There is a BIG difference between owning a business and owning a job.

Most people think they own a business because they are technically the ‘owner’.

But in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

They don’t really own a business at all.

Sure, they don’t have a boss to report to, but when they don’t go to work nothing really happens and the business would collapse without their constant work.

And the sad truth is that when this is the case, you don’t really own a ‘business’ at all, you…

…OWN A JOB!

Here’s the first test for you to take to see if you really have a business right now, or a job.

What would happen if you were to go on a good 2-week vacation right now?

Would your business thrive or would it fall apart?

Would you return to find it doing just as well (if not better) then when you left it (i.e. clients still being trained, customers be handled, prospects met with for consultations and sold)?

Or would you return to find it in complete chaos and disaster?

If you can honestly answer your business would be doing just as well (if not better) than when you left, then I encourage you to put it to the test.

Plan a trip out of town and go away.

See how things hold up (or don’t).

You’ll never really know how well it actually works until you let go of babysitting and try to ‘break the system’.

But if you’re like 99.9% of folks reading this right now, then you now know- without a shadow of a doubt-that you don’t really have a business- you’ve got a job.

Being self-employed in the beginning is very liberating. A great sense of freedom and personal satisfaction comes from working for yourself and learning how to ‘make it on your own’ in the fitness industry.

Building your own base of clients, sharing your passion for health and fitness with others, and helping clients improve their lives is incredibly rewarding.

It’s the reason we all ‘do what we do’.

However, being a great fitness professional can also lead to some big challenges. One day you can be just loving working with your clients and growing the business, then you look up and…

…Find Yourself In A Trap!

It’s inevitable that you will reach a ceiling on your growth when you are here.

There are only so many clients you can service, only so many customers you can work with, and so much time you have in the day.

Plus the bigger your base of clients and customers grows, the more additional tasks and responsibilities required to run your business.

When you’ve got 25+ clients, you also now have a significant amount of billing and accounting tasks that must be taken care of, phone calls that must be responded to, and e-mails that require your attention.

Consultations must be performed with new prospects, as well as scheduling, program design, and a whole laundry list of other things that need to be done in your business BESIDES doing the work for which you’re getting paid for- actually ‘training’ a client!

And this is where the stress and problems all begin to develop.

Right here.

Because unless you’ve ever taken business management classes or have someone to ‘point you in the right direction’ and teach you about how to run and manage your BUSINESS (not just fulfilling the labor on the time you’ve sold)- then you’re going to be a mess.

It’s no fun.

The stress begins to grow, the workload continues to grow, and all the ‘little things’ start to pile on one- by-one faster than you can keep up.

Then one of two things will happen:

1. You start making mistakes, screwing things up, and your business begins to shrink.

OR…

2. You dig in, commit to ‘get things done’, and now end up working not just 30 or 40 hours per week, but…

…50, 60, Even 80 hours Per Week Just To Keep Up!

Then the downward spiral continues.

You stop working out because you’re completely exhausted (and you should be, heck you’re working 80 hours a week!).

Your personal life begins to suffer, and that’s no surprise because- you’re working 80 hours a week!

And then your health begins to suffer, and THAT’s no surprise either- because you’re working 80 hours a week, getting no sleep, and your little self-employed job…

…Has Now Taken Over Your Life!

What most people do next is a complete mess.

They try to hire some people to help training their clients- but they don’t really know how to do it.

They have no idea where to find good people, how to train them, and they certainly have no clue of how to manage them.

They convince themselves they ‘really like training’ even though they are hating their life and in complete denial because to admit at this point that ‘this is no fun and I want to go home’ would require too much honesty (and a loss or pride) to handle at the moment.

They tell themselves they’re just going to ‘train a few clients’ a ‘few hours a week’ because they are passionate about working with people and don’t want to let anyone down.

They don’t want to disappoint those clients they’ve formed a strong bond with over the years. And they think ‘nobody else can train my clients as good as I can.’

And they honestly DO like training their clients on some level- when they get into it and force themselves to forget about everything else by staying just ‘focused in the moment.’

But when that alarm clock goes off at 5am day after day after day… and they’ve just gotten home at 9pm the night before… it gets harder and harder to peel yourself out of bed each morning and tell yourself ‘this is fun and what I really want to do with my life’.

When you get to THAT place, watch out because…

…Burnout Is Approaching FAST!

When you’re finally too exhausted to actually deliver the quality of service you used to… and the ‘passion’ for working with clients starts to go away because you’re so overworked and overstressed… then you’ll soon end up letting EVERYONE down (including yourself)
because you’ve refused to admit to yourself what’s really going on.

- You let your clients (that you care so much for) down because you can no longer deliver the quality of service you used to give them.

- You let your friends and family down because you no longer have anything to give to your relationships because the business has ‘sucked the life out of you’.

- And you let yourself down because you’re not ‘taking care of you’, you feel guilty about letting everyone else down, and you no longer have any sense of balance between your personal life and business.

The reason why things get this bad is because you haven’t had the systems, tools and coaching you need to make the leap from being just ’self-employed’ to being a true ‘business owner’.

And I’m here to tell you that you really CAN have a great business, one that serves you and your customers well, gives you balance in your life, and (in moderation) provides healthy challenges that will make business (and life) fun, interesting, and rewarding.

But it takes hard work, dedication to making the leap, and patience to make it happen.

And only YOU can make the personal decision required to make your dreams become a reality.

Find about more about how you can “Make The Leap” forward by downloading our FREE “From Chaos To Control” Report and requesting the bonus audio cd with actual case studies and interviews of 7 fitness professionals and studio owners now at:

http://www.DuplicationCode.com

There is no doubt that success leaves clues.

If you look closely at truly extraordinary companies you’ll see that they have many, many things in common.

One of those commonalities, those clues - perhaps the biggest, most glaring one - is this:

** EXCELLENCE = ATTENTION TO DETAIL **

Stay with me here for a moment and I’ll explain.

Here’s why the vast majority of fit-biz owners struggle:

They incorrectly believe they have a MARKETING problem, when in fact they have a MANAGEMENT problem.

When you look at your P&L sheets (or, for many, at your checkbook), you see not enough money at the end of the month.

And you think you need more clients.

So you try to figure out how to get more.

You think marketing.

You think about chasing more business, rather than OPTIMIZING and LEVERAGING what you’ve already got.

See, here’s the deal (and the BIG secret) when it comes to creating and running a REALLY SERIOUS fit-biz that generates REALLY SERIOUS profits.

** CLIENT COMPLIANCE **

When you achieve superior client compliance, you get superior client…

- RESULTS
- RENEWALS
- REFERRALS

And when those three things are cranking, not only does your average lifetime client value skyrocket (more money from fewer clients), but you are doing THE single most important and smartest thing any business owner can ever do…

…generating new clients FROM WITHIN!

What is the most potent marketing force in business?

Do you know?

Here’s a hint: W.O.M.

You should write that down on sticky notes and post them everywhere.

For those of you who are in NPE, you hear Sean and me talking about Coach Berry all the time. And you hear him talking, too. He’s on every single call we do (which is instructive in itself) and we’ve also
interviewed him for an Audio Success CD of the Month.

Coach Berry has knows how to leverage W.O.M.

He’s created a VIRAL marketing machine fueled by Word Of Mouth (W.O.M.).

And that’s because he’s created an environment of EXCELLENCE in his studio.

His clients get (amazing) RESULTS.

So they RENEW.

And they REFER.

Coach grows his fit-biz almost exclusively… from within!

Sure, he does some external stuff. And he does it well.

But his ATTENTION TO DETAIL and ENVIRONMENT OF EXCELLENCE is so powerful, his clients do most of the marketing work for him.

It’s truly a beautiful thing.

Excellence makes the difference. All the difference.

And that attitude, that mindset of excellence, begins with YOU. It’s got to come from the top down.

And it’s got to be managed, systematically, so everyone in your biz is on the same page.

Which means that before you can have client compliance, you must have…

** STAFF COMPLIANCE **

There must be systems in place to measure, track and hold accountable your staff.

And your staff must be provided with systems for measuring, tracking and holding accountable your clients.

Yes, I’m talking about MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.

Because, as you’ve seen, when your fit-biz is managed properly - with EXCELLENCE as the goal - then…

- Your staff ‘buys in’ to the system
- Client results are a certainty
- Lifetime client value skyrockets
- Great testimonials flood in
- Attrition goes away
- Renewals are automatic
- Trainer and client ‘churn’ is abolished
- Referrals occur regularly and consistently

But without the right management systems, your fit-biz is ‘catch as catch can.’

It’s chaos. It’s a nightmare, a daily scramble, a stressful, painful experience with constant worry about what next month holds.

The secret to excellence is CONTROL. Control comes from attention to and accountability to the details.

Attention/accountability to the details comes from management systems.

You may ‘think’ you need more and better marketing - but what you need most of all is better management.

Until and unless you patch the management holes in your ship, all the greatest marketing in the world won’t get you where you want to go.

Because as fast as the clients come in the front…

…you lose them out the back.

You are adrift - just ‘baling’ water to keep from sinking - without management systems that produce an excellent business.

You achieve EXCELLENCE in your fit-biz by running a TIGHT ship, a well-managed ship.

Not a ship of fools.

Sincerely, your friend,

Eric Ruth

P.S. This topic has hit a nerve with many. Which is good to see. It obviously makes sense to the sharp,
career-minded professionals out there, because so many have already downloaded the DUPLICATOR™ Special Report and requested the audio CD profiling 7 fitness business owners who’ve taken their businesses from Chaos to Control.

This is information you absolutely MUST have if you want to move from a month-to-month owner to a secure, serious income earner with a real business ASSET. Get the report and Chaos to Control CD here:

http://www.duplicationcode.com

One of the most intelligent things you can do as a fitness business owner is make sure to ‘take your head out of the sand’.

And by that I mean it’s VERY important to ‘open up’ and see what’s going on around you.

All too often it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind, running around like crazy, with your head stuck in a ‘vacuum’.

And when that happens it’s very easy to completely MISS OUT on discovering information that can REALLY help you move forward much further and faster in reaching your personal and professional goals.

Because one thing is for sure…

… whatever problems your struggling with right now…

…whatever obstacles you believe are in your way…

…and whatever ’stuff’ is holding you back from having the business (and therefore the life) you really want…

…SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, has ‘been there, done that’ before and has the solutions you need to move forward.

On the new “From Chaos To Control CD” we’ve just released, I’ve interviewed 7 fitness professionals (and studio owners) that have all TRANSFORMED their businesses in a major way over the last 90 days.

These folks have gone from being overworked, stressed out, and on the edge of “burnout” to organized, in control, and back ‘in balance’ with their business and their life.

Their stories are both instructive and inspirational.

And I’ll tell that to NOT give this recording a listen would be a big mistake.

Grab your copy of this new CD before it’s gone from:

http://www.DuplicationCode.com

There is absolutely NO pitching on this CD. It’s simply a gift we’re giving away to those that are looking for a ‘path forward’ from where they are now to where they want to be.

So, if you’re ready to get inspired and informed, then make sure you get your hands on this special recording now from:

http://www.DuplicationCode.com

To your success,
Sean

P.S. We’ve had a tremendous response to the new report downloads and CD requests, but we’ve ordered another 500 copies which should be in tomorrow and will get shipped on Monday. Grab yours now while you still can from:

http://www.DuplicationCode.com

About four months ago Mike Stare, owner of Spectrum Fitness Consulting in MA, was pretty much at a ‘breaking point’.

His business was continuing to demand more of his time, taking him away from his family, and pulling him in all directions.

Then things changed when he enrolled in our DUPLICATOR™ program.

Now, Mike has not only completely transformed his business, but he won the prize for most improved in the class and got a big fat check from us for $1,497!

Read what Mike has to say about his ‘transformation’ below:

NOTE: You can hear more about Mike’s story and 6 other fitness professionals and studio owners that have TRANSFORMED their businesses from “Chaos To Control” in the special audio CD we’re giving away now at http://www.DuplicationCode.com

“When I started my business adventure 2 years ago, it was a part-time project to supplement my career as a physical therapist. I had the passion and the know how to deliver exceptional fitness services to improve the quality of people’s lives. I had a top notch certification, extensive experience, doctorate education, and even post-doctorate fellowship training in manual physical therapy. That’s all I needed to be successful - or so I thought.

As the business slowly grew, I realized that this needed to be a full-time commitment. I also realized that rather than liberate me by providing another means of pursuing my passion to help people and make more money in the process, my growing business was enslaving me. My commitments to my patients, clients, and more importantly my beautiful wife and daughter were in jeopardy. Not to mention the toll the long hours were taking on my health and fitness.

I was not attending to the myriad of things that a successful business needs to run efficiently and effectively. I became like many of my clients that had come to me for help with their fitness goals: they knew they needed to be fit and exercise, but were paralyzed by the many variables and how to manipulate them to suit their goals.

I believe it was Stephen covey who defined the term ‘conscious ignorance’: someone who is aware that they are doing something wrong, but they aren’t sure exactly what it is or what to do about it. That was me in relation to my role as a business owner.

Thankfully, I got this information, and realized this was a key component to helping run a real business. This system laid out the exact steps needed to convert a struggling business to one poised for efficiency and growth. As a result, we were able to decisively determine how much money to reinvest in our business, how much time I needed to spend working on the business versus in the business, how many employees I would need to hire, how to find, interview, and train employees, and how to reassess our business health and plans for growth.

We are still a small business, but since learning this information, I hired 2 trainers and 2 admin staff, and have already achieved a quarter of our projected growth.

DUPLICATOR™ has allowed us to focus on what is needed to grow our business the right way, and truly delivered on showing us the best way to accomplish this. Even as we are embarking on some major changes in business operations and growth, I’m finding more time to spend with my family and not missing workouts. This has helped me take control of my business that was starting to take control of my life.”

-Mike Stare, Spectrum Fitness Consulting, MA

Congratulations Mike on all your success! You’re killing it!

NOTE: You can hear more about Mike’s story and 6 other fitness professionals and studio owners that have TRANSFORMED their businesses from “Chaos To Control” in the special audio CD we’re giving away now at http://www.DuplicationCode.com

Today I’ve got something great to share with you.

We’re releasing a special new report on fitness business management called:

“From Chaos To Control: How To Stop Being A Slave To Your Fitness Business And Finally Get The FREEDOM You Deserve!”

In this 13 page report, I’m giving away all that we cover in our famous DUPLICATOR™ program and more.

Go download your copy now from:

http://www.DuplicationCode.com

There’s even a companion audio CD with success stories of 7 Fitness Professionals and Studio Owners you can grab as well.

We’ve got 1000 copies in the office here, but I expect they’ll go fast.

Grab yours now from:

http://www.DuplicationCode.com

To your success,
Sean Greeley

P.S. If you’re tired of working 50, 60, even 80 hour work weeks… and looking for the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ with your fitness business… then download, print, and read this report now. It can change your life!

http://www.DuplicationCode.com