0 (2s):
Boom, shake the room, Fire Nation JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs On Fire brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network with great shows like business infrastructure. Today, we'll be focusing on how Laura and Amanda built their fitness business from seven women to seven figures in their living room to drop these value bombs. I have brought Amanda and Laura into EOFire studios. They are Co-Founders of FIT CHICKS Academy, a company dedicated to certifying women in fitness, nutrition, and wellness, and showing them step-by-step how to create their dream life and business and Fire Nation. Today, we will hear that story of seven women to seven figures.

0 (45s):
We'll talk about the struggles that people have in the fitness and health industry. We'll talk about what you can do differently Fire Nation. And then of course, we're going to give you a Laura and Amanda's biggest tip for you right now, no matter what industry you're in and so much more. When we get back from thinking our sponsors ready to finally have repeatable, predictable and scalable operations for your business train, you all can help visit trainual.com/fire. To take a guided 10 part business assessment to help you audit and plan your company documentation today. That's trainual.com/fire Fire Nation, it's time to stop trading time for money and start reaching more clients and making a bigger impact.

0 (1m 28s):
And you can do just that with online courses, try Thinkific for free today at thinkific.com/EOF that's T H I N K I F I C.com/EOF. Amanda say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1 (1m 51s):
Hello? Hello, Fire Nation. Thank you so much for having us. I love that question so much. So thank you for asking it. I think one of the biggest things that comes to mind when I think about what people believe that I don't believe you need to have to be successful is the idea that you need to hold the gold. And what I mean by holding the gold is this idea that you have to keep your best secrets for only people in your program or your courses, the people that are signing up and paying. But the truth is, I believe you need to be sharing that publicly ahead of time, because if not, if you're just offering generic information, that's where you are going to get stuck and people, your people are not going to actually see the true value that you have

0 (2m 31s):
Fire Nation. I can not agree more, do not hold the gold, the silver or the bronze, give it all away because you want people to know like, and trust you and to be like, wow, if I'm getting this much value literally for free, imagine that next level and you to have an amazing story. I told you a little bit about it in the introduction, but I really want you Laura to do a deep dive for us Fire Nation right now. I mean, how the heck did you go from seven women to seven figures? What does that even mean? Yeah,

1 (3m 4s):
So it's kind of a crazy story. So Amanda and I have actually, we've been best friends since we've been 14 years old and we actually, you know, went through high school together all of the teenage years together of being pretty unhealthy and getting into a lot of unhealthy habits. And then we moved into, you know, college and kind of ended up on that path that many of us, and probably a lot of your listeners too, have thought you have to go on. So, you know, get the corporate job, you know, work your way up the ladder, buy the house, do all the things. And we really hit a wall in our mid twenties really around, you know, our health. So we were overworked.

1 (3m 45s):
We were overweight. We were struggling with that anxiety and the stress of really trying to, you know, build up your career at that age. And we kind of had that moment where I think, I think a lot of people have this where you just start to question like, is this, is this it like, is this really going to be the path for me? And also that moment where you're kind of like, I can't imagine doing this for the rest of my life. Like something I have zero passion for. So we were both in sales and marketing and we just decided that we're gonna start focusing on our health more. So we started working out, we started seeing a lot of changes in our own lives and there were, at that time too, you have to remember, this was back in 2006, there was not a lot of female workouts that were either, you know, that were not just like fluffy aerobics kind of style or, you know, doing like really lightweights.

1 (4m 41s):
And then the other spectrum, there was really intense. Like CrossFit was just kind of really coming out at that point. So we actually kind of created this hybrid of a workout that we started doing together and we would teach each other. And then we started teaching our friends and they really loved it. And then we decided we were going to get certified as fitness professionals just for fun. And then one night we decided that, you know, what we were at, we were actually at another fitness class together and it was pretty lame. And we were thinking we're like, our workouts are so much better than this. Like what if we could actually teach other people and get paid for it? Like what if we could actually start our own business? And from there that discussion just kind of sparked and we're like, you know what? Let's just, let's just do it and see what happens.

1 (5m 22s):
So in 2008 we launched a program called fit chicks bootcamp, and it was a four week boot camp style fitness program just for women. And it wasn't just fitness classes. So we kind of developed it right from the get, go as a program that included, you know, nutrition, fitness classes, wellness support, really around body positivity, inclusivity. We taught all different levels and we started to really create a community. So we had seven women who actually showed up to our very first class that we taught in the park because we had no money to start our business. So we wanted to keep our really low. So we always rented out parks or public spaces. So we didn't have to rent a studio.

1 (6m 3s):
And seven women showed up to that first class and it was literally like the universe had kind of everything came together and it just started growing like wildfire. From there, we ended up selling out our classes and then we started to hire other instructors to then teach our classes in their neighborhoods. And still following that low overhead kind of model of not actually, you know, renting studios or franchising, we were just essentially, you know, teaching in parks and retail, public spaces, like community center of schools and things like that. So we actually ended up growing really quickly across the country. We live in Canada and grew to over 20 locations, then started expanding out into things like challenges and retreats.

1 (6m 45s):
And we had a television show and we started training women online and in person. And it was just really, really amazing. And from there we had already hit seven figures and that was so awesome. But we started having a lot of our, our clients actually, because our programs are getting such amazing results and they love them. They're like, I want to teach these type of programs, but we had nowhere to send them to. So in terms of certifications, they would have to essentially take like four different certifications to end up being able to run a program like we have. So it would have to be in fitness. It would have to be a nutrition. It would have to be in wellness. And then on top of that, they'd have to understand the business aspect. So we really knew there was nowhere to send them without them going to like multiple different certifications.

1 (7m 28s):
So we really started talking internally, like how can we create something? And you know, how do we actually, who do we need to talk to? What do we need in place to create a certification that we could have as like a one-stop shop, where they would learn all the things that they would need to teach group fitness, personal training, nutrition, and wellness coaching, as well as get the business support. So that was actually how our first online certification was created, called the fitness nutrition expert program. And that's one that we still run today where we really just show women how to, well, we, they get certified as a triple threat fitness coach as well as then we show them how to basically do what we did and really build a profitable business from day one, whether it be in the online space or in person

0 (8m 10s):
Fire Nation. Have you ever had that? Is this it moments that Laura was just chatting about? I mean, I think every listener right now has actually had this moment. This is why you're consuming entrepreneurs on fire. And you're hearing this inspiring content from so many inspiring entrepreneurs, but when you had that, is this it moments you don't just sit on your hands and just keep wondering you actually take action. And that's what I love what Laura and Amanda did. And they said, you know what? Like what's missing in our lives. Well, besides like not loving what we do, we don't love being out of shape. We don't love being overweight. We don't love what comes with that with the lack of energy and the lack of confidence and all that jazz. Why don't we kill two birds with one stone and stop doing something we don't love, which was the corporate ladder and start doing something.

0 (8m 54s):
We actually enjoy this actually going to get us healthier. It's going to get us, fit's going to get us in shape. And let's be honest though, Amanda, so many people are like, you know what? It's like, I took a yoga class on, on YouTube. Like now it can become a yoga instructor and they started an Instagram and a YouTube channel. And they try to kind of just like, you know, essentially what I like to say become a pale week imitation of so many other people online and then they just fail. So why is that the case? Why do so many fitness and health professionals struggle making it in this industry? Few

1 (9m 29s):
Reasons why? I believe that there's a bit more of a struggle. I think the first one of course, Laura touched on it a bit in her response earlier was that they're only offering one side of the coin. So a lot of times fitness professionals, coaches are just limited to what they can give to their clients. So they're only giving them just the fitness side or just the nutrition side. And they're really limiting the results their clients can get because they don't have the skillset behind them to give them the full package, the holistic approach. And by doing so, all you're doing is really causing client frustration and overwhelm. And in reality, no results equals no returning clients, right? So if your clients are not getting the results, they're not going to come back. And so that causes a lot of, you know, churning your business.

1 (10m 10s):
You have to keep looking for new clients over and over again, versus just having a program that gives them the full spectrum of support to get them the results they desire, which will then you'll then have long-term clients. The other thing I think really causes people to struggle is the limiting self belief, the limiting self belief around this idea that I have to go work in a big box gym. That's the only option. If I wanted to work in the fitness industry or, you know, maybe I'm not the right fit to be a coach. And that's why I'm struggling. And there's this belief that you have to look a certain way or act a certain way, or be a certain way in order to be a successful coach. When really, you know, who inspires me is going to be different than who inspires you and who inspires Laura is different than who inspires me.

1 (10m 54s):
And so we need to understand that who you are as a person right now is amazing. And we need more ages, races, sizes, abilities in the industry to create connection and to create opportunity for inspiration for clients. So getting rid of that limiting self-belief is a really big tool. The next thing too, I would say is the business side. I think there is so much passion driven businesses, but there's not the knowledge behind how to actually run a business. And when you don't have the business side to back it, like that's one of the things, even in our certifications, we include the business modules in our programs because we know that that's like a missing link for so many coaches.

1 (11m 36s):
They have all of this knowledge and all of these certifications, but they have no idea how to apply that or how to actually grow up Fire Nation, who you are as a person is amazing. Be you be genuine, be authentic. I like to say, Hey, listen, you're a snowflake. Like don't try to be that pale, weak imitation of somebody else that I mentioned earlier, be the best amazing version of you. And there are countless stories of people just trying to copy others over and over again and just failing time and time again. And then sometimes even by accident, they do something online and they're just like, oh, whatever. I'll just keep it in because you know, nothing else is working.

1 (12m 16s):
And it's just them being themselves honest and transparent. And then boom, it absolutely blows up. And that is what they end up building their business on.

0 (12m 26s):
And now we're going to be talking about pivots, wanting to be talking about something that can help you build a successful foundation and so much more Fire Nation. When we get back from thanking our sponsors, whether you're a guitar teacher, a business coach, or a yoga instructor, entrepreneurs all share something in common, a desire to reach more clients and make a bigger impact without trading their time for money. So how do you do that by creating an online course with Thinkific, expose your business to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of new clients worldwide with low impact on your time. But don't just take our word for it. Meet Vanessa. She runs group therapy, a business that offers beginner dance classes for adults. Vanessa was hearing time and time again that people couldn't make it to class because of time constraints, anxiety, or not living close enough to attend.

0 (13m 12s):
So Vanessa decided to put her dance classes into an online course with Thinkific. So people could take lessons at their own leisure. Her online courses took her business to a new international level and they pretty much run themselves. Not only that she started making thousands of new revenue every month hitting her financial targets and freeing up time to work more on her business. More than 50,000 entrepreneurs have already used Thinkific to build revenue and educate their students worldwide. Try Thinkific for free today at thinkific.com/e O F that's T H I N K I F I C.com/EOF. Every entrepreneur knows what it feels like to be wearing too many hats. You're a creator, a visionary and administrator, a finance person, and that can feel overwhelming and get old really fast.

0 (13m 55s):
That's why I'm excited to tell you about train. You will a software that makes it easy to document and delegate the things you do to someone else and be completely sure that the handoff is successful and can scale consistently without you. It's like creating a playbook for repeatable, predictable, scalable operations that all live in one place for your entire team to use. Whether you're a small team of less than 10, starting to document processes for the first time as you prepare for a few new hires or you're getting ready to onboard and train 100 people in repeatable roles train, you will can help create everything from your employee handbook to your new hire orientation process, to role and department specific training and even test to keep people accountable, visit trainual.com/fire to take a guided 10 part business assessment to help you audit and plan your company documentation today, that's trainual.com/fire.

0 (14m 44s):
And if you decide to give a train, you will try use promo code EOFire for 15% off after your free seven day trial, that's trainual.com/fire. So Laura, you underwent quite a pivot from that in person fitness programming to an online nationally recognized certification company. Now Fire Nation loves hearing about the transitions, the transformations, and obviously in your case, it was kind of a forced transformation, but you did it successfully. So talk to us about that pivot about that transformation. Originally,

1 (15m 23s):
Our business was completely in-person. So we were teaching in person classes, we were doing retreats, we were running challenges. We were doing all these things in person, which was amazing. And it's so great for that personal connection, but we realized very quickly that, well, there was a few things that we realized that in order for us to really be able to make the impact that we wanted to be able to create the lifestyle that we wanted and to reach the revenue goals that we wanted. We could not continue on doing what we were doing in that way. So we started once we launched our certifications and we really saw the ability that we had with them to be able to make such an impact on a bigger level by helping women become coaches.

1 (16m 8s):
Because the thing is, we love training women and we love helping them get to their goals. But the thing is, is that that impact is only helping that one person. And when you give a woman the skills to coach, not only does she then help herself, but she also helps her family. She helps her community and it becomes that ripple effect, right? We're in the middle of an obesity epidemic, a health crisis around the world. And, you know, for us, it was our way of doing our part of making this world a healthier place. So when we saw that, that was number one and then number two, like I was saying, we really want it to scale. So with our in-person programs, we were so limited and we were really capping ourselves to how much we could grow. And whereas now with our, with our students online, we can coach as many women as we want all around the world versus only in the areas where we had, we actually had our programs.

1 (16m 57s):
And then the other thing which I think is really important for entrepreneurs to really think about too. And for us, that was always really important was that we both knew what we wanted our business to look like, and we didn't wanna have a hundred employees and we didn't want to have a huge, you know, corporate CEO team and all of these things. We really wanted to keep our business lean. And we wanted to have something that we could grow into for not only our families, but have that flexibility and do it with the least amount of manpower. So we had so many logistical challenges that we were starting to run into as we were scaling. And as we were getting bigger when we were in person.

1 (17m 37s):
So for us to do that transition and pivot into the online space, it was, it was kind of a no-brainer for us because as we started to see how we could manage that, as we started running our certifications, we knew that was the direction we really wanted to go in would, would hit all those marks that would make the impact that would help us scale. And that would be a business that was in line with our lives. So now basically what our business looks like is we ended up closing our in-person in 2018, which was a hard transition to shut those doors. I know a lot of people who are looking to pivot saying goodbye to something that's successful is a really challenging because you don't know what's going to happen on the other side of it, but you have to really ask yourself, you know, what you're passionate about and what's in line with your, your lifestyle too.

1 (18m 18s):
So now our business is a hundred percent online. We have two certification programs that are core programs. We also offer done for you, programs and challenges for fitness and health coaches. And then we also run business coaching and a mastermind as well that we'll be launching shortly. So it's, there's still no end to how much we can grow in that space. But that pivot is definitely something that was really, really a challenge for us, but it's worked out really great and is, you know, we're moving forward in a way that feels amazing. Both professionally and personally, for us

0 (18m 50s):
Fire Nation, build your business block by block. I mean, allow these opportunities to evolve naturally. And as both Laura and Amanda had have a clear vision, no, what you want to build, trust your instincts and follow your gut as you're going forward. Otherwise you might wake up one day and be like, what is this business that we built? I don't even recognize it anymore. That's happened to so many people, which is why that vision has to be clear, especially when you're building it with somebody. You have to make sure you are aligned on the same page because you can't necessarily pivot super quickly when one person wants one thing, another person wants the other, and you're already down that road. Now, Amanda, I know there's a ton of takeaways from our chat today for Fire Nation, but what's one specific thing that you want to make sure that up in coming fitness and health coaches and, you know, just entrepreneurs in general to know this is going to help them build a successful foundation for their business.

0 (19m 46s):
And that is

1 (19m 46s):
A really hard thing to narrow down. I have so many things I want to share, but I would definitely say probably the biggest thing would be just to remember, to listen to yourself, you are your guiding light, you know, your vision, you know what it is that you want to create. It is your vision. So even though you may have outside influences happening where you know, you're doing the comparison game, or perhaps, you know, you have maybe someone in your life that is maybe not encouraging you to go down that path. Cha I always say like, put your blinders on and just stay in your lane and just go after the thing that you want, follow your vision, follow your gut, like pay attention to what it's telling you. And you will get to the end of the road. But you have to, like you were talking about earlier, you have to have a clear idea of what that road is going to look like, but definitely try to always just stay in your lane and avoid listening to outside influences unless it is of course, a coach or a mentor that you're hiring specifically to help you down that path.

1 (20m 41s):
Other than that, I say, just really shut out that noise,

0 (20m 44s):
Laura. Now it's your term. Give us the top takeaway that you want to make sure Fire Nation gets from everything that both you and Amanda talked about here today. And then of course I knew you have a very special offer for Fire Nation.

1 (20m 58s):
I'm a very huge believer in that your business will only grow as much as you do. So it's really about being okay with knowing that, you know, you're going to fail along the way. And like we did, we tried so many different things, you know, as I was saying from our in-person to our online and, and it wasn't an overnight, you know, we didn't have clarity overnight. You've got to try the things you've gotta be okay with feeling. And it's all part of the journey. As long as you don't give up, as long as you'd never quit, you will get to where you want to go. So if you're struggling right now or you're feeling like maybe it's not working for you, I promise you it is working. It's all working as you go. So just don't stop.

1 (21m 40s):
So, and then lastly, I would love to invite by Fire Nation. If anyone's interested in getting certified, we have an amazing offer to save a hundred dollars off our fitness and nutrition expert certification. So they just have to go to fit chicks, academy.com forward slash fire, and then they can get that

0 (21m 58s):
Fire Nation. You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with a QLJ and JLD today. So let's keep up that heat. And if you head over to eofire.com and just type Amanda or Laura in the search bar, the shirtless page will pop up with everything that we've talked about here today. Best show notes in the biz. And of course, fit chicks. academy.com/fire is the place to go to learn more about the certification, get the a hundred dollars off and all the awesomeness. So Amanda, Laura, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today, for that we salute you and we'll catch you both on the flip side.

0 (22m 42s):
Hey, Fire Nation today's value bomb content was brought to you by Amanda and Laura and Fire Nation. Are you ready to rock your very own podcast? Check out our free podcasting course, right? Teach you how to create your launch, your podcast for you, guessed it for re visit FreePodcastCourse.com. I will catch you there, or I will catch you on the flippity flip side.

2 (23m 7s):
He'd ready to finally have

0 (23m 9s):
Repeatable, predictable and scalable operations for your business train. You all can help visit trainual.com/fire to take a guided 10 part business assessment to help you audit and plan your company documentation today, that's trainual.com/fire.

2 (23m 26s):
Fire Nation is time to stop trading time for money and start reaching more clients and making a bigger impact. And you can do just that with online courses, try Thinkific for free today at thinkific.com/EOF that's T H I N K I F I C.com/EOF.