How Do I [NOT] Scale My Personal Training Business Significantly?

[Guest931Xfjyx]

Imagine if MJ wrote "The Millionaire Fastlane " whilst he was delivering flowers and mopping floors...

Then he goes on Youtube and doesn't have the pool of his mansion behind him, but instead has his bedroom from his mom's house and is speaking matter-of-factly on how to be an entrepreneur.

Even if he has a clue, and he'd said the exact same information in his videos and in his book, he would be talking without the credibility. They'd look at him like he's just some inexperienced kid, and they'd be right.

Am I alone in comprehending why this makes you seem untrustworthy, like a scam-artist, as if you don't actually know what you're talking about?

The audience wants to hear from someone with results.

The messenger is just as important as the message.

 

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[BizyDad]

Again, this is a bodybuilding thread on an entrepreneur forum.

Everyone will keep calling you dumb because you aren't money motivated.

If you were money motivated you'd still be applying for development jobs (making money) instead of seeking out an education you can get on youtube (spending money).

Imagine if you were as stubborn about making a living as you are about bodybuilding. There is only one reason why you aren't. CHOICE.

I suggest you rename your Username to "Someday" ...

Someday is Never.

If there was ever a perfect demonstration of SOMEDAY it is this thread, and this lost cause.

View attachment 52160

I like this. I also like the CCR version.

View: https://youtu.be/Igbd3EEOHIs?si=PE3xrPNGUftZtGYD

 

[Dark Water]

Tell me this wont work if I'm coming from the mindset of doing it for the remainder of my life:
1. I get to the point where I'm damn near incredible and it's very obvious I have a clue
2. I post content every single day proving I have a damn clue and that I've accomplished some admirable things
3. People see that content, progressively in larger and larger quantities over time
4. I never quit. By never, I mean never. This goes on until I croak and rest my eyes in life for good
5. When a large amount of people see that I'm giving value, repeatedly, and I've proven myself very obviously...

...I'm going to have the opportunity to make an income in an infinite amount of ways. I'll be seen as an authority.

Yes this is a long route. But guess what? I'm just hardheaded and annoying enough to pull it off.

In short: become an influencer -> get money. Right? That's your goal, that's what keeps you on The Fastlane Forum?

Ironically, your pursuits at this passion are going to fall short because you ignored the entrepreneurial call to be bigger than yourself.

You have a full time job as a security guard making low wages while you also have a family.

How are you going to break into the incredibly saturated fitness influencer industry against people who can spend 10 hours a day, 7 days a week making content?

And if you do get there in some way or another, what do these "infinite amount of ways" to make money really look like? Once a month, someone offers you $500 to make a sponsored post? Once a year, someone offers you the ability to travel to them for a photoshoot? I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. What do you envision this to be? Is it just going to be whatever the universe throws at you, on other people's terms?

Like, if you want that life, go do it, go live it. But it sounds like you're trapping yourself on a rat wheel that is going to have to spin faster and faster, which is the complete opposite of fastlane ideology. Do you want to have to make fitness and influencer content for the rest of your life? What if you get injured? What if you get into a car accident and have to put everything on hold for 6 months or a year?

The selfish, intrinsic goals of "becoming a greater bodybuilder" and getting "10k followers on the 'Gram'" is doing nothing to help the actual people who seek out personal trainers. You have made $0 from all of this so far and you will make $0 from all of it in another 5 years.

I do wish you all the best though, hope you get at least 50k followers on Instagram though and can live out your dream of being a content creator.

 

[Pain Brain]

Imagine if MJ wrote "The Millionaire Fastlane " whilst he was delivering flowers and mopping floors...

Then he goes on Youtube and doesn't have the pool of his mansion behind him, but instead has his bedroom from his mom's house and is speaking matter-of-factly on how to be an entrepreneur.

Even if he has a clue, and he'd said the exact same information in his videos and in his book, he would be talking without the credibility. They'd look at him like he's just some inexperienced kid, and they'd be right.

Am I alone in comprehending why this makes you seem untrustworthy, like a scam-artist, as if you don't actually know what you're talking about?

The audience wants to hear from someone with results.

The messenger is just as important as the message.

Part of getting those results is having experience. I think you undervalue what you can provide to others. Even if you cannot provide any helpful advice to someone, you are learning what your market does not value.

In the example you have above, it would be more relatable to people like us to have been mopping floors. Doesn't exactly tarnish your credibility. If the content you provide on YouTube helps the market you are trying to shoot for, people will find you reputable.

I think credibility is more important when you are trying to sell a story.

 

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[Pain Brain]

The selfish, intrinsic goals of "becoming a greater bodybuilder" and getting "10k followers on the 'Gram'" is doing nothing to help the actual people who seek out personal trainers. You have made $0 from all of this so far and you will make $0 from all of it in another 5 years.

I've had this problem as well for most of 2023 having made web apps and extensions for myself that didn't really go anywhere. In doing so, I was able to help myself and a few others, but have had no profit to prove any real market value.

As you mention above, $0 up to now is likely $0 in 5 years. We'll have to reevaluate our methods.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

In short: become an influencer -> get money. Right? That's your goal, that's what keeps you on The Fastlane Forum?

Ironically, your pursuits at this passion are going to fall short because you ignored the entrepreneurial call to be bigger than yourself.

You have a full time job as a security guard making low wages while you also have a family.

Okay. You've shown that you have read what I've been saying. Thank you.

To answer your questions, assuming they weren't rhetorical and meant as a means to ridicule:

How are you going to break into the incredibly saturated fitness influencer industry against people who can spend 10 hours a day, 7 days a week making content?

Not joking when I say this... but by working as a Security guard. It allows me to reply to you mid-day on this forum whilst at work. Additionally I intend on going to school full-time whilst working full-time all entirely due to this job.

And if you do get there in some way or another, what do these "infinite amount of ways" to make money really look like? Once a month, someone offers you $500 to make a sponsored post? Once a year, someone offers you the ability to travel to them for a photoshoot? I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. What do you envision this to be? Is it just going to be whatever the universe throws at you, on other people's terms?

Here's a list of ways most bodybuilders make money. I am not going to do all of them:
1. Online personal training (charge more the larger your reputation)
2. In-person personal training (charge a very high fee for this, and only a session)
3. Merchandise or supplement sales (either your own, or for a sponsor)
4. Security guard (Kinda goes hand-in-hand, fame attracts celebrity clientele)
5. Drug dealing (Lots of bodybuilders resort to this just to afford their expenses)
6. G4P (This is actually comically prevalent amongst a lot of higher-up bodybuilder's for an income)

Out of those... All I'd like to eventually do is online personal training and possibly supplement sales, either my own or through a sponsor.

You wouldn't realize it but I've seen some absolutely amazing incomes come as a result of being a bodybuilder who trains others online (whether lifestyle clients or competitive clients). One of the best coaches in the industry (according to myself) who only has about 22k followers and who started his coaching business after becoming a pro bodybuilder himself makes over a million dollars a year.

The reason being is due to recurring revenue. Plus the only time investment you would need to give is through text and email correspondence if you're training these clients online rather than in-person.

If we run some basic math, and assume that you can keep a client for a full year.

$200 a month * 1 client * 12 months = $2400 a year for online coaching a single client

Now multiply that by 100 clients, plus some supplement sales.

That's how an income is made in bodybuilding.

Do you want to have to make fitness and influencer content for the rest of your life? What if you get injured? What if you get into a car accident and have to put everything on hold for 6 months or a year?

How most coaches end up becoming coaches is through being great bodybuilders themselves, and then going on to teach others. Many still coach well-off into their old age and while they're not pushing themselves as intensely.

Being a bodybuilder simply opens the door and makes you credible as a coach.

Ronnie Coleman would never sell a book, a t-shirt, a youtube channel, supplements... any of that... if he wasn't first Ronnie Coleman the bodybuilder.

Essentially... walk the walk before you talk the talk.

 

[Pain Brain]

I agree you don't need credentials. I promise I have tried this route.

It's very easily said. Not easily done.

Nonetheless great job on your accomplishment. I personally do not need a degree but I think it would drastically improve my chances of employment in the field.

The degree won't make a drastic difference in your chances of employment. The employer is also looking for what you can provide.

I saw you mention some front-end languages earlier somewhere in the thread. Why not cold-call some small businesses and offer your services? You can target problems they are having like marketing or offering solutions in the form of a website. I am in this line of work a bit myself as I've had trouble getting a job in the field with a relevant degree. I would not wait.

Proving that you can provide results in a real-world application will make a drastic difference in your employment chances.

 

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[ZCP]

Imagine if MJ wrote "The Millionaire Fastlane " whilst he was delivering flowers and mopping floors...

Then he goes on Youtube and doesn't have the pool of his mansion behind him, but instead has his bedroom from his mom's house and is speaking matter-of-factly on how to be an entrepreneur.

Even if he has a clue, and he'd said the exact same information in his videos and in his book, he would be talking without the credibility. They'd look at him like he's just some inexperienced kid, and they'd be right.

Am I alone in comprehending why this makes you seem untrustworthy, like a scam-artist, as if you don't actually know what you're talking about?

The audience wants to hear from someone with results.

The messenger is just as important as the message.

and i didn't think this thread could get any more useless. lol

why would he need the mansion to get money delivering flowers? just deliver flowers. get paid.
why would he need the pool in the background to get paid to mop a floor? mop the floor. get paid.

i sure as hell wouldn't need him to be a multimillionaire before hiring him to 'make a website'. i just need him to make a website. and get paid to do it.

you are refusing to take step 0 (below) because you haven't done step 11,942?? the excuses are amazing (maybe write a book on action faking? you are a master!)

step 0 = quit your bullshit and make more money using whatever talent / connections / things you can create so your family's life improves.

 

[ZCP]

Imagine if you were as stubborn about making a living as you are about bodybuilding. There is only one reason why you aren't. CHOICE.

dude has some top end talent in stubborn.
99/100 on selfish as well.

 

[mikecarlooch]

A few months ago I toyed around with building a SaaS that analyzes Amazon reviews with some machine learning tools to find insights that Amazon sellers / agencies could use to increase conversion rates. I killed it because I was too busy with my consulting projects. A friend from this forum is part of a cybersecurity group that meets weekly, so I asked if they'd be interested in a listening to me give a talk where I demoed the project and talked about what I learned.

I talked for 2 hours, and afterwards, a data scientist who was in the audience asked me if I was interested in working for his company for $150,000 a year. I declined.

So I got a 6 figure job offer because I spent around 4-6 weeks working a few hours a day on a project that I had little experience with (I can code, but ML was new to me), I asked some friends with experience in that field for help, and because I gave a talk on it. They didn't ask me about my degree.

You can do the same thing with software. You can make a simple web app that does something like let people read PDFs and use chat gpt to ask questions. It's a simple idea, but you'll learn a lot about programming. You can make that git repo public, and include it in your applications for programming jobs. Hell, you might stumble across a decent software business idea and just skip the job entirely.

You don't need credentials - you need results.

A few months ago I toyed around with building a SaaS that analyzes Amazon reviews with some machine learning tools to find insights that Amazon sellers / agencies could use to increase conversion rates. I killed it because I was too busy with my consulting projects. A friend from this forum is part of a cybersecurity group that meets weekly, so I asked if they'd be interested in a listening to me give a talk where I demoed the project and talked about what I learned.

I talked for 2 hours, and afterwards, a data scientist who was in the audience asked me if I was interested in working for his company for $150,000 a year. I declined.

So I got a 6 figure job offer because I spent around 4-6 weeks working a few hours a day on a project that I had little experience with (I can code, but ML was new to me), I asked some friends with experience in that field for help, and because I gave a talk on it. They didn't ask me about my degree.

You can do the same thing with software. You can make a simple web app that does something like let people read PDFs and use chat gpt to ask questions. It's a simple idea, but you'll learn a lot about programming. You can make that git repo public, and include it in your applications for programming jobs. Hell, you might stumble across a decent software business idea and just skip the job entirely.

You don't need credentials - you need results.

Exactly. Why would someone want a college grad who followed a straight path direction over someone who made a real, live, working project in their OWN time without any obligation to do it whatsoever? I spent the past 4 weeks obsessing over natural language processing for a project i'm building. I bet I know enough to be good enough at it to get a job in the space.

 

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[Guest931Xfjyx]

and i didn't think this thread could get any more useless. lol

why would he need the mansion to get money delivering flowers? just deliver flowers. get paid.
why would he need the pool in the background to get paid to mop a floor? mop the floor. get paid.

i sure as hell wouldn't need him to be a multimillionaire before hiring him to 'make a website'. i just need him to make a website. and get paid to do it.

you are refusing to take step 0 (below) because you haven't done step 11,942?? the excuses are amazing (maybe write a book on action faking? you are a master!)

step 0 = quit your bullshit and make more money using whatever talent / connections / things you can create so your family's life improves.

Are you deliberately being obtuse?

...

He’d need to be a millionaire living life in the fastlane in order to write a book on becoming a millionaire and living life in the fastlane…

 

[BizyDad]

99/100 on selfish as well.

To be fair, this is 99/100 people on this forum.

And I have more respect for @JLE than I do 99/100 of the rest of them. Why? Several reasons:

1. He has a plan. People on here choose not to see it or admit it, but he does have a plan.
2. He is working his plan.
3. He is nothing if not consistent.
4. He is his own man.
5. He is still showing up.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn't matter what anyone else says.

This dude truly thinks for himself. Moreso than 99.99% of people to ever be on this forum.

He has flaws. Sure.

But he also has grit. He also is demonstrating something few people on this forum ever get to demonstrate:

It's my life and I'll do what I want.

People think they have to achieve Fastlane to get to that point. And maybe most people do.

But this guy doesn't need permission or approval to live the life he wants to live.

And there is a lesson in that for all of us.

I doubt anyone else on here would choose to live this life. That's ok. It his life and he IS very obviously choosing it.

You can't call him brainwashed. He isn't following anyone else's script. There is literally no one on the sidewalk, slow lane, or Fastlane that recommends this script.

And I know, I know, there's the whole "but he's impacting his family" argument. I've told him as much as well. But his wife made her choice too. We should all be so lucky to have a partner stand by us through the grit and the grime whilst supporting us in our dream.

How many people proclaim future greatness and leave here? How many people get angry or upset at this level of negative criticism?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this guy is going places. Nowhere near as fast as anyone would like, himself included, but he is more likely to get there than 99/100 people on this website.

Why would someone want a college grad who followed a straight path direction over someone who made a real, live, working project in their OWN time without any obligation to do it whatsoever?

As an intellectual exercise I can think of lots of reasons. Here are a few:

Because the solo learner isn't likely a good team player.
Because they never bothered to learn basic industry standards.
Because the solo learner probably has an inflated sense of their ability. (Don't worry boss, I studied this for a whole month! Hahaha)
Because their commenting habits suck.
Because the solo learner is more likely to leave faster.
Because the college grad showed the ability to accept instruction, hit a certain level of achievement, and the stick to it'veness that employers want in an employee.

College grads can get jobs. Non college grads can get jobs.

As a marketer, especially one who wants to sell to businesses, you should learn to think more like a business owner.

If you had a simple project, you probably want the solo learner (assuming he can get it done, he'll often be cheaper. Good luck getting someone else to work on his code later though.). And if you are building a software company or development shop, you might lean towards hiring those scripted college grads.

 

[Dark Water]

Are you deliberately being obtuse?

...

He’d need to be a millionaire living life in the fastlane in order to write a book on becoming a millionaire and living life in the fastlane…

Right, and you're a bodybuilder with a personal training cert who refuses to engage in personal training.

This isn't even slowlane. And your long term goal isn't even fastlane.

So again, why are you here? What compels you?

 

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[ZCP]

Are you deliberately being obtuse?
...
He’d need to be a millionaire living life in the fastlane in order to write a book on becoming a millionaire and living life in the fastlane…

I get your reference. Did you get mine?

You don't need to wait 2 years to start. You don't need to wait for ____ to do ______.
Your version of MJ would be for him to sit at home and do nothing until having 100k followers. To get a 2 year degree before building his first website. To drag it out and for as long as possible because he didn't want to work / put himself out there. He just wanted to do it his way.

You are not writing a book about fastlane. You are coding. You don't have to be the top coder in the world to START coding. You are wanting to be an online trainer. You don't need to be the greatest online trainer in the world before you TRAIN one client. Wake up.

Not trying to get you off of your path. I'm with @BizyDad, i completely respect the hardheaded stubbornness. I'm trying to redirect it so i can see you succeed in my kids' lifetime....... to get you out of your own way and get you STARTED!

See, if i use your analogy for a second ...... you are listening to yourself, who has never done anything, about how to do something. Find someone that has done something, and try their advice. As in, get started.

 

[Aidan04]

A few months ago I toyed around with building a SaaS that analyzes Amazon reviews with some machine learning tools to find insights that Amazon sellers / agencies could use to increase conversion rates. I killed it because I was too busy with my consulting projects. A friend from this forum is part of a cybersecurity group that meets weekly, so I asked if they'd be interested in a listening to me give a talk where I demoed the project and talked about what I learned.

I talked for 2 hours, and afterwards, a data scientist who was in the audience asked me if I was interested in working for his company for $150,000 a year. I declined.

So I got a 6 figure job offer because I spent around 4-6 weeks working a few hours a day on a project that I had little experience with (I can code, but ML was new to me), I asked some friends with experience in that field for help, and because I gave a talk on it. They didn't ask me about my degree.

You can do the same thing with software. You can make a simple web app that does something like let people read PDFs and use chat gpt to ask questions. It's a simple idea, but you'll learn a lot about programming. You can make that git repo public, and include it in your applications for programming jobs. Hell, you might stumble across a decent software business idea and just skip the job entirely.

You don't need credentials - you need results.

Is this true? Can all the work I'm doing learning React and Node from the ground up to build my platform land me a solid job by accident? I would prefer to be getting real industry experience than be stuck grinding out this (probably useless) business degree in college. I would like to know more about this if you have time to talk about it.

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

Is this true? Can all the work I'm doing learning React and Node from the ground up to build my platform land me a solid job by accident? I would prefer to be getting real industry experience than be stuck grinding out this (probably useless) business degree in college. I would like to know more about this if you have time to talk about it.

Calling me a liar, huh?

Yeah it works. Buy a react / node SaaS boilerplate and make a project out of it using AI (or doing whatever you feel like). Just add some cool features and host them on an EC2 instance (or SSD nodes if you want real cheap multi year hosting). Hosting a project like that would give you front end, back end, database, hosting, and possibly container and CICD experience. Try using Google's keyword planner to find hot topics and build a SaaS around that idea. Maybe you could skip the job entirely.

Smart tech companies ask to see your GitHub, so having some public repos with quality projects will help. Bonus points if you actually hosted the code and people use it.

You could find some tech group in your area and demo it. Or you could demo it in some online group. During covid I demoed some dashboard that I was building using the elastic stack and I ended up meeting the father of one of the guys who founded Mint. You'd be surprised who you meet and what opportunities come up when you talk about your projects.

You might not get a job at FAANG, but I've worked with some dumb developers and IT people. There is less competition than you'd think.

 

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[Aidan04]

Calling me a liar, huh?

Yeah it works. Buy a react / node SaaS boilerplate and make a project out of it using AI (or doing whatever you feel like). Just add some cool features and host them on an EC2 instance (or SSD nodes if you want real cheap multi year hosting). Hosting a project like that would give you front end, back end, database, hosting, and possibly container and CICD experience. Try using Google's keyword planner to find hot topics and build a SaaS around that idea. Maybe you could skip the job entirely.

Smart tech companies ask to see your GitHub, so having some public repos with quality projects will help. Bonus points if you actually hosted the code and people use it.

You could find some tech group in your area and demo it. Or you could demo it in some online group. During covid I demoed some dashboard that I was building using the elastic stack and I ended up meeting the father of one of the guys who founded Mint. You'd be surprised who you meet and what opportunities come up when you talk about your projects.

You might not get a job at FAANG, but I've worked with some dumb developers and IT people. There is less competition than you'd think.

Going to give this a shot. Thank you for the advice.

 

[StrikingViper69]

You can become a great bodybuilder and build followers online.

Or you can become a great bodybuilder and build clients from today.

I don’t get why you want to do the first and not the second.

In terms of the pursuit of greatness, I totally get that. I play guitar and compose, and I’ve had the same stance for years - I wanted to become better and was willing to do so at the expense of building some crazy business. And willing to bite the bullet and be broke while I figure it out.

Which I was. For years. And it sucked.

I am not going to work on a business full time everyday hoping in a few years it works out.

I am going to work on my playing and studying every day to improve.

So now I’m building a coaching business (of sorts). It’s going pretty good so far, check my INSIDERS progress thread. I figured out how to build a business part time that utilises my knowledge in a leveraged way so I can still work on my playing for hours a day.

My point is, you want to train and have money.

So why are you training and posting on Instagram? Wtf.

I’m pretty good on guitar and sell a book on practising.

Do you know how many people check out my skills before they buy?

0.

No one cares what I can do. They care that I can help them. Also the price point is low

This idea of “building a reputation” or whatever, it’s totally unnecessary for getting clients and income.

You proof is your knowledge and what I assume is above average physique.

I’ve already given you a method you can use. If you’d tried that instead of F*cking about on Instagram you’d have dollars in your pocket rather than “followers”, and be on your way to creating products.

And thinking followers = money is an assumption. Sales = money. Followers is potential money. There are a lot more people who are broke with 100k followers than there are people making money from it.

Because guess what?

Learning to be “popular online” and making a dollar are two different things.

And if you do want to chase vanity metrics… make your money and create insane production “lifestyle content” with your money. Videographer, soundtrack composer, editor, you can have a team.

Or F*ck about posting selfies on Instagram

Have you read The Great Ray Race Escape?

I truly understand your motivation for your path and what you want to achieve, because I’ve walked that path.

But you’re approaching this in a really retarded way.

You’ve set your goal and started walking away from it.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

The reason I don’t „take action now“ isn’t because I‘m fearful, nor is it because I‘m incapable, but rather, because I don’t agree with what you all define as taking action.

Would cold-calling, training in-person, passing out flyers, and getting referrals from family and friends likely land me at least one client? Without a doubt.

But kindly try to consider this from my perspective.

Firstly, I‘m in no rush.

Secondly, this marketing scheme is a strong push. It sets you up to have to constantly hustle to find your next client. Sure, I could eventually hire someone to hand-out flyers and that would reduce the workload but this sort of plan for acquiring clients doesn’t sound appealing to me whatsoever. Additionally it’d probably require that I train clients in-person, rather than for it to be optional.

My goal here is very simple.

I want to build an audience! To cater attention.

Having a large sum of relevant-to-my-niche eyes on my posts would essentially be like paying for an advertisement. I can sell whatever I want! SaaS, an online course, online coaching, supplements, or even clothes, or gym equipment.

I can make a single post with an offer, and if I’ve built a solid reputation, and I’ve proven myself with results, and I have 1000, 10000, 100000 people see that offer…

Let’s say 1/1000 convert.

Awesome. I just funneled customers for free doing nothing more than making an Instagram post.

Beginning to see the implications of this now? I can bring viewers back to my website through this audience and actually fulfill the principles of CENTS.

To be fair, this is 99/100 people on this forum.

And I have more respect for @JLE than I do 99/100 of the rest of them. Why? Several reasons:

1. He has a plan. People on here choose not to see it or admit it, but he does have a plan.
2. He is working his plan.
3. He is nothing if not consistent.
4. He is his own man.
5. He is still showing up.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It doesn't matter what anyone else says.

This dude truly thinks for himself. Moreso than 99.99% of people to ever be on this forum.

He has flaws. Sure.

But he also has grit. He also is demonstrating something few people on this forum ever get to demonstrate:

It's my life and I'll do what I want.

People think they have to achieve Fastlane to get to that point. And maybe most people do.

But this guy doesn't need permission or approval to live the life he wants to live.

And there is a lesson in that for all of us.

I doubt anyone else on here would choose to live this life. That's ok. It his life and he IS very obviously choosing it.

You can't call him brainwashed. He isn't following anyone else's script. There is literally no one on the sidewalk, slow lane, or Fastlane that recommends this script.

And I know, I know, there's the whole "but he's impacting his family" argument. I've told him as much as well. But his wife made her choice too. We should all be so lucky to have a partner stand by us through the grit and the grime whilst supporting us in our dream.

How many people proclaim future greatness and leave here? How many people get angry or upset at this level of negative criticism?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this guy is going places. Nowhere near as fast as anyone would like, himself included, but he is more likely to get there than 99/100 people on this website.



As an intellectual exercise I can think of lots of reasons. Here are a few:

Because the solo learner isn't likely a good team player.
Because they never bothered to learn basic industry standards.
Because the solo learner probably has an inflated sense of their ability. (Don't worry boss, I studied this for a whole month! Hahaha)
Because their commenting habits suck.
Because the solo learner is more likely to leave faster.
Because the college grad showed the ability to accept instruction, hit a certain level of achievement, and the stick to it'veness that employers want in an employee.

College grads can get jobs. Non college grads can get jobs.

As a marketer, especially one who wants to sell to businesses, you should learn to think more like a business owner.

If you had a simple project, you probably want the solo learner (assuming he can get it done, he'll often be cheaper. Good luck getting someone else to work on his code later though.). And if you are building a software company or development shop, you might lean towards hiring those scripted college grads.

I have more to say in response to this, but I have little time at the moment. Thank you. I genuinely do believe in myself. I have no doubts. In time, I see this goal becoming realized. There’s no fear. No uncertainty. It simply has to come as it does. I‘ll keep chipping away and stay vigilant for when the avalanche erupts.

See, if i use your analogy for a second ...... you are listening to yourself, who has never done anything, about how to do something. Find someone that has done something, and try their advice.

Funnily enough, I have sought out those who are doing what I aspire to. Many accomplished bodybuilders/online coaches suggest exactly what I‘m presently doing.

Here‘s a few DM’s I exchanged with a wellish-known bodybuilder making $300k~ a year from his online coaching:

 

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[Pain Brain]

Having a large sum of relevant-to-my-niche eyes on my posts would essentially be like paying for an advertisement. I can sell whatever I want! SaaS, an online course, online coaching, supplements, or even clothes, or gym equipment.



I can make a single post with an offer, and if I’ve built a solid reputation, and I’ve proven myself with results, and I have 1000, 10000, 100000 people see that offer…



Let’s say 1/1000 convert.



Awesome. I just funneled customers for free doing nothing more than making an Instagram post.

What you describe seems to be organic traffic. That's great to aim for and is a result of the product/service you have provided to people. Your work is so good people have started to share your work for you.

There are many bodybuilders with good physiques and there is greater difficulty in acquiring clients without a track record. Often a selling point has been the testimonials of peoples' experiences. While working towards your goal of building an audience, what is a value skew that can help you achieve a 1/1000 conversion rate?

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

What you describe seems to be organic traffic. That's great to aim for and is a result of the product/service you have provided to people. Your work is so good people have started to share your work for you.

There are many bodybuilders with good physiques and there is greater difficulty in acquiring clients without a track record. Often a selling point has been the testimonials of peoples' experiences. While working towards your goal of building an audience, what is a value skew that can help you achieve a 1/1000 conversion rate?

I don’t think organic traffic is the proper term, but correct me if I’m wrong.

Essentially, social media is the modern day email list.

I‘m not getting traffic to my website through a search but through people who have found value (entertainment/education/intrigue/desire) through the content I share online.

It’s free and effortless, as a result of that it typically grows at a slow pace.

Testimonials could help but you’re again missing the main marketer.

The main marketer is myself, my shape, and my accomplishments as a bodybuilder. Everyone keeps saying nobody cares, they only care about themselves, and I completely agree — they care about themselves by hiring the person they aspire to look like, who’s done it for themselves to start and yes, has testimonials that he can replicate the process with others.

I‘m not saying this to boast, but being in shape markets itself. I get asked how much I bench, or how to execute an exercise correctly, or which machine I like the best on a regular basis by a multitude of people at the gym or simply walking about.

I‘m trying to pull an audience in rather than chase after my every next customer. It seems like the sensible route considering I‘m in no rush and I‘m willing to play long term games.

 

[Pain Brain]

I don’t think organic traffic is the proper term, but correct me if I’m wrong.

Essentially, social media is the modern day email list.

I‘m not getting traffic to my website through a search but through people who have found value (entertainment/education/intrigue/desire) through the content I share online.

It’s free and effortless, as a result of that it typically grows at a slow pace.

Testimonials could help but you’re again missing the main marketer.

The main marketer is myself, my shape, and my accomplishments as a bodybuilder. Everyone keeps saying nobody cares, they only care about themselves, and I completely agree — they care about themselves by hiring the person they aspire to look like, who’s done it for themselves to start and yes, has testimonials that he can replicate the process with others.

I‘m not saying this to boast, but being in shape markets itself. I get asked how much I bench, or how to execute an exercise correctly, or which machine I like the best on a regular basis by a multitude of people at the gym or simply walking about.

I‘m trying to pull an audience in rather than chase after my every next customer. It seems like the sensible route considering I‘m in no rush and I‘m willing to play long term games.

Yeah not the most fitting term in this case. Some of the jargon I use gets into the wrong contexts.

That's great that you get questions about your work. It is proof of intrigue and is evidence that will reflect online. What would happen if someone in-person wanted a consultation from you? How would you target common questions or advice and share onto your platform?

An audience is part of the goal. Chasing customers does not not have to be lifelong. If your work is good, repeat business and referrals will happen. I know you are aiming for marketing yourself straightaway but wanted to clarify this point. It is helpful starting out to not only quicken the process of building an audience but strengthen your reputation as you'll have the good word of your clients.

Since you are in no rush it is not important to move things forward at a faster pace. What you're explaining is sensible and there are other approaches to maximize your online reach without having to chase customers.

 

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[Dark Water]

Social media is not the modern day email list. You own nothing, not even your account which is essentially licensed to you. Whether or not your efforts get seen are up to black box algorithms which you have limited control over. You are dependent on the third party platform to remain popular, and wholly limiting yourself to people who are on that platform.

There's also not a long term game here because there's no effort to convert anyone to a customer.

You aren't getting actual market feedback on a service, which is completely different from someone engaging with your posts.

If you'd get over your ego and actually try to fail fast, you could pivot and iterate and improve. But since you're not doing that, you don't actually know if that's what the market wants.

More importantly, you aren't doing anything to actually improve soft skills related to personal training - being relatable, being able to work with people, identify their problems, being able to sell a package, upsell a package, etc.

You think that just because you post some half naked body pics over a couple years on a third party platform that's going to be forgotten or dead in 5-10 years that you're going to be able to make a career out of it?

While building up no actual skills sitting in your security guard box, posting on forums and playing with Instagram?

It's bonkers delusional.

Why you can't spin up a landing page or even a basic 5 page site this week, drive some traffic to it (this week), grab an email or an interest form signup (this week), and then try to sell them on an online personal training package (this week). If it doesn't work, you will probably realize that posting more JaCkEd pictures of yourself on Instagram isn't going to change that. You'll have to figure out what is wrong in your process to make people not signup.

The real issue here is that you are comfortable coasting along, without taking any meaningful action. You fail to see that the competition who is succeeding is not only posting content 5x as much as you but also putting in the actual work needed to get clients. They have also spent years building up successful systems to reduce the amount of effort they have to put in. But without getting market feedback you aren't going to be able to have enough insights to pivot and be successful in 3 years when you wake up from your slumber and think, "ok time to get my first client."

I'd say it's sad to see the next few years of effort go to waste in a system that's working against you, but I'm not sure what you're doing qualifies as effort.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

You think that just because you post some half naked body pics over a couple years on a third party platform that's going to be forgotten or dead in 5-10 years that you're going to be able to make a career out of it?

Yes.

Why you can't spin up a landing page or even a basic 5 page site this week, drive some traffic to it (this week), grab an email or an interest form signup (this week), and then try to sell them on an online personal training package (this week). If it doesn't work, you will probably realize that posting more JaCkEd pictures of yourself on Instagram isn't going to change that. You'll have to figure out what is wrong in your process to make people not signup.

I could do that. For free too. I already know how to develop a basic website from scratch.

Still comes the issue of thinking my offer (primarily myself, and not testimonials) isn't sufficient enough to convert with the ease I'd like. Especially if you're implying I should be paying for traffic.

The real issue here is that you are comfortable coasting along, without taking any meaningful action. You fail to see that the competition who is succeeding is not only posting content 5x as much as you but also putting in the actual work needed to get clients. Without getting market feedback you aren't going to be able to have enough insights to pivot and be successful in 3 years when you wake up from your slumber and think, "ok time to get my first client."

I don't agree with you. But I'm admittedly interested in what you have to say. Especially considering that you're one of the few that have actually listened and is offering ideas as to how I could get clientele for an online coaching service rather than an in-person coaching service.

If it's not too much of a bother for you, would you mind delineating a few ways in which you think I could "take action" towards becoming an online bodybuilding coach? What would that realistically look like for you?

Again, simply as a thought experiment. I'm interested in what you have to say and I appreciate you challenging me (and actually listening/reading, which makes your responses all the more relevant).

 

[ZCP]

@JLE so you will get off your a$$ and do shit if it builds your online coaching business? ..... if it 'could get clientele for an online coaching service rather than an in-person coaching service'

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

This thread...



You all have far more patience than I. I don't try to help those who are beyond help.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

@JLE so you will get off your a$$ and do shit if it builds your online coaching business? ..... if it 'could get clientele for an online coaching service rather than an in-person coaching service'

The whole point was for this to not constrain my time. It's certainly a lot more appealing for it to be through an online space.

As bluntly as possible, and that very obviously doesn't provide value to anyone...

The whole reason I considered the personal training (online) business, or the whole reason I'm currently going for a degree in computer programming, is because I'm literally looking to wake up whenever, maybe 9am. Waltz around my house in my underwear. Do some typing on a laptop or make some phone calls. Collect $300 for the day every single day of my life. Go to the gym at some point. Eat nice meals cooked from home. Essentially freedom... aside from the constraint of answering emails, or typing, or making phone calls. That's the selfish part of me speaking. That's the real goal.

How could I do that?

Realistically -- being an online coach or programming seem like the most straightforward ways. They're both things I have skill in and both would allow me that glamorous lifestyle I'm looking for.

 

[Guest931Xfjyx]

@JLE so you will get off your a$$ and do shit if it builds your online coaching business? ..... if it 'could get clientele for an online coaching service rather than an in-person coaching service'

But here, let me answer your question more succinctly:
Yes.

I don't think I'm presently good enough to convert clients at a rate I'd like to (especially if I'm paying for advertising).

But yes.

 

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[ZCP]

The whole reason I considered the personal training (online) business, or the whole reason I'm currently going for a degree in computer programming, is because I'm literally looking to wake up whenever, maybe 9am. Waltz around my house in my underwear. Do some typing on a laptop or make some phone calls. Collect $300 for the day every single day of my life. Go to the gym at some point. Eat nice meals cooked from home. Essentially freedom... aside from the constraint of answering emails, or typing, or making phone calls. That's the selfish part of me speaking. That's the real goal.

And you think this is different than what we are trying to help you achieve?

STOP. Back up. Re-read that sentence. Think about it.

 

[ZCP]

This thread...

View attachment 52187

You all have far more patience than I. I don't try to help those who are beyond help.

I have 5 teenagers / 20 somethings, a beagle, 3 companies, volunteer coaching kids basketball (the parents are insane), teach, post to my channel and here, and my wife is NY Italian ...... nothing to it. lol

It is the 500 people that this thread helps years from now that are important. Even if we do crack through this dude's diamond skull, he'll revert after the first item doesn't go perfectly. All good. Lots of starfish out here to throw back into the see.