My business and the service that I offer my clients has changed dramatically since Feb 2020. Add to that their change in lifestyle, working hours and the commitments they have in their personal lives and it makes sense that what I offer would need to adjust alongside that. It’s probably the same for you… and actually it’s the same for everyone as we progress through our careers.
The type of client that we work with may shift a little, with age and with experience, so we end up re-directed our classes toward slightly different markets. Or perhaps the opposite, we stay the same but our market changes without us and we are left feeling a little confused as to where we are going with things.
It happens to us all and it has happened to me several times since I started teaching dance about 16 years ago.. and then retrained to enter the fitness market 12 years ago. We are constantly reassessing where we are, what we want to offer and what our clients want & need from us. I always find that this time of year (and during the early summer months) things calm down a little and my brain is afforded the space to really look at where I want to take things…. And how I might need to get there.
So if you are finding yourself in a similar position, wanting to make some changes and feeling like you might just about have the brain capacity (and soon the time) to be able to that, I’ve devised a few questions for you to help you brainstorm. Have a ponder while you’re in the car in between classes… one of the only moments we get completely to ourselves lol!
1. Why do I want people to come to me?
Maybe it’s for your incredible dance skill, maybe it’s the atmosphere, maybe because you get physical results for your clients, maybe you have an incredibly organised system, maybe it’s the way you support them. We are all different and we want to be recognised for things that are important to us. Knowing what it is you want to offer and what you want to be known for is part of the battle.
2. How does what I do at the moment move me toward 1.?
For example, if I want to offer a blend of dance fitness, technique based resistance & mobility classes, helping my clients who want to feel stronger, move better and feel like a ninja... so are the classes on my timetable reflecting that? And am I communicating that clearly?
3. What do I need to change to keep moving forward?
Maybe it’s the payment structure, maybe it’s your timetable, maybe you don’t have clear pathways for people to progress through. Maybe your clients need additional support that you are not giving them at the minute. Maybe the community aspect of your classes is lacking and you need more socials. It could be anything and it could be something really simple that would make all the difference.
4. What do I need in terms of reward to make this worthwhile for me?
For most folk this may be financial, but it could also be to do with your job satisfaction, the amount of free time and flexibility you have, stress levels, career progression, knowledge etc etc
5. What do I need to start and how much work would it take to make those changes?
For some of us, we might almost have everything we need to make those changes and it could just take a few short hours to plan things properly... for others it might be a project in stages. There is never any rush to make alterations to what we are doing, we want to think things through and ask ourselves if our new idea will actually work and how we would implement it.
This time of year can often mean a slowdown, not necessarily in terms of class numbers, but because our venues close or our clients don’t message us as much etc. This can free up a little time (and a little focus) to allow us more of both for future planning.
If you need help with L2 content for your classes or online workouts, you know where our giant Fitness Library is.
Have great weeks,
