A few weeks ago, I needed to get my carpets cleaned ... it was long overdue. Family was coming into town for the holidays and my house was officially being converted to Hotel Vastola. I realized that I... View More
As a business owner or as an independent trainer, it's critical to evaluate every aspect of your business to highlight points of weakness, inefficiency or where greater opportunity lies. In my last column,... View More
Whether you are a solo fitness professional training clients at a gym or an entrepreneur managing a large staff; systems are the cornerstone of a successful business. Having solid systems in your business... View More
Just like our bodies accumulate a lot of junk over the course of a year, so do our businesses; it's a perfect time to go through a "business detox." Here is a quick detox "recipe" that will hopefully be... View More
We are all familiar with the concept of our Intelligence Quotient or IQ, but have you ever tested your Emotional Intelligence?Emotional Intelligence (referred to as EI or EQ), is a growing field of research... View More
The recent number of social media promotions, online ads, email marketing and pitches at industry seminars that offer private business coaching, masterminds, online coaching and everything in between,... View More
Fitness professionals often find themselves in a situation where they hit a "glass ceiling" of revenue potential. There are only so many hours in a day available to train clients, and ultimately, you don't... View More
Despite varying opinions of the TV show The Biggest Loser, the show has created a shift in consumers' minds about how fitness goals can be achieved. This is precisely why we continue to see "Biggest Loser"... View More
In 1971, McDonald's franchisee Herb Peterson was looking for a new way to increase sales in his Santa Barbara restaurant. He knew he would have to get creative and think out of the box. He followed the... View More
Social proof is a critical and essential element to building your business. You may have the best sales scripts and the most compelling sales copy on your website, but without others saying how much you... View More
We all are familiar with the adage, "Time is Money" and most would agree that time is one of our most precious, and limited, assets. I find that many professionals don't fully realize the worth of their... View More
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the daily administrative tasks of owning your own business. The typical business owner spends a majority of their time doing 95% of the tasks that have the least impact... View More
Effectively tapping into your clients' innermost insecurities and frustration is what can take you from being an ordinary trainer to an extraordinary trainer. Our clients' success is not just driven by... View More
In a conversation last week with a fitness professional on the west coast, I realized that a critical mistake many entrepreneurs and fitness trainers make is throwing time and money at new technology without... View More
My name is Lindsay Vastola, and I am a self-admitted procrastinator. Anyone else? I go through times of unmatched productivity and accomplishment, tackling the most daunting goals. Then there are times... View More
Up until a few years ago, the idea of getting a college degree over the internet may have seemed completely odd to most. Until recently, our notion of receiving a degree or certification was generally... View More
There has been a strong movement toward niche training of specialty populations in fitness. Specialty certifications, trainings, workshops and seminars continue to become more readily available to fitness... View More
When many of us get started in the fitness industry, we are ambitious to work with anyone who will let us train them or who will pay for our services. But there will likely come a point in your career... View More
I recently was inspired by a feature I read about Lauren Bush Lauren (granddaughter of former President George H.W. Bush, niece of former President George W. Bush and married to fashion designer Ralph... View More
The day-to-day regimen of training clients usually leaves few hours in the day to focus on finding new business. As a fitness professional, especially if you work in a gym, it may be easy to fall into... View More
