In this series, I’ve been talking about the covid rite of passage and how your business will emerge as a new gym.
In Part 1, I had you establish a really clear vision of what you wanted from life.
In Part 2, I had you identify the strategies you’ll need to get there (and the parts of your business you’ll want to keep).
In this part, we’re going to identify the elements of your business you can shed, and then we’ll paint a picture of what your new business will look like.
I created resource to help you: Your Gym 2.0 Worksheet.
You can also watch my webinar here: Your Gym 2.0.
First Exercise: The After-Action Review
What went right? (Probably a lot more than you thought. After all, you moved your coaching business online in under 24 hours!)
What would you do differently next time?
What will you never do again?
What do you miss?
What do you not miss? What did you survive without? How did that surprise you?
Second Exercise: What Remains?
After dropping the stuff you don’t need onto the cutting-room floor, what’s left?
These are the cornerstones of your new business.
For example, you might have determined that you don’t need a lot of equipment. Maybe your clients worked out with one dumbbell. So “equipment” isn’t the necessity you thought it was.
On the other hand, maybe you found out that daily customization was really important to your clients.
Maybe you found out that the daily group workouts were also really important. But you determined that you don’t have to run six classes per day: three were enough. So you keep the new schedule and leave the old schedule behind.
Maybe you determined that 1:1 accountability was really important. On the other hand, maybe it interfered with your schedule because you couldn’t “turn off”—you were always answering client texts.
What can you keep from that experience, and what will you do differently? How does this change the definition of “unlimited” memberships?
Make a short list of the elements you want to keep.
Third Exercise: Put the Blocks Together
Review your short list. These few elements will determine the foundations of your new business.
Nutrition coaching?
Habits coaching?
One-on-one time? Accountability?
Group exercise?
Don’t worry about labels, like “CrossFit” or “Paleo.” These are methods. Stick with principles for now.
Fourth Exercise: Name It
What do you call this new service?
Is it still a “gym” or something else?
Now, it would be a super bonus if your new name moved you onto a list of essential businesses, wouldn’t it?
This new service is your 2.0.
This covid challenge is a tough one. I hope it’s not fatal for any gyms, but suspect it might be.
It’s also an opportunity for rebirth: to emerge from the jungle as a mature business. Either way, it will teach you where your backbone is. It will teach you to fight.
