Happy New Year to me, lol. It was actually better than I thought it would be. And it wasn’t that big, so it took about 2 days of munching on it here and there to finish it. I think one day I’ll make my way over to See’s Candy and buy one from them… Mmmmm I can taste it melting in my mouth already! Well, enough of that for now. Time to focus!I can’t express how happy I am that it’s the new year. Haven’t even finished the first week and I’ve got 5 new clients starting up. Some doing boot camp, some doing a combo of boot camp and one-on-one training. I think I want to pick up maybe 2 more one/one clients and I’m straight. I hate getting too busy because I need time for me, and time to train myself, as well as do the other business venture things I have planned out. I’ve been thinking a lot lately to get more into training entertainment industry folks. Like name actors and actresses, etc. The downside about training them is that it takes a lot of time, you normally may have to travel to them (my clients come to me, I don’t do house calls – gas, travel, value of training equipment, etc makes it not worth it for me), and you may get a crazy diva. But for the future of my business and brand, it would be a good idea to have a few names under my belt. For that media credibility. Crazy I know, but I don’t make the rules. I have a number of clients who are well established producers and agents (one of my clients’ film is nominated for a Golden Globe this year, and has some Oscar buzz as well), so taking advantage of a referral type of thing is a no brainer. Plus I respect her dearly and love working with her, and she me as well, so I know she would only send sane people my way. So we’ll see what happens. I’ll put it out there, I’m sure I’ll get a yes, I’ll try!
As for the seminar I have planned at the gym. That’s going well too! I have a few signed up. I want to keep this first meeting small. The women are very excited. Now comes the task of writing the booklet that I’m going to give to them for the seminar portion. I’m covering nutrition, weight training, cardio, etc. It’s like a mini book! In fact I think I’m going to keep it, expand on it, and maybe one day release it as an ebook or hard copy. That’s been something I’ve always wanted to do, so this is the perfect opportunity to start putting it together, build myself over time in the media, then release it when the time is right.
Work work work. That’s me I never stop. But I love what I do, so it doesn’t matter.
It’s been an amazing year. One year ago, I was miserable and working for a “top luxury brand” gym here in LA. I lost my passion for training, and felt really lost in general in my life as to what I wanted to do. I knew I didn’t want to give up on what I was doing so I had to find a way to find that spark again. I knew I was done dancing professionally, and I knew that acting was my artistic outlet when I wasn’t dancing. But even that, I was losing interest in pursuing professionally. I wasn’t making much money at the gym because they charge and arm and a leg and I was only getting paid $32-37/hr (depending if I was slaving away training 25 hours/week or more) and with the tanking economy, people were being frugal. Even the wealthy, which was our demographic. The holiday season was another damper to my income as these same folks escape to Aspen and Vail, Europe, or warm locals that time of year. I looked around at my fellow trainers and saw that most of them had been with that company for 5, 10, and 15 years. AND THEY WERE IN THE SAME POSITIONS THE WHOLE TIME. Nothing was changing or growing. There was no growth there. I realized that I had to leave because I cannot be like them. I’m not a complacent person.
I ventured out, in a shitty economy, and started my own company. And shit, it wasn’t easy, but it hasn’t been hard either. I’m a business minded person, and everyday, every month, every year, I learn more and more about running a successful brand and how to build something beyond your wildest dreams by following your passion and using your brain. I get so excited to think that I’m not even at the apex of it all. I’m at the BOTTOM of the mountain, trying to ascend to the top. Ok maybe I’ve now moved 1/4 of the way up the mountain, but I’m nowhere near where I want to be.
The first year fiscally for me culminates in February. So I’m like 11 months in. I’m very thankful for how far I’ve come, and I respect and acknowledge how much further I need to go. I think about people like Trump, Zuckerberg, Oprah, and hell even folks like P Diddy, Jay-Z, and 50 cent. How these people were able to turn their passion into successful business models. How these same people have lived and done business by the following quote:
“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
To create one’s own path in areas and ideals that have yet to be blazed by others is a huge deal. To take what you want a step ahead, when others say it is impossible (or rather say those things out of fear of actually venturing and doing it themselves). That’s where my mind always lies. All I know is what I want, and that I charge forward toward that goal unabashed.
So here is 2011. A new year, a new page. A new opportunity to Carpe Diem EVERY SINGLE DAY. So I move forward with that ferver, and desire to out do myself every year. Make it more mememorable than the last.