Instructor Newsletter 28th August

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where do you want to be in 12 months time?

It’s the big question that many Instructors and Fitness business owners shy away from, I think, because our industry moves so fast. New trends, new classes and concepts come steaming along that we think if we lay too many plans we won’t be able to react quickly to the new opportunities that appear. Be the leader not the follower, create the new trends, create the changes and think on a much bigger scale.

Write down 10 big goals that you want to achieve by this date in 12 months time. Be so clear and so specific down to every last detail. Don’t just write “I want to have more free time” or “I want Instructors working for me delivering my programme”, or “I want to be a presenter”. Be more descriptive, so you may say, The new group X programme that I created and developed called XXXXXXX is now being taught in 20 counties of the UK with 20 Instructors who I have trained in XXXX. The more descriptive the better, really feel and live the goal, act, speak and think as if you had attained this.

Your Daily To Do Lists

A tip I’ve been doing now for a few years now is my daily todolists. Just like you and most Instructors I meet, I am a prolific list writer and to do list person. I’ve got note books full of lists and goals; there’s nothing I love more than getting a brand new plain note book and taking a lovely pen and writing my daily to do lists. It can’t be lined as I it doesn’t work for me if it is, it has to be plain. I have my note book with me in my bag and on my desk as I eagerly work down the list ticking everything off and, of course, carrying loads of the items that I don’t manage to get to over to the next day/week/month or even year.
A while ago I made my note book redundant and have transferred everything over to my phone and I promise you it has changed my life. I’ve powered through my daily to do lists and am now making steps to achieving my big 12 month’s goals.

Why?

I know it’s something so simple but if you do this I know you will find the same as I have. Think about how many times you take your phone out, probably 10/20 times and hour. You have your phone with you at all times, you protect it with your life, it’s as important to you as your house keys, your credit cards, even your cash, so by writing your 12 month’s Goals and your daily to do list on your phone, your lists are always there. You can add to them, edit them, it will help you stay totally and utterly focused. Because you see them every time you look at your phone they stay at the forefront of your mind. When faced with a daily decision because you look at your goals/list throughout the day you always make the right business decision because you are totally focused.

Tips to Creating the Perfect Daily To Do List on Your Phone.

Most time management books and programmes were written years ago and they don’t take into consideration that we are now living the digital age. Harness the power of your phone and keep your goals and daily lists in the fore front of your mind.

1.Choose a time to create your list and do this at the same time every day. Like you would clean your teeth or remove your make up. Take 15 minutes every day and create the list when you have silence to completely focus.

2.Divide your tasks into a weekly list and a daily list. Only put items on your daily lists that you HAVE to get done that day. If you get through them great, then go to your weekly list and start working through that. The great thing about using your phone is anything you don’t do will carry over to the next day without you having to write it up again.

3.Look at your 12month’s goals and add a few small daily steps on your to do list that edge you closer to your big goals.

4.EDIT your lists. Remove items that you really don’t need to do that day. Only focus on the important tasks. We spend so much time faffing about doing menial stuff. Eat those frogs and get to the big, important tasks first.

5.Carry your list wherever you go, which is perfect as it’s on your phone.

The one thing we all want more of is time. You can earn more money, of course, but you can’t earn more time so make sure you plan your days in advance, allocate time and don’t waste a minute. Decide on your priorities, 12 months goals and daily lists and then focus…Really focus like a laser beam to power through your goals.

Discounted DVDS

Are you ready for some new September Ideas?

I’ve discounted a selection of my choreography DVDS ranging from
Fitness Pilates to Body Conditioning.
Check them out on on this page while stocks last.

New Downloads

HIIT workouts continue to be HUGE in 2014 so I have filmed 7 new
downloads for C2GO.

New ideas, exercise tweaks & variations
with equipment & some without. These have been flying out of the
C2GO so check them out of you are ready for some
fresh moves & grooves.

Click here

Kick Start Fat Loss Body Transformation Camp

I am holding a new KSFL Body Transformation Camp in Derby
on Saturday 13th September. The camp is all about getting you,
your nutrition, your fitness, training & mindset back on track.

You get a  30 day personalised fatloss & detox plan,
motivation, meditation & mindset coaching, training plan & schedule PLUS
workouts & talks all with me.

I’ll presenting the whole 4 hour camp which has 20 spaces.

Interested?
Email me Rachel@Choreographytogo.com for details.

Level 3 Pilates Training

Only 2 courses left in 2014.

Derby 17/18/19 October
London 22/23/24 November

The last few spaces now are getting snapped up for the Level 3 Pilates courses.
In 2015 the course will not be running in Manchester only London, Derby & Bristol.
Qualified & Amazing Pilates Instructors are in HIGH demand in the UK, especially if you are looking to set up classes in your local community, you don’t need to be tied to a gym or a centre as community classes are always sought after.

If you are looking to teach less IMPACT/HIIT/INSANITY workouts and you LOVE helping & nurturing your clients who will turn into life long customers then I strongly recommend you do the Level 3 course.

Our course contains all the most up to date functional anatomy, sequencing, exercise selection & technique and of course Kelly and I are always  here to help, advise and help you move your teaching and business ahead.

We have trained thousands of brilliant Instructors all over he UK who have gone on to build healthy classes & businesses  in all areas.
Doing the Level 3 is one of THE best investments you will ever make in your teaching career.

Keeping your Fitness Pilates clients coming back for more and more – by Kelly Reed-Banks ?  ?

Good morning C2GOers!!

I hope you are all ready to go now September is upon us!! Today I wanted to give you my top 5 tips at keeping your Fitness Pilates clients coming back for more and more.

I know I am lucky to deliver such an awesome product created by the legend that it Miss Holmes in the fact that Fitness Pilates is ever evolving and also I am lucky enough to play a role in that development with delivering the FP certification course over the last 5 years and the level 3 mat work Pilates qualification over the last 4 years.

However, my clients are very demanding and this is probably my own fault as I regularly update my choreography, always try to deliver to a very high standard and promise them new and exciting ways of achieving their goals. I am also in a very competitive market where we have another 3 Pilates instructors delivering classes to a high standard in my village where I run Burwell fitness. So I have to keep ahead of the game to keep my clients coming back for more and more.

So here are my best 5 tips for you to do the same!

#1 – Constant Contact!!! – I know the amazing Jayne Nicholls talks about this a lot and uses it as one of her catch phrases but it’s true! The more contact you have with your participants the more they will keep coming back! I know we say this soooo much but I can’t emphasise it enough about having everyone on your mailing list – you MUST contact them on a regular basis! Even if it’s just to give them your health tip of the week or updates on your weekly classes. It will keep you in their mind and they will be thinking of you when they need to get their Fitness Pilates fix and not anyone else!!

#2 – Ask for feedback!!! – This might be the scariest thing you do, but it will improve your teaching MASSIVELY!! Ask them what they enjoy, what they find challenging, which exercises they dislike and why? What they want more/less of in the class. This makes them feel special, that you are tailoring your class to their needs and opinions. Sometimes we hear things we don’t like – that happened to all of us but constructive feedback really will improve you as an instructor, your participants will enjoy your classes more as they know you have listened to them and also will stand you above the rest who don’t bother to ask for feedback!

#3 – Mix it up!! – and I’m talking about warm ups, cool downs, using different equipment, your music – EVERYTHING!! Don’t let your classes fall into becoming the same every week. People don’t like too much change but soon get bored easily so there is a fine line you need to keep in making your classes fresh. I suggest adding just 1 change every week. – it might be your music, it might be that you change the area of the body you start your warm up on or you do a different piece of equipment each week for 4 weeks and then rotate it! Whatever you do, keep your classes fresh by drip feeding some new changes from week to week!

#4 – Run a special course or 1 off Master class from time to time!! – this will cater for those participants who want to know more, who like special attention and are willing to take their Fitness Pilates training to another level. Charge it at a little more money like £10 for the master class or £25 – £30 or the 4 week course. You could run a 2 hour Master Class on a Saturday afternoon all about back care, giving specific exercises to help strengthen the back or help improve mobility. You could run a 4 week focus course where you focus the whole class on a specific area of the body each week like week 1 – shoulders and upper back, week 2 – hips etc – These are so popular with my participants and anyone who came on my last Fitness Pilates Focus tour will know exactly what I am talking about!!

#5 – Talk to your group throughout the class!!! – Don’t talk at them, ask them questions – how does it feel? Can you feel it? where can you feel it? So many instructors I see on a daily basis have no real interaction with their group and this makes your classes really one sided. Interaction is a great way of making your participants feel at ease, feel like they are not the only one feeling this way! Yes you will always have people who wont talk back but I’m sure in your groups there will be people who will always make up for it!

I really hope that has been helpful and please feel free to drop me a line with any questions or feedback – Kelly@choreographytogo.com

Behind the ALS Charity Business….Get Your Ice Ready..!!
By Andrew Crawford

By now you must have done an Ice Bucket Challenge…if not….your time is coming..!!

So what’s it all about??

ALS is the acronym for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” Media portrayals of the Ice Bucket Challenge generally state that ALS “is always fatal and has no known cure,” and therefore urge people to contribute to the ALS Association to fund research to find a cure.

I said this before…..and I say it again…….Charity is BIG Business….just check out the salaries below (I’ve done an article already about setting up your own charity)………….

Here are the salaries of the leadership of the ALS Association, according to their 2013 tax returns:

Jane H. Gilbert – President and CEO – $339,475.00?Daniel M. Reznikov – Chief Financial Officer – $201,260.00?Steve Gibson – Chief Public Policy Officer – $182,862.00?Kimberly Maginnis – Chief of Care Services Officer – $160,646.00?Lance Slaughter – Chief Chapter Relations and Development Officer – $152,692.00?Michelle Keegan – Chief Development Officer – $178,744.00?John Applegate – Association Finance Officer – $118.726.00?David Moses – Director of Planned Giving – $112,509.00?Carrie Munk – Chief Communications and Marketing Officer – $142,875.00?Patrick Wildman – Director of Public Policy – $112,358.00?Kathi Kromer – Director of State Advocacy – $110,661.00

That adds up to approximately 2 million dollars spent on administration, 3.6 million dollars spend on “other salaries and wages”, 0.5 million dollars spent on “pension plans” and “employee benefits”, 4 million dollars spent on “non-employee labour” and 1.3 million dollars on “travel expenses.”

So in a year where 24 million dollars were raised, 12.5 million dollars of it was spent on supporting the people who work for the organization.

You go figure……

More info here if you want to go deeper………………

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3296#.U_zYyKN9Vwr

So Andrew…………

What has ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge got to do with Accountancy & Tax?

Well……..

It’s all about Giving to Charity and the effects it has on your tax.

If you made a charitable donation under ‘Gift Aid’ your  basic rate band is EXTENDED by your donation grossed up by the fraction of  100/80.

20% relief is given at source and further relief is given to higher rate taxpayers by increasing the amount of income taxed at the basic rate rather than the higher rate.

Your Gift Aid donation can be carried back and treated as having been made in the previous year. If you wished, your tax refund can be directed to a charity of your choice and treated as a Gift Aid donation……if you wished….!!

Oh …….don’t forget this……

If you give your old frocks to charity, dodgy videos, CD’s , even dodgier old magazines etc and the charity shop sells them, that is treated as a CASH DONATION …so you should gross that amount up and apply that to your Tax Return.

Why?….as I said before, this extends your basic rate band. So more of your income is tax at 20 per cent rather than at 40 per cent

As well as cash gifts, you will also receive tax relief on gifts of shares and land and buildings. Not that you will be giving your property away to charity any time soon….!!!

There are more complex issues relating to Gift Relief when it comes to Capital Gains but I won’t bore your cotton socks off with that today…!!!

Finally

Notting Hill Carnival……..Did  you go??

It was Wicked Wet & Wild……..Ram Jam-A-Boogie …….!!

….and what is going on up there in Rotherham??  Get ready for months of wastage of public money chasing shadows….indeed….. Get Your ice Ready…..!!

Andrew James Crawford

www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com
www.facebook.com/fitnessindustryaccountants
www.twitter.com/tax4fitness

Have a wonderful Day