Are you just starting out with your business and not sure how and why branding is important to your growth?  I went through that process and boy! did I learn!  Let’s face it, the health and wellness industry is a huge industry that is growing by leaps and bounds.  Competition is fierce, from the big gyms to the small private boutiques, it’s everywhere!  So how do you position yourself in the industry?  How do you let potential clients know that you’re out there, that you offer a different feel, that you are just different form the everyday?

Let’s start at the beginning…. When i first started on my own in the industry, I was working word of mouth, small business cards (they were bland and ugly really)… I was doing my thing on a very small scale, not really going anywhere.  I tried different tactics to get out there but really, nothing was working.

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ugh… I’m paying bills this morning… invoices from suppliers, source deductions… sigh… I used to always feel badly about the outflow of monies… until….

Here’s how I now see it… I am grateful for the outflow, it means I still have my business and that I am still solvent!  It means that my clients are still happy with the service, it means that I am taking the right steps in growing my business… It means that the hard work I put IN my business, my genius work, is paying off… It means that the time spent working ON my business is paying off…   There was a time when paying those bills meant a day of stress and worry.  A delicate balancing act between staying solvent and meeting my obligations.  It was a constant worry and a constant stress.. When asking peers in my industry, I found that most were in the same boat.

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Are you like me?  Trying to get a grasp on business terms and then trying to fit them into your business?  Busines terms are … well.. business terms… I don’t play with achronyms much, they just don’t mean anything to me… However, this is one term I needed to learn and learn quickly… I believe in the school of hardnocks, but really… not knowing this one was like banging my head against the wall…. I kept trying to move forward only to fall 2 steps back… not anymore!!

A few years ago, it was all work and no play!  why?  because i was giving away the farm in the hopes of keeping my clients!!!  until I learned:  R.O.I.  = Return On Investment

I went thru a process where I began taking notice of what I was being paid for.. but mostly.. what I wasn’t being paid for… I began to track my monies spent, where they were spent and what it was bringing me in return… uh… not a pretty picture!!!   I’m into shaping healthy bodies.. but being in the business of shaping bodies was a whole other outlook… …

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Last week, I wrote  about the pros and cons of having a niche clientele..  today, i want to share with you my experience on building the business model that I’ve always dreamed about using my niche clientele…

Have you ever just sat back and taken a good look at where you are?  I mean a detached look.  A look form an outsider’s perspective…  a look from your client’s perspective…  It took a long time before I could do this.  I was so busy working in my business that I wasn’t taking the time to work on my business….

Working in your business are the hours that you spend doing what you do.  For me, that meant gym time and clinic time… break em up, then fix em up!!  A production line of work hours… working in my business meant paying the bills, researching new products, new courses… I sincerely thought that growing my business meant growing the numbers… I became exhausted with it.  To tell you the truth, I became bored and stifled and well… I just wanted to give it up… and so I did… no really!!  I did!!  what i gave up was the old model in favor of working on the new model!  What i mean to say is that I knew in my heart that I love the industry, I love the work.. what I didn’t love was the environment I had chosen for myself (which made sense at the time but…)… and the hours I was keeping to keep it all afloat …

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If you’re like me, your business may attract a certain clientele… Sometimes, I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again without much variety because… well… I’ve found my niche!!

A niche clientele is one where the same type of client comes through the door, asks and buys the services that you offer.  Usually, it’s because you’re either great at that work, or that you have positioned yourself in that line of work.  Social media, advertising, word of mouth marketing, testimonials all contribute to a niche clientele.  What we should be thinking about is how to build that preferred client base…

The good in that…

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