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Business Posts
5 Reasons You Should Take Interns
It was really weird walking into IFAST yesterday. I came in a bit earlier than usual to get my training session in, but around 9 am, it was more quiet than usual. The reason, you ask? Our awesome spring interns (Pat, Conor and Kyle) were no longer with us. Now my little girl is only […]
Continue ReadingInvesting in Yourself
Last year, I eclipsed (what I consider to be) a major milestone… I spent more than $10,000 on continuing education. Crazy? Maybe. Extreme? Sure. But worth it? Absolutely. Now before I completely turn some of you off, let me back track a bit. That was nearly 13 years into the game – when I first […]
Continue ReadingThe Future of RTS – 2013 Edition
Every year, I take a step back to evaluate my business. In 2012, it just so happened that my evaluation time struck the day before Thanksgiving. What can I say? Sometimes inspiration hits and you need to strike while the iron is hot. While these kinds of critical evaluations can be daunting, they’re also incredibly […]
Continue Reading3 Keys to a Successful Fitness Website
A few weeks ago, an up-and-coming member of the fitness industry asked me a simple question: “Mike, I’m starting a website and I really admire what you’ve done. Can you give me some tips on how to be successful?” The more I thought about it, the more I realized how loaded this question really was! […]
Continue ReadingSacrifice and Hard Work in the Fitness Industry
Let’s be honest – the fitness industry isn’t for the faint of heart. As a trainer or strength coach, it’s not uncommon to work ungodly hours for what amounts to less than minimum wage. On the other hand, I think some people assume that those who are “successful” (however you want to define that) have […]
Continue ReadingThe Business of Fitness
In 2 months, I’ll be giving a talk about the “business” of semi-private training and the Fitness Business Weekend event. I’m always a little leery of stepping out of my comfort zone (which is talking about training, obviously!), but I’m also excited to branch out and talk about a topic I’ve spent the last 4 […]
Continue ReadingDefining Success
The past couple of months, I’ve really tried to diversify the information that I’m consuming. Don’t get me wrong – I’m always reading or learning about training. That’s my first priority. But at this point in life, it’s not my only priority. As a result, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to […]
Continue ReadingQ&A: Be Like Mike….Robertson???
Mike, I’m a 22-year old up-and-coming trainer, and I’ve followed your stuff for the past year. Basically, I’d love to be where you’re at in the next year or two – own my own gym, write for money, etc. Got any tips or tricks that can help me out? I got this e-mail a while […]
Continue Reading4 Parallels Between Wealthy People and Elite Athletes
In my life, I’ve been incredibly blessed to work with a wide variety of clients and athletes. Looking back, I’ve literally worked with every end of the spectrum – from some of the most beat-up and beat-down rehab clients you can imagine, all the way up to elite athletes from virtually every major sport. One […]
Continue ReadingHow to Do LESS in 2012 (But Enjoy Yourself MORE!)
It’s the New Year, and everyone and their mother has a New Year’s resolution that they’ve probably already broken. In fact, I wrote about this pretty extensively last week in my 2012 To-Do List post. BUT, here’s the thing with New Year’s resolutions – they almost always focus on adding things to our plate. Starting […]
Continue ReadingFitness Business Blueprint for $1???
Quick post today, specifically geared towards fitness business owners (or those of you who WANT to open your own fitness business). Pat Rigsby, Eric Cressey and myself created the Fitness Business Blueprint to help YOU become a more successful entrepreneur. To not only get more out of your business, but as a result, your life […]
Continue ReadingInterview with Joe Dowdell
Today we’ve got a fantastic interview with my good friend Joe Dowdell. Rather than drone on and on, let’s get right into it! Joe, thanks a ton for coming on here today. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? Well, I live in New York City {Best city in the world […]
Continue ReadingCounting Reps to Counting Revenue
Let me tell you a little story from 2007…. In 2007, Robertson Training Systems was booming. It seemed as though Eric, Bill and myself could do no wrong with the information-products we released, and we were definitely riding the wave. I was doing 1-on-1, in-home personal training, and while I had awesome clients, the hours […]
Continue ReadingFitness Business Basics – The Plunge
At some point in time, it has to happen. The time where the pain of not owning your own fitness facility is greater than the fear, doubt or stress of owning it. For me, this happened in 2008.
Continue ReadingFitness Business Basics – Selling
There’s a very simple rule when it comes to opening a gym or fitness facility that I’m not sure people 100% grasp. It’s quite simple, really: If you don’t sell contracts, you won’t be in business very long. Period. Now I know what some of you are thinking – “Duh, Mike, I know that!” But […]
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