Well folks, it is probably safe to say I fell into the Bermuda Triangle and went MIA for some months. Apologies for that!
I have been kept quite busy and somewhat distracted by completing my Personal Training certification as well as starting my own business...yes that’s right.. I thought I would join the small business owner category and start my own Personal Training business called HAPPY CHICKEN FITNESS!!
So, I am getting busier training clients and the technical side of the business is up and running (well sort of), the website is still “under construction” and will hopefully be up and running in no time ...just another thing to find time for.
I knew starting my own business would be somewhat daunting and challenging, let alone spending forever preparing the business plan, deciding on a business name and then having to go through the ordeal of registering the business name which no-one else has used, sifting through the pages and pages of logo designs that designers around the world had put together for me. Check out DesignCrowd http://www.designcrowd.com/ or 99 Designs http://99designs.com.au/ if you are looking for various designers to put together designs for you. It is as simple as putting together a business brief and choosing how much you want to pay for the design and presto...designers start emailing them in. Great websites!!
What however, I wasn’t prepared for with starting my own business was the mental cycle of “am I going to be one of the 2/3rds of small businesses that fail”? How do I manage not to fall into that percentile? Well, after doing some ever trustworthy soul searching on the net, i found the following which perked me up a bit.....
“Despite what is commonly thought, relatively few small businesses fail. Over the 2 year period 1994-95 and 1995-96, an average of 23 200 small businesses or 6.1% ceased operating in Australia. Less than 10% of these closures were due to bankruptcy proceedings (in the case of unincorporated businesses) or companies being liquidated. The other businesses closed down for reasons such as the owner retiring, seeking a different lifestyle or dying.The failure of Australian businesses fell significantly during the 1990's. It is estimated in 1999-2000, there were 3.6 failures per 1000 enterprises."
Now it is pretty safe to say that this is old data, BUT just what i needed to read. Just a bit of light reading, LOADS of encouragement and uplifting from friends and family and I was mentally back on track to make my business a success. That’s not to say I still don’t have days where I think “what the heck am I doing?! Ha!)
In the short time I have been a personal trainer I have successfully attracted many wonderful committed clients who I can’t thank enough for taking me on as their trainer. They provide me with laugher and enthusiasm every day and make me so proud and pleased to finally be working in the career I have been searching for all this time...I know...cheesy!
I have also recently done some marketing and business development and now the flood gates have opened. Enquiries are coming thick and fast and my calendar which was once bare is now filling up. Now I need to ensure I am leaving time for myself to train and stay in shape to ensure I always practice what i preach. I'm pretty sure I won't have a problem finding time to workout myself though!
So a big THANK YOU to all my family, friends, colleagues and clients for all the support you give me and my business, Happy Chicken Fitness !
