Beachbody known for their top selling programs like P90X and TurboJam has launched an exciting new fitness concept and has been turning the weight loss and fitness industry upside down with a revolutionary online gym and virtual fitness coaching.

With infomercials generating an average of 30,000 new customers every month Beachbody is in need of Virtual Fitness Coaches.

Join the national team of Fitness Coaches and discover an exciting income doing something you love!

Click here to find out more: http://tinyurl.com/teamfitbiz

Here is an excerpt from an article I have coming out in Fitness Business Canada: 

• Be proactive and develop a comprehensive plan.  Do not stop by simply creating a disaster recovery plan or by trying to write such a plan when you are right in the middle of a disaster.  Start when you have the benefit of time on your side to really sit down and think about what steps you need to take to ensure that your fitness business continues after a crisis.  
• Assess the risk. You need to determine what risks you could potentially be exposed to and how that will affect both your day-to-day operations and ultimately your financial bottom line.  If you operate a large fitness business with several departments, make sure that you gather input from those departments regarding what they view as potential risks and the financial impact.  
• Create collaborations with businesses that can get the job done.  Chances are after a catastrophic event, you will need assistance and support from other fitness businesses to extend credit and replace products, services or equipment lost.  Be sure to choose those fitness businesses that you can depend on to get you on your feet rapidly.     
• Protect critical operations.   Make sure that your most critical operations are not vulnerable.  For example, if all your accounting, payroll and client records are kept in your office computer.  Determine what the best way is to protect that information and recover it if it is lost.  This could include a variety of options ranging from where to locate your hardware to deciding where to store backup information.  
• Maintain productivity regardless of your location.  Find ways to keep your fitness business going regardless of where you are based.  For instance, if your building is damaged by flooding or fire, could you operate out of an alternative temporary location?  What would it take to continue offering some, if not all of your services, while you rebuild or relocate so that you are not experiencing a complete loss of income?  
• Train employees.  Ever heard the familiar adage that a company is only as good as its people?  Well-trained employees who are familiar with what needs to be done in the event of a crisis will ensure your business recovers more quickly.  Ask for your employees input and share your recovery plan with them once completed.  Make sure they know exactly what needs to be done and what you expect them to do.     
• Remember, it is a work in progress.   A good disaster recovery plan is not one that you write up, then stick in a drawer, and forget.  A disaster recovery and business continuity plan is a living document that needs to be periodically reviewed and updated. 

Need help in putting your plan together then go to www.fitnessbusinessoperations.com. 

Preparing realistic budgets are an important part of doing business.  Not only are they essential to the practice of sound fiscal responsibility and management, but they also assist in: 

• providing future direction for your business,
• motivating employees, 
• coordinating business activities, and
• performing periodic evaluations of performance so that you can make whatever improvements are needed for the success of your business.   

Budget preparation is overwhelming for many because they do not know where to start.  The best way to conquer budgeting is to break it down into workable pieces.  Do this by tackling each budget area separately.   Start by preparing a sales budget, and then proceed by drafting budgets for purchases, operating expenses, cash collections and cash disbursements.  After you have finished each schedule, prepare your projected financial statements.  Before you know it, the future financial roadmap for your business will be completed.

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To receive Fitness Business Tips right away and not 30 to 60 days later go to www.megafitnessbusiness.com.

Here are a few links to articles I authored recently in PFP:

March 2008 hardcopy magazine - Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Click here to read the article and turn to page 28-29.

March 2008 online newsletter  

One-Two Punch the Competition: Take No Prisoners or Live and Let Live?

Click here to read the article.

I was recently a Subject Matter Expert in Entrepreneur Magazine on how to start a fitness business and go from a local to a national presence.  

IRVINE , CA – 9 January 08 –MyNutritionStore.com takes another step in helping health and fitness professionals help America to become fitter in the Lead America to Wellness Campaign.

MyNutritionStore.com has come together with five leading health and fitness gurus in this campaign that will help people feel a real difference in 2008 by helping in the further development of the fitness industry.

The seven key tenets of the campaign include:

1. Share Knowledge - Grow professionally while helping others

2. Nurture Clients - Optimize client satisfaction and retention

3. Motivate Each Other - Identify goals and get feedback

4. Join Together - Make our voices heard

5. Collaborate for Growth - Expand your network

6. Break New Ground - Move the industry ahead

7. Prosper Financially - Be rewarded for the good you do

The synergistic team of fitness gurus dedicated to this effort include:

1. Michael George (http://www.michaelgeorge.com )
Personal trainer to the stars

2. Kelli Calabrese (http://www.kellicalabrese.com )
20 -year Fitness Industry Leader, Author, Editor, & Entrepreneurial Counselor

3. John Spencer Ellis (http://www.johnspencerellis.com )
America ’s Leading Expert on Fitness, Personal Development, and Healthy Living

4. Tom Perkins (http://www.fitnessbusinessresources.com )
Chief Fitness Business Coach/Advisor & Certified Personal Trainer

5. Nicki Anderson (http://www.realityfitness.com/nicki )
Professional Fitness Speaker, Author, & Columnist

Question?

Can you explain what a shopping cart is used for and what you would recommend?

Here is my answer!

A shopping cart is a piece of software that acts as an online catalog and ordering process. Typically, a shopping cart is the interface allowing consumers to select merchandise; review what they have selected; make necessary modifications or additions; and purchase the merchandise.

Primarily a shopping cart has three tasks: keeping track of all the products a customer has chosen to buy, tallying the total cost of those items together, and receiving payment for those items at checkout.

Anyone who runs an online business where more than one product or service is sold should have a shopping cart.

The better shopping carts provide the essential marketing tools you need to succeed online; like autoresponders, ad trackers, affiliate programs, online questionnaires, online database management, newsletters and email broadcasting to your database of prospects, clients and affiliates, and much more.

1ShoppingCart is the best product out there in regard to features and cost, and works seamlessly in the background of any website. There are a lot of shopping carts out there and if you look closely they are 1ShoppingCart but branded to make it look like it is owned by someone else.

You can try 1ShoppingCart for 30 days for only $3.95 by clicking this link www.fitnessbusinesscarts.com.

I hope this helps.

Need to organize your business and or department.  

I've created the “Fitness Business Operations and Disaster Recovery Manual” specifically for fitness professionals, managers and owners who have not yet made the necessary preparations for problems or questions that will inevitably arise in the work place.

Business Operations manuals are essential to every workplace, large or small and Disaster Recovery Manuals are crucial to restore order following accidents or other unexpected events.

The “Fitness Business Operations and Disaster Recovery Manual” was designed to help fitness professionals, managers and owners who lack these critical business tools.

To find out more go to www.fitnessbusinessoperations.com.  

Last year at this time, Tom Perkins sent out a very special gift. It was very popular. So popular, in fact, that we had a hard time accommodating all of the requests and we haven't given this gift again since.

Because it's the start of a new year, we'd like to help you ensure your business gets off to a rocket start in 2008.

For the new year we're giving you a special, zero cost Business Breakthrough Planning and Goal Setting Session. This session is specifically for Fitness Profesisonals, Management and Business owners that want to make this year two to five times better than last year.

We are only offering 60 of these Business Breakthrough Planning and Goal Setting Sessions. It's a way of giving back to the Fitness Business community.

So, if you are interested hurry now as slots are filling up quick. Go to www.fitnessbusinesssession.com.

Make 2008 your best ever!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All

Make 2008 your best year yet!