Whether you’re just starting your fitness business or have been up and running for some time, we can all agree that we not only want life, but also our business to feel as stress free as possible. We all know running a business is hard work, but that’s not to say there aren’t opportunities to work smarter, not harder!
In this blog we discuss shortcuts to success to consider that can help in saving time, money, and ultimately some of that business-owner stress as you start or return to your business after the Summer holidays.
Automate
I’m sure you expected this shortcut, especially from the point of view of a booking and management software company, but ultimately if you can save time and stress by automating processes you’ve been doing manually in your business at a lower price than hiring a team member to do them, then it’s a no brainer! Whether it’s securing payment on booking so that you don’t have to chase customers, automating your cancellation policy so that you don’t have to have those awkward conversations or simply collecting important information from customers the first time they book with you. However you want to automate your business, it can offer a great time and cost saving – especially if you choose a system that provides value for what you need rather than overpaying for something that works for the larger companies.
Outsource
In an ideal world, as fitness professionals, we’d be able to automate almost all processes in our business (apart from teaching!), but there are some aspects that require human involvement. For example, with social media, you could bulk schedule your content as doing so one-by-one, and at times for optimal engagement, but this can be time consuming and easy to forget. This is where you may choose to outsource this work to a social media expert to save you time and allow you to keep growing your business whilst you focus on your zone of genius; bringing exercise to your community.
Insure
We can often overlook the legal side of things when it comes to gaining success in our businesses, but having the correct insurance in place is not only a legal requirement, but can also save us if difficult situations arise. Ensuring that you have the correct insurance in place and are meeting your insurance’s requirements will protect both you and your customers and allow you to run your business confidently knowing that if anything does come up, it can be dealt with quickly, easily and with as little disruption as possible.
Invest
It’s easy to think about investment in terms of location, premises and equipment, but more important is investing in yourself and your continued education. All too often we can undertake our initial qualifications in order to start becoming a fitness teacher and then not continue our education since we’re busy being in our business. This helps with not only staying on top of the latest fitness trends but also to ensure you can cater for an ever evolving client base.
Rest
When you’re self-employed it can be all too easy to work those 12+ hour days, doing admin on a Sunday and having no downtime. With many business owners being on the constant cusp of burnout, it’s so important to take the time to actually rest and switch off. Registered psychotherapist Natacha Duke, MA, RP says that “it can take anywhere from a few months to a few years” to recover from burnout and although everyone’s recovery from burnout will differ from the others, it’s safe to say that this is something that all business owners want to avoid!
Taking shortcuts in your business can help you to save time, reduce stress and focus on your zone of genius, allowing you to rest as much as you can to avoid the dreaded burnout and ultimately make your fitness business as successful as possible!
If you’re wanting to automate your fitness business, you can find more information on Gymcatch’s great value fitness and wellness booking and management software here. Get in contact to book a demo with one of the team or start your free trial.
Jenny works within our customer success team supporting fitness professionals to use Gymcatch to simplify their bookings and payments, enabling them to do more of what they do best; bring exercise to their community! As a qualified personal trainer and yoga instructor who uses Gymcatch herself, Jenny understands what is truly important to fitness professionals when it comes to booking systems and managing their businesses.
