Team Spirit!

Focus: Having a dependable support network for all your goals is imperative for success. You may have different individuals that support different goals and areas of your life, so take a deeper look at who you're surrounded with and also reflect on how you're part of someone else's support system. You may discover you have more impact on others than you think!

Here is my NorCal Fitness Summit 2016 FitPro Fam! Most of us are Personaly Trainers or business or Facility owners, VIPs in the fitness industry... the list goes ON! The great part about this small community is that there is any kind of support you need for any level of business you need help in. Who do you have to go to for advice about your fitness or business goals?

October 2016 was my third consecutive NorCal Fitness Summit (NCFS) to attend. It was great seeing and catching up with a few of the presenters from the past events, but it was really great meeting even more presenters this time around. It was 3 days, TONS of presenters and supporting businesses, and even MORE attendees that all have a common goal of learning MORE for themselves and their businesses. 

Although this post can relate to health and fitness and lifestyle goals, I am going to focus primarily on my personal business journey and hope you are able to take away some of the key components on how I am able to continue through with my roller coaster ride into Fitness Entrepreneurship. This is my current and biggest goal at the moment (it's been for a while now) so if you ever catch me in person, I'm probably already working on some project related to business. 

With these fitness events I plan on always arriving early, and then hanging around a bit afterward just in case I might be able to catch an opportunity for something new. In this case, I ran into my current mentor Vito La Fata who was one of the presenters in the long information-dense weekend. This is my inspiration for today's post.

Here's a little back history: 2009 I received my National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Personal Training Certification, while on and off at school finishing up my undergrad at Cal State Hayward (CSU East Bay). I was studying Kinesiology at the time. I graduated High School in 2003 so finishing college "on time" was not an option as I had to maintain a minimum of 3-5 different jobs at any moment in those years. I immediately felt like an outsider. I HATED that I couldn't just have a "regular" college experience like most of my friends right after high school; BUT I quickly got a rush off of staying busy nonstop and making money more than studying for tests (which was what I was NOT so good at anyway). 

By 2012 I had enough floor experience working with different people in various gyms (customer service rep) and as a Personal Trainer at a local Pilates Reformer studio and then a private Chiropractic facility; but I was recycling Youtube workouts that I liked and practiced many other things that I needed to be good at as a Trainer. I was "winging it". At these places I was on my own teaching classes or "training" clients with no other guidance or other trainers to work alongside with and learn practical application to what I read in the books.

On paper (my resume) I looked like a freakin ROCKSTAR with my "experience", my education, my NASM Certification AND the fact that I've worked at a number of different fitness facilities. But my confidence and my lifestyle didn't actually match up to what "real" trainers practiced since I didn't have may people to work alongside with in my experience so far. I didn't have any good role models or mentors at the time to direct me in a good path. 

I decided to take a leap of faith and send my resume to a corporate gym in San Francisco. I did have the support of my clients and family, and all encouraged me to see what would happen. I landed the job as a higher level trainer off the bat and in 3 years I went from a super introverted insecure "master" trainer (who looks good on paper!) to a trainer who was packed with clients from 6am to 8pm for the majority of the time I was employed there. I loved being surrounded with the trainers, all with different backgrounds, experience,  perspectives and philosophies. I loved being surrounded by all different kinds of clients and club members as well! I also loved that my relationship with membership teams and front desk teams were great so it helped me stay on top within my team of trainers. As I was growing confidence, I was able to take everything I've learned throughout the 3 years and noticed I could manage my own business with this kind of experience. So I decided to quit Corporate and run the show on my own! 

Before joining Vito's team I had spent all of 2015 and the majority of 2016 managing and navigating all of the Fitness Business Ownership details on my own. I had made PLENTY of mistakes along the way (and I'm sure I've got a lot more coming!). I quickly realized once I joined the team that it is GREAT being part of a team again. The environment is way different since the team is not confined to a physical "box" gym; also, the team members themselves are not even all personal trainers.

With the support of fellow coaches on Vito's team, we can improve our personal businesses while supporting each other at the same time! It's a win win. Choose your tribe well and feel good about everything you do moving forward!  (this shot was taken from Vito's Fitnesspreneurs page to illustrate how much impact not just him but his community can have as a whole. How much impact does your current "team" of supporters have for you and your goals?).

i joined a team of supportive coaches of all different backgrounds and even coaches with a totally different focus (some coach stay-at-home moms, some coach athletes, some coach general population, some coach COACHES). Either way, this has been the type of team (community) I've needed in the last two years while learning about building my own brand. 

I no longer have the restrictions nor the crazy hours I had while at the corporate job, but I'm able to depend on weekly and monthly meetings (over Zoom calls, which I learned, a lot like Skype). And because of all the different kinds of coaches in this massive network of this team, I have been able to take the most relevant information I learned for the week, and apply it directly toward my current goals.

This is exactly the type of support that I feel everyone should have surrounding them when goal-setting.

For my clients, most likely it's a health or fitness goal. It may take a while to sort out their network, but having the right players on their team can help propel you forward closer to their goals in a way more impactful way. 

By clarifying your current goals, and observing where you currently stand, having the right support system will help encourage you, motivate you, and help you stay on track, just as my mentor team with Vito is doing with me on my business goals. 

Some things to think about:

What are some ways your current support system is helping you and your goals?

What are some ways your current support system may NOT be helping you (or holding you back from) your current goals? 

What are some key characteristics you feel your support system should automatically embody in order for you to progress toward your goals? 

And finally, what role do YOU think you play in someone else's support system, and do you think you are offering the same characteristics you require for your personal goals?

I'll be posting a QuickStart way to modify your current network and really hold on to the key players that will ultimately help you grow in the best ways possible in order for you to be your best self.

Stay tuned for that!