be the envy of other business owners and possibly replicable in other formats across the country or world even. 

If you need help reach out or you may want to consider Business Bootcamp which helps you map out your expenses and plan for best and worst scenarios, among other things. 

Start with the most obvious one - what's the outcome you are looking for? It is monetary success? Is it market share? Is it brand recognition? Is it world domination? You decide but make it clear and measurable - that takes us nicely onto #2.

How will you know when you've achieved it? There needs to be some kind of measure to confirm that the goal has been achieved. Plain and simple so think numbers, think quantity of some item that gives you a "yeah" or "nay" on the goal being achieved. Nay is ok you may need a few misses before you get a "hit."

What does achieving the goal bring for you? In last weeks blog I talked about Values to live by. Does achieving this goal confirm that you have been living your values? This is a great litmus test on both the goal and the values.

​The plan is your to do list! The things you need to do to make this success a reality. These may need to be broken down into smaller bit sized chunks which when achieved will give you that much needed dopamine hit of achievement. Keep going these can get addictive but useful.

​As indicated above bite sizes chunks gets it done. Pick your top 2 things that need sorting and on you go…

​You’re bound to be familiar with these! However, these are more of an internal dialogue that you may be having with yourself as opposed to other people. Are you self-sabotaging at all? Could there be mental blocks getting in your way? Do you know why? Have you come up against these before? What part of you doesn't want this? Work through them. Come back to your values again these will guide you through. 

​If you have worked out what’s holding you back – what solutions for this challenge do you have? You may need to bounce these off someone else. 

​Who can help? Do you need other skills in your business? Are there other mind sets you really admire that will fit nicely into your organisation? Are there other skill sets out there that would complement yours?

​What resources do you already have and what are you lacking? A quick assessment of these and you’ll have an idea of what’s missing in your business and what gaps need filling to make it ‘whole’ and solid for you to move forward with. 

If you need a hand.....hit the button!

There are many ways to make decisions in life. Gut feel, history, do the numbers add up are all ways in which we can decide to do or not do things.
However, there is another way. And that is connecting with and following our values. we could have personal values that are different to business values. However, in this industry often we are our business – so these values can be the same or similar.
When defining your values, it is important to really look at what could fit with you and feel comfortable day to day. I have a large list of values you can swipe from my Business Bootcamp course. This helps people become aligned before they really dig into the meat of setting up with financial plan and other aspects of their business.  

A wise and yet young man who lived as a monk for 3 years (Think Like a Monk) Jay Shetty revisits his values every 3 or so days. His advice is: the busier you are, the more often you should be revisiting your values so that you stay on track with your life.
 
This makes sense. If you are constantly being bombarded with offers and options in life that mean you have to make a decision as to whether you get involved or not you need the structure of your values behind you to ascertain whether it’s the right option or not. If you say yes to everything how to you know it is right for you?
If you have your values buzzing in the back of your head from that mornings review, you will be super focused on what is right for you and what is not. This helps you say NO to things more easily and be able to provide a solid reason why not when someone asks.
 
“I’m sorry that project sounds fun but it doesn’t align with my values/goals right now, I wish you luck” Walk away……

Committing to your values:
For me obviously health is a key value as I would expect in most of my colleagues in this industry. Other values for me are family, business, community and curiosity. There is no limit to the values you have but when you go through the list before you commit make sure there aren’t any double ups or similarities which can help you with shortening your list a little. E.g. ‘community’ and ‘connection’ could be seen as quite similar. Do you need both? If not pick one and be satisfied that it covers what you need and move onto the next one.
 
I reckon once you have about 5 or so you are about there. They are not set in stone and can be changed as things in life change. For example if you got divorced but one of your values was marriage you may want to rethink that!!!

When it comes to business values there may well be overlap of a complete different set of values. This is worth taking the time to consider and you may want to brand these values on the walls of your business, so you attract the appropriate clientele to your business. If they know your values, they are more likely to come and stay if they align with their own.
 
Large signs on walls of businesses show you are serious about your values and are happy to share them which not only holds you accountable to them but your entire team too if you have one. That’s a win win right there.
 
At the end of the day values are a very personal topic. Its like asking why you drive a red car, or why you chose Nike instead of Adidas. It just is, and so are your values.

It used to be called working on the business rather than in the business. Today it's a little more sophisticated than that it's about using your time wisely it's about leveraging your knowledge it's about investing in things that will pay you back over the long term.

Creating space for yourself to really think is one of the most critical business practices I think we are missing out on. Finding time monthly, as a minimum, would be my recommendation so that you have time out to reflect and review.
 
This thinking time has been shown to produce better results improve productivity and help with creativity. Perpetual Guardian the legal services company in NZ made headlines across the world - in fact 78 countries ran the story to be exact, when it decided to trial a four-day working week.
It was a raging success! Productivity went up profitability, went up there were a number of other metrics which proved that the idea worked.
 
Technology that we thought would give us better work life balance has instead robbed us of boundaries and ground our work down into a fine powder that settles on all areas of our life it works both ways we check social media or do our online banking while we're at work just as we check our work emails when we're at home. The grind never stops so how can we be sure that we are being as creative and as efficient as we possibly can when we with our clients?
 
The solution according to one Silicon Valley expert is to work shorter more focused hours and balance that with more serious leisure time. There are other progressive companies out there who are shortening the working day or week and reaping the surprising rewards of increased profitability and productivity! At a time when many of us are working in many different ways from normal, this idea seems incredibly prescient.
 
As locked down slowly lifts, for now, and workplaces start to reopen finding a balance between work, rest and play that promotes productivity growth alongside employee wellbeing feels like a no brainer the same applies to self-employed across all industries.
 
Surely this is our window of opportunity to explore the new normal and what that could look like.
Some of the agility the businesses have created through adapting themselves lock down is really what all business is should be looking at all of the time building in a level of resilience that allows them to keep trading regardless of the environment in which they operate. this naturally leads to looking at other income streams and leveraging some of that intellectual property in our businesses so that we can find the balance to take time out to keep reflecting and to keep improving good luck and enjoy your time out.

​One of the processes that will help the above cement in, once you have had that first meeting and the new clients decides to come on the journey with YOU is an on-boarding letter, (internal term) – a Welcome letter (external term).
 
This can cover all sorts of things but don’t make it too wordy and not too "rulesey." You do, however want to cover a few ground rules in this letter so that your life will be soooo much easier if you have covered certain items up front. 

Those may include:

• Welcome to [insert business name], great to meet you the other day
• How things work around here – booking in, punctuality on both sides etc.
• Cancellation policy/alternative action in case session can’t be attended
• Financials – payment process if this hasn’t been covered
• Any other business e.g. I love to share things with my clients when they relate to their goals I hope that’s ok if I text/email interesting info to you now and again – you get the idea

Keep the letter on their file electronically or hard copy, whatever your system is. Make sure it is dated and if you need to refer back to it at any stage you can – easily.
 
Create a file with all your templates in and when you need them all you have to do is change the date, name and perhaps make sure content is up to date every so often and boom, great customer service tool right there. Everyone is on the same page from the get go.
 
If you aren’t already doing this I highly recommend you get into the habit when you set up each new client file as part of the systems and processes in your business. Have fun with it and add your own flavour.

If you're looking for some help with systems in your business reach out for a FREE catch up here - I'm happy to help.

I know 247 different marketing tactics which will help your business!!
I don’t know your individual business, but I bet you could do with a client or 2 more, sometimes, I know I could! 
It's been said “it’s who you know that matters,” it's not “it’s who knows you that truly matters.”
How do you find that sweet spot then?
Of those 247 there are multiple combinations that could work for your business and often times you will need to discover what those are overtime with a little trial and error, and fine tuning.

​Circumstances change, markets change, people change and so your offer needs to change too and that may mean using different marketing techniques to reach your target audience.
 
The ideal combination Is a mixture of 6 to 8 different techniques all running simultaneously. Look at big brands out there, look at how they do it. They use TV, they use radio, they use billboards, some of them may drop a flyer into your letterbox, they may put a poster up in a bus stop. What they're doing his covering a number of bases hoping to catch your eye more than once.
I haven't even talked about social media: Google Adwords, Facebook advertising all of these are viable options in your marketing mix.
 
So you see, of the 247 I know you really only need to employ a handful and be consistent over a period of time people will see you people will hear about you people learn more about you and at some point if they're ready to buy, they may well buy from you.
 
So consistency over and above the right marketing mix is actually just as important is what you say and how you say it, so stick at it keep chipping away and keep revising it based on feedback from those leads that become paying clients.
 
Peter Drucker the management guru said over 50 years ago businesses are here to do two things: innovate and market or marketing and innovation.

If your business is doing neither of these things it's going backwards.
If your business is doing one of these things you're probably staying put.
If your business is doing both of these things you will be moving ahead; keep doing these two things and your business will flourish and coming back to the earlier point CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY.

​If you need help reach out....

I keep seeing too many exercise enthusiasts who think they are in business but don't stick to any kind of business plan. Sounds like a criticism but stay with me here….let’s call it an observation!
​
If you are in business you need to be charging based on the fact that you have expenses to cover and a profit to make. Boiled down it's as simple as that.

But if it's a hobby you run and the household doesn't rely on the income you bring in at any level then is quite possible you run a hobby. So does that mean you charge like it's a hobby.

• Anyone's welcome
• I am flexible on price
• Not fussed whether there are 2 or 3 of you in a small group - same price!
• Happy to do take your money even is that’s not based on any business planning
• You’ll rely on picking up clients as and when they come along 

If you run a business, you will:

• Have a weekly break even point – that point at which you have covered your costs and each dollar after that is profit
• A structured pricing plan for casual clients (if that’s your thing) and clients that are prepared to make a commitment to you for the medium to long term – call them package clients
• You’ll have branding and marketing activities that create awareness of your business as well as strong relationships with key allied health pro’s  

​The issue with the first option is that those practitioners are providing a similar service to those who are registered and fully in business but the general public do not necessarily see the difference between these two type of health and fitness practitioner.
The hobbyist is not worried about the level at which they charge because it is not in their best interest or on their radar to do so. When a member of the public contacts them do a ‘side by side’ comparison they may decide on price alone.
The position this puts the health professional who charges what they are worth, to run a sustainable business is compromised – as it’s not apples with apples.
They will always appear to be more expensive and unaffordable next to the hobbyist.
How do we stand out then?

1. First, lets ensure we are all registered professionals – this must be something we tell all prospects so that if they are shopping around, they may well ask the same questions of others. This could be the first point at which the differences start to show.
2. Explain how long you have been in business and that you help clients in the following areas: [provide a couple of examples]
3. Explain that you spend a decent amount of your income on reinvesting in yourself in education So that your knowledge is up-to-date and cutting edge in line with current research
4. Also explain that you have a casual rate and you have a package rate, this is going to give you credibility and help the customer decide what's going to suit them best.

 
There are many other key elements that you can work on in your business to create and professional look and feel to enhance public perception of what you do.
Above all act and look like you are in business. Check your values reflect this and live to them everyday!

Particularly when you work for yourself and this industry it can be all too easy to get off track and be distracted by other things including all those ‘shiny’ things other people are doing or selling!

​Let’s come back to the headline. On the assumption that you already have capability, we just need to find our ‘genius’ and the sky’s the limit, right?
 
Adding a layer of accountability, underpinning that genius, is going to keep us on track and heading forwards, showing progress, and reaping rewards from the effort.
 
Stepping back even further from this tactic into the strategy of, if we set up a support system from those more experienced than ourselves, be it a financial or free arrangement this could be a great starting point for ongoing success.
 
The strategy being “let’s do this for more than a week or month”. A yearlong cycle in business with support would be the bare minimum in my view.
 
Imagine a brand-new driver taking to the roads and assuming they knew what they were doing with huge over confidence.
Until that new driver has driven for at least 12 months they truly have not seen what Mother Nature alone, regardless of other drivers, provides for driving conditions in all 4 seasons.
 
The same can be said in business, until you have traded for all 12 months of a year you really don’t know what is around the next ‘business bend’ until you go through it. This will set you up with wisdom and experience for the next similar looking bend. You will get smoother and more skilled at negotiating similar bends even to the point where all the skills required to navigate the bend are seamless and effortless.
 
Knowing you have both support and accountability to keep doing the things you said you would do but with a ‘how to’ guide when you need it the journey seems that much easier and fruitful as the wins are gradually notched up on the pathway to success.
 
Yes, ‘potential reached’ is about - drive to achieve your genius with the support and accountability from those that have gone before to help steer and motivate you along the journey.
 
We provide the same conditions for our own clients so that they have our support and accountability on their health journey. The story is no different for your business journey.
 
Find someone you trust and gain support from but who will keep you on track and achieving the goals you agree on and the world is your oyster…. go get ‘em!

​When we set out, we want a client base so we can create a cash flow for our business.
 
This sounds like a great idea and will help create cash in the business to cover expenses and provide a living for you. Watching the dollars roll in may well be a great thing to see as you progress in your business but if you are looking at this being the key element to your success – think again.
 
When we just chase the idea of lots of clients, we lose the refinement of choosing who we want to work with. We ignore the niche we want to work with, or we become a place that will take all comers.  “Try to speak to everyone and you speak to no one.”
 
Sol Price the owner of Costco listed one of the reasons they don’t chase just any old customer as:
 
“Second, dealing exclusively with selected groups makes it possible to communicate with your customers effectively. Instead of communicating with the whole world, you communicate one-on-one with the people you want to reach. Finally, someone who pays for a membership in an organisation makes a form of commitment. They have a built-in reason to come back,” he added.

Costco have a membership fee for all those wanting to walk through their doors. This creates a small barrier to entry that some will not be willing to pay – this technique instantly separates the tyre kickers from the serious customers. Is this something you have thought about in your business? Could it work?
 
Price went on to say, "A store that tries to be all things to all people will end up being nothing to anyone. A retailer reflecting honesty, credibility, and a definite direction that can be understood by its customers and vendors will have a good chance to make it."
 
Two other companies at either ends of the spectrum have found the same approach can be profitable, take Apple and Southwest Airlines.
 
“The principle of not chasing customers has also fueled the success of Southwest Airlines, which knows open seating and lack of premium class service won't endear its brand to travelers who want to be pampered -- and Apple, whose closed operating system deters users who prefer more flexibility. By not chasing customers, great brands usually end up attracting more profitable, loyal ones.”
 
In addition, you may think that enough customers and I don’t have to worry so much about the other elements of my business. To an extent that may be true, the better your top line (sales) the easier it is to achieve your expenses goals and possibly your profit goals. But what if your sales numbers were masking an issue in your business you happen to be ignoring? What if your sales dropped over night and these issues were then exposed and came back to bite you on the bank balance?
 
Having as broader view of the total business means you will have a greater handle on all the elements of your business that create your profit at the end of the month/year. Is your business so dependent on it’s cash flow that any deviation to the ‘norm’ and you are in trouble very quickly?
 
Monitoring cash flow by having a forecast set up at the beginning of your year means you can track it against this plan to see if you are heading towards your goals. 

Setting up a profit and loss statement at the start of the year means you are setting yourself some decent goals both from a sales perspective as well as an expenses point of view. 
 
Finally – if you have a tool to track your sessions per week you can then relate that back to your planning tools mentioned above to have a far broader perspective on the business than one simply ‘looking for more clients’.
 
Rich Ellis runs a course called ‘Business Bootcamp’. This helps you put these tools together to have a more holistic business from a financial perspective.
 
Text “PTMentor” to 9090 (normal txt fee applies) to view the course or click here for the non-Kiwis.
​

 

For those that have seen my coaching tool you may have wondered what the red CHECK box is that sits at week 8.
For those that have not seen the coaching tool it is a simple spreadsheet which enables you to track client progress. At the 8 week mark the check box is a reminder that it's time to check in with your client and make sure you are on track with their programme. This enables a few things:

• Dialogue outside of the typical lift this, do that, tweak this
• A conversation which not only helps you do a better job but makes the client feel heard/felt
• A way of ensuring that everything you do feels like its working for the client
• An opportunity for the client to voice their opinion and of course if they are not quite correct a chance for you to advise what is best, based on their goal - you're the expert, be the expert!
• Future proofing your relationship until the next check in

There are no rules around the 8 week mark for the check in it can be sooner or more regular if that suits you. The key is to keep the dialogue open with clients to ensure they are getting what they came for.​

If you would like a copy of the coaching tool you are more than welcome to have one. Just email: info@theptmentor.com and one will be emailed out to you.

​Confucius said: "tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn" Wise man that Confucius!!!
It's fair to say we all learn differently but if you take the VARK questionnaire for example you will see that there are 4 key ways to learn and we are usually a combination of all 4 with perhaps one dominant area. For example I am a dominant Kinesthetic learner - that means I learn by doing more so than reading, writing or watching. Typically in our industry we are much the same, that's why we love what we do. We love to get our hands on equipment involved with other people and make a difference to their lives.
This blog article is about you and what you will gain from being a mentee with The PT Mentor - a look under the hood if you like.
At this stage of your career you have set up or are in the process of setting up. You need to get clients in the door but you want to be different AND you want to make a difference to people's lives. If you are stuck on parts of your business then a mentor can help. If you are stuck on technical parts of the job with clients then a mentor or even fellow mentees are available to share stories - you see at the PT Mentor you not only access to ongoing support but you can share your journey with others in the same boat and that creates a whole other network for you which is safe and reliable - what value would you put on that?

So what's under the hood - here we go.....

1. Coaching Tool: You get set up with a coaching tool at the beginning of your mentoring journey. This sets up the structure of the relationship a way of measuring success and a way of keeping you accountable to goals. This tool can be duplicated and used with your clients - how cool is that?

2. Goals, Monthly/Quarterly: However long you decide to be mentored for the goals are set up to match that. Your goals will cover both financial and non financial which get to the heart of what your business is and stands for - working on refining those core values.

3. Tasks/Homework: After each monthly catch up there will be homework. This gives you things to achieve during the month before the next catch up. This keeps you focused and on point with your business.

4. Focus on Planning and Activity: As per the homework you'll be using the tasks in the homework to stay organised week to week from a planning point of view. Each week it's good to look at your calendar and block out things that need to be done on the business. This way as the month progresses you will ensure all the key things that make your business hum are getting done.

5. Meet you wherever you are at: Everybody and every business is different. In the same way you would assess a client before working with them the same applies at The PT Mentor. Each journey starts in a different place and so the relationship is based on where you are at now. From there we can move forwards with the specific things you need to support you in your business. 
As an example, have you ever prepared a business plan? Not that I insist on you doing one but if you have never prepared one then there may be elements of a business plan to work on in your business, like a cash flow analysis. This is a simple spreadsheet that helps you predict where you money is coming from and going to month to month, no surprises, or certainly less surprises. It's all in the planning.

6. Success:  Your definition of success is the only one that matters in your business. Once you have nailed down what it is that tells you that you have succeeded - then the target or destination is set. Landmarks and success pathways are all different for different people. Once you are on track, in your flow - you'll be unstoppable!!