Non-Traditional Fitness Careers
July 1, 2006
© 2006, Fitness Organica LLC
Jim Labadie
Train and Grow Rich
Business Coach
www.trainandgrowrich.com

"I march to the beat of my own drummer.  I really don’t care what others think or say about
me.  I am following my bliss and that has made all the difference.
"
Your business?
Train and Grow Rich works with personal trainers who own their own
business and personal trainers who want to own their own business.  
Essentially, we teach the business skills they will need to be successful.  
Too many good fitness professionals leave the industry because they
simply cannot earn the living they want.  Or, if they can, they are often
working to the point of extreme burnout.

We also help fitness professionals improve their relationship with money.  
Most any trainer you ask will tell you they got into the fitness business to
help people.  That’s a terrific reason.  But many of them can’t even muster
the courage to ask prospective clients for money.  Never mind opening
their eyes to the earning potential they truly have.

Major events or motivations that led you to this business?
Before Train and Grow Rich, I owned an in-home personal training
business here in Tampa.  I had several trainers working with me as
independent contractors.  I found the clients and sold them the training,
and the trainers performed the sessions.  Then I purchased an
information product from Ryan Lee on how to create my own information
products.  That's when I created my
Ultimate Sales Kit for Fitness
Professionals
.  It sold really well and it worked like magic.  Trainers from
all over the world were e-mailing me telling me how much it helped
them.  They were closing sales worth thousands of dollars. I knew I had
found my calling.

Prior work experience, education, or specialized knowledge
that helped you?
I learned a lot at the School of Hard Knocks!  Plus, when I started my own
personal training busines, I spent tens of thousands of dollars on
business coaches.  Pretty much everything I made, I put back into my
business education.  I knew that was what I had to do if I wanted to make
it.  It's what most trainers miss.  If you want to be the owner of a business
you have to learn how to work ON your business instead of in it.  You
need to learn to be a true entrepreneur.

Your top three personality traits that have contributed to your
success?
Dreamer –- I am a dreamer.  Always have been, always will be.I dream
about the way I want my life to be.

Believer –- What's the quote from Henry Ford? “Whether you believe you
can or you believe you can’t, you’re going to be right.”  I know it's
something like that.  That is how I live my life.  It is the essential attitude of
an entrepreneur.  There has not been one single second that I have ever
considered failure as an option.  Yes, I've made my share of mistakes, but
I get right back up and I don’t make them again.

Oblivious –- Again, when I started my company, I didn't even consider the
risks.  Why bother?  I was going to find a way no matter what.

And I also march to the beat of my own drummer.  I really don’t care what
others think or say about me.  I am following my bliss and that has made
all the difference.

The hardest issue you've had to deal with?
I had my own personal issues with money.  I think many fitness
professionals do.  Subconsciously I had a lot guilt surrounding the huge
amounts of money I would be earning if my business plans came true.  
And it took me some time to be comfortable with earning a great living.  I
know that may seem strange to some people, but it is very much true.  
There’s no doubt in my mind that fitness pros, and the masses in general,
have serious issues with money.  Once I started to see money as energy,
and view it as either positive or negative, my outlook changed and my
business took off.  Obviously, I choose to see it as positive.

Most satisfying thing about your work?
The e-mails I receive from fitness pros whose lives I have touched.  I can't
even begin to tell you how proud and elated I feel when one of my
newsletter subscribers or customers writes to tell me how I have helped
them turn their business, and life, around.  And if I help a fitness
entrepreneur grow their business, I know that in turn means they are
helping people become fit.  Then those people are touching other
people. And so on . . . .

Future plans and/or dreams for your business?
I’m working on a HUGE project that I am not at liberty to talk about right
now. It’s a new company I am starting with Ryan Lee of
www.sportspecific.
com.  It will be launched later this summer.  We’re very excited about it!

Favorite fitness activity?
Strength training.  I love short, intense workouts.

Hobbies?
I make it a point to take a half-day on Friday and go to the movies.  I love
movies.  And while I haven’t had the time to do it yet, I can’t wait to go to a
race car driving school.  I see that as my future hobby.

Favorite place to vacation?
Since I moved to Tampa, Florida, from New Jersey, I feel like I'm on
vacation every day of my life.  Yes, I’m serious.  ;-)
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