Personal: Fitness as part of my business plan
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you are one step behind in everything you’re doing?
That was my week last week. Actually, maybe the entire month of July.
My biggest immediate challenge is to get my business plan in order - and believe it or not, fitness is part of it. I’ve been more or less in vacation mode this month, trying to adjust to my new situation pursuing writing and blogging projects fulltime, and the looseness of my schedule has been a detriment to getting things done. Fortunately I had nearly a month of vacation time built up before I left my job, so I’ve been floating on that income. That is about to change however, since the month is ending and as expected, there is no paycheck coming from the old steady corporate source. Looks like I’m winging it from here on out. I had better get my act together.
Fitness is going to be part of my business plan not only because Almost Fit falls into my list of business aspirations, but mostly because I know that I need to focus on exercise as part of my daily regime if I want to achieve my business goals. I get clarity from exercise, and going on my own, I need that clarity desperately. I also know that I feel better in general when I feel fit, and as I mentioned in my article on World Domination (”Will your children think of your life as extraordinary?“), that sense carries through when I talk to potential clients. To that end, I’m going to work it in as part of what I expect from myself.
Any ideas out there on good resources for business plans?
I am starting with the Small Business Administration’s suggestions, but I’d love to hear if any of you entrepreneurial bloggers and businessfolk have found things that work (and things that don’t). Feel free to leave a comment, or drop me an email using metroknow [at] almostfit.com.
Related posts:
- Personal: This week’s exercise confession
- Thursday Resources: Health and Fitness Finds for 28 August, 2008
- Want to lose weight? Go fishing
- Health and fitness finds this week
- Personal entry: Camping without gaining weight
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I’m no business expert by any means, but my advice is to just keep asking questions. And never feel bad for bugging anyone regarding licenses, taxes, etc.
I find that regular workouts help keep me creative, too!
Nice site! Nice post! I look forward to your journey updates!
Find a problem and solve it. Measure what you want to achieve and track to it. Business plans are overkill.
I have only worked 9-5 my whole life so I have not a clue about getting a business plan together.
When I was working regular exercise was part of my days work. I didn’t ride my bike today but I did do 6 hours of yard work so I guess that counts. I am getting it together again and I feel better about the whole healthy thing. I guess It is because I am not feeling so guilty. Some guilt can be a good thing. Vacation is over.
I’ve got some resources at work. I’ll try to remember to flick them on.
@FBG: I think that is solid advice. Getting all of that squared away takes some persistence to be sure - The last time I did it was in L.A. County which was quite an interesting experience…
@Mark: Hey there Mark - Thanks for dropping by. I checked your site as well, and I’m adding it to my list for next week’s link roundup. Good stuff!
@John: Hey there John! I think between your advice and Andrew’s (he sent me a note with a great resource on keeping it simple), I am on the right track. I don’t need 50 pages of spreadsheets and projections; What I need is a 1 or 2 page summary of what exactly I am trying to do. In case you all haven’t noticed, I tend to stray off on tangents, A LOT. I need a document that will be a reminder of what the heck I’m trying to do.
@Christine: I think yard work Definitely counts!
@Andrew: Hi Andrew! Thanks for the pointer you sent. I really do appreciate it, and it’s a great article.
Great site and interesting post.
I’m in the same boat as you are. I’ve started a health and fitness blog a few months back and keeping my gym and fitness routine going has helped me stay focused on my goals of starting a business.
Starting a Business Plan can seem difficult at first but the trick is to break down the whole plan into small steps. I also recommend you do as much research as possible on every aspect of your idea. I like to keep a small notebook with me at all times so that if a new idea pops into my head i wont forget about it later.
This is a great site! I’m excited to start following.
Although not an independent business owner, I too am in fitness, business and technology, and in my marketing position, constantly have to write about new trends in diet/nutrition/health/fitness. I’m a triathlete, which forces me to stay fit, but I also keep myself trying new things. Whether it’s Abs On Demand, new sculpting and toning moves or Olympics promotion, I force myself to try something new every week.
As for your business plan, here’s a link to the National Strength and Conditioning Association: http://www.ussa.edu/index-24.html. It’s like a University for sports. They may have some tips on developing a fitness business plan. Also try: IDEA’s Career Development page: http://www.ideafit.com/career_dev.asp
I hope this helps!