Instructor Newsletter 24th April

For all Fitpros who want to reach more people, earn more money & have a happy life in the process – leave your email here

Be a Consumer

Over the Easter Bank Holiday Jayne and I traveled to Spain for a few days break and brainstorm, where we hooked up with a local PT and Bootcamp owner to do a spot of training. WOW, what an eye opener. He owns a lovely boutique gym that sports 2 EMS machines? Yeah, that’s what we thought…what the heck is an EMS machine? It stands for Electric Muscle Stimulation and it’s big in Spain (apparently)

We put on like a wet suit, got sprayed with water then hooked up to a machine that gave all of our muscles an electric shock! It absolutely killed me. I was jumping and dancing around the room, being electrocuted left right and centre. Apparently, 1 x 30minute session is the equivalent of a 1 1/2 hour workout…mmm not sure about that, but it was really good to be the CUSTOMER in this instance and we both enjoyed the role of client rather than trainer, even if the science behind EMS seems a bit sketchy.
 
Jan our trainer also took us on a 5 hour up a mountain called La Concha. Again, you think you are fit & strong until you do something totally out of your comfort zone and as I scrambled very slowly up the vertical bits, little spanish children skipped past me like mountain goat putting me totally to shame.

If you haven’t had a PT session recently, then why not have one and do something fitness related that you never would do. It really gives you an insight into how a first time client feels. I totally recommend it.

The Next Big Fitness Trend

With so many big brands coming into the Fitness Industry the race is always on for the first land grab. Who will be the FIRST in your area to do Insanity, Fitsteps, Zumba Step or whatever. Loads of Fitpros rush headlong into the training, buy all the merchandise, buy into the whole brand and set up classes and that is so cool, but my prediction is to spend your money and time learning digital.

Getting you, your business, your services and your brand online IS The next big thing, otherwise you will be chasing the brands and teaching classes FOREVER.

We are on the cusp of a cultural digital revolution and there are very, very few FitPros doing this well, let alone at all. Digital fitness, health, nutrition, mindset and well being is wide open. You can create anything now online and get in front of your target audience relatively easily with social media, blogging, websites and all of the new platforms that are now coming hot on the heels of Facebook.

We all love & adore teaching class and training people and we don’t want to stop, but harnessing the full potential of the web is more important than ever as we are shifting into the next digital era. PLUS, do you really want to be teaching ALL of those classes in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?

So you can free up your time, earn more money, by creating digital products and services and it’s a good idea to start learning now. Otherwise, you will be class locked for ever.

Social Media is Changing

Facebook reports this morning that 1/2 the world’s population is now on & using Facebook!!  That is incredible.

Have you noticed Facebook is changing?  Your status updates and posts are not getting the reach as they used to. Facebook is not showing them to nearly as many of your friends and fans. Images and graphics are becoming the most reposted and shared updates as opposed to text only. This is because visual marketing is becoming the new way to market on social.

The brain processes images 500 times faster than text so a picture with a small amount of text is going to be processed faster and quicker by the friend quickly scrolling the news feed on an iphone.

Think about the ramifications of that. A quick eye catching pic with a few words about your classes is a great way to start.

Try these apps to create some cool photos and text:

Pic Stitch
Instacollage
Cover photo

Have a bash this week and see what happens. Pictures are appearing more frequently in the newsfeed so more of your friends will actually see what you are posting.

Tips to Get More Facebook Engagement – Remember the more comments, shares & likes you get the more Facebook will show your content in the news feed.

1: Use fun images with minimal amounts of text for more comments, shares & likes.

2: Create your own motivational quotes for more comments, shares & likes.

3: Ask questions people can’t help but answer. Our brains LOVE simple close ended questions.

4: ENGAGE – When you post something & people comment make sure you jump in and keep the conversation going.

Social is moving away from PUSH marketing. Constant status updates selling your classes will start reaching less & less people, the future is content creation that our followers will enjoy & get value from.

I am creating a new Facebook for Fitness Webinar that will help you understand and get the most out of social without spending all day doing it.

Let meknow if this interest you @RachelHolmes

Great Music from Pure Energy

As we all re-launch classes post Easter, it’s the perfect time to organise some new tunes for your classes. You can grab a copy of my new licence free HIIT CD and Pure Energy have  released 2 outstanding mixes. Time to Burn Reloaded, which is awesome for all you freestylers that love your beats hard, heavy and bpms super fast, and a fab release called Pop Goes the Dancefloor, which is also pretty awesome. YOU can grab these from the PE website www.Pureenergymusic.com

KS EXTREME Workshop Tour

I’m back on the road in June with a new workshop called KS EXTREME. 4 new formats including KS Extreme, KS Spiked, KS Supreme & KS FP, plus a new licence free music and a branding and marketing package if you want it with no tie ins or monthly fees. Kelly Reed Banks and I will be in Bristol on 8th June, Guildford 22nd June, Manchester 29th June and London on the 13th June. We will be presenting tons of new concepts, exercises and workout ideas and I personally cannot wait to get on the road to see everyone.

You can get all of the details and booking details here https://www.choreographytogo.com/workshop-booking/ks-extreme-workshop-tour/

 
Make It Happen Day

Only 3 weeks to go now until my positivity, profits and productivity day seminar at the HILTON HOTEL, East Midlands Airport on May 10th.

I’ll be sharing so many profit building strategies, tips, ideas and how to foster a positive mindset on a daily basis to get things done and create a business and life you really desire. You can grab a place on the seminar day by clicking here.

https://www.choreographytogo.com/workshop-booking/create-your-online-fitness-business-seminar-with-rachel-holmes/

Personal Trainer to Brit Asia TV Star by Dal
Part #2

So today was the big day of my meeting with the Brit Asia TV producer. I was given very short notice for the meeting, so although still excited I also felt a bit nervous and anxious. I had no idea what to expect.  But there was no way I was going to back out, after all opportunities like this don’t come that often and I had to really go for it.

I got to the Brit Asia office in Birmingham at 10.30 on a Wednesday morning. After an initial 10 minute wait I was greeted by the TV producer, who I had tweeted.  She directed me to the main office. It was an informal meeting. We discussed my background, expertise and spoke a lot about my future plans. The producer had done her homework and already knew a lot about me. She said she had followed me on Twitter and really enjoyed my tweets and also had a look at my website.

We spoke for about 25 minutes. I still had no idea what she had planned for me. She then said for me to wait in the office while she went to fetch the ‘big producer’.

The main producer introduced himself and again asked me more questions about my background and my expertise. He said they both loved what I do and was really impressed by what I had achieved in my career. He then went on to say that Brit Asia TV would like to offer me the opportunity to launch my own health and fitness show. A 30 minute show starting off with 12 episodes- a pilot show.  The show would consist of two workouts of my own choice and a health and fitness advice / topic segment and a Questions and Answers segment.

I asked the producer if he wanted anything in specific for the workout segments. He said he was happy for me to design the show format and have total control over the script. I was delighted to have been given such an amazing opportunity. I was thinking WOW inside my head ?

He then went over a few formalities and said they would email me more details the next day.

The meeting was just over an hour long.
My husband then met me in Birmingham city centre. I guess I must have been in a bit of shock. He looked at me and said; ‘don’t worry you can try again next time’
I looked at him and said ‘No, I got more than an interview on a show. Can you believe they offered me my own 12 episode series? I can’t believe it I’m going to be on TV in front of 4 million people in the UK, Europe and Canada!’
………. to be continued……

Twitter @daldhaliwalPT

Bank Korrupt
By Andrew Crawford

“The Government will modernise and strengthen HMRC’s debt collection powers to recover financial assets from the bank accounts of debtors who owe over £1,000 of tax.”
Did you see it??

Of course you didn’t……..it was ‘hidden’…..but is a VERY sensitive subject.

At the moment, if HMRC want to seize your property or cash, they have to take you to court, win and then get a court order. Now, after a couple of warning letters and a phone call, they apparently can do it at the flick of a switch.

The Taxman has the power to raid individuals’ bank accounts without their permission.

The ‘unprecedented’ access – revealed in the Budget statement – could result in money being taken from innocent families,

The powers were outlined as part of measures to clamp down on tax avoidance.
They would allow HM Revenue & Customs to seize unlimited amounts of money directly from the bank accounts of anyone they believe owes more than £1,000 in tax.

HMRC claims the new rules would be used to target ruthless tax dodgers.

The tax authority had a long track record of making mistakes and harassing innocent taxpayers – and that it could end up targeting the wrong people.

The HMRC says…..”Britain is being robbed of around £35billion a year by cheats who fail to pay their taxes and others who find ways of avoiding them”

Tax avoidance is legal….!!!
?
Under the proposals, which will be subject to a consultation, HMRC will be able to take all the money that a person owes in tax out of their bank account, subject to two key rules.

It cannot take the full amount unless the person would have at least £5,000 left across all bank accounts after the tax debt has been paid and the money can only be taken if HMRC has contacted the person at least three times about the unpaid tax bill.

This could trigger ‘perverse effects’, such as people keeping their money in cash, rather than in a bank account, so HMRC cannot get its hands on the money.

So Andrew…..What other tactics besides this ‘Bank Korrupt’ heavy hand tactic being adopted by these people?

Dawn Raids…..Brothers and Sister……….!!

How to manage an HMRC dawn raid

I also wanted to warn you about these dawn raids, not that I believe that you would get one but these are the tactics being used.

Instead of me gabbling on about this, I got the following steps from Out-Law.com

A dawn raid is a search of premises carried out by HMRC when it suspects that a tax fraud has been committed. Raids are generally carried out early in the morning.

Dawn raids can be carried out by other regulatory bodies such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) but this guide only applies to HMRC raids.
These are the first steps you should take:
Check the identity of the HMRC team leader and ask them to speak with your solicitor on the telephone before the search starts.

You should be presented with a copy of the search warrant (if not ask to see it). Send a pdf copy to your solicitor.

Ask that all members of the HMRC search team remain in the reception area of your premises and ensure that members of your staff remain with them. However, it is vital that the officers are not physically obstructed.
Does HMRC have to wait for your solicitors to arrive before commencing the search?

No, but you should ask courteously that HMRC staff delay further action until your solicitor arrives. This is a reasonable request, particularly if you are able to provide a definite timescale for your adviser’s arrival, but do not be surprised if HMRC staff refuse. A search warrant will usually limit the time during which HMRC staff are entitled to remain on the premises so they may be reluctant to delay their search any longer than is necessary for you to telephone your solicitor

If HMRC staff refuse to wait, what should I do before they commence the search?

Allocate a member of your staff to ‘shadow’ each officer of the search team. The role of the shadow is to keep a record of all documents examined, copied or removed by the HMRC officers.

Can members of staff be interviewed, searched or arrested?

The investigating officers are not permitted to interview or interrogate you or any member of staff at the premises. Any questions should be restricted to immediate issues relating to the search or the whereabouts of documents.
HMRC’s officers may search persons on the premises if they have reasonable cause to believe that a person has material likely to be of substantial value to the investigation of the alleged offence on his or her person. Personal searches may only be carried out by a person of the same gender.
An authorised officer of HMRC has the power to arrest without a warrant if he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence has been committed and if he has reasonable grounds to suspect the person of being guilty of it.
The officers should not be physically obstructed and it is vital that no attempt is made to conceal documentation or information held. These could be arrestable offences.

What about documents protected by legal privilege?
?Legal professional privilege (LPP) must be asserted where relevant, as documents subject to LPP are outside the scope of a search warrant. If no agreement can be reached, the documents should be placed in sealed envelopes pending resolution of the issue.

What about information stored electronically?
?HMRC is entitled to obtain information stored in any electronic form. HMRC has equipment to enable them to copy data without removing computers from your premises– but they can take them if they wish. If they do, it will be months before you see them again. So make sure that you always have offsite backups of all your data.

Finally

I don’t know about you but I think more and more people will be ‘saving their own money’ at places other than the banks.

Besides, you get 24 hours access to it, 365 days a year. No id required, no 90 day advanced notice for withdrawals, no queuing, no bank holidays,  no face 2 face with a rude staff……..all in all a much pleasurable experience for your dosh.
I wonder what would happen if people were to suddenly with draw ALL of their funds from the banks….for a month at least…!!

They would go Bank Korrupt…!!

Andrew James Crawford

Have a wonderful Thursday
Love Rachel x
Tweet me@RachelHolmes

For all Fitpros who want to reach more people, earn more money & have a happy life in the process – leave your email here