05: focus on what’s in front of you
growing a business is much like building a ship while you’re already sailing it. you have an idea of where you want to go but things constantly come up that require a little or a lot of your attention and you, as the owner or ceo, need to be able to figure out what the most important task is at the moment. this requires adaptability, delegation, and sometimes completely stopping something you spent a ton of time doing because something more important came up. i learned quick that i can’t do everything anD WHEN I TRY TO DO EVERYTHING QUALITY ALWAYS DROPS ACROSS ALL AREAS; that’s not good for business.
what made me think of this was my current focus on marketing during the slower summer months. the trend in fitness spaces (gyms and what not) is that Q3 is typically a slow period for growth that ramps up during q4 —summer vacation turns to fall, holidays, get ready for new year yada yada yada. I anticipated this and decided to use my free time to focus on marketing, campaigns, a/b testing, referrals, socials, etc. this is a totally new world to me, and vastly confusing i might add. lately a ton of my brainspace has been taken up with figuring out how to be authentic, without being a copy and paste influencer, while demonstrating competency, without sounding like a know-it-all, while relating to my audience, while figuring out a consistent posting schedule with relevant new content every week — oh and do all of that with a strong hook and in 15 seconds or less. ahhhhhhh. needless to say i was pretty overwhelmed and one idea led to the next which started snowballing.
then i woke up, so to speak.
during a meditation session i realized, “miles, slow down, what’s the most important thing in front of you and who are you at the end of the day? forget anything and everything else”. i’m a personal trainer and the most important thing is being present for my clients to help them live healthier happier lives through movement. that’s my main focus and that should receive THE MAJORITY OF MY ATTENTION. therefore marketing should revolve primarily around my clients moving, looking, and feeling good which will expand by word of mouth. you can talk a big game but if you’re turning clients over like flapjacks and they’re not raving about their time with you, social media will only take you so far.
and while we’re on the topic of social media. producing social media content shouldn’t stress you out, it should be a creative outlet to be yourself and have fun with. posting should not be done as a means to an end to receive validation and “likes” but instead to foster community, creativity, and express yourself.
in the end, the learning i took away from this is to not lose sight in your mission and who you are. it’s great to have ideas and plans for the future but if those ideas detract from the service you’re providing at the moment, then you’re just shooting yourself in the leg. keep your head up friends, trust the plan and execute day in and day out.
:)
