The 6 S's of a Successful Fitness Business

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 104. Today we're breaking down the six S's of a successful fitness business. Are you ready? Let's get started. Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance and movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast. What's up, coach? Thank you so much for pushing play on another episode of the PT Profit Podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Simpson, and if this is the first time you're hanging out with me today, thanks so much for being here. I'm really pumped for today's episode. Today, you know, I've changed this title three or four times. My team, I think, hates me. I'm just kidding. They don't really, but they were like, beverly, we need this episode. Give us this episode. And it is officially Monday morning, and I am recording it now before my kids go to school, so you might hear some kids in the background. But I wanted to get this episode out as fast as possible or most efficiently as possible, rather, without having to have my team make a ton of edits. So really, what's come down to and what I want to share and what my hopes for you in this episode is, I surmised it to talk about it in a very, you know, succinct. This is me. We're talking about a succinct framework, and I love frameworks. But really, this episode is being inspired from our last launch that we just closed, which I'm super pumped. Today is the first day, and I could hardly sleep. I was so excited. All the students are about to get their lives changed, which I'm so excited. Excited about. So that's the one. That's one thing that I wanted to share. I wanted this, this, this podcast to really be a reflection from the lessons that I have learned, not just from this launch, but also from the years that I have, the cumulative years that I have spent running businesses both not my own and my own. And really some of the big takeaways, like, I get very reflective in this season after we've just closed to really, you know, where it is that we have come from. And it's interesting because one of the biggest lessons that I learned in this launch specifically, and it's not related to the successes yet, but I will get there. But one of the things that I have, you know, one of the biggest lessons is that I think, for me at least, I've just been in this cycle of consistently looking to grow, looking to. To get to the next level, to get to the next level. And I think that. That I know that that's human nature in the sense that there wrong with having goals. There's nothing wrong with wanting to get to the next level, but not at the expense and cost of missing what's happening right now. You know, you see those motivational memes that say things like, oh, remember when you wanted all the things you have now? You know, those. That type of thing. So the reason why I'm bringing this up is because we have these core questions that we ask ourselves every single day, all the time, kind of on autopilot. And one of the things that I had been asking myself is, what am I missing? What am I missing? What am I not seeing? What am I not seeing? And it's interesting because this launch, specifically, it was a great launch, but my last three launches that I've had have all been amazing, but they've kind of. They've kind of plateaued in the sense that I'm getting consistent results. Now listen, for those of you listening and you're right, and you're starting, this is great, great, great news, right? When you're getting consistent results, when you can trust the metrics, when you can trust what's happening, that is such a very powerful place to be, as long as you're not bottlenecking it. And I'm finding myself that I am bottlenecking it. And one of the things that I've been saying to myself is, what am I missing? What am I missing? When in fact, perhaps you're not missing anything. And instead, if we shift the question to ask ourselves something more like, can you show me, help me see a different perspective? What's a different perspective? What's a different perspective? Because you can you see how the first question suggests that I'm missing something? It suggests that something is not enough. And that's just one of the biggest mistakes that you can make. So shifting that question to. To, you know, how can I see a different perspective? What's a different perspective? It already insinuates trust and faith, but it's opening your eyes to see different things. It was Richard Bantler who said, the quality of your life is determined by the quality of questions that you ask. And I didn't. I've heard that for so long But I didn't really get that until now, until this launch, because once I actually started shifting the questions, and they're so small and so slight, and for my analytical brain, it didn't feel like it was that big of a difference. It's the same question, except that it's not. It's not the same question. And so the reason why I share this with you before I even get into the successes is because that question is what birthed this framework, what I'm about to break down with you. Asking myself that question was what brought me to really dial in the successes of six of, of a successful fitness business and what the truth is that every successful fitness business owner has. And so now I'm going to weave the lessons that I've learned from my last launch into this, into this training or into this podcast, because I want to. I think it's really important because I think that it is a nuanced conversation in terms of making sure that you are both. And I think that it can be challenging, but I don't for someone like me who's so linear. And one of my core challenges that I've faced is that I tend to live in either or. And instead I've really started to explore what it's like to live in the and it can be both. You could be both work in progress and awesome right now. Because when you are, like, when you're living in that either or, this is when people tend to start saying things like, I just need another certification and then I'll be ready. I'm not ready. What am I missing? I just, I'm not enough. And they start, they start to get into this vicious cycle. But for me, I had this realization that I am, I'm missing out some lessons and, and I needed to, to shift the questions that were going on in my mind. So let's just go ahead and get into the successes of a successful fitness business. Now, I did teach a part of this inside of Simple Selling, but today I'm going to shift it the conversation just a little bit around the successes because I'm also going to be weaving in some of the lessons that I learned from this launch. So number one is study. So I used to teach, and most people teach going out into the Internet and you surveying your clients. Go survey your clients. What's their number one struggle? What's preventing them from getting to their goals? What is their goals? But here's what I've learned in my years is that going out and surveying your audience, it is, it is like turning on the lights when they're in a room full of cockroaches. Right? So my family lives in Florida, so of course that's the metaphor that I'm using here. But you know when you're like, come downstairs in the dark and you're like, wait a second, something feels weird. I can hear the. And then you turn on the lights and they scatter. Right? So when you ask people these questions, that's what it's like. And you don't get to really observe and see what is the root cause of their actions. And the truth is that most people don't even realize or know what their root causes. So let me give you some tangible examples. Right? When someone says, I want to. To, if you said, you know what, what are your. What is your goal? What do you want? And they'll be like, I want more confidence. I just want to be toned. Right. I get that's a cool goal. But let's go beneath the surface. Let's find out what's causing them to want that. What do they think, what do they think that's going to. Is going to happen when they have more confidence, when they are more toned? Right. It's going to cause us to want to go deeper. We need to go deeper into that. And most people, when they're put on the spot like that, that's a heavy question. Not a heavy question, but it's a deep question and it might require some thought because typically people don't get asked questions in that way. And so sometimes they'll say things like, I don't know. And when someone realizes that they don't know something, it causes them to pause. And so think about, think about the customer experience for a second that they're just hanging out on Instagram and then they see this question in a story. They're like, wait, oh, I need to think about that. We're so quick. We're set up to be quick and fast in this environment that either someone who is not ready to really look at that question is going to scroll past it, or someone who is will spend time thinking on it. But then they're not gonna. Then they're not gonna go back and look typically and answer the question. They might, but depending on their pain level. Right. They might, but. So that's why I've really shifted the question to or shifted the first S to be less about serving and more about studying the client. Go and find out where your ideal client is hanging out. Go and look. Where are they hanging out? How are they Showing up, what are some of the things that they are saying? And then see if you can look underneath the surface, what's causing them to say that. There are going to be times that you might not necessarily will know and you will want to have a conversation with them and talk to them about what's causing it. But it's really important that we spend time observing and studying our ideal client and knowing them inside out. And now I did skip, I presupposed that you already knew who your ideal client is. And if you're like, wait, but Beverly, I don't know who my ideal client is, then that's what we're definitely are going to teach inside PT profit formula. So if you are a student, then don't worry, I got you. But if you're not, then I'm just going to encourage you to just spend some time. Go back to some of the podcasts where we talk about finding your ideal client and really, really hone in and see. Spend time really identifying who this person is on an identity level where they're struggling and where they want to be and observe them, study them, know them. Because if you don't, then you won't be able to create the content for them. You're not going to be able to create the messaging and help them carry them through a customer journey from where they're struggling to where they want to be. It's going to get missed. It will get lost in the echo chamber of social media. So you really need to study the client. Now for me, and what I'm learning in this launch, and I'm really asking myself, is that, and I say, I say this all the time to my students, but also to myself, I'm not immune to this specificity is going to be your laser. So when you're speaking to your people, you know, for me, I'm asking, am I speaking to somebody who's ground up? Am I speaking to somebody who's already has a business and is already stretched for time because their problems and issues and concerns, they're going to be different. And now there's part of me that's super excited to work with people who are at the beginning in the sense of have no machine, they're building from, you know, they have no audience, no machine. This is almost exciting to me because now we're going to put the system, we're going to build the machine from the ground up the most efficient way possible. Sometimes it's actually harder. And I'm noticing this inside my own business. Sometimes it's harder to break down a machine that is working but you, maybe you no longer lights you up, maybe no longer you want to be fulfilling on or maybe you need to change the efficiency of a working machine inside of your business. That sometimes can be harder. And honestly, if you want my honest opinion, that can be the reason that prevents people from getting past the six figure mark. They get to the six figure mark with this machine that works but maybe it's not like, maybe it's not running like a Tesla yet. And so having to break that down and then build the Tesla from the ground up can be. And it's not even the ground up. Right. That's the other thing that people miss and forget is that we, you still have the skills. We're going to talk about that in the next s. But anyway, so having that machine almost at that six figure mark, that works but maybe it's not a Tesla yet. That is, that's almost in my opinion harder. And I think maybe that I'm saying that because if you in my business in full transparency that's one of the things that I'm faced with right now is I have awesome machines. I've got machines I've been throwing out and didn't even realize it. We're going to talk all about that. But that's one of the things that I'm personally facing inside of my business. So first s study your client, know them, know them inside out so that you could get to the second S which is serve, serve, serve, serve, serve, serve, serve your client, serve your client. Quite frankly, if I'm being honest, this is one of the lessons that I've had to learn in the last year and it's one of the hardest lessons that I had to learn because sometimes I'm such a left brain thinker, sometimes I'm, I'm very linear and I can get very, I can get very bro markety. And what I mean by that, and it's so funny because this last, I know I've heard that word like, like swirl around the Internet for a while and people have very negative visceral feelings towards it. When for me I was like, but what is it? What does that even mean? Right? Because it is just a judgy, judgy word. But here's what I understand it to mean and why I have felt that I have done that myself in the sense that what I have, what I'm defining and meaning that to be and it's really kind of a negative term and I'm probably going to stop Using it as I'm processing this right now and just shift it more to falseness because that's what it feels like. It feels like it's, it's, it's my way or no way. And it has an element of falseness like a full. And I know why I, I'm drawn to that. I understand the brain, I know how humans work. And so I recognize and I relate to that sense of urgency and creating and crafting a sense of falseness. But when there is not true falseness, we have to check in with intention. Right? So that's one thing, the falseness, the falseness in your marketing and messaging. The other part is this feeling of, of right this way or no way. This way or no way. This way or no way. And then the third part that I would say, and I'm sure there's more parts to it, but I'm just relating it to me and to my lessons. What I have learned as I've been growing this business is that there's also this sense of lack of awareness of people. Business can be very number orientated and I am number orientated. And so sometimes I can get very clinically and that we very clinical in measuring metrics that we miss the fact that we're talking about people. And when that happens and when we get down that rabbit hole, we start to miss the, the second s which is serve, serve, serve, serve. This is why I'm always checking in now with my intention and, and frankly to be. You know, I can't speak for other people who have gotten this, who have gotten this reputation, but I can speak from mine and I can speak from my heart. And my experience is that getting into that is. Has nothing to do with not caring about people. I mean I care about my clients and I'm, and my students. So much so that I lose sleep overnight that I wake up and I really like the majority of my day if I'm not thinking about my kids. So I'm thinking about how I could better serve my students. It keeps me up at night. I'm heart centered in the sense that I want nothing more to serve. But when I can get into the process, when I'm stressed, when I'm really thinking about what's going to work, I can get very linear and varying numbers and I can, and I can lose that sense of people. The fact that we're dealing with people, not so much anymore. But I used to back in the day and it actually had done a lot of damage inside of my business and I didn't even recognize it or realize it until later. But I have the courage to say I was wrong in many times, right? I can say that I was wrong and learn from the mistakes. You hear me say all the time, learn. You get your lessons or you get your successes. And so there have been many lessons that I've had to learn, and those were some of them, those three compartments, those three parts. And I think ultimately it comes down to serving. If I had been more in tune with my people serving, then it would have been. It wouldn't have gone the way that it did. And it's fine, right, that if I had been more in tune with my people and served, and perhaps things would look a little bit different now than they do. But I have no regrets. I know that everything happens to serve me in my highest good, for my highest good, and for the business's highest good. Because I know my heart and I know that, that my intention has never been anything but to, to help other people. But sometimes when we get lost in it, that can, that can be one of the things is really, really missing that component of serving and serving specifically your ideal compliant. So then the third S is like, okay, now, now that we are really checking in with serving it, we really know these people. We need to solve the problem. We need to solve the problem. Now, I have fallen into the trap of saying, you know, attract people with a problem and sell them the solution. But the truth is they don't want the solution. Nobody's laying awake at night thinking, man, I can't wait to buy a peloton. I can't wait to get on, you know, get a membership. I can't wait. They're not thinking about your solution. They're thinking about the outcome of what your solution is going to bring to them. They care about the transformation, the outcome. Now, transformation has a connotation in the fitness space where they're thinking, oh, I don't teach weight loss. It's okay. When I'm using the word transformation, I'm specifically talking about where they're at now and where they want to be. And it's going to require them to change and it's going to require them to get uncomfortable and it's going to require them to get to the new. To get to the new level. And then here's the other thing about this solve. This solve s that I feel like I do differently than most people. And sometimes I wonder if this hinders my, my own personal marketing. But one of the things that kills me is that it kind of goes to what I was saying about that other style of marketing, which is that my way, no way, my way, no way. And then people will get really specific and it has to be this and it's going to do this and this is what your program is going to look like and it needs to be this and you need to do calls and you need to go DM100People on Instagram. And I just feel like I get why, right? First, let me tell you why that works. Why that kind of marketing works is because a when the process is specific, you have a proven process and an in addition to the process being proven, it is specific. And the more specific that you can be in your messaging, the better specificity is going to be the difference between the people who struggle versus the people who get to the next level. So this is why that type of messaging can be so profound and can be so good. But the problem that we get in with that is that people start to feel like, you know, maybe, maybe you don't do very well on in calls, but you do amazing in a masterclass, maybe you don't do awesome in a masterclass, but when you get someone on the phone, you really connect with them, right? It really comes down to, in my opinion, figuring out what is in alignment both in your offer and in the way that you connect with your people. And it's ultimately going to come down to alignment and it's ultimately also going to come down to the intention, right? So now there is a difference. And this is going to be for you to figure out, you and your coach. But there is a difference between not wanting to do calls because you are uncomfortable and you don't want to get on the phone and you're scared to sell and you're scared that they're going to say no. That is different level of energy versus it's just draining. For me, I want I really connect better in a group. My program is more about a group. I want to talk to the group. There is a difference between recognizing what is fear based in the presentation of a cell and what is actually not in your highest good. There is a difference because the truth is that it all works works. So you really need to ask yourself what is going to work best for you and then already get on board with no matter what it is that you pick, it's going to be uncomfortable. And the faster you can get more comfortable with being uncomfortable, the faster you're going to grow. Why? Because you cannot change or get to the next level without being uncomfortable. It's going to take something from you. It's. And it's going to require you to let go of something. Think about fitness, think about what it's like to get to, you know, shred or get to peak performance or win some type of, you know, win the game. There's going to be some type of effort. There is going to be some type of hard work. There's going to be some type of effort and there's going to be some type of, of uncomfortability, but not. And maybe even hard work. But hard is different than uncomfortable. That's going to be for you and for your coach to figure out. But it's going to be very important that you figure out what your process is going to be and then really dial in the machine. Because the truth is it all works. It all works. So that brings us to the 4ths, which is sell. And so this is something that we're going to be working on a lot inside of PT profit formula. But so if you're a student, get pumped. But, but we need to shift our relationship to selling. And I've actually done a lot of training on this and there's some, there are some podcast episodes that you could go back and listen to. But we need to shift our relationship with selling because the truth is that the transformation happens in the transaction. People have the best of intentions when they get something for free, to learn something for free, but the problem is that they don't. They end up not. They just. They're going to get to it. They're going to get to it, they're going to get to it and then it goes to the PDF graveyard to, to be, you know, never to be opened. Or they have the best of intentions to come, but then they just don't come. Right? I, let's just take simple selling, for example. I had 1,000 people register for that training and I had 60 people register for, for Create clients on demand and I had four to five people showing up live every time. Now, of course we had people watching the replays, but I can see the numbers and, and people don't sign up and be. To be jerks, right? People sign up with intention. They have the best of intention to show up for themselves. But then because there's no skin in the game, because there's not enough on the line for them to show up, they don't. So selling is very important and it is going to require you to really hone in on, on lots and lots of different things. But selling is really important because if you don't sell and you do not present more offers in front of more people, then you're running the risk of not being able to serve your people and not letting them have the opportunity to show up for themselves. You can't feed your family and do your bills and everybody loses. So selling is very important. And then we're going to talk about the 5ths, which I feel like doesn't get enough reputation in the industry, which is skill. Skill acquisition. Right. The truth of the matter is I could tell you how to lose weight in 100. I could tell you how to lose 100 pounds in one hour. I could tell you exactly what the process is going to be. This is what you're going to need to do, why you're going to need to do it, and you'll lose up to £100. But you and I both know that you. No one can lose £100 in an hour. No, I could tell you how to do it, but it is going to require skill acquisition. You have to guess, test and assess. Your business is the same way nobody learns how to deadlift the first time and then goes into the gym and rips up 400 pounds in their first try. I mean, of sure, my brain works in. Is that really true? And sure, I can think of, I can think of. Of cases where I'm sure that that's possible, but it would depend on the context. Right. Context matters. But for all intensive purposes, let's talk about our clients. Your client that you're serving. Chances are they're not going to be competing in a platform after they learn how to deadlift for the first time. Right. So the same thing is true inside of your business. I can teach you at the Framework, I can teach you how to make a million dollars in an hour. I could teach you what it's going to take, and then you're like, yeah, but they're going to yearn it at a million dollars. That's because of these two S's, Skill acquisition and system. It has absolutely nothing to do with, with, you know, the next strategy. Like, people want to go Shiny object syndrome, and they're like, oh, I need to do this. Oh, I need to do this. I need to go on clubhouse, I need to go on webinars don't work. I need to do calls. Calls don't work. I need to do challenges. Challenges don't work. No, no, no, my friends, everything works, works. You just need to know what it is that you're looking at, and you need to know what it is you need to be able to measure those metrics that matter. Good thing I have the podcast coming out on it next week. But you need to be able to know what it is that you're looking at and hone in on. On the skill acquisition when you. And then keep doing it. You need to do the reps. Nobody learns how to squat and then squats the first time and then there's done it. In fact, your business, if it's boring you, then you're probably on the right track because your business isn't here to entertain you. Your business is actually not here for you. Your business is here for your client. And I know that sounds harsh, especially for someone like me or especially for someone who is. Is, you know, new and starting for the first time, because all of our intention and thought is going into the business and it's not necessarily. Is a bad thing. I'm not saying that that's bad or wrong. I love my business and I love what I do and I love my job and I love my friend. I love my students and I love my friends too. But I love all the people that are connected to me through my business. And some of my best friends came through my business in terms of. In terms of my masterminds, my networking. Like, that's all of that has really mattered and has come through because of my business. So I'm not saying that that business is bad, but. But I am saying if it's boring you, you're probably onto something because you're just. You've figured out a machine that works and you're honing it in. Skill acquisition takes time. It also takes a level of detachment. And this is a whole other podcast. We could spend a lot of time here, but you got to be able to. To release the. The meaning of the outcome comes and it could be very hard to do. That's a whole other podcast. I'll spend some time on that one. But we need to live on. What one of my mentors talks about is the Razor's edge, where we care about everything and nothing at the same time. And it's very challenging to do. I'm. I'm with you on that. I'm still working on that too. And then the last s. This is actually honestly probably my biggest sister lesson from last launch. And if you really want to talk about, you know, I shared that I feeling like I'm. I'm bottlenecked and this is it. This is. Or I'm plateauing, rather, it's because I'm bottled. It's because I'm bottled neck and because my system, I don't have a strong enough system and process in place in my own business. This is what it's going to take to get to the next level. This is when we're, we are talking about team, this is when we're talking about growth and this is when we are talking about scaling right. And it's going to require the last S which is a system. And you're like, but Beverly, you teach systems. Yeah, I do. I do teach systems in my business. I do teach systems and I do help people put systems in their place. But for me and for my business, number 1A, I do not think anybody on this planet is, doesn't need help. I think everybody needs help in it. All the people who, who make the most have the most help because they get insight from other people, they share experiences, they learn from other people. Like, you know, even if, even if you're an introvert and you're getting help from learning podcast, from listening to podcasts or listening to books, like people get help help is there is nothing wrong with getting help but the system and specifically the system in place. Like for example, in this last launch I noticed that I had actually create and I had actually created and built a very awesome machine in the summertime. But I didn't realize it. I threw the baby out with the bathwater. I didn't realize that I did it until this launch. I recognized and realized that I was just so stretched too thin and I don't have enough horsepower, manpower, person power behind my machine to really both fulfill all of my obligations for my clients, for my students and for what and to reach my goal. You have to be able to, to be prepared to take on your goal. And if you're not, I just don't think that's that I think you're not prepared. That's part of the reason why you aren't ready to, you won't get it. Because I just am a firm believer for me personally that you, you're not going to be able to get anything you can't handle. Downfall and so one of my, so my biggest goals in truth for Q4 specifically is to get my system in place. Because I don't know if you all remember how long you all have been hanging out with me, but I said we're getting to a million 20, 21 and we're not there yet. But don't worry, we'll talk about the out. We'll talk about that later and how I feel about that. But we, but that doesn't mean that the goal goes away or that I'm not going to get it. It just means that, oh, I've learned the lesson, I see the lessons, I see what I need to do. I need more systems in place, more systems and processes. And that is what we're going to do. We're going to do it in Q4 so that we're prepared for the 1 million in 2022. So I know I've been talking a lot at you for a while, but I want to make sure I get this podcast out to my team. So let me just make sure I recap for you the six S's of a success podcast Fitness Business and the truth of the matter is this is going to matter for any business. It doesn't matter what type of businesses, but these successes are exactly what the successful people have inside of their business. They study their ideal client number one. They serve them, they solve their problem, they sell them an irresistible must have now, no questions offer. They acquire the skills and continually sharpen the skills to connect, attract and connect with their people. And then they build a put a system in place that that can run without them. That is what's going to lead to scaling. So thank you so much for hanging out with me today and I'll catch you on the next episode. Thank you for listening to the PT Profit podcast. If you like this episode, chances are your friends will too. So it would be a huge service to us if you would please leave us a review and share share with your friends on your social media channels. When you leave us a review, be sure to take a screenshot of it and email that screenshot to my team atinfo simpson fitness.com and we'll send you a very special Instagram podcast that will show you how to create compelling content so that your ideal clients come to you and you go from wanting clients clients to a wait list of clients ready for your services. Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you on the next episode.