The podcast (iTunes): It’s Possible: Conversations with Successful Online Trainers
*Stream directly or watch on YouTube below
The episode: 18: “Give Your Clients What They Need” with Adam Blake
Adam Blake loved training, but the long hours were taking a toll.
Every day he trained morning till night. He took on every client he could, doing home sessions and working at up to three different gyms at a time.
“I felt like I was running,” Adam recalls. “Like a full sprint all the time.”
As if that wasn’t enough: Adam also belonged to a band that would go on tour for months, leaving his clients in the lurch.
Something had to give.
So he signed up for the Online Trainer Academy looking for answers.
Fast-forward to today, and he’s found a “perfect work-life balance” (it does exist!). Most days, he’s done by noon, leaving the whole afternoon for himself.
He still tours with his band but no longer worries about abandoning his clients—who are often in even better shape by the time he returns.
How did it happen? Two things made all the difference.
- Learn to say no.
Saying yes to every opportunity had Adam stretched too thin, compromising the quality of his training and making him miserable.
He now guards his schedule like a hawk, and turns down clients who don’t fit into it.
“You have to begin with the end in mind,” says Adam. “Be willing to say no to some things now, in order to get something better later.”
- Leverage online training to build the business you want.
Adam still trains clients in person but devotes two days a week to online clients.
He uses a training app to make small-group classes more efficient. And whenever he tours, he takes care of his clients from the road.
It’s not about learning a new way to train, says Adam. It’s about taking your existing training skills, and learning how to apply them in the 21st century.
“This is the Netflix of fitness,” Adam says. “If you can make it happen, you should.”
Listen to this episode to learn more about how Adam built his dream business, including how he markets his training and his secrets for attracting clients.
