Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mike Bledsoe, owner, and CEO of The Strong Coach, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The Strong Coach supports Health and Fitness coaches in creating a business that supports their personal vision and makes a greater impact on their clients.
Tell us about yourself
I started my first business in the fitness industry in 2007 with a CrossFit gym. I struggled for years to become successful, then, through a series of failures and hard lessons began understanding the importance of business principles. I went on to open a second gym, a podcast, and a YouTube channel that supports athletes, coaches, and gym owners in their development. Watching our clients surpass their goals and expectations while living a life beyond their wildest dreams.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Learning to build a business that is profitable while being able to live a healthy lifestyle myself. Being able to give from a cup that is overflowing vs. feeling like I'm always catching up.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
A good business owner takes responsibility for all areas of business and delegates that responsibility to staff well. At the end of the day, the business, while a separate entity from the owner, is a reflection of how they are being. Owning businesses has been the greatest personal and spiritual development tool that I've been exposed to. The numbers don't lie, and the truth can be belligerent. Facing the facts and taking ownership of reality is the hardest thing any of us can do.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Create a ten-year vision of how you want your life to look. What does the perfect "workday" look like in 10 years? Be specific.
- Identify and interview your prospective customers. Find out what problems they want to be solved. Who they are. Where they currently are in their life. What they've tried before. Your product or service needs to solve a problem in a way that is different from what they've tried before.
- Sell the product or service at the price you anticipate before you build the product. I've seen many build a product that doesn't sell. When I work with clients, we work to make sure there's a market fit before we invest time, energy, and money.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Building a sustainable business is an endurance race. One foot in front of the other. There will be setbacks. There will be failures. There will be lessons that cost much more than anyone's student loan debt. The real cost of true education is paid in the trenches. Success comes from continuing to move forward in the face of adversity. The only failure is the failure to try.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.thestrongcoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.bledsoe/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike_bledsoe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelbledsoe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbledsoe/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.