Today the panel talks about the difficult but important act of using social media as far as growing a coaching business. They share a few tips for how to use it in the most effective and painless way possible. The Episode: How to Use Social Media When You Hate Using Social Media Here at the Online Trainer Show, we understand that using social media is something many people just cannot stand. While it is true that the constant work involved in putting ourselves out there online can feel like a st...
Jun 17, 2021•43 min•Ep. 111
Today our usual panel, minus Ren, talk about the importance of working and collaborating with other professionals in the online training world. The Episode: The One Without Ren Today we are missing our main master of ceremonies but the show must go on! Despite Ren sitting this one out, we have a great conversation about the power of collaboration, networking, and helping out other trainers and peers. There may be some fear attached to referring clients to other businesses, but we strongly believ...
Jun 15, 2021•37 min•Ep. 110
Today the team sits down to chat about how you can go about creating more time in your business. The Episode: How To Create More Time In Your Business In many forms of freelance and online work, schedules and your time can become a messy concept to deal with. How do you make sure that you are delivering great value to your clients while also avoiding being continually swamped and overcrowding your planner? Listening in today, you will hear a few different strategies and simple methods for stayin...
Jun 10, 2021•44 min•Ep. 109
Today we get into the differences of an online coaching business, compared with the in-person model. The Episode: The Difference Between Building An In-Person and Online Coaching Business As more trainers catch onto the benefits of working online, marketing and business strategies need to reflect these trends. One of the main arguments we make here on the OTA show is that online coaching is not the same as an in-person service, and so there are clear ways in which your methods need to evolve if ...
Jun 08, 2021•43 min•Ep. 108
Today on the show the focus is how to expand your online coaching business into other target markets. The Episode: How To Have More Than One Target Market One of our main messages for students is to identify and focus on a single target market or defined client avatar. But this does not mean that you can never branch out and serve other markets and a broader range of people. This episode is all about how and when you can do this and is also a reiteration of keeping things simple in the beginning...
Jun 03, 2021•45 min•Ep. 107
Our panel sit down to talk about what they wish they had known when starting out in the online training space. The Episode: What We Wish We Would Have Known No matter where you start out with your training business, things will change and grow over time. This means that you should not get hung up on what you know and don't know at this point. We all begin this journey with a lot to learn, and this process will mirror the type of business you end up building, so allow that to happen in its own ti...
Jun 01, 2021•41 min•Ep. 106
Today the team looks at how to approach the inevitable failures and hurdles that coaches encounter, in order to set yourself up for long-term success. The Episode: How To Successfully Fail Failure and disappointment are part of life and part of business. Here at the OTA we often encounter students and coaches expressing feelings of failure and inadequacy based on certain events. This is to be expected and in some ways can be out of our control. What you do have control over, however, is how you ...
May 27, 2021•34 min•Ep. 105
The OTA panel of experts talk about getting past the tricky hurdles of pricing your online training packages. The Episode: How To Price Online Training When thinking about pricing for your online training business there are a few very important things to consider and ways to make this somewhat difficult process a little easier. First of all, there are big differences between a badly planned, cheap package, crammed with unnecessary filler features, and something more high-end that offers and deli...
May 25, 2021•45 min•Ep. 104
This episode sees the panel look at how collaboration can help you in addition to others you work with. The Episode: The Importance of Collaboration There is a certain narrative in the online world around the scarcity of business and the need to look after oneself at the expense of others. We are here to tell you just how false this is and how reaching out, collaborating, and helping others can be one of the best things you can do for your business and its success. With the never-ending pool of ...
May 20, 2021•46 min•Ep. 103
Today the discussion focuses on the misconception that the value you offer through your service is equal to the effort you exert while providing it. The Episode: Value is Not Measured in Effort Sometimes we can begin to think that in order to truly provide value to clients we have to put in the most effort possible. Here at the OTA we believe this is fundamentally untrue, and that almost always, the best possible outcome is for things to just work. That means that less is often more, and the tru...
May 18, 2021•41 min•Ep. 102
The panel breaks down how you can make your coaching business a little more fun, and how this can benefit you and your clients on multiple levels! The Episode: Online Training Should Be Fun Any business will have challenges and entrepreneurship is not a walk in the park. When you can bring some joy and fun into your work, whether it is the process of answering emails or the time you spend with clients, you can alleviate and mitigate much of the fatigue and stress that is to be expected. This can...
May 13, 2021•45 min•Ep. 101
In this episode, the team break down the importance of consistency, and how to bring more of it into your online training business. The Episode: How To Be Consistent This episode is all about how to experience success that can be relied upon in the future, and refocussing your vision away from quick wins. There is a strong relationship between simplicity and consistency, especially in the beginning, so we recommend avoiding aiming for extremes, and unrealistic goals. What you really want to do i...
May 11, 2021•47 min•Ep. 100
This episode focuses on how to manage feelings of being stuck and what to do when we find ourselves in a rut in life and business. The Episode: What To Do When You're In A Rut The inevitability of better and worse times in your career does not have to be an unnecessarily big problem. Through a little persistence and patience, we can ride out the tough times and will slowly experience the temporary nature of the valley we might fall into. These are lessons that are learned over time and through l...
May 06, 2021•44 min•Ep. 99
Today we get into a discussion on the hard work and dedication that goes in before the needle can move in a big way for you and your business. The Episode: How The Needle Actually Moves This episode takes a more philosophical approach than usual as we get into the important themes of growth and success. The biggest message we want to deliver while addressing getting the needle to move is staying the course, and trying to keep some focus on the macro picture, instead of paying too much attention ...
May 04, 2021•48 min•Ep. 98
Today the discussion focuses on how online coaching assessments can be conducted in the most effective way. The Episode: How To Assess Clients Online We have seen, time and again, how newer coaches give too much attention to assessments with their clients. That is not to say that assessments have no utility, rather that, too much emphasis is placed on this part of a coaching plan. You do need a way to measure progress, as well as maintain an understanding and excitement around your program thoug...
Apr 29, 2021•45 min•Ep. 97
Our team of experts discusses the right time to pay for advertising and the important steps that lead up to this moment. The Episode: When To Pay For Advertising It is a relatively common mistake for online business owners and coaches to start throwing money into advertising in order help or save their business. We are here to give you a simple message with regards to your advertising budget, spending money on advertising can add fuel to the fire, but is not a substitute for putting in the impor...
Apr 27, 2021•41 min•Ep. 96
The team sit down to discuss the most fundamental aspects of starting an online business. The Episode: How To Build An Online Business When You're Tech Illiterate One of the most powerful tenets of what we teach at the Online Trainer Academy is to keep everything as simple as possible. The First Principles framework can help a lot with building a strong foundation on which you can grow, and by removing what is unnecessary you can focus more time and energy on what is! All of this can be applied ...
Apr 22, 2021•38 min•Ep. 95
Today the panel of experts talk about the important process of execution and how to turn training into a business. The Episode: How To Execute Education and learning are important parts of becoming an online trainer, but none of the steps that happen before execution mean anything if you cannot put your plans into motion. Taking the steps towards executing will teach you more than any course, and will push things forward in ways that nothing else can. We understand that this can be the most diff...
Apr 20, 2021•40 min•Ep. 94
The team shares some of the lessons learned and the challenges posed by the process of launching a program. The Episode: What You Can Learn From Our Past Launches The launch cycle makes up a large chunk of the work of any online trainer and there are unavoidable learning curves and hurdles that everyone will encounter in the process. That being said, we wanted to share some of the biggest lessons we have learned, and hopefully avoid extra unnecessary strife in your business, if possible! Remembe...
Apr 15, 2021•42 min
Today our panel talk about adherence and what to do when your clients want to go off an agreed training plan. The Episode: When Clients Want To Go Off Plan From time to time, clients will come to you with a question or request regarding something they saw or heard about elsewhere. This can be a new fitness fad or a recommendation from a magazine or celebrity trainer, but it might not fit in with your current plan. What should you do in these situations? There are two broad ways to respond to the...
Apr 13, 2021•44 min•Ep. 92
Today we unpack some helpful thoughts on the onboarding process and how to welcome in new clients in the best way. The Episode: Onboarding New Clients The Right Way The process of onboarding new clients has a big impact on customer retention, commitment, and the growth of your coaching business going forward. Eliminating gaps and confusion for the client, and making the path ahead crystal clear, will increase the likelihood of their buy-in and resultant success. An important piece of this projec...
Apr 08, 2021•37 min•Ep. 91
The panel discusses some opinions about the best lead generation methods for your online coaching business. The Episode: What's The Best Lead Generation Method? There are plenty of avenues that can be effective ways to generate leads for your coaching business. The foundation of all of these, however, comes back to a message we often underline: knowing your story, your audience, and how to communicate it to them. We recommend that whichever method or methods you choose, that you occupy spaces th...
Apr 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 90
Our team gives an overview of the necessary pieces you need to put in place to take care of the legal side of your coaching business. The Episode: The Boring Legal Stuff You Must Know When Training Clients Online You cannot escape the realities of running a business, and this means that there are inevitable legal hoops you have to jump through at certain points. We are here to tell you that the sooner you do this, the better. Clearing your mind of any concerns will help you sleep better at night...
Apr 01, 2021•30 min•Ep. 89
Today we examine the validity of the common complaint that 'people just aren't buying right now'. The Episode: People Just Aren't Buying Right Now At the OTA we regularly hear from students and coaches that it feels like people are not buying at a certain time. While there may be hills and valleys across the seasons, we believe that mostly this is a false perception and is much more to do with your side of things than external forces. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by believing you cannot sell...
Mar 30, 2021•49 min•Ep. 88
Our panel sits down to chat about the importance of sharing your personal story and getting over the fear of opening up. The Episode: Why You Should Definitely Share Your Story You may be forgiven for feeling like you always have to show your best side on social media and when interacting with clients. We are here to remind you that showing flaws, vulnerability, and failures can actually positively impact your coaching business and gain you more clients. When you humanize yourself through person...
Mar 25, 2021•39 min•Ep. 87
Our team shares some thoughts on building a package based on nutrition and how these lessons apply to fitness and diet. The Episode: How To Build Packages As A Nutrition Coach Today we look at how the lessons from the OTA can be applied specifically to the role of a nutrition coach. Despite some outward differences, fitness and nutrition coaching have many fundamental similarities and as far as the lessons we teach here, they can be viewed in the same way. The same foundational principles apply ...
Mar 23, 2021•36 min•Ep. 86
Our panel of trainers discusses the importance of asking for sales, gaining more clients, and how often to put your offer out there. The Episode: How to Ask for the Sale (And Why You Should Do It Way More Often Than You Are Right Now) Running an online training business means creating calls to action in order to make sales. The catch is that most people do not do this nearly enough! We may fear many things around self-promotion and sounding 'salesy' but the reality is that if people are not awar...
Mar 18, 2021•36 min•Ep. 85
Our panel of expert trainers discusses ways to take control of self-sabotaging behaviors and operate your business in healthier ways. The Episode: Taking Control Of Self-Sabotaging Behaviors This episode is all about mindset. Being an entrepreneur means taking on a certain set of challenges and there are commons ones that crop up in the business of online training that we can address. A large portion of this relates to expectations and the standards we set for ourselves, which far too often are ...
Mar 16, 2021•43 min•Ep. 84
The team has a conversation about respecting other people's time and ways to manage unforeseen circumstances. The Episode: Respect, Dawg When you provide a service to clients and work with people in any capacity, how you treat those around you will have a rippling set of results on your life and business. Respecting other people's time is a foundational element of this, and keeping appointments and good communication are central. We all encounter unforeseen circumstances and emergencies, but peo...
Mar 11, 2021•36 min•Ep. 83
Today on the show we talk about the inevitability of being criticized on the internet as online trainers and how best to deal with these situations when they arise. The Episode: Dealing With Negativity On The Internet As an online trainer, the very nature of your business is to create content and share it – to share your opinions publicly, in a nutshell. We all know that sharing our opinions online will lead to some pushback though. This is inevitable because there will always be people out ther...
Mar 09, 2021•41 min•Ep. 82
