What it’s really like running your own fitness business
Working for yourself is no easy feat. Not only does it take courage to make the leap to self-employment, but running your own fitness business, particularly if you’re doing alone, can be pretty tough! Here’s the scoop on what running your own business is really like.
Work time will spill into home time
However much you promise yourself you’ll stick to 9-5, or ignore work emails during the evenings, you’re sure to slip into mixing home and work time at some point.
That doesn’t mean you won’t have work-life balance though. It’s your decision to reply to emails late at night when you can’t sleep, or to fit in that extra hour in the office, but you can also decide to pull back that time when you need it.
A well-run business should be able to tick along without your input 24/7, if you’re working all the waking hours of the day to make ends meet then it’s time to get some help in to take some of that weight off your shoulders.
Saying no to work will get harder
Taking on extra clients and working yourself into the ground isn’t the way to get ahead, especially if you work in the fitness industry where your health is likely to scrutinised.
It is so hard to say no though. That simple word with so much power – saying no when you’re self-employed means saying no to money going straight into your pocket.
No longer are you working for a manager and being a small cog in a big corporate machine, every extra job you take on pays for a little more of that family holiday you’re desperate for or the mortgage you’ve been saving for.
Something to keep in mind is that the longer you work on your business, the more efficient you will become at it, and with that you will make space for new clients. Saying no now doesn’t mean no forever, you may have time for another client in a few months time. That means your earning potential can rise gradually but you can keep up with it, rather than getting overworked and losing your outside life.
You’ll wish you’d done it years ago
Seriously, you will. As much as you might end up working more, you will love the flexibility and independence it gives you. Working for yourself is empowering, motivating and exhausting – all at the same time, but there’s no buzz like it.
Your work life will be more varied and flexible than ever before – no more 9-5, Monday to Friday. You want a midweek day off? Take it, put in the extra hours at the weekend. Don’t like your working environment? Change it – start an outdoors bootcamp. Want more time with the family? Start working from home some days to see the kids as they come home from school.
It’s not easy but with a bit of entrepreneurial creativity, you can start to design your worklife to suit you. Gone are the days working for the man, you’ve taken the leap of faith and you’re hustling to make it happen.
Happiness in your work is most definitely possible, and in my opinion, you’re more likely to find it by being self-employed and running your own fitness business.
Wishing you every success in your business
Claire x