My boot camp instructor is not an alien...

This morning I proved that I am not an alien owner of a fitness boot camp company, but indeed a human being. Whew! Now everyone knows my secret.

The story is I was late. My alarm didn't go off and one of my instructors had to kindly serve me a wakeup call as 40 of my boot campers patiently waited in the parking lot for their fearless, and now human, leader to arrive at Blackburn Park Boot Camp.

I don't have an excuse, because there shouldn't be one. I live accountability, so I should stand by it even when it is not convenient. So I gratiously did my 45 pushups for being late while my boot campers happily counted them out.

But this brings up a really important fact about being a boot camp owner and operater. As the leader of many people, your example is what sets the tone of your business. If you stand around and bark orders, your clients will see you as unforgiving. If you get down and dirty with your clients and feel the same pain that they do, they will have a certain amount of respect for you that placed you in that "alien" category.

But the best part about this morning was that by re-joining the "human" group, my clients realized that my success isn't so unattainable. That they goals and thus their success might just be possible. I am not sure I could have planned for a better lesson in believing in oneself.

Getting "Schooled" - Part 1

Even as adults we continue to learn. As a leader in the outdoor fitness industry, I have to make sure to stay on top of new techniques, laws and trends to keep everyone that I educate operating at the highest level. This goes for my boot camp instructors and licensees, too.



But sometimes we forget that often the best lessons are the ones we already learned. So let's go to study hall...



Several months ago, I posted about the trials of breaking campers up into groups in my Picking the Team post. Yesterday at the boot camp workout, we saw the true reality of what happens when someone feels that they are in the wrong group. They feel dejected, like less of a person and even depressed. As their coaches, we can avoid this. First by doing a better job of breaking up the group. It is my job as the lead instructor to be aware of every single detail of every person's personality - especially my clients that have been working with me for several months. I need to know they want that extra push and I need to know when to give it to them. As a support instructor or the instructor leading the group for the day, you can also help. Support instructors can challenge that person to go faster to run an extra lap or do perform a more advanced level of the exercise. Leaders can see that one client is faster or stronger or needs a great push and can group that person with the other clients that are at the top range of the group. But we must be aware that we will make mistakes from time to time and that is how we learn.

Ring>>>Ring>>>Ring>>>

Class dismissed...

A Day in the Life of The American Boot Camp Company Owner

If owning your own business and being your own boss was easy, everyone would be doing it. But owning and operating a business is an even bigger challenge. For all those that think I workout all day and have fun, here you go.

4:55AM - Alarm sounds. Roll over and hit snooze
5:00AM - Alarm sounds. Grab cell phone and head to get dressed, brush my teeth and get to camp. I also check the weather on my cell phone and by opening the door to my deck.
5:18AM - Take dog out and feed.
5:20AM - Head to studio to pick up equipment/print updated attendance sheet

5:28AM - Head to Blackburn Park to daily Boot Camp Workout
5:33AM - Begin taking attendance and welcoming each client as they arrive.
5:40AM - Support Instructors arrive and help with daily nutritional counseling. I continue to take attendance and check food logs as I can.
5:55AM - Daily meeting with instructors to review upcoming workout and their rolls.
6:00AM - Workout begins!

6:00AM-6:45AM - FUN

6:45-6:50AM - Return to car and extra credit
6:55AM-7:30AM - Daily post boot camp coffee at Starbucks

8:00-8:45AM - Get ready for my day job - running the sales and marketing of The American Boot Camp Company.
9AM - Arrive at the office and check email.

9AM - Breakfast: dannon lite and fit yogurt and Nature's Path optimum granola. 1/2 cup of pineapple.

9AM-10AM - Return emails, correspond with instructors, current month boot campers and follow up with clients that didn't attend the workout and didn't let me know ahead of time.
10AM - meet with Katie, my assistant, and get her started on a new project with constant contact email and with updating my office files.
10:15AM - follow up with Team in Training about an upcoming event.
10:17AM - contact web/ad designer about printing more brochures for upcoming conference
10:20AM - contact my SCW Fitness contact about shipping manuals for certification from Atlanta rather than paying shipping costs twice. Follow up with her on outstanding invoice for teaching in February.
10:20- Mid Morning Snack - banana and almonds

10:30AM - Begin to process quarterly taxes. Pay March payroll taxes online and print out all Q1 forms. Write checks for state taxes paid quarterly. Fill out new employee forms and enter newest employee into quickbooks.

11:30AM - Check emails and return important messages. Organize upcoming instructor continuing education series for Q2, organize New Licensee email newsletter education series and make list for questions for Tara and Katie to address via email later.

12:15PM - Return sales calls to potential licensee in South Carolina and followup with new sign ups for Chastain PM and East Cobb.

12:30PM - Update homepage on the website with new information about upcoming Big Peach 5K. Remember to contact Todd about race bags.

12:45PM - Get ready for Junior League Fashionist Week where we give all Junior Leaguers 20% off boot camp and studio. Note in day planner to update Tara and Courtney on details.

1PM - Meeting with sales rep from SKIRT magazine to work on 3rd Quarter 2008-3rd Quarter 2009 budget and strategy. Looking to get rates and added value.

All this before lunch...