The Fitness Matrix Will Trap You - Unless You Break Free!
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Everyone in the Fitness Industry risks being trapped by the Fitness Matrix.
After a short time in the industry, we come to learn that things are done a certain way.
The path you will take is already well travelled.
This creates a BIG problem…
Our understanding of 'the way things are done' lead us to narrow our minds and miss the endless opportunities we could pursue.
This only gets worse as more of us pour into the industry - all trying to do the same things.
As a result, the competition amongst us raises higher and higher.
It's time to raise your awareness and not get trapped in the Fitness Matrix like everyone else.
When you do, competition will reduce, results will increase, and your life will be easier.
Understanding The Fitness Matrix And How To Escape It…
The Fitness Matrix goes like this…
You qualify as a PT
You build your client base
Hopefully, you get busy
Now you're stuck - your time is sold out
You increase your prices, but still, you've hit a 'ceiling' of sorts
You eventually give Online Coaching a real go - even if you don't really want to - as it seems like the only viable way to continue growing
You pick up some Online Clients but quickly realise how competitive this space is and is far harder than anyone makes out
Disgruntled, you remain trapped.
…You get the idea!
This isn’t a dig at Online Coaching or PT, it’s simply the real-life experience most people face.
What I've listed above is the 'well-travelled path' I mentioned at the start.
Many people have walked that path.
>Some decide to change path and move into another industry.
>Some hit a dead-end and stay stuck.
But then there's another way…
A way to stay on the 'Fitness Path' without getting stuck in the Fitness Matrix.
The Possibilities Will Astonish You…
Below I will outline three under-used business models that serve as proof that the Fitness Matrix can, and should, be broken.
Those 'in the know' will be able to avoid getting trapped.
That is my hope for you.
I want to arm you with the knowledge, mindset, and skills to spot the limitless opportunities and turn them into something magical that can transform your life.
That's a bold statement, I know!
But what's the point in going after mediocre things?
I've set my sights far higher than that and it's served me well.
Let's get you opening your field of vision and seeing what you're capable of.
Three Under-Used Business Models You Can Use To Escape The Fitness Matrix
Below are three examples that tick one or more of the following boxes…
They have the ability to greatly increase your impact and scale
They create the chance for you to increase your income massively
They don't require you to work as many hours as you do now
I will highlight each opportunity below with a brief breakdown of each one.
Remember: these are just three examples. There are many other opportunities out there.
1.Online Sport/Niche Specific Groups
In lockdown the gym I worked in got shut and my £66k/yr PT business vanished overnight - 9 years of work almost completely gone.
But that's a story for another day.
Luckily, I had other things I'd built too and also knew I could spot opportunities.
One of the opportunities I pursued was hosting some Online Golf Fitness Classes through Zoom.
So, with zero experience delivering online classes, or coaching Golf, I decided to reach out to the local Golf Club and offer my services.
I took what I knew from my 1-1 PT work with a few amateur Golfers, used my brain a little, and was able to create a safe, suitable program anyone could do from home - using nothing but a golf club!
And guess what!?
…It bloody worked!
25 people attended my classes - and continued to do so after lockdown ended.
I took something specific (Golf Fitness) and delivered it online in a one-to-many format.
At £10 per head, these classes were amazing value and also a great earner for me.
I don't do them any more - it was simply an experiment I did to see me through a period of uncertainty.
But had I continued on this path, I could have grown that group to any size I wished.
I could have hosted multiple classes.
The number of people I could help and amount of income I could earn would have no ceiling.
And…the profit margin is huge as my cost of delivery is almost ZERO (just my Zoom fee)
Action Time…
Take that example and have a quick think of all the things you could create just off that one idea alone.
What could you deliver in a one-to-many format online that a specific group of people would love?
On to the next one…
2.Digital Results-Based Products
In 2014 I started Online Coaching.
I built a small brand called 'The Big Day Body Plan' and grew a Facebook group to 22,000 Brides-to-be.
I served as the group’s resident health and fitness expert and Brides would come to me for help in the run up to their Wedding Day.
I delivered my service in two ways: 1-1 Coaching & Small Groups.
It was good - but it wasn't great.
I eventually shut down the Big Day Body Plan in 2021 - I'd ran it for 7 years and had fallen out of love with it.
There were other things I wanted to try.
But just before I closed it, I tried something I hadn't done before - as a test.
I took my coaching approach and all my materials and turned them into a 12-week program you could buy and use for yourself.
I charged £150 for it and it sold!
This wasn't going to provide recurring income, like my previous model, but it was a way of me selling the service without having to deliver 1-1 or Group Coaching.
With the right audience, and sources of traffic, you could sell 1 product per day at this price point and have a nice little £4.5k income each month.
Again, using this example, think of the endless possibilities you have to create stuff that people could buy from you digitally…
A guide/program to rehab a specific injury
A video course on how to adapt to following a certain eating style e.g Vegan
A guide one how to train to get better at a specific sport
A plan designed for preparing for a specific event
Remember: Not everyone wants coaching. Some people want to work through something themselves. You might have done this yourself.
To give you more detail, my program was designed for Brides who wanted to drop 1-2 dress sizes before their wedding day and who didn't want to train in a gym.
It was all home-based training (long before Covid made home-training popular lol!) and gave them the nutrition guidelines to hit these goals.
3.One-Off Consultancy Services
I'm currently doing some Business Coaching with a Physio & Running Coach called Kris.
He's great at his sport and an expert at helping people improve.
For him, this gives him the opportunity to go down the 'specialist' route and offer a number of different services.
One of those (that I'm helping him build and implement) is one-off consultancy.
For far more than the £40 Kris currently charges for his services, people will be able to do a one-off session with him and get the full works.
>Gait analysis
>Video feedback
>Tips for improving efficiency
>Personalised reports
…and more!
This will be a standalone service but will inevitably lead to people also wanting to sign up for some ongoing coaching.
I believe that each of you reading this has something you could package together as a one-off session/service that you can charge good money for.
Reminder: Not everyone wants ongoing coaching. Some people would happily pay a premium for a one-off intervention and then go their own way.
The aim with this one-off session would be to solve a key problem, highlight a potential issue to fix, or set someone on the right path for the journey they are embarking on.
Again, the world is your oyster for this, but let me share a few ideas floating in my head now to get your creative juices flowing…
Nutrition Consultancy - A one-off session to assist with a specific dietary concern (if you're qualified) or to get someone's eating habits on-track.
Movement Assessment - A full movement assessment to establish someone's underlying weaknesses and areas for improvement.
Health/Fitness MOT - An annual one-off session someone does with you to assess their overall health and fitness.
This approach is aimed more at the people who have been in the industry a while and have established a key area of expertise they excel in.
However, if you aren't at that level yet, it gives you something to aim for!
Finally…
If you made it this far, well done you.
I appreciate you sticking around to read this.
In doing so, I hope your eyes have been opened to the endless opportunities we have in this industry.
If we're not careful, we end up mindlessly walking down a path where all we see available to us is 1-1 PT and Online Coaching.
But there's far more available to us…and no one does it!
By choosing some of these other routes, you can reduce your competition, increase your impact, and ultimately…massively improve your own personal situation (more money & less time)
If you have any thoughts or questions reach out.
If you found this useful, share it with a fellow Coach you want to help.
And remember, the opportunities in the Fitness Industry are ENDLESS. Don't allow yourself to be cornered in to thinking there's only a few ways of doing things.
Stay free!...
