This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the nuptials of one of my closest friends and fellow fitness pros, Jen Sinkler of Thrive with Jen Sinkler, as she married her best friend Dave Dellanave, in a beautiful ceremony in Minneapolis. 

 

The wedding was small, but I was struck by the sheer percentage of fitness friends present. Many of whom run their businesses 100% online (as do Jen and Dave)--nutrition plans, training programs, one-on-one coaching, etc. And it got me to thinking ... how lucky I am that I learned some key lessons in business when I was at a professional crossroads a few years ago??

 

See, in early 2011, I was still working my full-time job as a fitness coordinator at a university, while also spending nights and weekends blogging at JillFit and building our coaching team here. The business was growing, but we reached capacity with how many clients we could take on, and I was essentially running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Many weeks I was working 70+ hours in the gym--working, training clients, teaching fitness classes and then writing programs on the weekends. I was stressed out, tired and most of all, felt helpless at not knowing how to change things. I was at a serious crossroads.

 

Enter mentorship. After months of whining and throwing myself pity parties :), I took a chance and looked for a business coach who was doing what I wanted to be doing, but doing it much better. I found an amazing coach and miraculously corralled the money I needed to hire this person. This was new for me. I'd always thought I could "do it on my own" or "figure it out myself." And I did somewhat, but it got to the point that I needed someone with experience and guidance to help me get to the next level. Or else I would continue spinning my wheels.

 

Well, long story short, my business nearly doubled within a year and I pretty much cut my work time in half. I certainly don't tell you this to brag (man, it was hard and stressful a lot of the time!), but to illustrate the value of seeking out people who have the shortcuts you're looking for and investing in yourself to help you achieve your dreams.

 

Over the last two years, I've learned a lot about the industry, internet business, blogging, how to build a following and most importantly, how to take a message that I'm insanely passionate about and get it in front of as many eyes as possible. Besides, any business is ultimately about making a difference and making an impact.

 

And if you're like me and have a fiery purpose that burns inside of  you, a message you feel so passionately about getting out in the world, you owe it to yourself to start that journey to self-realization and personal development. 

 

The program I developed for fitness models and entrepreneurs, FitModelOnline is 70% OFF through midnight tonight only. The program teaches in-person fitness pros how to maximize their online presence and create products and services that help make a difference, using online channels. 

 

 

Wishing you a fabulous week, and I'll talk to you soon!