Making it all work – Together
I remember when I started Core Expectations a little over 5 years ago and I had the dream of leaving my regular personal training job at a local gym and making “thousands” of dollars on my own. No one to pay a commission to and working my own hours was the perfect scenario.
“Perfect” is one thing. Reality is another.
A little over a year later, I found myself more of an administrator, bookkeeper, marketer and schmoozer than a personal trainer and wondering if I had made the right decision to go it on my own and become an entrepreneur.
Personal trainers are a dime a dozen and will under cut you by $5 to get clients and unless people know you and you have a “name” for yourself, price is a common deciding factor.
It was right about that time that my good friend said “Samantha, you need to get other trainers”. What??? I didn’t even have enough clients for myself, never mind for anyone else. But it wasn’t about that. She said “you want to be prepared so when the sh*t hits the fan, you’re ready!” and man, was she right.
I did my first PR campaign for Mummy Tummy and business went through the roof! Before I knew it I had to get more trainers to help with the overwhelming demand. But I was still an administrator (now with staff), driving around like a mad person meeting new clients, managing my books, setting up appointments and pulling my hair out, one strand at a time.
Time to wake up.
That’s when I got a big reality check. I couldn’t do everything and nor should I. I was good at what “I” do but had no interest in bookkeeping and administration and I couldn’t continue the insane amount of hours I was putting in to see clients from one end of the city to the next.
This is when I asked myself; “how come nobody told me this entrepreneur thing was so damn hard?” No one said I was going to work double the amount of hours I did when I worked for “the man”.
Time to delegate and collaborate.
I have since recruited myself a bookkeeper, virtual assistant and have an amazing team that helps to create a voice other than my own on my blog so I have more time to do what I want to do – grow my business.
I have also expanded my reach and am now the newest in-house fitness expert on the Marilyn Denis Show. The ROI on that can’t even be measured.
Looking back, I’m not sure I would have done it any other way, as these past 5 years have been a learning experience that got me where I am today. None of this was easy by any means and it has taken me a long time to let go and trust that in growth, I can’t be Superwoman. Having a team behind me that works collectively towards the same goal has not only helped my business grow but has allowed them to be part of something bigger.
Remember when I said, personal trainers were a dime a dozen? Not us. Together, Core Expectations is the leading pre & postnatal wellness company that doesn’t skimp on price or quality because in this case, you get what you pay for.
Really great article, Samantha! As someone who is just stepping into the world of entrepreneurship, this advice and reality check is very welcome.
I love your reality check. I'm an advocate too of hiring out anything that's not your core business and focusing on why you went into business in the first place. Besides. It's a lot more fun that way. Congrats on your success:)
Thanks ladies!! It was a tough go there for a while and although people kept "telling me" what I should do, I had to feel it (actually suffer quite a bit) before I made the move. And you're right Susan, now I can focus on what I want and like. So much more fun!!