Let’s be honest 2020 has been a complete washout. Nothing short of a write-off. Yoyo lockdowns have hampered any chance of creating a steady flow of clients. So, what next for your fitness business planning?
You’ve been left out in the cold and your clients have been too (we know Zoom sessions don’t work in the long run).
But there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.
Lockdowns are being lifted and vaccines have been announced. Finally, before the year is out, we might return to some degree of normality.
Finally we can go back to normal. Clients will start flowing back. Right?
Yes and no.
Don’t fall into the ‘shiny object syndrome’ trap (lifting of lockdown) and forget about what we should be really doing at this time of year.
Yes, open up your gym and studio and salvage whatever kind of business you can to close the year on a high BUT don’t forget to prioritise what is most important at this time of year: PLANNING
You need to be planning for 2021.
What’s your marketing strategy?
How will you find new clients? What will your content strategy look like? What are your goals and objectives?
These are questions that you need to be thinking about NOW when it comes to your fitness business planning.
If you don’t . . .
You’ll be reactive, you’ll be scrambling and everything will be scattered.
You will be late for 2021. We associate being late with bad manners. It’s unprofessional and looks bad.
In reality, lateness is lazy preparation. Failing to plan ahead And it can have devastating costs . . .
Let me tell you a story to demonstrate what I mean.
A clearly defined idea
Norman Maclean was already north of 70 years old when he sat down to write his first book, "A River Runs Through It and Other Stories.”
The book, which was a memoir of his family in Montana in the 1920s, was deeply personal to him.
The book is a semi-autobiographical account of Maclean's relationship with his brother Paul and their upbringing, in which "there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”
When Hollywood came calling, Macclean was resistant. He did not want his story to be reduced to a “stereotyped Western”. The negotiations took years.
Finally, Maclean agreed to consider a movie project.
William Hurt had been picked to play the leading role of Paul, Norman’s brother in real life.
Maclean wanted to make sure that whoever played the role of Paul was indeed a legitimate fisherman who loved and appreciated the craft of fly fishing.
So a date was set. William Hurt was to show up at Norman Maclean’s house at 6 a.m. sharp for a day of fishing.
But William Hurt committed the cardinal sin of any serious fly fisherman. He showed up late.
He also showed up at Maclean’s doorstep with two members of his staff. Maclean answered the door, clearly annoyed.
“Well okay, let’s go then,” he grumbled. “You do have your fishing license, right?” he asked.
There was a long pause. Hurt had just committed the second cardinal sin.
Maclean abruptly told them to go get their license and come back when they were properly prepared.
A few hours passed. Hurt returned to the old man’s house, properly licensed and ready to fish.
Hours later, with a full afternoon of fishing behind them, William Hurt asked Maclean the fateful question: “So, what do you think? Am I good enough to play a fisherman in the movie?”
“Well, Bill, you’re a pretty good fisherman," the author told the actor. “But not good enough to play my brother.”
Instead, Robert Redford entered the picture, winning over Maclean to make the Oscar-winning film starring Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd.
Moral of the story?
Don’t be Bill Hurt. Don’t be late. Don’t be unprepared and laissez-faire when it comes to your fitness business planning because it will cost you.
Don’t be late for 2021.
Let me ask you a question: when you first sit down with a client do you make a plan?
Maybe you map out an initial 12-week program for them? If you do it with your client then why not with you and your business?
Define, Then Execute Your Plan
Start your fitness business planning now so that you can get traction with your marketing in 2021. Be sure to hit the ground running.
Open up your gym studio and enjoy the fruits of being operational again but don’t neglect your fitness business planning for 2021.
Take the time to plan your goals, objectives, content strategy etc. Reverse engineer your goals and break them down to monthly, weekly, daily tasks.
Trust me you’ll be glad you did it when January rolls around.
Remember what good old Benjamin Franklin said . . .
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Happy ‘Lifting of Lockdown’!
P.S. not really sure how to effectively plan for 2021? Don’t worry I’ve got you covered. Click here to get access to a Google Drive Folder with some free fitness business planning tools and resources. Everything from 12-month content marketing calendars to a 90-Day Planner is included.
