I have a growing reputation in the fitness industry it seems, as a business systems expert. I don't know how this happened, for as long as I can remember I found myself confounded and confused about how to systemize anything in my own business.
In the midst of my frustration I recall continually asking myself, "what if I had to do this one hundred more times?"
Maybe that's what did it, now nearly every decision I make about how we do things in my businesses is met with brainstorming and ultimately a checklist of steps. So not only could we complete each task one hundred times or more but we could do it the same or better.
One of the things about growing a truly successful business is maintaining the "just the guy down the street" feel and culture while providing as much absolute consistency in how you deliver your services as possible. When we're talking about a service business this ends up being much harder than it first appears.
No matter how prepared you are you will be met with things each and every day that you must draft a solution on the spot, and tomorrow there's a chance you might have the same problem with someone else and treat them differently.
Imagine you and I meet today to discuss your service, and something happens that you weren't prepared for. You think well on your feet and you make me happy, I'm none the wiser that I ever caught you off guard.
Tomorrow you meet someone else, but have the same challenge, however you decide to handle the problem differently, in fact even better. Unbeknownst to you that person you meet tomorrow is my brother who then shares with me this great solution. I'm now frustrated that I referred him to you and begin to question the whole integrity of your business.
At the core of it you were just trying to do the right thing and help my brother and me.
In our world of Tweets, status updates and instant reviews my intentions hardly matter at all. Long before you ever get a chance to explain yourself and make good, if you ever get a chance, I may have already told the world how terrible you are.
Does this sound a little cynical? It may be, though not by much. The environment of business today, and the mindset of the consumer (even yours and mine) we're all less patient and tolerant than ever before. If we have any hope of making people happy and keeping a "5 star" reputation it's critical that each series of events can be easily replicated in the same manner.
After struggling for eight years as a personal trainer, Cabel McElderry challenged the typical gym setup and created quite a reputation for himself. His 7 figure studio, now five years old, has won multiple awards for business excellence. Cabel has been recognized as one of the top 100 fitness entrepreneurs in North America and is currently one of 50 nominees for Optimum Nutrition's Canadian Trainer of the Year. He now mentors fitness professionals worldwide in an effort to help them achieve similar or better results than his own. Cabel's advice and writing can be found amongst some of the biggest blogs online and he is constantly called upon to offer his advice and strategies at some the largest fitness events worldwide. www.ProfitablePersonalTrainer.com
In the midst of my frustration I recall continually asking myself, "what if I had to do this one hundred more times?"
Maybe that's what did it, now nearly every decision I make about how we do things in my businesses is met with brainstorming and ultimately a checklist of steps. So not only could we complete each task one hundred times or more but we could do it the same or better.
One of the things about growing a truly successful business is maintaining the "just the guy down the street" feel and culture while providing as much absolute consistency in how you deliver your services as possible. When we're talking about a service business this ends up being much harder than it first appears.
No matter how prepared you are you will be met with things each and every day that you must draft a solution on the spot, and tomorrow there's a chance you might have the same problem with someone else and treat them differently.
Imagine you and I meet today to discuss your service, and something happens that you weren't prepared for. You think well on your feet and you make me happy, I'm none the wiser that I ever caught you off guard.
Tomorrow you meet someone else, but have the same challenge, however you decide to handle the problem differently, in fact even better. Unbeknownst to you that person you meet tomorrow is my brother who then shares with me this great solution. I'm now frustrated that I referred him to you and begin to question the whole integrity of your business.
At the core of it you were just trying to do the right thing and help my brother and me.
In our world of Tweets, status updates and instant reviews my intentions hardly matter at all. Long before you ever get a chance to explain yourself and make good, if you ever get a chance, I may have already told the world how terrible you are.
Does this sound a little cynical? It may be, though not by much. The environment of business today, and the mindset of the consumer (even yours and mine) we're all less patient and tolerant than ever before. If we have any hope of making people happy and keeping a "5 star" reputation it's critical that each series of events can be easily replicated in the same manner.
After struggling for eight years as a personal trainer, Cabel McElderry challenged the typical gym setup and created quite a reputation for himself. His 7 figure studio, now five years old, has won multiple awards for business excellence. Cabel has been recognized as one of the top 100 fitness entrepreneurs in North America and is currently one of 50 nominees for Optimum Nutrition's Canadian Trainer of the Year. He now mentors fitness professionals worldwide in an effort to help them achieve similar or better results than his own. Cabel's advice and writing can be found amongst some of the biggest blogs online and he is constantly called upon to offer his advice and strategies at some the largest fitness events worldwide. www.ProfitablePersonalTrainer.com
