I'm out in my backyard again on a Saturday morning - writing...

This time, there's a giant new red shed staring right back at me. It's not mine. I would never plant something so obtuse in my backyard. The new little 'Red Barn' (as I'm calling it) belongs to the neighbors behind me. I don't like it!

That was my first reaction though. Now, I'm trying to embrace it's presence, because like it or not at the moment, it landed here for a reason. Possibly, my guides decided that it was time my kids learned how to plant some trees, or learn new landscaping techniques. Because there's no doubt, something will need to be planted to remake the view.

Or, there are other reasons I cannot see yet. And I suppose it's possible that in the mean time, it makes damn good blog content 🙂 One reason is for sure - I'm listening...

As a fitness business owner, Dad, and Husband, I have much to balance in life. Especially when presented with big challenges like the ones I've tackeled in the last few weeks. Most present in my mind today is the experience of having to let a long time trainer go. I'll share those details another time. For now, it's important that my focus stays pointed in the right direction almost every minute of the day.

If you're a fitness business owner, I'm know you can relate to the challenges. I hear regularly from many of you who share the passion.

One of the most important lessons so far, is the fact that as a business owner, you are no longer simply a practitioner of your craft. You are now a "marketer in the business of fitness." This was an important lesson I learned when studying in the NPE program with Sean Greeley and Eric Ruth. Eric especially drilled this message firmly into my head. And since then, I've heard and read it in countless other books written by leading marketing experts.

The problem, of course, is that often, it is extremely difficult to manage my time effectively enough to take care of clients, staff, and my family. When days get long, and staff changes like the one that happened this week present themselves, there is not a lot of time left over in the day to craft effective marketing messages and get them out the door.

You can waste a lot of money in a short amount of time, sending innaffecitve marketing messages to the wrong market, the wrong media and with the wrong message, especially when you're in too big of a hurry. That is why these headlines you read about promising to double your income in half the time are so compelling. And if you're working at your business and studying the way I do, you find them everywhere.

I've said in the past that this does not mean that the programs behind the headlines are not for you, or that the content and the information is not excellent. Often it is, and as I said, I learned a lot from my work with NPE. The important thing is that you have to remember at all times that your business is YOU and your unique situation, and that any message you model, program you purchase, product you buy for business building, MUST be molded to fit your business, in YOUR market, and through the media that makes sense for YOU.

The most important thing you can do right now is to LISTEN closely to what your current clients are telling you. Because there is pure gold in there, right in your own backyard. And if you're listening closely enough every day, you won't even have to dig for it...

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If you're interested, I still have a few spots available for my 30-minute consultation offer.  I promise that this offer will have to come down soon.  I'll be entrenched over the next few weeks making up for a lost trainer and in working on the new products and services that are comine down the pipeline.  So, if you would like to take me up on my offer, you can use the order form at: http://www.WorkLikeANomad.com