Last week we had the honor and privilege of celebrating our 15-year anniversary as a small business. That means Jessica and I have been business partners for 16+ years and counting.

Yes, there have been some ups and downs along the way – we’ve dreamed, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried and we’ve shared many sleepless nights worrying about the long haul.

But regardless of what each of us had going on in our personal lives, we keep choosing to put the business first.

Here are 5 tips for having a successful long-standing business partnership.

1. Commit – We have a saying, “commit to your commitments” - it’s our guiding star. Years ago, we agreed to embark on this endeavor together and because of the commitment to business we made we both agree to do whatever it takes to keep the business running. Sometimes this means doing something we don’t really want to do, but if the decision is ultimately the best for the business then we are...

Have you ever stopped to think about the client journey through your business? Do you know how most of your clients find you – word of mouth, social media, advertisements, a custom app?

Specifically, do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your front-end systems are working hard for you and converting clients?

Regardless of how your prospects find you it is almost guaranteed that they will check your website before beginning a fitness plan.

That’s why it’s important that your website clearly states what you do and provides a clear call to action on how prospects can get started with you. 

Sounds simple right? Yes, but it’s not necessarily easy to get everything from your head out onto the page of your website with clarity and conciseness. And more often than not we don’t look at our website from the perspective of our prospects.

That’s why we absolutely LOVE Donald Miller’s StoryBrand Framework. His simple, no-nonsense approach to...

In the wake of the pandemic there seems to be a major reshaping of how we work happening right before our eyes. Businesses have closed, business owners are being forced to go in a different direction and many fitness pros are reeling trying to figure out their next move. It’s abundantly clear that we are not going back to “normal” anytime soon. 

As an entrepreneur you already know it takes grit and determination to bring your vision to life, but how do you make it through challenging times such as these?

 Develop an Opportunity-Focused Mindset

We believe your #1 tool is to adopt an opportunity-focused mindset or a growth mindset.

According to Carol Dweck, psychologist and researcher, “in a growth mindset, people believe their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work…This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” 

Individuals with an...

Literally 2 weeks before the pandemic hit we had just signed a new lease with a big master plan to expand our studio and grow our business. Then in a matter of days we went from thriving to hanging on for survival.

In NC the shutdown for gyms and studios just lifted about 2 weeks ago which means our studio was officially closed for 6 months.

Friends… this has been a dark period. And honestly, we were kind of operating in this mode that getting the studio open was our “finish line.”

Not so…it is clear there is more work to do, and now we realize that we are actually at the starting line as it’s time to kick into a rebuilding mode.

Here are 3 steps we’re taking to get back to thriving!  

Step 1  - Defining Our Hybrid Model  - For years we had it on our “to do” list to build out our virtual services, but there were always more pressing issues. Hello pandemic and then bam we’re operating our entire business...

Life before Covid was not just busy, but frankly it was too busy - almost to the point where most of the time we were running at a frenetic pace that left us exhausted and stressed.

And now after 5+ months of our “new normal” – a quarantine, safer-at-home orders, school closures, work transitions and many activities canceled or rescheduled we now have a new relationship with our time – one that is not anchored in the busy-ness of a schedule or routine but one that is forcing us to make the most of the pockets of time we do have.

Personally, the lack of routine presents a new challenge for us. And the lack of boundaries between work life, home life and now school life as we help manage virtual school makes it even harder to stay focused, productive and efficient. 

We know some of you can relate to being trapped in this vortex where time feels both extremely sluggish and like it’s slipping through your fingers at the same time.

So how can we all make...

It’s long been said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result.

Well friends if you are trying very hard to run your studio or business the way you used to then it’s likely you are feeling out of sorts and like you’re fighting an uphill battle.

The world has changed, and it’s likely we’re not going back to the way it was before… at least not for a long time. 

So as business owners where should we put our focus?

No, we don’t have a crystal ball, but here’s our best “one foot in front of the other” guess of how business will shift in the coming weeks, months and years.

1) The future of fitness is personal – With so many opportunities out there and different virtual platforms available (ones with presumably larger budgets than we have as small studio owners) it is going to be hard to compete in that space… unless you already have a lot of notoriety...

There’s a saying, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and truer words have never been spoken.  The last few months have proved that we, as business owners are resilient, strong and when we take a solution-focused approach to leading our businesses we can come out on the other side of this Covid pandemic.

Like many of you our business was hit hard when the pandemic started. It was a scramble to transition our business online, but thankfully we are continuing to maintain and we’ve even managed to add 3 new revenue streams to our business despite the pandemic.

Here’s more: 

1. Offer premium services – It seems that the future of fitness is personal so what services can you offer that are highly personalized in nature that also add to your bottom line? 

For us, we started offering in-home personal training for a very select few clients – those who are willing to pay a premium for such convenience. It’s funny because we...

All this time in pandemic has many of us thinking “what now?”

Some business owners have decided to close their businesses. Others are pivoting in a new direction (maybe one they didn’t choose), and yet others are feeling a little lost and uncertain about what to do next.

Essentially we are all in transition.

And sometimes transition breeds uncertainty and lack of purpose.

Discovering your purpose is not an easy process. You don’t magically wake up one day with a clear vision of what your purpose is and exactly how it is going to take shape (unless you are extremely lucky). However, discovering your unique gifts and talents and doing what you love can add so much more joy to your life.  It doesn’t have to be someday . . . you can start today!

Grab your journal, answer the following questions, and take some time to truly reflect on what matters most now.

1. What did you do for fun as a kid?

Children are naturally drawn to what resonates...

Since the inception of our coaching business we’ve heard from dozens of studio owners that marketing their fitness studio is their most pressing issue.

Enter 'rona, she says in parentheses (sung to the tune of My Shot from Hamilton – sorry I only watched the Disney+ version twice this weekend and it is FANTASTIC as expected).  

But seriously – enter Coronavirus. How does one even begin to market in the midst of a pandemic?

Here are 4 strategies we’re leaning into right now to re-engage old clients and encourage new business.

1. Weekly Email Communication – Prior to the pandemic we were sending an e-newsletter about once/month. Since we closed down we have moved to sending useful content weekly to two lists – our active clients and our prospective clients (i.e. ones who have opted in to our newsletter or content either as a previous client or another marketing initiative).

This strategy is highly efficient and allows us to stay front and...

We are officially almost halfway through 2020, and like most of you our studio has been closed for more than half of that time.  It’s crazy when we think of it.

Currently we are still closed as we await notice from our state authorities about moving to the next phase of re-opening, and sadly, we are seeing huge spikes in NC which makes us a bit worried about opening up right away – even if it is allowed.

And to top it off some of our team members are a bit worried about returning to the studio – some for health reasons and some because they have grown complacent and comfortable in the WFH gig.

Needless to say, there are a lot of decisions flooding our heads as studio owners and it’s important that we stay focused and do our best to continue to lead through this next phase of re-opening. 

So….how do you re-engage your team as you start to re-open your studio?

1. Communication and clarity – It is important that everyone on your team is on...