“Adversity is the mother of invention”. I’ve never started a blog with a quote from Albert Einstein before, but he was pretty clever bloke and I think he has a point.
Sometimes we need a bit of a trigger to make us think differently about the way we run our businesses - forcing us to step outside our comfort zones in order to establish new routes to market. The coronavirus pandemic has certainly provided this trigger for me – forcing me to re-think ways I can trade through the lockdown.
I’d been telling myself for a while that online reviews and follow-ups would be a good way to support my personal training activity but, for one reason or another, I hadn’t got around to putting this process in place. The enforced restrictions accelerated my plunge into the previously unchartered waters of online personal training, enabling me to keep working and provide a service to my clients.
Re-think, Re-format, Reward
It’s meant totally re-formating workouts from the group circuit training sessions I ran pre-Covid 19, which typically used a range of equipment, eg. dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls etc. to classes that now consist, almost uniquely, of bodyweight-focused strengthening and conditioning exercises, with the occasional use of chairs, stairs and walls as ‘equipment’.
Despite the overhaul in format, to date I’ve had really positive feedback from clients who’ve been taking part in the virtual classes. Interestingly, the social interaction element is also a really important part of the online classes – my groups have built a good rapport over time and the regular Zoom sessions now also provide the opportunity for a bit of a catch up and to share news and gossip!
I’ve been re-assured that I can still make a positive difference and provide a much-needed lifeline to keep them physically and mentally healthy during difficult times. I’m also convinced that there’ll be a role for online interaction once ‘normality’ returns. So thanks Einstein for the nudge!