Instructor Newsletter 31st March 2016

Last week I got so much great feedback from Instructors who are teaching
busy classes and creating amazing business in their local communities.
that I wanted to really follow up on that this week 🙂

Its awesome to hear about so many Instructors who are really
creating a great business teaching locally.

I hope this inspires you to get your head into the game
go for it. Also, Ive popped in another article for PT Of The Year

Jay Banks – thank for all the comments about jays inspiring story

last week.

Stay Motivated gang xxx

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Are you going to Fitpro 8/9th April

Fitpro Live is running this year at Novatel West in Hammersmith
and I’ll be teaching a session with Jenny Burrell called Create Your Passion Project
and a session on Social media which I’m really looking forward to.

Are you going?

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Book Tour and Launches

Monday 4th April Orpington
Tuesday 5th April Chippenham
Saturday 23rd April Banbury
Mill Hill North London 26th April

Would you like to come along?

Message me for details it will be great to see you 🙂
Rachel@KSFLGROUP.com

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SUMMER IDEAS
For Your Fitness Business

Thinking of Planning Your Own Fitness Retreat??

Fitness Retreats and Getaway

Have you thought about organising your own fitness/health/fatburning getaway?

It really doesn’t have to be overseas or some exotic location, it could be anywhere in the UK or even in your own town.

You could make it as simple or extravagant as you please, cater for a small group of 5/6 people or a much bigger group, depending on your audience and customer base.

Chris Tuck runs several small retreats for her clients, where she heads to Jo De Rosas beautiful retreat in suffolk and takes a small group away who do classes, training and workouts and mixes it with healthy food and cookery. This is proving really popular with her clients.

Sindy Matthews is hosting a retreat day in Banbury with
talks, motivation & clean eating and I’ll be teaching and speaking at the The herb Garden in Banbury.

Something I’ve been thinking about for a while is a to start a monthly Saturday Kick Start Fat Loss Day.

I can’t commit to weekly Saturdays as I’m often away presenting and teaching, so I am planning a Saturday morning bash of classes, fatloss talks, beauty & male grooming all in our home town of Nottingham.

The health and fitness consumer of 2016
needs to access our services in different ways.

We need to be flexible and look at trying
new times, new days, new courses.

It doesn’t always have to be weekly, monthly specials can work brilliantly well as you can create packages and offer weekly online workouts and updates, make it social and add in a beauty or grooming angle for the guys as well ( Male Grooming is a massively growing marking).

Have a brainstorm and let me know your thoughts on Retreats, fitness days and transformation days.

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Repackage and Rejig your Community Classes

Summer is coming so it’s the perfect time
to repackage and rejig your community classes.

Being marketing savvy, using social media
properly and creating a strong online presence is key to growth in the community class market.

Local authority leisure centers, council gyms and the emergence of low cost clubs, PLUS church halls and community venues have jumped on the bandwagon and jacked up their prices, not to mention with PPL cost rises, insurance and the time spent on marketing and PR, you have to be pretty darn committed, have a plan and be able to take the rough with the smooth to survive and make a living.

But YOU CAN DO IT!

After last weeks newsletter I got a ton of feedback from Instructors who are
just KILLING it in the community.

Know your market.

Work Your Social Media.

Offer classes and packages that are DIFFERENT to the local

leisure centre/low cost
gym etc.

So, what does the discerning Community Instructor do in these changing times?

I’ve created an ideas list because I do truly believe that with a few tweaks and changes you can turn things around, and I have said in past newsletters we need to be flexible in how we offer our services to cater for a modern and changing market.

One thing to always keep in your mind is that we all have an amazing product, our classes are life changing, results led, social and fun and provide such value for money it’s incredible.

Don’t lose sight of that.

Here are my ideas, I hope they spark your inspiration and motivation to keep teaching in the community.

Change and Repackage.

Rebrand your Conditioning classes

It has a new logo, a new colour, new brand, new strap line and a slightly different description, but it’s basically the same class just repackaged. I market this like crazy everywhere and hey presto it will attract new faces and reboot old lapsed clients looking for the kick to get going again.
Traditional Group Exercise Classes have a Shelf Life

The only exception to this rule is Pilates & Yoga & weight management classes .

The numbers stay busy and grow but everything else has a shelf life and will start to peter out in time.

Before it dies do a repackage (see above) It’s not you….It’s the life of a community fitness class and it happens to everyone.

Ring the Changes

Launch specials to coincide with term time so you may do Stability Ball for 8 weeks as a paid course, have a break, then market Kettlebells for 8 weeks then something else etc, etc. This keeps it fresh and exciting and every time you advertise a new workout it will attract a new demographic of people. If you do something with equipment get people to bring their own rather than you shelling out for equipment.

Profit Share

If you have your own brand or style of fitness class then set up a meeting with all of the local leisure centres and council run gyms and see if they would do a profit share with you. Take all of your super professional promotional material, talk about your client base, how you market and explain you will sort out the cover and be prepared to take any dead slots of empty spaces in their centre. You can then advertise your session to their customers and provide them with a ready made plug in package that they don’t have to manage, work out a profit share deal and give it an 8 week trial.

Above all keep it fresh and exciting in the community. Keep repackaging and changing the style of your classes and ring the changes to keep the locals interested, excited and inspired.

I’d really love to hear from you on this subject.

Are you a Community Instructor or Community Bootcamp Coach?

How are your numbers?

What are you doing to keep the numbers coming through the door?

Are you interested in running Kick Start Fat Loss Classes

I am really expanding the team
and looking for franchisee if you are looking to expand you business then
please fill in your details here

What’s next? Jay Banks

Before I answer the question of what’s next for me in my journey
I wanted to start by saying ‘Thank You’ for all the kind messages I received after my article last week in the C2GO newsletter.

So what is next for me after my success at IFS…

It’s been straight back to business as usual

First up was getting back to my clients and making sure they are all on track and moving forward towards there goals.
When it comes work my clients always come first as they are the life of my
Kick Start Fat Loss franchises, Pilates Clinic and Personal training
and making sure they are getting results whatever they may be is priority

I have just put together a Men’s only 7day detox plan with Rachel.
This plan is great for any men wanting to
Lose abdominal fat
Build muscle
And gain their confidence back
Check it out now at http://www.kickstartfatloss.net/mensdetox/

From the end of April I will be touring the new Barre-Fusion certification that is flying in all the high-end health clubs and spa’s right now
https://www.groupxtraining.com/Barre-Fusion-Certification

I can’t wait to get started with this project and show just how effective a true barre workout be to sculpt and tone the body without having to jump around with high impact all the time.

Continuing on the Barre-Fusion front, next week I will be heading off to one of the most prestige’s health spa’s in the UK ‘Ragdale Hall’ to up skill there instructors with fresh ideas for there barre conditioning classes.

There are a few other things in the pipeline with Pure Energy Music and I’ve been booked for a few events coming up this year like the AMAZING spa retreat in Portugal where I’ll be presenting along side Rachel, Kelly and the lovely Esther
Here is a link to the retreat https://zumbaspaportugal.wordpress.com

Finally as mentioned in last weeks article I am also hard at work planning a mentor ship for any Personal Trainers and Group X instructors.
This mentor ship is not going to be working on ‘Your business’ but working on You, You coaching skills and how to get the best out yourself and your clients.

More on this to follow but if you are interested and what to know more about what I’m doing and up to then you can stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
They are full off motivation, nutrition, fitness, banter and bulldog pictures
Follow me on
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jaybankspt
Twitter  https://twitter.com/jaybankspt
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jaybankspt/

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Pam Kosminsky

Press releases are an essential element of any public relations strategy. Crafting a great press release is often the first step in securing a magazine feature or television interview — and thus, more visibility and new customers. Considering that journalists are flooded with potential stories and pitches on a daily basis, making yours stand out from the pack is crucial. While the format for a press release is basic, the content of the release should be anything but. Follow these eight tips to write a great press release that will makes your company look professional, accessible and attractive to writers looking for stories.

1. Grab attention with a good headline.

A strong headline  will pull in journalists seeking good stories. Your headline should be as engaging as it is accurate.

2. Get right to the point in the first paragraph.
Because reporters are busy people, you must assume that they will only read the first sentence and then scan the rest — and even that’s a generous assumption. Get the message of your press release out quickly. Every important point should be addressed in the first few sentences. The subsequent paragraphs should be for supporting information.

3. Include hard numbers.
It’s easy to fill up a page with a creative, colourful narrative. Pack your press release with hard numbers that support the significance of your product or announcement. E.g. “Bride to Be loses 4 stones in 4 months”

4.  Make it grammatically flawless.
Proofread your press release — and let a few other people proofread it as well — before sending it out. Even a single mistake can dissuade a reporter from taking you seriously.

5. Include quotes whenever possible.
Including a good quote from someone in the company or close to the product/event can give a human element to the press release, as well as being a source of information in its own right.

6. Include your contact information.
A common oversight that can render a press release ineffectual is a lack of contact information for reporters to follow up with. Don’t forget to include an email address and phone number on the release (preferably at the top of the page).

7. One page is best — and two is the maximum.
As with most good writing, shorter is usually better. Limit yourself to one page, though two pages is acceptable. This will also force you to condense your most salient information into a more readable document — something journalists are always looking for.

8. Provide access to more information.
You must limit your press release to one page (or two, if you must), but that doesn’t  mean you can’t show people how to learn more. Providing relevant links to your company’s website, where prospective writers can learn more about your mission and what you’ve already accomplished, is a crucial element to the release. Don’t make writers search on their own for more information — guide them as quickly as possible to your website and keep them curious for more information.
I hope that helps. Happy Writing!
Pam xx

PT or Not PT……That is The Question…!!
By Andrew Crawford

Just after 8am my mobile rings……

It’s either an emergency or………………. a PT..!!

It was the latter.

This is what I admire about you (me) Fitpros…..up at the crack of dawn training clients. Either Bootcamps, Circuits or one on one like a PT….

Oh…PT stands for Personal Trainer…!!

It’s a job or it’s a passion. Like most, some of you were in ‘desk jobs’ or other jobs which were unfulfilling, so you embarked on a study of Anatomy & Physiology and all the accompanying courses to launch yourselves in the Fitness Industry.

Others of you may have come directly into the industry from A levels, Degrees or Foundation courses and are now either surviving, thriving or diving..!!

It’s such a diverse industry, since once qualified you can dissect into weight loss, strength, agility, coaching, aqua, dance, massage, yoga, pilates, pole or even burlesque.

Not to mention the hundreds of courses and CPD’s you need to take if you want to add to your repertoire of activities you wish to offer to clients.

However…there’s a BIG difference..

Unlike other industries and despite the number of qualifications you may have, I have noticed that an experienced teacher of say 15 years plus commands the SAME wage/salary as a newly qualified teacher…

What the……??!!

Salaries..!! Now that’s a topic for a different article…

So Andrew…….

What has PT or Not PT got to do with Accountancy & Tax?

Well……as I said, the phone call was from a self-employed PT working for a gym. It was a long conversation and in amongst all the information she mentioned….”…and when I signed the contract…”

Hold on, hold on…..self- employed PT’s don’t sign contracts..!!

In summary..

Her wage as a ‘Self-Employed’ PT , cleaning sweaty bikes, covering classes, doing reception, opening and closing the gym and paying the £1,000 per month fee………………….£7.50 per hour….!!!

MGGM

My Good Gracious Me……!!

I kid you not.

Notice that within the diversification section I have not mentioned the word ‘Cleaner’……….!! That is a separate job altogether….!!!  “That is a separate job”…

I asked to her……..” Are you a PT or not a PT?”

Here’s the advice I gave to her..

Firstly…………drop the cleaning the sweaty bike bit. You are not a cleaner. You are a PT.

Regarding wages……..I told her to ‘seriously look at that’…….or words to that effect…!!
Signing contracts………..forget it…you are self-employed. You don’t sign contracts. Remember, there’s a difference between a ‘Contract of service’ vs a ‘Contract for services’.

And other advice which will get her in trouble at work but cement her knowledge that as a PT she dictates her hours, the amount she gets paid, what type of work she does, the time she starts & finishes..the works.

When I started out in the Fitness Industry, I was employed, self- employed and a Director of a company. As time moved along, I employed and took on staff.

Some were freelancers, other paid through the PAYE system.

Right now, if I was to start again, everyone would be a freelancer…..here’s just a few things you should know…

You must understand that gyms have a different business model from the PT.  Theirs is something like this.

“How many PT’s can we get in this gym paying £1,000 per month??”

If you can answer ‘yes’ to all of the following questions, you are probably an employee.

Do you have to do the work yourself?

Have you signed a contract of employment?

Have you been given a staff handbook?

Can someone tell you at any time what to do, where to carry out the work, or when and how to do it?

Do you work a set amount of hours?

Can someone move you from task to task?

Are you paid by the hour, week or month?

Can you get overtime pay or bonus payment?

Do you get holiday pay, sick pay, time off in lieu?

Do you have office parties?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to all of the following questions, it will usually mean you are self-employed.

Can you hire someone to do the work for you or engage helpers at your own expense?

Do you risk your own money?

Do you provide the main items of equipment you need to do the job, not just the small tools employees provide for themselves?

Do you agree to do a job for a fixed price regardless of how long the job may take?

Can you decide what work to do, how and when to do the work and where to provide the services?

Do you regularly work for a number of different people?

Do you have to correct unsatisfactory work in your own time and at your own expense?

Casual, or part-time working

The same considerations to determine employment status will apply even if you work part-time or on a casual basis. Unless you can answer ‘yes’ to the self-employed questions above, you will normally be an employee.

More than one job

If –
You have more than one job, or
You work for a number of different people for a few days or weeks at a time you will need to answer the questions [above] for each job.

If you provide services to many people and do not work regularly for one person to the exclusion of others, this may effect whether your work for each is as an employee, or as a self-employed person.

*Remember, just because you are employed or self-employed in one job, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be in another job.

You could even be an employee and self-employed at the same time. For example, you could –

be employed as a part-time shop assistant and spend the rest of your time running your own weight loss business from home, or

work full-time in a factory as an employee, and run a part-time fitness business in the evening or weekends.

You may have a number of casual or part-time activities, and in some way be an employee and in others self-employed.

It all depends on the facts.

Finally

If you’re a boxing fan like myself you would already know……..or not….that Chris Eubank Jnr won his boxing match against Nick Blackwell but who now lies in a coma.

Prayers go out for his speedy recovery.

Spring has Sprung……….Enjoy..!!

“Time passes, things change but true friendship is forever” – Jay Banks

Andrew James Crawford

www.zlogg.co.uk
www.quickzlogg.co.uk
www.fitnessindustryaccountants.com