How to Leverage Your Facebook Videos to Get More Subscribers and Make More Money!

I’ve been using Facebook video recently with a lot of success to 1) build my email list and 2) sell copies of my training programs …

Thought I would share with you what’s working – so you can apply it in YOUR business!

– Forest

###

I’ve posted the message below a couple of times already, but wanted to get it to you one last time in case you missed it …

I get questions almost daily from other fitness pros on tips to help them run their gym better, how to start on online business, and MANY other things … that’s why I started my FVTBiz.com blog, and started offering my FVTBiz.com Elite Coaching program earlier this year.

However, there have been dozens of folks that have WANTED to get involved with the FVTBiz Elite Coaching, but just couldn’t quite swing the $297/mo cost.

That’s why I’m considering running a six week “Business of Kettlebell Training” program.

This would be a group – based program where we meet each week on a call, and go over the basics of the business of kettlebell training.

Each week we would cover a diferent topic, such as:

– How to get your kettlebell training/PT biz on track for six figures ASAP
– The easiest was to get more KB training clients
– How to make money with your fitness blog

And more.

At the end of each call, I would open up the line and take questions from everyone and help with challenges that each participant is having in their particlar
businesses etc.

We could even set up a private Facebook group for this program if everyone wanted it and thought it would be helpful.

Since it would be a group – based program, the cost would be much more affordable than my one-on-one Elite Coaching – around $197 for the full six weeks.

Is this something that you would be interested in?

If so, let me know, and if I get enough responses, we’ll get open up registration and get this program going!

Posted in marketing | Leave a comment

How to Start an Online KB Training Biz

fv head shot

*I’ve been getting a TON of questions about the online business stuff … so I thought I’d do an article or two on the topic.  If you enjoy this article and want to learn more about the online business stuff, let me know!

See, starting an online kettlebell / fitness / training / etc business is probably a LOT simpler than you think.

There is SO much information available now on “how to make money on the internet” and this type of thing … but the reality is, if you focus on the IMPORTANT stuff,
on a consistent basis, it’s pretty easy to start a “side business” online … and grow that into a full – time income, if you so desire.

If you are looking to start an online KB training business, my advice is this – keep it SUPER simple, and just focus on three main tasks each day.

It’s true. Three things per day are ALL you need to do, to build a full-time (and beyond) online business – whether it be based around kettlebell training, or
whatever else.

Here are the three things:

1 – Focus on building an email list
2 – Provide content to that list daily
3 – Provide regular opportunities for people on that email list to buy something

Let’s break it down further …
1 – Focus on building an email list

The easiest, fastest, simplest way to start building an email list is:

— Create a training course of some kind on a focused topic to give away, 100% FREE. Make it GOOD, and on a topic that people really want. It doesn’t have to be BIG
– a 10 minute video or 5 page PDF report is great – but it needs to solve a big problem for folks, and be valuable and genuinely useful.

— Create what’s called a “squeeze page” – a page when you can direct people – where people give you their email address in exchange for that free gift. The easiest
way to set this up is with a service like LeadPages. That’s what I would do if I was just starting, because it’s just so easy to set up and get going right away …
but, you could also build and set up the site yourself if you know how, and you wanted to do it on the cheap. You could even probably go on a site like Fiverr and get
someone to do it for you for 5 or 10 bucks.

— Drive people in a variety of ways to that page. There are MANY ways to do this … I would start with writing articles, doing YouTube videos, and social media.
The idea being, you provide folks with a great article, video, social media post, whatever … and at the end, you say “hey, if you liked this post, you’ll LOVE my
free report on xyz – go to www.xyz.com to get it!” This is how I built up my first thousand or two subscribers on my list, and although it takes a time investment on
your part, it WORKS. (Then, once I built up a bit of a platform and had some money coming in, I would start to move to paid traffic sources like Facebook ads to scale
things up faster.)
2 – Provide content to that list daily

Write an article or shoot a quick video. Do this daily, or at least 5x per week. Send it to your readers. ASK your clients, people you know in your space what they
have questions about, and answer them. It’s really that simple. Agian, don’t make things too complicated 🙂
3 – Provide regular opportunities for people on that email list to buy something

“Pepper” in links in your articles to things can your readers can buy.

Do this in a cool way, and that’s contextual and related to what you’re talking about in your content emails / videos / etc.

I like to think of it this way – 90% of the time, I want people to get value from reading my emails, whether they buy or not. (About once a week, I’ll also send
direct “pitch” emails where I’m making a straight-up sales pitch for a given product or service … which DOES work … you just can’t do it much more often than that,
and expect people to stay on your list for long 😉

You can start by recommending other people’s training programs. Acting as an affiliate is a great way to start generating some income from your online business
without having to create your own product, learning how to write sales copy that converts, etc.

From there, I would probably start by creating my own low-priced – like 7 or 9 dollar – course. It could be written, video, whatever. Have it be really good, and
solve a specific problem.

Eventually, you can expand from there with more products, a membership site, coaching, etc. And easily scale your business up to six figures per year and beyond, like
I have, and literally HUNDREDS of other folks in the internet fitness space I know have as well.
So there you have it – if I had to start all over again with my online kettlebell training business, that’s what I would do. It probably seems WAY too simple … but
at the end of the day, that’s really all there is to it.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Thanks –

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

PS – I get questions almost daily from other fitness pros on tips to help them run their gym better, how to start on online business, and MANY other things … that’s
why I started my FVTBiz.com blog, and started offering my FVTBiz.com Elite Coaching program earlier this year.

However, there have been dozens of folks that have WANTED to get involved with the FVTBiz Elite Coaching, but just couldn’t quite swing the $297/mo cost.

That’s why I’m considering running a six week “Business of Kettlebell Training” program.

This would be a group – based program where we meet each week on a call, and go over the basics of the business of kettlebell training.

Each week we would cover a diferent topic, such as:

– How to get your kettlebell training/PT biz on track for six figures ASAP
– The easiest was to get more KB training clients
– How to make money with your fitness blog

And more.

At the end of each call, I would open up the line and take questions from everyone and help with challenges that each participant is having in their particlar
businesses etc.

We could even set up a private Facebook group for this program if everyone wanted it and thought it would be helpful.

Since it would be a group – based program, the cost would be much more affordable than my one-on-one Elite Coaching – around $197 for the full six weeks.

Is this something that you would be interested in?

If so, let me know, and if I get enough responses, we’ll get open up registration and get this program going!

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The BUSINESS of Kettlebell Training

Forest Vance

I run basically two different fitness businesses – my training studio, and my online publishing / consulting stuff.

It’s a great mix and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. In a typical day, I end up spending 3 or 4 hours “in the trenches”, leading workouts and helping people get better … 2 or 3 hours on my online business, writing, shooting videos, creating products, working with online coaching clients, etc … and probably 1 or 2 hours training / managing / working with staff and marketing / promoting / prospecting for my gym.

I TRULY enjoy what I do, get to help 10’s of thousands of people around the world each day in reaching their fitness goals, and I am able to provide a great lifestyle for myself and my family while doing it.

I get questions almost daily from other fitness pros on tips to help them run their gym better, how to start on online business, and MANY other things … that’s why I started my FVTBiz.com blog, and started offering my FVTBiz.com Elite Coaching program earlier this year.

However, there have been dozens of folks that have WANTED to get involved with the FVTBiz Elite Coaching, but just couldn’t quite swing the $297/mo cost.

That’s why I’m considering running a six week “Business of Kettlebell Training” program.

This would be a group – based program where we meet each week on a call, and go over the basics of the business of kettlebell training.

Each week we would cover a diferent topic, such as:

— How to get your kettlebell training/PT biz on track for six figures ASAP
— The easiest was to get more KB training clients
— How to make money with your fitness blog

And more.

At the end of each call, I would open up the line and take questions from everyone and help with challenges that each participant is having in their particlar businesses etc.

We could even set up a private Facebook group for this program if everyone wanted it and thought it would be helpful.

Since it would be a group – based program, the cost would be much more affordable than my one-on-one Elite Coaching – around $197 for the full six weeks.

Is this something that you would be interested in?

If so, let me know, and if I get enough responses, we’ll get open up registration and get this program going!

Thanks –

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

Posted in 30 Day Website Business Challenge, blogging, marketing | Leave a comment

Boot Camp Workout Programming – How We Do It at FVT

FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training has been in business for almost seven years now …

And during that time, we’ve held over 7500 boot camp / group training sessions, and thousands more personal training workouts.

We’re always working to improve, do things better, and ultimately get our clients better results …

And we have gone through MANY iterations of boot camp workout programming over the years.

To give you a better of idea of who we work with in our BOOT CAMP programs (our private and small group focuses / demographics / etc are different):

— goals are to lose fat, gain lean muscle, increase energy and feel great
— approx 40% men, 60% women
— no major injuries
— enjoy the positive, high-energy group environment
— aren’t afraid of working hard

So the question is – HOW do we program our boot camp workouts over time … to move people towards these goals … both safely and effectively … AND maintain the fun, exciting atmosphere that is SO important to boot camp success?

Well, I thought I’d give you a simple “template” of how we do things … so if you’re a fit pro and run boot camps yourself, this will be useful … but it will also help you if you’re just looking at your own workouts, and how to set them up and progress over time.

###

Boot Camp Workout Programming – How We Do It at FVT

— New clients go through an “intro” session … we take a look at any injury history, do a basic movement screen to see how they are moving, strength, conditioning level, flexibility, etc … based on this, if they are ready to rock, they go right into boot camp … but more often that not, we start them with at least a few one- on-one or small group sessions to learn the basics and build up a base level of conditioning.

(This is important to note, as MOST people will not be ready to jump into an intense program on day 1!)

— Workouts are programmed ahead of time for about 30 days … we alternate “strength” days, where the focus is lower reps, a bit more rest, and moving more weight … and “conditioning” days, where the focus is higher reps, less rest, and mostly bodyweight-focused workouts.

###

Here’s what a sample STRENGTH day would look like:

Workout 1, Ultimate Kettlebell Challenge Workouts –”Doing it Way Big”

Pair 1 (4 rounds total)

– heavy single KB swing (10 reps)
– close grip push up (10 reps)

Pair 2 (4 rounds total)

– split squat (lunge without moving the feet during the movement) w KB in
goblet position (8 reps per leg)
– pull up OR inverted row (4 to 8 reps)

FINISH with – as many reps as possible in 30 seconds of each exercise; 3 rounds of the sequence:

– prisoner body weight squats (hands are interlaced behind the head)
– cross body mountain climbers (bring the knee to the opposite elbow oneach rep)
– burpees (no push up)
– shuttle sprints (set two cones up 10 yards apart, sprint back and forth between them as fast as you can!!)

###

Here’s what a sample CONDITIONING day would look like:

Workout 5, Ultimate Kettlebell Challenge Workouts – “ExtraHard”

Do as many reps as you can of each exercise in 60 seconds; rest for 15 seconds between exercises, and do the full circuit three times:

– burpee
– KB swing (go a little lighter than usual; you’ll be doing about 35 reps in a row!)
– inverted row (go at a little higher angle than usual; lots of reps here as well!)
– plank hold
– T push up (also known as push up with rotation)

###

— Each day, we also start with a some mobility work / dynamic stretching /etc , do some kind of “finisher” at the end of the workout, and do three or four static stretches at the end of each training session.

###

This works great in terms of having a structure and progression, ensuring consistent client experience no matter who is leading a boot camp, as well as keeping the workouts changing all the time and fun for clients.

Feel free to use this type of structure for designing workouts for your boot campers or yourself.

Train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance, MS, RKC II, PCC
FVTBiz.com
ForestVance.com

PS – I’ve put together 72 of my favorite kettlebell boot camp workouts into a giant “mega-bundle” package … if everything I describe in this article sounds like a lot of work, these done-for-you workouts will make your life WAY easier! 🙂  Check ’em out at the link below:

=> 72 Kettlebell Boot Camp Workouts

Posted in workouts | Leave a comment

Price Positioning + Multiple Streams of Income

I am going to start writing a short article each week here, the idea being to “check in” and summarize what happened in MY businesses over the previous 7 days … and also to share any lessons I learned that may be of value to you and what YOU have going in your fitness biz.

So let’s get right into it – here’s what I worked on this week, and a couple of take-aways:

1 – Price Positioning

I ran promotions for both my “Elite”, one-on-one coaching programs, AND my group coaching / membership site this week.

My Elite Coaching is my highest-level coaching program.  It’s highly individualized to each person that does it, and it takes a lot of my personal time.  That’s why it costs $297 per month to join, with a minimum 3 month commitment.

I got a few folks to sign up for this, which was great … and honestly that’s all I was looking to sign up, as I only have time to work with MAYBE 10 folks at any given time in this capacity …

###

FYI … I also do Elite Business Coaching … if you are interested, check out the details and submit your application HERE

###

Then, the next couple of days after I ran this, I ran a promo for my group coaching / membership site.  Members here get a new workout each month, and I coach them through it and give them any help they need via a private Facebook group … NOT as individualized, but still a great program you can get great results with … and the cost for this is $19.95 per month.

This sold very well … and I think it REALLY helped that I “positioned” the cost of the membership site as a great value, by first showing folks the Elite Coaching program at $297 per month.

I KNOW you can use this in YOUR business … try to think of a few ways, and put them into practice right away! 😉

2 – Multiple Streams of Income

I think it’s VERY important to have multiple streams of income in your business.

At our gym, we do everything we can to keep folks engaged, but the summers are always a slower time of year.

Knowing that, I can ramp up and really focus on the online side of things … the coaching programs mentioned above, putting together new home-study type courses and putting them up for sale, recommending other’s programs as an affiliate … and help to “pick up some of the slack” so to speak.

When ALL I did was one-on-one training to make money, things slowed down at the gym and we were in trouble!

So this is a good lesson as well … and there are SO many ways you can make money these days in fitness … you got to get YOUR multiple streams of income going ASAP!

There you have my weekly recap and a couple of take-aways to help you in your business.  Hope those helped, and have a strong week ahead –

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

PS – My new “Top 21 Fitness Business Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them!” program is LIVE!

You’ll discover 21 of the biggest mistakes I made when I was starting in the fitness business over 10 years ago … and how I’d do it differently if I had to start all over again :)

Click the link below to check it out now:

=> How NOT to start a personal training business (top 21 fitness business mistakes – and how to avoid them)

Posted in blogging, marketing | Leave a comment

Forgotten PT marketing method? -or- How to get more new clients, starting this week!

pt biz blog 7 12

Just like you probably do, we go through periods of busy and slower times at FVT.

Sometimes, the phone is ringing off the hook, and our new client intro session schedule gets so booked that we have a hard time getting people in for an appt!

But there are also slower times, where we get a bit behind on our leads goal for the month, and we have to get back to basics and start hustling to get things rolling again.

So – if we have to get new clients ASAP and get our biz back on track, our #1 strategy is … in-person, belly-to-belly marketing.

This is the fastest way for us to get new folks in the door.

For example, some things that have worked well in the past, and probably always will:

— Booth at street fairs in the local area
— Getting involved at the local elementary school for events, fundraisers, etc
— Networking with local business owners and seeing how you can help each other / refer business
— Wearing your t shirt / etc when you are out and about, striking up conversations w folks and inviting them in for a workout
— Showing up and participating at local events, runs, charity functions, etc where your ideal clients are
— Offering a special introductory deal / trial to the owners of small businesses in the immediate proximity of your training biz

I often think folks forget about this. Seems like sometimes, all trainers want to do is just sit behind their computer, run a few fb ads, send a few emails … and they expect droves of clients running through the door!

But don’t forget – belly to belly marketing always has worked, and always will.

If you need to start getting new clients ASAP, it’s one of the fastest, most cost effective ways to do it.

Now get out there and start hustling! 🙂

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

PS – For more tips and tricks to help you get more clients, to learn how to start your own fitness blog for fun and profit, and MUCH more, get my “fitness biz resources” pack – 100% free!!  Click here to claim your copy now.

 

Posted in marketing | Leave a comment

Easiest Way to Grow Your PT / Boot Camp Biz?

bring a buddy 2

About 10 months ago, we hit a bit of a growth plateau at FVT …

In other words, our total number of clients – and gross revenue number – was staying pretty stagnant.

We were getting a good, consistent amount of leads …

And our conversion process was dialed in – we were closing about 90% or so of new client intro sessions …

*IF you struggle with getting consistent leads … or converting those leads into paying clients … click here to learn how to fix both of those problems (and much more)*

So I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Well, I had recently joined a coaching program / mastermind group … and at the first in-person meeting, when I started talking about my business and what was going
on with it, the group brought to my attention that our retention was not so great.

We were sitting at about 90% retention, which I figured was normal … but really, at the time, it amounted to us losing more than 10 clients every month!

So THAT was my #1 focus point to fix, to get my business growing again.

And by taking a few simple steps, I was able to get our retention to better than 5%, and keep it there … which has gotton our business growing again, WITHOUT having to get any more leads or new clients than we already were.

For us, improving our retention % was the EASIEST possible way we could have grown our PT / boot camp biz at the time.

So how did we do it? Here are the three biggest things that helped improve our retention:

1 – Eliminating month-to-month agreements

One month is simply not enough time for our clients to get much in terms of results. Sure, they can lose a few pounds and start feeling better … but to really transform their bodies and their lives, they typically are going to need a lot longer.

And so I decided to eliminate month-to-month training agreements all together.  This in
itself skyrocketed our retention rates, and was probably the biggest positive change that we made.

2 – Doing weekly “in-active” client calls

I go through our client management system once per week, and personally call any clients who have not been in for a workout in the last 7 days.

This goes a LONG way towards keeping people on track, getting them better results and ultimately getting them to stay longer.

It will take you 30 mins tops, and is SO worth the time investment.

Also – unless you are totally phased out of your business and you have a full time manager running the day-to-day operations at your studio / gym, I would recommend
that you do NOT outsource this. Do it yourself. Building those relationships with your clients is key, and is worth spending the time to do.

3 – Focusing on it in team meetings

At every team meeting, I present a list of 1) new clients that signed up 2) clients that left since the last one.

For the new clients, I give everyone the low down on their goals, any injury considerations, etc.  This helps make sure we are all on the same page when leading the workouts.

For the leaving clients, we talk about WHY they left, and if / what could have been done to prevent a similar thing happening in the future.

So, to sum up, take a look at your retention numbers. If it’s not where it could be, it could very well be the EASIEST way you can start growing your fitness business
MUCH faster!

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

PS – This is just one of the mistakes – and fixes – I cover in my new “21 Biggest Fitness Business Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them!” program … click HERE to learn more about it, and to grab your copy while it’s on sale at over 50% off!

Posted in marketing | Leave a comment

How NOT to start a personal training business …

Okay, my new “Top 21 Fitness Business Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them!” program is LIVE!

You’ll discover 21 of the biggest mistakes I made when I was starting in the fitness business over 10 years ago … and how I’d do it differently if I had to start all over again 🙂

Click the link below to check it out now:

=> How NOT to start a personal training business (top 21 fitness business mistakes – and how to avoid them)

But, it’s only available at a discount for a limited time, so be sure to check it out ASAP if you’re interested.

Thanks –

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

PS – You are going to LOVE my new “Top 21 Fitness Business Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them!” training program!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Are you making these dangerous fitness business mistakes?

I am working on a new project, called “The Top 21 Fitness Business Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them!”

It’s not quite done yet, but thought I’d share a few of the mistakes covered in the program with you today.

###

6.12.15 UPDATE

My new “Top 21 Fitness Business Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them!” program is LIVE!

You’ll discover 21 of the biggest mistakes I made when I was starting in the fitness business over 10 years ago … and how I’d do it differently if I had to start all over again :)

Click the link below to check it out now:

=> How NOT to start a personal training business (top 21 fitness business mistakes – and how to avoid them)

###

Let’s get right into it –

Fitness Business Mistake #1 – Forgetting that being GREAT at what you do, is at the CORE of EVERYTHING you do!

You can be the best marketer and get clients in the door, but if you aren’t doing a good job, or get your training clients the results they are after – they won’t  stick around. Your retention is going to be horrible and you’ll have a hard time staying in business.

If your gym is about fat loss, make sure they are achieving their body composition goals. If you are an athletic training facility, make sure you are helping your clients get better on the field. Ultimately, this will make them stay if they are achieving big results – and your bottom line will grow.

And, always try to learn new things, new training techniques, new communication skills, and new people skills.

 

Fitness Business Mistake #2Selling sessions in “blocks”

If you’re still doing “blocks” of sessions, you have to get with the program and switch to EFT billing. It’ll make your life easier, it will make your business more
predictable, and people will stay longer.

Trust me, it will boost your business 10%-20%. To start – though maybe not the ideal long-term solution – this can be as simple as getting a merchant account on
Paypal (about $30 a month). Yes, you’ll have to pay some credit card fees … but you will make up so much more.

Just do it! 🙂

 

Fitness Business Mistake #3Taking on too much overhead, too soon

Remember – it is not how much you are making at the end of the month, it is how much you are taking home. Be realistic about about how quickly you can grow your
business. Your overhead will grow quickly so don’t move too fast!

Instead of getting that 4,000 square foot gym, maybe you start with something smaller – or even by renting out space in another studio, or training people in the park.

Do SOME things you can yourself at the beginning … YES, building your “dream team” is when the real magic happens … but if you’re only training 10 sessions a week,
be honest, you have the time to take the trash out and clean the gym for the time being.

Outsource when you can afford it, buckle down and do it yourself when you are just getting started.

 

Fitness Business Mistake #4Being out of shape yourself

I shouldn’t have to say a whole lot about this one.

If you are going to be a fitness professional and you want people to respect you, you have to be in good shape.

I’m not saying that you have to have ripped six pack abs, but you have to look like you work out.

Practice what you preach!

###

Okay, there are four fitness business mistakes for you to avoid. Read through the list, see if YOU are making one (or more) of these mistakes – and start working to
improve!

Questions? Thoughts? Leave ’em in the comments section below!

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

###

6.12.15 UPDATE

My new “Top 21 Fitness Business Mistakes … and How to Avoid Them!” program is LIVE!

You’ll discover 21 of the biggest mistakes I made when I was starting in the fitness business over 10 years ago … and how I’d do it differently if I had to start all over again :)

Click the link below to check it out now:

=> How NOT to start a personal training business (top 21 fitness business mistakes – and how to avoid them)

Posted in marketing, Outsourcing | Leave a comment

“Value Maximization” in Your Personal Training / Boot Camp Business

THANKS for the great response to the email I sent last week re: open spots the the FVTBiz Elite Coaching program, and looking forward to working with several new folks, starting this week!

If you’re interested, click HERE to get more details and submit your application ASAP – I have exactly TWO spots left as I write this message 😉

Thanks!

– Forest

###

Your job as a fitness business owner is to get your customer/client to STAY as long as possible … get them to buy MORE stuff, from you, at a HIGHER cost if possible … to get them to buy more OFTEN … and to get them to spread the word!

Of course, this is all while maximizing the value to them – a true win/win!

I bet there is “hidden gold” in your business right now.

Here are seven ways you can add revenue to your business, and sell your existing clients more stuff:

Bigger Contracts

Doing month-to-month agreements now? Get better at selling, and bump that to six. Doing six month agreements? Get your clients to commit to 12. Your client gets better results in the long run, and you make more $$ … everyone wins! 🙂

Special programs

Examples of what we have done in the past include an 8 week mud run training program and an 8 week “lean and jacked” heavy lifting group

Nutrition coaching

A certain percentage of folks are going to want more support and accountability in this area – give it to them!

More training

Get that client coming one or two more times per week and get them better results and you more $$ in the process!

T shirts

People LOVE T shirts … get some cool custom designs, your people will wear them around town with pride!

Affiliate sales

Supplements, at-home training equipment, home workout programs … just a few examples of OTHER people’s products you can sell and get 10-90% commission on!

We do all of these things and more at FVT. The idea is to maximize the client value, and get them to spend more with you, WHILE at the same time improving their lives …a true win-win!

So what is YOUR average client value? How much MORE does the average client spend, each month, on top of their regular training? How many opportunities are you giving your clients to spend more money with you?

Think about it … DO something about it … and transform your personal training / fitness boot camp business!

– Forest Vance
FVTBiz.com

Posted in marketing | Leave a comment