The first time I left my fitness biz in the hands of my team and hopped on a plane to Europe — I was a WRECK.
I had spent years creating and implementing systems and building my team, but this was the first time I was putting my biz model to the test.
I’m a control freak, what can I say? Even though in theory I “knew” everything should work, but I had still had a hard time letting go.
I was burnt out. And I may or may not have had a Netflix binge that month to help me cope.
My coach at the time literally threatened to fire me as her client if I didn’t take a damn break.
So I boarded my flight Europe for my 3-week VACATION!
I was really nervous. In the beginning, I couldn’t RELAX.
Could my business grow without me being there? Could my team handle any issues that came up?
Then….two days into my trip, an email from my assistant landed in my inbox.
My team had sold a $12,000 training package in the first 2 days I was gone.
That was around the time I poured myself a glass of wine (or 2) and finally started to relax and ENJOY every single minute of European free time I could handle.
This was my turning point and there was no going back.
Besides the obvious and helping my clients change their lives, I built my fitness business so I can live the lifestyle that I wanted to live! To have the financial AND time freedom to spend time with my family, travel, and live my life to the fullest.
I built that in my business- and even though we all have ups and downs (anyone who says otherwise is full of it), I learned the true value of systems (and trusting in them) and how it can change EVERYTHING for your business and in your life.
That’s why I’m SO PASSIONATE about teaching this stuff…. because I built that into my own business and know FIRST hand how incredible and liberating it is.
I know how hard we, as fitness professionals work and how much we truly care about our clients. I want YOU to have the same financial and lifestyle freedom that I have built….it’s absolutely possible.
It’s not magic, it’s just a matter of putting the right things in place in your business!
Feel like a REAL vacation from your fitness business will never be possible?
Here are three strategies for making your business vacation-proof.
STOP PROCRASTINATING….YOU NEED SYSTEMS.
If you don’t have systems set up in your business… it’s going to be REALLY HARD for you to take a vacation….
Unless you plan on coming back to more work than you left off, OR you plan on checking emails and doing work while you’re gone.
If you go away before your systems are ready, you’ll come back to a sh** ton of work and wonder if it was even worth leaving in the first place.
Creating and maintaining systems in your fitness biz is a labor of love that starts LONG before you hire on your first employee. You should be documenting every.single.task in your biz and how to perform it so it’s up your standards.
If all the vital nuggets of information about these tasks live only in your head, you will never, ever be able to take a “relaxing” vacation again.
So get started! The next time you’re onboarding a client, take the time to start documenting EVERY move you’re making.
Write down the steps for creating a “perfectly formatted” blog post. GET TO WORK!
If you need a little bit of guidance to kick your butt into high gear, my 8-Week Fit Pro Accelerator Systems Course provides the accountability you need to get crackin’ on those systems.
BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM
Once you’ve got your systems in your back pocket, it’s time to start hiring. Start by creating a list of tasks that you’re capable of performing, but HATE DOING.
Following up with prospects? Data entry? Emails? Dealing with invoices?
This list will help you create your job descriptions and tell you which roles you need to fill first. (Almost ALWAYS I recommend a part-time admin over another trainer to start).
Once these tasks are off your plate, make a new list of tasks that you don’t mind performing but that distract you from the work that only YOU can do in your business.
Maybe that’s onboarding new clients or tracking metrics on your website. It’s time to LET GO and focus on your 5%.
PERFORM AND PUBLISH, baby!
The fewer recurring tasks in your biz that hinge on your involvement, the faster (and more often) you can board that plane to the Caribbean.
TAKE A COUPLE OF TEST DRIVES
I wish I had taken my own advice on this one!
I used to be the worst at allowing myself to unplug and let my team take the reigns. If you’re feeling as nervous as I was about taking the first vaca from your fitness biz … PRACTICE!
Start by making yourself unavailable to your team for an afternoon.
How many times does the phone ring? What were their questions for you?
Spend some time addressing these issues in meetings or beefing up your systems. Repeat as many times as you feel you need to be sure that your team is running on cruise-control.
By the time your taxi pulls up to the airport, you’ll be so confident in your team that your phone will already be on silent mode.
Now over to you: When is the last time you took a vacation from your business!? What’s your biggest fear about taking a vacation?
