When you aren’t making any progress at all, it can feel like success is a long way away.
I’ve been there: The fitness business putters along, losing as much money in some months as it made in others.
The boat floats on donated labor, endless hours and an ever-dwindling supply of passion.
Clients come, and an equal number leave. Bad staff members tend to hang around, and good ones tend to move on.
You could once see success and profit on the horizon, but those lights winked out a long time ago, and you’ve resigned yourself to the unsatisfying status quo.
But the reality is that success is only a few months away.
The longer you struggle without moving forward, the more frustrated and cynical you become. When something never moves, you start to feel like it can’t be moved.
“I’m no good at this. The market sucks. This business will never grow.”
I’ve said stuff like that, and the sentiments are not uncommon in the gym biz.
But in a small business, great changes can be made quickly, and they usually have a dramatic effect.
You can’t bend Nike or Apple in a new direction overnight by firing one employee and raising your rates by 5 percent.
But in a small business, a few changes make all the difference in the world. And once they’ve been made, the gym becomes unstuck.
I’m not going to Disney-fy the situation and suggest fixing a business isn’t hard, messy work. Doing the hard stuff in a gym business is stressful.
But I’m also not going to tell you that your business will take a decade to fix. That’s only the case if you decide not to take action. And if you avoid all action, you’ll never fix your gym.
If you act—and do the right things at the right time—you can turn your business around very quickly. I’m not making this up. I interview top gym owners all the time, and many of them can document extreme improvements in very short periods.
Here’s a guy who used just six months of mentorship to make huge improvements to his business:
Here’s a legendary turnaround in just six months:
Here’s what’s possible with steady progress over a period of years:
I’ll give you a key stat: It takes the average Two-Brain gym owner just over two years to reach $100,000 per year in earnings, regardless of starting point.
That last part is incredible: If you’re not earning anything from your gym right now, you could reach six figures in about two years, even if your gym is a tire fire. And many people reach $100,000 net owner benefit much faster.
The point: Swift progress is very possible if you do the right things. You must take clear, decisive action every day. A mentor can tell you what to do and provide accountability so you do it.
When your metrics are improving and you’re earning more, your mindset will shift. Small increases in momentum will start to add up, and you’ll think, “Hey! This thing is actually moving forward.”
At that point, you’ll feel empowered and energized, and your once-far-off vision of success will seem very achievable.
To start building the momentum you need, do something hard to improve your business today. If you’re not sure what to do or need support when you do it, click here.
