Instructor Newsletter 3 October 2013
Thanks to everyone who came along to the Big One South Event last weekend. It was great to meet so many C2GO members and have a good old catch up with you all. The weather was lovely and it was great to do many of the sessions on the outdoor area. The event was busy, especially the Step sessions, which again is so encouraging as the demand for Step at conventions now is so high. Plus, thank to everyone who commented on last week’s article about creating a DVD and setting up freestyle classes again.
Instructor ToolBox Creating Workout Downloads to sell online
Following on from last week’s article about creating a DVD, this week I’m looking at how to film downloads for you put up on your website or host on Vimeo, which is a great website for uploading videos to sell on to your class members. So, of course, many of the steps I wrote about last week when you are making a DVD, apply to creating downloads.
Sourcing music, location, rehearsing your content etc but, of course, you will need your own camera. If you need to reread last week’s article you can find it on Choreographytogo.com
Choosing a camera – If you are doing short 10minute clips then a FLIP or Kodak type Flip are totally fine for filming your downloads. Or, if you have enough memory and storage, on your iphone. iphone films in HD and if you can, use the imovie app to edit your videos quite easily and then upload straight to Vimeo. You really don’t need to invest in expensive cameras and equipment if you have an iphone, just learn the basics of imovie, shoot and go!
Vimeo or Youtube – I love to use Vimeo to host many of my workouts as you can upgrade your Vimeo account to a PRO account and then password protect your videos, which makes it much easier for you to add a paypal link and charge for each of the workouts you offer. You can set up a Vimeo account here- www.Vimeo.com
Host Your workouts on Your own website – If you have a wordpress website then you can grab the video code from Vimeo and add it to your page. Again, if it’s wordpress you can set up a protected page or members’ area so only customers who have paid for the workouts can gain access. If you are unable to set this up then your web designer will be able to do this easily for you.
Host in a Facebook Group – If you don’t have a website then don’t let this be a barrier to you. For example, last year I did my Dirty 30 Workout Programmes using Facebook, where I filmed 30 workouts and everyone who paid for the month I added to a secret Facebook group and uploaded the video links from Vimeo every day. You could do something very similar, whether it’s a 14 day Kettlebell workout programme, 7 day of Pilates , Daily workouts for Runners or whatever your speciality is.
The more videos you make the easier and easier it gets. You will find your own presenting style once you get going. Let your personality shine through and try and create some cool original workouts that you can use time and time again.
Creating your own online workouts is one of the first steps to creating an online fitness business and passive income. So, if that is one of your goals get busy filming today! Tweet me and let me know if you plan to start filming.@RachelHolmes
Level 3 Pilates Course Dates
I have added London and Bristol for 2014, so if you would like to book you can grab a spot before the course price goes up. Check out all of the information on the Level 3 page
Kick Start Fat Loss 14 Day Online Detox
My latest Kick Start Fat Loss online 14 day starts on Monday and the group is open and we are getting prepared. So, if you have fallen off the wagon or you need some motivation and progress then jump on board. Book on line http://www.kickstartfatloss.net/onlinedeto/october/ There are new workouts and a new tweaked KSFL detox plan and I’d love you to come on board.
HIIT Workout Ideas
If you are loving your HIIT classes right now then here is my current class plan that may inspire you. I use the Pure Energy HIIT Mix Volume 1 & 2 and as my HIIT workouts are 45 minutes, I also include minutes of sprint training depending on the room I have in the studio
Warm Up 5-7minutes Very simple jogging, jacking, hopping movements
Sprinting 5-10minutes 60secs on 30seconds rest
Sprint 1 60seconds Sprint with high knees OTS as hard as possible
Sprint 2 60seconds Sprint ots x8, Fast feet (small sprints? x8 Repeat
Sprint 3 60seconds Sprint fwd x8 4 x tuck jumps, repeat bwd
Sprint 4 60seconds Bunny hops on a step or floor
Sprint 5 60seconds Sprint x 8 1 x Bupee. Repeat.
Sprint 6 60seconds 4 x lateral gallops touch floor, jump up x 4.
Sprint 7 60seconds X county x 8, Hill Climbers x 8 Repeat
24 Minute Hiit Workout – 4 rounds of 6 exercises. Each block followers the sme pattern with different exercise.
Move 1 Burpees
Burpee, round 2 Burpee with jack, round 3 burpee with twist, round 4 burpee with tuck jump
Move 2 Power legs
R1 Power squat, r2 Power jack, r3 Power lunge, r4 Jump Squat
Move 3 Hill Climbers/Planks
R1 Hill Climber, r2 X Hill climber, r3 Plank jacks, r4 Squat Thrust
Move 4 Upper Body
R1 Tricep dip, r2 Press up, r3 Crab walks r4 Plank walk outs
Move 5 Core
R1.V sits, r2 Plank 2 pikes, r3 1/2 roll back with punches. r4 Ab grabs
Move 6 Cardio
R1. Jacks, r2, X country, r3 sprints, r4 skipping/hopping
That’s my current equipment free class at the moment. I hope you find it helpful for simple HIIT ideas. Tweet me @RachelHolmes To order the HIIT Music Click here
Marketing Tips from Rachel – Here are my current favorites that are working well for me.
1.Video 60seconds clips of classes and upload regularly to FB
2.Continue to build up business pages & likes with lots of great regular content every day.
3.Get classes to check in every class.
4.Posting through the day as the feed moves so fast. So schedule lots of interesting & relevant posts.
5.Client testimonial videos and written testimonials and add to FB notes for social proof.
6.Ask lots of questions and get lots of interaction so FB shows your page more times in the feed.
1.Post relevant, interesting, exciting content throughout the day and interact with your followers.
2.Follow and interact with local prominent people
3.Tweet all local businesses who have a similar client profile to you, hairdressers, beauty, florists, restaurants etc. Make connections.
Instagram – Build your brand on Instagram
1.Post relevant pictures regularly.
2.Use app PHONTO to add text to photos
choose your key # and use on every picture
As you know, the key to getting great results from social media is to work it regularly and build up your contacts on a daily basis. It’s not all about selling your services, but providing useful and insightful content for your followers and fans.
Tweet me@RachelHolmes Instagram RachelLHolmes Facebook/Choreographytogo
Jayne Nicholls
If you put people of different ages and sexes, not everyone will get on. You only have to watch one of the many, many reality TV shows, where humans are put into a situation of close proximity to see how it very quickly implodes. When everyone does the same thing but does not think in the same way, problems will quickly rise to the top and at such times the physically strong or the ego endowed are heard and the less outgoing simply trail or follow their chosen ”team”.
Every week on the road I meet instructors who do not follow and are not heard, because they don’t shout, they just do their own thing (very well) in their own space. In reality, doing your own thing is far from mundane and rather than trying to be heard above the shouts of the inflated, time must be spent quietly celebrating your individual skills.
I use my programme FFYoga as an example. I am inundated with people from my own industry comparing its worth to traditional yoga, all based upon their own history and their own opinions, however when presented to a school or corporate environment, it is EXACTLY what they have been looking for. The unique skills and the quirky approach appeals to a wider market than just the people who come to clubs or who practice a conventional approach.
How often do you take what you do outside of the environment that you do it and sell it as a favourable option for a more diverse audience. Most likely it is a fear of hearing NO. It is the closed circle of those who do the same that say NO, the people who have never experienced it say YES, YES, YES.
Give it a go. x
Jayne Nicholls
Beautiful Feet Workshop by Barbara Kay
Rachel is always telling us to think outside the box and so I came up with the idea of this workshop and it was a real success so I thought I would share. I had 26 ladies signed up and I started the evening with a talk/ discussion about feet and we covered anatomy, why we should look after our feet, what we expect our feet to do, problems that arise, fungal infections etc I followed that with a range of exercises sitting, standing and some I learnt at a workshop with Rachel using a tennis ball. I took some massage oil and we did about 20 mins guided self massage and then we sprayed our feet with a ginger and tea tree refreshing spray. There was lots of laughter throughout and plenty of chit chat and I gave them all a foot pressure chart and a sachet of foot massage cream to go home with. I charged everyone £10 and so it was a lucrative hour’s work as well as good fun.
The feedback has been fantastic, as you can see by some of them below and so I intend to run another one or two nearer Xmas.
“I loved the Beautiful Feet workshop. It will hopefully save me lots of money doing my own reflexology sessions! A lot of what you were saying made so much sense and also made me realise just how important our feet our. If we spent a tenth of what we do on our hair on our feet – we would be so much better off! Thank you”
“I found this class very useful indeed as I suffer from poor circulation in my feet and often get cramp in my feet and legs at night. I tried pinching the inside part of my ears last night when I had a bit of cramp and it works!! Thank you to the lady in the class who told us about this remedy. I shall certainly do the foot exercises and look after my feet better, especially in the winter when I get chilblains which are so painful. I think we all learned something useful from the talk and the exercises. Thank you Barbara – you’re a STAR!! Hope we will all soon have Happy Feet”
“I really enjoyed the session at Stow on Monday – my feet haven’t felt that good for ages. It was also good to get some helpful tips on how to keep my feet fit and feeling great.”
Barbara Kay
Fear can be your Friend Cori Withell
Well, for more sins I went and did more presenting at the Big One South last weekend. I knew that my nerves had got the better of me last time and I was determined not to let the same thing happen again and you know what it didn’t. I would love to say that it was because I went and did meditation and relaxation for an hour before hand but sadly not. Oh no, the secret of my success was getting lost, the sat nav taking me down a dead end, Rachel texting me to check I was there and me terrified that I was going to be late. As it happened, I made it with about four minutes to spare but boy, that jilts the nerves in a big way. There simply wasn’t time to be nervous. A quick hello to Rachel and then people started to enter, oh well, I just had to get my shizzle on and do it!
It was so much better (I thought) than the last time. I hadn’t had all day to read and re-read my notes, I didn’t have spare time to go over every worst case scenario. I stood up, started talking and could even feel myself thinking, ‘what on earth was I nervous for, I know my stuff’!
This got me thinking, all those times we stand up in front of a class worried that it might go wrong, what if they don’t like it, what if the mic doesn’t work or I can’t get the music to play? So what?
At the end of the day you are the one in charge, it is your class, they won’t know if the steps are wrong anyway as long as you keep going or if they do know, then make light of it, interact and have fun with it, you never know they might enjoy reminding you of the steps for a change!
You see, I am not the worlds greatest instructor or talker or motivator BUT what I am good at is knowing my stuff and I pretty much think all instructors are good at this. We work hard, we know what we are doing, we teach in a safe and effective way, we care about our clients, we check the halls to make sure they are safe, we are constantly checking our participants throughout the class.
So, the next time fear grabs your behind and won’t let go, wiggle it away. You DO know your stuff, so got out there and do your thing 🙂
Health and happiness x
Best wishes
Cori x
The Internet Is For Porn?……Yay or Nay?
By Andrew Crawford
Hands up if you have EVER watched porn
Let’s visit what the English Collins Dictionary definition:
Definitions
(informal)
noun
Also called: porno. pornography
(pejorative) publications or broadcasts that demonstrate an unhealthy or voyeuristic interest in a particular subject ⇒ property porn, food porn
adjective
Also: porno. pornographic ⇒ porn movie, porno mag
I hardly watch the TV but this week on Monday evening there was a programme on called “Porn on the Brain”…..I was intrigued..So I watched it.
If you missed it, you can watch it on the internet here on Catch Up……
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/porn-on-the-brain/4od#3584064
“….Journalist and father Martin Daubney investigates how teenagers’ pornography habits have changed, and the effect today’s pornography is having on their brains…..”
It had various studies and theories of the effects that watching porn had on people’s brains. Way way way back it was available on worn out VHS tapes….remember?
They were called ‘Blue Movies’ back then. Ha ha ha…I never knew why..!!
Over dubbed movies out of synch from Europe until the Americans came…and the famous throat one hit these shores. Core Blimey. Hard to believe it’s all too common now on normal programmes. Pops up in many shots and no one bats an eyelid. How times have changed.
Spartacus springs to mind.
Well Andrew….this has got me going (so to speak)….what has the subject of the multi-billion pound porn industry in which the Government gets their hands on a sizeable chunk and in which some of its members get tied up behind closed doors in their chambers whilst quietly participating in out of office extra curriculum activities, the unfortunate ones being caught whilst eating a healthy fruit, so as not to interfere with their daily tasks, got to do with Accountancy and Tax??
Well……
It’s about choices. Some will some won’t, some do some don’t.
This week alone I have been asked a few times by different FitPros which is the best way to go, either Sole Trader or Limited Company? What a choice?
I decided that I was not going to just give a few lined answer and wanted to cover other important areas in order for them to make a full informed decision.
So what fell out yesterday when I answered that question was a full blown article spreading many pages. I had to shorten it.
I will not bore your pants off here, I’ll whet your appetite and just give you a little bit now but if you want more and wish to read the full monty article you will find it at this link.
http://www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com/sole-vs-ltd.htm
I will however summarise bits for you to look at. Information porn.
1. Set-Up
To start with, the initial setting up for both options follows different paths.
Sole Trader: A simple phone call or the completion of a downloadable form will enable you to register as self-employed. Thereafter you will be known as a Sole Trader. There is no charge.
Limited Company: A few years ago it was time constraining to set up a company. Nowadays a Company Formation company can set up a Limited Company within hours. Expect to pay anything from £30 – £100.
?2. Debts – Limitation of Liability
?Sole Trader: You will be personally liable for all the debts of your business. Once you become self-employed there is no distinction between your business money and your personal money. Therefore all business debts are the personal responsibility of you the sole trader. You would have heard this referred to as unlimited liability. Can they come after your home if the debts you owe have not been paid? Yes indeed, if they have to.
Limited Company: The advantage of a private limited company is that the company is a separate corporate body and liability for payment of debts stops with the company. Therefore it has limited liability. You, as the owner and or shareholder, are not personally liable. The directors are only liable if they continue to trade and incur liabilities after it becomes apparent that the Limited Company is insolvent, meaning that it cannot meet its debts as they fall due.?
3. Taxes
Sole Trader: Sole Traders pays Income Tax. A sole trader receives a £9,440 personal allowance and pays basic rate tax of 20 per cent on the next £32,010 of profits up to the next threshold limit then 40 per cent tax on profits between £32,011 – £150,000 thereafter 45% on profits over £150,000.
In addition to this tax, there is also Class 4 National Insurance which is 9 per cent on profits between £7,355 – £41,450 plus 2 per cent on profits over £41,450.
Also you need to pay Class 2 National Insurance of £2.70 per week.
Oh….not forgetting advanced payment of tax called ‘Payment on Account’ once your tax and NI is over £1,000 in the year.??Limited Companies: Companies pay Corporation Tax. For profits falling between £0 – £300,000 the Corporation Tax rate is 20 per cent. For profits between £300,001 – £1,500,000 there is a tax rate called ‘Marginal Rate’ tax of 23.75 per cent then it is 23 per cent for profits exceeding £1,500,000.
No class 4 NI no Payment on Account…….!!
?4. Sole Trader accounts and Limited Company accounts
?Sole Trader: Sole trader accounts can be quite simple as a formal accounting system is not required and can be reduced to simple lists of income and expenditure supported by documentary evidence of sales and purchase invoices, effectively single entry bookkeeping. From this you can produce a Profit & Loss account. Producing a balance sheet is optional.
Due to the simplicity an Accountant may not be required saving you some costs.??Limited Company: Limited Company accounts have to use double entry bookkeeping to produce the year end accounts including a balance sheet with statutory notes and statements. Unless accounting software is employed to produce the company accounts in this format then accounting knowledge is required and an Accountant’s fee may well be in the region of £600 to £1,200.
An Accountant is not essential for a small Private Limited company but is the normal approach and costs can be offset to add to the tax advantages.?
5. Additional financial considerations
?Sole Trader
Rule: To be eligible for deduction, expenditure has to be ’Wholly & Exclusively’ incurred for the purpose of your business.
Status: Being self-employed you will be the owner or proprietor of the business. Your drawings (wages/salary) are not deductible expenses.
Pensions: Pension contributions of a sole trader are personal and while may be deducted from the personal income liability do not form part of the basic accounts.
Use of a car: The sole trader basic accounts would include only the business proportion of the vehicle running costs or the mileage allowance.
Charging rent for use of home: As a sole trader you cannot charge yourself rent.
Working from home: If you have an office at home you will be able to claim a deduction for mortgage interest, rates and light and heat and any other expenditure you have incurred in your business.
Mobile phones: Mobile phones will be subject to private use so a tax add-back is expected on your tax return.
Selling the business: When the business or assets used in it are sold, you are personally taxed on any gain under the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rules.
Death: When you die your business ceases. You can pass all or part of it down to the next generation.
Limited Company
Rule: To be eligible for deduction, expenditure has to be ’Wholly & Exclusively & Necessarily’ incurred for the purpose of your business a much stricter rule.
Status: The Director, usually you, is an employee of the Private Limited Company. Therefore, your wages or salary can be deducted as an expense.
Pensions: The pension costs including any company contribution to a pension scheme by a private limited company is a deductible business expense as an employee cost.??Use of a car: Using a car for business purposes may have an impact. If that vehicle is used by you as a Director then you are receiving a taxable benefit potentially resulting in a higher tax burden depending upon the type of vehicle.
An alternative you may consider is to have the company vehicle privately owned by you then you can claim mileage allowances rather than vehicle running costs.?
Charging rent for use of home: As a Director you may set up a licence between you and your company to rent an office (or other space) in your home or outbuildings. This will enable you to recharge a proportion of mortgage interest and council tax.
You will need to declare this as income and prepare rental accounts.
Working from home: You can claim £4 per week without receipts for home expenses.
Alternatively, the company can reimburse you for light and heat, but not mortgage interest or council tax.
Mobile phones: Mobile phones can be provided if the contract is in the company’s name, tax free. Only one mobile per household.
Selling the business: When the business or the assets used in it are sold, there is a double tax charge on shareholders. The company pays corporation tax on any profit that it makes on disposal. The shareholders are taxed on the distribution of the proceeds.
It may often be more efficient to sell the shares in a company, rather than its trade or business, or individual assets.
Company shares can be gifted.
Providing you own more than 5% of a trading company, a disposal with gains of up to £10 million may qualify for CGT Entrepreneurs’ Relief.
Death: When you die the company lives on: it is a separate legal entity.
The company’s shares will qualify for Business Property Relief (BPR) for IHT purposes, providing the company is engaged in trade and its activities are not wholly mainly investment activities.
A private limited company advantages consist of being able to claim such expenses as valid business expenses whilst abiding by the ‘Rules’ as stated above, which would not be claimable in the sole trader basic accounts as they would be treated as personal not business expenses.??
Conclusion – So…..Which One is BEST?
So in conclusion I am going to play devil’s advocate to the question…
“Would it be best to set up as a Sole Trader or a Private Limited Company?”
If you are starting out for the first time and need something simple and easy to start and operate, then the sole trader route would be good for you. Once your business grows however, you can always incorporate it into a limited company down the line.
If on the other hand you have already established a brand and are now looking to expand the business further, then a Limited Company would be good.
In some instances it would be beneficial to operate as a Limited Company from the start. From a tax point of view the Limited Company has the obvious advantage.
It can be seen from the analysis that running a private limited company has its advantages and disadvantages compared with operating as a sole trader. It also showed you that this important decision extends beyond just concentrating on the tax advantages.
Therefore, based on the information presented to you above, this important decision, based on your own particular circumstance the present position of your business and your attitude to risk, will be entirely up to you.
Finally
Back in the 70’s there was a lady named Mary Whitehouse who didn’t like watching porn on TV….she would be horrified with programmes like Geordy Shore and the other similar one from Wales.
So after she watched it, she used to campaign that it should not be shown.
It didn’t make sense to me. She had a choice.
Watch it. Don’t watch it.
The internet has made it widely available…………to EVERYONE with an internet connection. Lord Have Mercy…..Have you had a quick peak?
Frightening stuff. So…I will leave you with this thought.
The internet is for porn? Yay…………..or …Nay?
Have a great weekend.
Oh……….have you STILL got your hands up? You can put them down now…tee hee…gotcha..!!
www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com
www.twitter.com/tax4fitness
Have a wonderful week
Love always
Rachel xxxx