Have you struggled with the business side of coaching and training?

education our stories Oct 23, 2018

(image: Celebrating our 3rd anniversary on Nov. 1st 2016) 

We write this message as we approach the 5th year anniversary of our brick and mortar location, which will also be the day that we close it's doors. 

We have battled back and forth with every emotion you might experience when you have totally exhausted all efforts for something you are passionate about that just isn't working the way you want it too. 

For us, that passion is health and movement and what was not working was our business model. 

We have tried for years to find a business model that allows us to offer the quality of service we want to offer without having to institute a service that makes money off of people's failure to show up. This is the typical business model of a fitness club or studio - make money off the people who will pay for memberships but will not actually find the motivation to show up. 

Sound familiar?

A few years ago we shared our experience and business details with a business man and he said, "It sounds like you guys are very good at what you do but how would you make money off of people's failure?" 

At the time, we were put off by this statement because we are not in this business to get rich or take advantage of people's emotions. We are in this business to help people and because the topic of health and movement resonates deeply with the lifestyle we want to live. 

Fast forward a few years, and here we are closing our studio because we couldn't wrap our heads around building a traditional fitness business model.

In fact, our biggest problem this year was that we were helping people with pain much more quickly than we had been in the past so they needed less sessions with us! An interesting and new set of problems!

Instead of backing down, quitting, or selling out, we transformed our options!

We brainstormed, did some soul searching, attended multiple conferences on business development, watched webinars, and took online courses in marketing in order to find what we were missing. We need to have a business that continues to support our passion and also allows us to build a life, a family, a retirement, and all the normal things everyone is working towards. 

We want a business that we can still be passionate about without compromising our values.

What we found is that there are 2 MAJOR points we were missing most:

(we hope this helps you, too!)

  1. We were not clearly identifying the market that we had the most passion for working with. 
  2. We didn't have enough options for the market we want to service to allow people to start where they are. 

If everyone had to pay us $125/hour to pick our brains and benefit from our services we would be excluding a good majority of the population simply due to finances. But, we are worth more than $125/hour. And, on top of that, the market of people we want to work with do not have the means to spend $125/hour because they are just like us! They are trainers, coaches, movement specialists, and athletes who are struggling with the same set of problems - figuring out how to make a sustainable living in this industry without completely running yourself into the ground. 

Can you relate?

So, here's what we did and are continuing to do!

Eight months ago we started an online membership to reach the students we are most excited about teaching! We created a product that is super affordable, power-packed with quality content each week, and that allows our students to reach us without having to pay us $125/hour. 

Instead, they pay just $27/month for weekly content, access to us for Q&A, and now a BONUS facebook group to build community engagement. 

From there, we plan to develop different levels of membership with more content and, eventually, will have services for a very small group who wants more private access but in a group format. And, of course, private sessions. 

The key to developing services for your clients is to have options that allow them to learn from you and be inspired by your knowledge at a rate and cost that fits their current lifestyle. You need a product suite and that is what we are developing. 

I think the business man we spoke with used harsher words than he needed to. You don't have to create a business model that generates income off of people's failure. You need to create a business model that takes people through a journey and allows them to start where they are. 

This transition for our business has not been easy but it is incredibly rewarding! We have had the chance to meet people all over the world that are incredible coaches, trainers, athletes and movement specialists. All of these people push themselves everyday to continue growing and learning so that they can gain the competitive edge and give their clients better results. 

We could not be more excited about this transition into the online space! 

We battle with sadness about the efforts we made to grow our little, private studio but the excitement we have for our online community far outweighs any of the stress we have about closing our studio. 

Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading. And, thank you for believing in KRUSE ELITE. 

Interested in joining the KRUSE ELITE Online community? Find out more! We have a special offer expiring on October 31st!

 

 

About the Author:

Alisha Hale pulls from over 10 years of experience in the health and fitness industry to provide you with the tools needed to reach your best health.

Alisha is a Personal Trainer and a Board Certified & Licensed Acupuncturist and is particularly passionate about combining Acupuncture and movement coaching to help young women through their pre and post natal journey, fertility challenges, menstrual irregularities, metabolic issues, thyroid problems, pain, asthma, and allergies.

In 2013, she co-founded KRUSE ELITE with boyfriend, Taylor Kruse. Both are dedicated to inspiring people, coaches, and trainers into their best health and performance.

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