The Trackster blog is written to help Personal Trainers become better business people.

We do this by -

• Writing articles that help PTs improve their business skills;
• Point PTs to great resources around the web;
• Interview specialists in different areas of business;
• Interview successful Personal Trainers that can pass on helpful information.

By clarifying what we do here, hopefully that will help all our editorial decisions in the future.  When we decide what type of post to write next, the first thing we ask is whether that post will help achieve our aims for this blog?

Have you got an elevator pitch for your business or blog?  Love to hear about it in our comments below.

This past week a Melbourne based hosting company was subjected to cyber-attack and lost all its data, which included over 4000 websites! Those websites included many many small to medium size businesses that lost all their data, without any backup.

It’s probably a good time as any to investigate your own back up systems in place for your business. Why don’t you check with your web developer or IT guy and check that there is back ups of your website. What would happen if your business happened to be hacked? How quickly could you be back up and running as per normal?

What about on your own computers? What systems do you have in place to make sure all your data is backed up and secure? A good back up system should have all your data in three separate places. A good suggestion would be to have an online back up system like Mozy or Dropbox. Add to that some sort of hard disk that is backed up onsite, and then another hard disk which is kept offsite (or at least away from your first hard disk).

This might seem a little extreme but it certainly is better than losing all your information and having to start from scratch. A little bit of peace of mind is certainly worth paying for.

The main focus seems to be on health clubs, but there is some interesting insights for the future of Personal Trainers.  It’s a good article and worth reading.

I wasn’t surprised to read that the panel was a little divided on the future of technology in the fitness industry.  When talking about technology, I separate it into two broad categories 1) consumer software and 2) business software.

I don’t think there is any doubt that the second category of business software has a future.  That is software that helps PTs, clubs and anyone in the industry run their business, communicate with clients and keep everything organised.  This can range from a simple spreadsheet, to a website, Facebook and Twitter, to large software for Health Clubs to obviously something like The Trackster for Personal Trainers.  This is an area where I actually think that the fitness industry is a little behind.

The first category of consumer software is where I think the panel may have been divided.  When I talk about consumer software I’m thinking of things like iphone apps, software that builds training routines, online guides to getting fit etc.  Some in the industry may be a little scared of this increasing market, and may be thinking that there won’t be a role for clubs and more importantly Personal Trainers in the future.

I don’t think that it’s a concern for PTs at all.  I think they should embrace it, because it’s making their job easier.  The PTs can start to focus on the main part of their job which is to motivate and encourage their clients.  Let’s face it everyone these days knows the basics of how to lose weight and get fit.  Knowing the basics and actually losing weight and getting fit is two very different things!

Like Justin says in his summary, these tools should be used to complement staff, not replace them.  PTs should never forget that they are PERSONAL Trainers, not just trainers.  People will always need specialists like PTs to help them curate all the information that is out there, and help them on to the right track with their health and fitness.

It’s also a time to consider what PTs learn when they study their courses.  At the moment, I think the focus from most of these courses is on the exercise science part of being a trainer.  This is obviously very important, but there needs to be more work done on small business management, psychology and motivation, which only make up a small part of these courses.

In terms of what the industry will look like in 2016, I think education will be one of the things that changes the most.

What do you think?  Are you worried when your clients come armed with the latest fitness news or gadget?  What do you think about the course you did to be a personal Trainer?  Could it be improved?

When researching and doing some reading a name that popped up a bit was Dan Pink.  He has written a book called Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.  I have ordered the book online and can’t wait to read it, but I’ve listened to a few interviews he has done and also a few videos of him online which are fantastic.

This first video is called “The two questions that can change your life”.  It’s only 2 minutes long and worth watching.

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

The second video is a little longer at 19 minutes of a presentation Dan did at a TED conference.

Just as a sidenote the TED website is a fantastic resource of high quality motivating presentations.

I’m fascinated that a 2 minute video like the one above can be so motivating and inspiring to people.  I know it has got me thinking about what my sentence would be, and already today I know that I can answer yes to the second question, because I’ve been thinking about it all day.

Personal Trainers are at the coal face of motivation and motivating people.  I’d love to hear what motivates you and what’s the most effective thing you’ve done to motivate your clients.  Leave a comment below and let us know.

I think you’ll agree that these are definitely words to live by…..

Twitter has been great for me and also a little confusing since I signed up.  The confusion I think is because I haven’t focused on how to use it properly.  So I’ve decided what I want from Twitter and how I’ll use my two accounts.

My first account is my business account, which is @TheTrackster.   What I’m going to do with the business account is to use it to help Personal Trainers.  On this blog I have written a few articles now that help PTs with different aspects of their business, and I’ll continue to do that.

The @TheTrackster account will also be a great way for any clients to get in contact quickly with any problems they have.  So if you are a PT that is looking for some useful info and links then feel free to follow @TheTrackster.  And let me know what you think.

The second account I have is my personal one @CraigMillman.  I have got the most out of this account because I’ve actively followed interesting people.  Not necessarily famous (although there are some..), but interesting people in the software industry and business world.  I even get daily updates when my little girl is in daycare!  It’s been a great resource, and I’m sure it will continue to be so.

If you are interested in following my @CraigMillman feed, you’re most welcome.  Just don’t expect any friendly tweets when my football team loses….

The second thing I have done today is to build landing pages for both my twitter feeds.  This is a great idea that I have gotten from @problogger.  If someone comes across either of my twitter accounts and decides to see who I am, they will be directed to a specific landing page, one for @CraigMillman and one for @TheTrackster.

These landing pages just give a bit more information about how I use twitter and what people can expect.  No surprises and they know what they are in for when they follow me.

I’ve come across a few Personal Trainers that are using twitter really well, and I’m going to write an article soon about how the best trainers are using twitter in their marketing mix.

If you are a PT using twitter let us know and we might highlight you in our upcoming article.  Or maybe you have seen other people using twitter in an interesting way?  Let us know in the comments.

Where do I stand?  Well I think it’s going to be a massive seller around the world and be a very popular computer.  I say that because of two reasons 1) the massive popularity of the Iphone, and 2) the way the majority of people use computers now.

The Iphone is hugely popular phone.  I can hardly believe the popularity among my friends, everyone has one and invariably it’s a topic of conversation when a group of people get together – “Have you seen this app?” or “Have you played this game?”  And these are from people who don’t trust websites with their credit cards.  It’s simple and easy to use and has brought the smart phone to the normal every day person.  I think the Ipad will do the same for computers.  Most people have a computer, but when they see what the Ipad can do and how you interact with it, and at a price that is reasonable, they will snap up these things quick smart.  For a start every person with an Iphone will think about getting an Ipad.

The second reason I believe it will be popular is the way everyday people use computers.  My friends and family basically use a computer to upload photos, email friends, check in Facebook, upload songs to their Ipod or Iphone and do their banking online.  After that there are some online purchases through the year, mainly music, and if someone wants to make a major purchase like a computer, car, tv etc, they will get info online.  But that’s the basic way people interact with computers.  These are the things that the Ipad will excel at.  You will be able to do these things in an easy way and with the touch screen a “cool” way that will be attractive to everyday people.

I can see the Ipad basically being like a remote in the lounge room.  You sit down and watch some tv, and you have the Ipad checking your emails and Facebook, and then when you are done you just throw it on the couch ready for tomorrow when you might have some photos to upload.

What about how Personal Trainers can use the Ipad?  I think it will be a great tool for trainers.  It’s reasonably small and very portable and also has 3G connectitivity (basically you can connect to the internet anywhere you can use your phone).  When you are training your clients, you can update their training diary as they exercise, you have access to all your important information at the same time you are with your client, you’ll be able to use it in a Bootcamp situation, you can show clients videos of the exercise you are talking about to help them with their form, you can invoice your client while they are right there with you.  If you are a trainer that works in a gym and tries to get clients on the gym floor, you can carry it around and show people actual results you have achieved or at the very least get their details to put on your marketing lists.  Personally I think it will be a real boost to the productivity of any trainer.

And lets not forget that you will be able to use and update your Trackster account while you are training your clients.

You can, of course, do these things now with various tools available to anyone, but the thing about Apple and the key to their success is that the Ipad will be a “cool” thing to have.  And a very easy computer to use.

What do you think about the new Ipad?  Do you think it’s going to enhance your productivity or just more marketing hype?

Whenever I’m struggling to do something and just can’t be bothered, I go to a list of my favourite quotes that I’ve collected over the years, and more often than not I get pumped and ready to do some work.  What can I say, I’m a simple man….

This is one of my favourite quotes from President Theodore Roosevelt -

“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month!!”

1. I’ve been listening to a podcast called Small Business Big Marketing lately and one of the guys that presents it, Tim Reid, has also been answering some marketing questions on twitter.  His answers come in the form of YouTube videos.  One of his latest ones was about marketing tactics for Personal Trainers.
2. This article is about Andrew Simmons, the guy behind Vision Personal Training and his story and future plans.
3. Some more marketing advice for Personal Trainers, with 19 marketing tips.  Also highlights some of the ones that didn’t work which I like as well.
4. Lastly this week, one which I think just looks pretty cool and that’s some of the latest photo’s from the Hubble Telescope. Who doesn’t think space is cool??

I did one with The Trackster’s concept plan.

I thought this was pretty cool, so I’m actually using it on my business cards.  Something a bit different anyway.

Check it out and have fun with some of your own text.