Are you ready for the next phase of your fitness business – whereabouts are you?
There are 3 stages to most community fitness businesses:
Stage 1 – Setting up community classes – building your name, your brand, your business.
Stage 2 – Employing other Instructors to teach your brand and expanding your business whilst you teach AND focus on building an online and passive income.
Stage 3 – Phasing yourself OUT of the majority of teaching and concentrating on online opportunities and managing your business rather than working in it constantly
Where about are you?
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This Weeks Audio Books Roundup
You know how much I love a good self-development book and audio so here are my current fave raves!
Again with so much travelling you really rack up the hours
I do tend to listen and read the same books several times, as I find every time I revisit each book I’m in a different mind space so I learn and pick out things I didn’t hear/read in the first place.
The Desire Map – Daniel LaPorte – Just loving the whole concept of this * I’m a huge Danielle LaPorte Fan
Grain Brain Dr William Davies
2016 Conventions
Which Conventions are you attending in 2014?
Portugal Transformation Weekend with Esther Shortt 26 – 29th February
Jenny Burrell’s Women On Fire Event
IFS Blackpool 18 – 20th March 2013
Fitpro – 8-9th April
Growing your list
Over on one of my Business Facebook groups 100 Instructors wrote down their goals for 2016. Nearly everyone said they would like to develop a passive income stream that works with their off line business (perhaps not in those words).
Firstly, you need 150 people you communicate to regularly. You then need to grow that list to 1500 and then to 15,000. Be careful though, simply growing the list volume is not the key. It’s about people who know you and care about what you say. Internet marketers with 150,000 strangers they send unsolicited email to is not the goal. Brilliant Fitness Marketers who have super successful online businesses, help people on their lists with free information, support, help and advice. They build relationships with the people on their lists, which I feel is where many Internet Gurus fall down. There is no relationship; it’s plain to see they have no interest in the people they mail.
Fitness is a people business and that needs to be reflected in your online business however small it is right now. If you want to grow, then be yourself, be genuine and promote that aspect.
The two simple ways to get people on your list:
Four keys to growing your list:
Keep creating fans. You don’t own subscribers and people always move in and out of your world. Always grow your list. Don’t be offended if people unsubscribe. You don’t want to be sending newsletters to someone who isn’t interested.
Send valuable interesting content all the time. Send out high quality communications with rich, usable content.
Be consistent. If you say your newsletter comes out every Thursday then make sure it does.
And a bonus thought…
Most of all, have fun honouring the relationship.
Enjoy growing your list and enjoying writing articles and newsletters. It really shows in your writing when you clearly enjoy sharing and helping others.
Your Marketing Message – THINK before you update your Facebook status, Tweet or send an email newsletter or Snapchat
Whether you think about it or give it that much thought, everything you write on Facebook or Twitter is shouting and promoting your personal brand. So, the next time you update your status or tweet on Twitter or send your newsletter out, think about it carefully. Your marketing message is the bridge that connects your business to the outside world. Even on your busiest, craziest day, you must filter out the madness happening behind the scenes and deliver your message in a clear, compelling way that gets results.
So, how can you do this in a quick and easy way? The next time you sit down to craft your next marketing message — whether it’s for an email broadcast, a Tweet, Facebook update or a video, ask yourself these FOUR questions.
QUESTION 1: “Who is your audience?”
Have you ever heard of a business owner who didn’t want everyone to love their product? Even when we know we should have a target market, it’s tempting to want to cater to the masses and eventually win them over. But usually when you try to please them all, you end up engaging no one — and this rings especially true when it comes to marketing copy.
Before you write down a word, you should know WHO your audience is. Many writers, dancers, singers and actors — those in expressive, creative fields — are often advised to zero-in on one person in the audience and perform for that individual. That way, you know you’re connecting with one person, and there’s a good chance others will perk up for your message as well. Try this exercise for yourself and see how much it helps.
QUESTION 2: “What do they want?”
Once you’ve got an image or idea of that one person reading your marketing message, try to think of what they need. And think outside of your product on this one ;). If it’s Monday, maybe they’ve got the post weekend blues and need some inspiration. A new mum might need a laugh. Think of all types of needs that this person might have, like assurance, relief, hope, fun, connection, to name just a few.
Don’t limit yourself. Even just having a few different needs of your audience floating around in your head while you write will help.
QUESTION 3: “How can you meet their needs?”
Brainstorming potential needs of your target market can make it easy to come up with your “angle” — the decisive way in which you’ll appeal to your audience.
From a marketing perspective, you want to be able to match your audience’s needs with your product/services/classes. But if you can’t set up a perfect match, its okay — just be sure to satisfy the need. So, if you like the idea of offering a little inspiration to your readers in your Monday morning broadcast, be sure to deliver inspiration.
QUESTION 4: “What next step do you want them to take?”
It’s funny how many people forget to make this part clear in their marketing messages.
Are you fed up with running around,
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire??
By Andrew Crawford
As I get older, one by one of my favourite icons are leaving this earth.
So yet another one leaves us….in fact there are two icons that left us during this last week. My man from Harry Potter Alan Rickman, who needs no introduction and a member of a popular soul singing group named Nicholas Caldwell.
Who is Caldwell you ask??
He was a member of The Whispers, the group that brought you ‘..and the beat goes on…’ and many more classic soul dance tunes.
The thing that makes these stand out is that most if not all the names you are hearing about, on their deaths, are multi million pound figures.
Another thing that you may realise is that not one of them took one penny with them when they finally departed.
All their stacks of millions of wealth was left behind for those family members to fight over…opps….to discuss.
Have you been there before? I have
When my parents died all their land, property, cash, jewlry and possessions were left behind. They took absolutely nothing with them.
That’s when you realise that you have to LIVE.
This week, amongst the stress of Tax Returns, I had to leave my pilots desk to visit a long-time client. He is now in his 70’s .
All his life he has been saving, accumulating and investing. He has amassed a great fortune in multiple properties and huge amounts of good old hard cold cash……….
But…………
Now he has amnesia. What does that mean? He is NOT part of this world anymore. He has to be looked after. He hardly knows me anymore. He didn’t get to enjoy all his wealth.
So Andrew,
What has ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ got to do with Accountancy & Tax??
Let’s face it…..when we were younger we all wanted to be millionaires and millionairesses……………..but are we enjoying the journey, have we laughed, cried, have we lived??
The Taxman will certainly be smiling, without having to do any stressful work…………….just waits….!!
So how do we skip past the grips of the Taxman?
You all know the 7 year rule. Here are the rates…
http://www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com/ard/detail_doc.asp?ID=638120&AID=1987&SID=11&FID=37232
Basically, if you make a gift to someone and live for 7 years after that gift, the value of that gift will not be counted as part of your ‘Death Estate’
Some important gift types come into play, you may or may not have heard of them, so I summarise them here.
Exempt transfers – These are gifts with specific exemptions for example a gift to your spouse.
Potentially Exempt Transfers (PETs) – This gift is initially treated as exempt but becomes chargeable if you die within 7 years.
Chargeable Lifetime Transfers (CLTs) – A gift you make in your lifetime and IHT is paid when the gift is made. For example if you give a gift to a trust.
I have noticed….amongst other things, that the nil rate band, that is the amount of value at which the value of all your assets can be before the 40% Kicks in, which is £325,000 at the moment, has been artificially kept low…..why?….to TRAP everyone…….allegedly.
OK Andrew…… I fall within the category …Is there a way to avoid the Death Tax?
Why…Yes of course…and I suspect you want me to reveal some tricks here??
Firstly make sure you have a tax efficient will. If you die without making a will (intestate) and you have no children a large proportion of your estate will go to…………..The Government….and I know you would want to bolster up the already bursting coffers…tee hee
Oh….and did you know you can change a will AFTER your death, called ‘Deed Of Variation’.
Secondly…….Transfer your assets…..again for those not paying attention……Transfer your assets…EVERY 7 years….(diamond)
Even though all transfers and gifts to your spouse are exempt, this will raise the value of their estate. So when they die, the IHT will be high.
Thirdly, use Trusts to shelter your gifts.
There are 3 types
Next….. ‘Gifts Out Of Income’, this is where if you make any amount of gift out of your income, especially large gifts, it will cease to be part of your estate from the moment you have made that gift….
However…………as with all things, there are conditions.
So….do you STILL want to be a millionaire???
Why….Yes…!!!!
Finally
If you still haven’t done your Tax Returns, don’t worry, you still have time.
If you have loads of paperwork and you produce a lot of invoices, you can try Zlogg. This is a new accounting software launched a few months ago
Try it for FREE for 30 days : www.zlogg.co.uk
If you need an alternative because your tax affairs are sinple then there is Quick Zlogg. This is an online Tax Return service only.
Visit the site here : www.quickzlogg.co.uk
Live Your Life – AJC
Andrew James Crawford
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