Are you in control?
I've written before about the fact that it's not how much money you make, it's how much you keep. I repeat...it's not how much money you make, it's how much you keep! And if you have your business and personal life in control, you will keep more money than you spend. A lot more.
I'm at Gillware Data Recovery right now. They've hired me to do some writing for their blog. They've also set me up with another great service I'll tell you more about later. FitProBackup is a remote data backup service that you MUST have in place in your technical life. But again, more on that later...
I just passed through the break room to pour myself a fresh cup of tea and heard a story on the television about a young actress who somehow ran up more than
$600,000 in credit card debt. She's young (22), and obviously NOT in control. And though a successful acrtress at a young age, finding herself in some deep financial you know what.
How does that happen?
Well, as Dave Ramsey pointed out in the interview with the news anchor, it doesn't matter how much money you make, it's how much you spend and when you're not good at managing your money,you will always find a way to spend more than you should. Your expenses will always rise to your income.
Case in Point
Before the economy did it's little dance, my fitness studio was totally cranking. Thanks to a full court press on the marketing end courtesy of expertise obtained through NPE (affiliate link), I was landing more new clients than I could handle at times. I had a staff of 5 trainers and was working like heck just to keep up.
This produced gigantic sales numbers each month, but it also produced a payroll equivalent to my total list of expenditures in the studio today. Imagine for a second having to meet a 15K payroll each month. I was on my way to the big time - or at least that's what it seemed like.
The reality was that I was still spending a little more than I was making each month and was making up for that difference with big sales to new clients. It works in the short run, but eventually, you run out of room.
Moral of the story?
I was making less money at that time than I do now. And in case you're curious, right now it's just me, one part time trainer, a studio coordinator and my wife Laura on the bookkeeping (a godsend).
I have so much better control over what I'm doing now that I've been able to pursue some fantastic new projects that will ultimately move me farther and farther away from training clients and more and more into the role of writer, teacher, blogger, and information marketing superstar. And that's how I want it. That's how I want the next progression of my fitness career to look and feel. Because I want my evenings back, and I want to be able to wash the dishes every night after dinner. Dr. Zen likes his suds.
I have gained control in so many different areas of my personal life, and in my life as an entrepreneur, that it will take a series of posts to explain them. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. In fact, my presence online and the resources I'm creating for you as a fitness professional will be unmatched and unstoppable.
If you would like a sneak peak at my new "be a fitness Nomad" membership site you can click here. And depending on when you read this, you might actually find a LIVE sign-up form. Initially, you will gain immediate access to content for your fitness blog, a full-fledged nutrition coaching system that rivals Dietmaster pro, and as time goes on, everything else I deem appropriate for helping you advance your fitness career.
I look forward to the next phase of my work and I would love to have you along for the ride.
John