Vaughn Bethell, owner of Performance QSA in Greenville, SC

Vaughn Bethell has successfully implemented the KING of all business-building strategies…growth from the inside-out.

At MEGA TRAINING this year his presentation will be more than a single promotion. He will share with you exactly how he’s doubled his business in 15 months by developing client-community, creating raving fans, maximizing retention and compliance with team-building events, client-love, member of the year contests, platinum client experiences, and more.

As spectacular as his business growth has been, what may be most impressive is how he’s worked him-self out of a job.

The lifestyle freedom Vaughn now enjoys in unparalleled in our industry. He is approaching real business mastery – where everything he does not only makes him more money, but also supports precisely the way of life he demands.

Vaughn is an imposing, authoritative and inspiring presence on stage. You can’t help but get FIRED UP listening to this man. And you will walk away knowing you just got the ultimate lesson in business and lifestyle by design. Not to be missed!

In Vaughn’s own words:

“Since being with NPE, my life has completely changed. Before joining NPE and going on this journey with these guys, I had a very stressful life and it was really affecting me physically to where I wasn’t working out the way I should. I was getting sick and it was just business stress, financial stress.

Being able to join NPE and get direction and get on that path to reaching your goals, as you see that you’ve started to reach these milestones, it really does change your life. The stress has gone away. I’m not in the gym every day from the crack of sawn until dusk; I have freedom.

I have freedom to spend time with my family, spend time with my wife, spend time with my little girl, but I also have some financial freedom as well to take vacations and do the things that I want to do. Two years ago, I really couldn’t do that, so being with NPE has really been a life-changer and is probably the best decision I ever made.

When I found NPE, I like to be a student of the game, whatever I’m doing, so I was just doing a lot of business research with personal training, personal training studios, and how do I grow a business. I knew I didn’t want to train people for the rest of my life. I think it was a Google search…I really don’t know how I found it, but I was on the Internet and I came across it. I just subscribed. I think it was an opt-in I subscribed to, and I started getting all these e-mails all the time from NPE.

Finally I started following the e-mails and started doing some of the things. I went ahead and ordered one of the first programs, and the first program I ordered was DUPLICATOR, because I knew I didn’t want to train for the rest of my life. It sat on my shelf for about six months.

I kept getting these e-mails. These guys keep coming up with product after product. I saw all of the testimonials and I said, ‘Heck, they’re coming out with this MEGA TRAINING event. I’m just going to go and see what these guys are all about.’

So I made the jump to go buy a ticket to Boston, pay for a hotel and go to MEGA TRAINING in 2008. It was one of the best experiences I had. I had a chance to sit down with Sean and Eric and basically talk to you a little bit, see what your backgrounds were and pick your brains a little bit and from there, I was sold. I applied for VIP and luckily I got accepted and then it’s been a great ride ever since.

At the end of 2008 we had taken our business up to about $286,000, but after MEGA TRAINING that year I joined NPE, went VIP and 2009 ended up being a much better year. At the end of 2009, we ended up recording about $420,000 and now here we are in 2010; we’re on track to hit well over half a million dollars”

For Vaughn, and many, many others, attending MEGA TRAINING was the catalyst. It was the thing that got him fully engaged with us here at NPE, and you just heard a little bit about the results he’s achieved because of that.

The very next year after attending his first MEGA TRAINING event in 2008, Vaughn was a case study presenter on stage for his excellence in staff development and team building. Now he’s done it again and taken his business to a whole new level increasing growth… all while setting up the business to run completely without his presence.

There are many others like him as you’ll see at MEGA TRAINING 2010.  And you can be among them.

Register today while seats are still available.

It really is “better than free” to attend. Just use the two campaigns we give you as soon as you register to get more clients and make more than enough to cover your travel and hotel.

All the details are here.

See you in October,
Sean

P.S. It’s true, NPE is #131 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies. And that’s part of the reason why we’ve made MEGA TRAINING 2010 better than free to attend.  But there’s less than 50 seats still available. Get the full
story here.

IronTribe in Homewood, AL is now the world’s fastest growing Crossfit facility- hitting over 200 members in just 7 months.

And it’s owned my VIP Member Forrest Walden who’s a case-study presenter at MEGA TRAINING in October.

There are a LOT of lessons Forrest will be sharing in his presentation.

One of the biggest is the right and WRONG way to position and open a new facility.

Too many owners open their doors with just a handful of clients on the books, and then struggle for months (sometimes years) just to hit break-even… let alone take home a salary or distributions.

Business is hard, frustrating, and worst of all not very rewarding in that scenario.

Contrast that with a facility that’s blowin’ up, clients who are raving fans, and team who LOVES to come to work and give back to the community… it’s a true joy to wake up every morning and do what you do.

Success does not happen by accident.

Their are KEY strategies and actions to be taken if you wish to duplicate Forrest’s success in opening a new facility or just ‘re-opening’ your existing one.

Frankly, if your facility is NOT yet “sold out” then you should be focusing your time and energy on learning how to do just that.

HINT: It starts with getting a VERY clear vision and defining what in fact “sold out” means for YOU.

The BEST way to get schooled is to get face-to-face with Forrest and our other 13 case-study presenters are MEGA TRAINING in October.

With just 50 seats left now, tickets are going fast.

Grab yours this weekend here.

To your success,
Sean

P.S. Here’s a question for you… why open a business if you’re not committed to doing what is required to crush it?

With 14 profitable ‘copy-and-paste’ promotions being shared by REAL owners “in the trenches”, guest speakers, face-time with the NPE team and community of ballers like Forrest, you can’t help but walk away from MEGA TRAINING with everything you need (and then some) to achieve your goals and fulfill your dreams this year.

Grab one of the 50 remaining seats we’ve got here now.

The title of Dan John’s newest book, Never Let Go, summarizes his personal philosophy on lifting, living and learning.

And if those words – never let go – don’t reach into your heart and soul at the most primal level…well, you may not be the competitive sort.

In that case, there’s probably not much you can learn from this substantial man.

On the other hand, if you’re made of that same stuff, if you know you only lose when you quit – when you let go – then spending time with Dan John at MEGA TRAINING – listening to his stories about lifting, living and learning – will be something you never let go.

It will be like getting pumped full of high octane fuel.

It will super-charge you.

“There are a few people in every profession who can be considered great at what they do, and a few who rise above greatness and approach legendary. In the fitness and conditioning world, Dan John is one of the greatest of all time. A true professional, and an expert in every sense of the word: Dan John is a legend in this field.” – Alwyn Cosgrove

But Dan John is much more than a ‘motivational’ guy. He brings to the table a track record of teaching and coaching for well over 30 years.

He is the former Strength Coach and Head Track and Field Coach at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah.

He remains a full-time religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri and contributing writer to Men’s Health.

Dan has Masters degrees in history and in religious education, as well as intensive work at the American University in Cairo, University of Haifa, and Cornell.

Dan has written articles for Catechetical Update and Utah Historical Quarterly, as well as being a columnist for the Intermountain Catholic.

Dan was also a Fulbright Scholar in 1985.

In addition, Dan writes articles for a variety of strength magazines and publishes a little newsletter called Get Up, which registers up to a quarter of a million hits a month.

You can also read his work at www.dragondoor.com and www.tmuscle.com, and magazines like Men’s Health and Outside and his busy forum at www.davedraper.com.

At home, he is humbled by his lovely wife, Tiffini, whose middle name is not “long suffering” no matter how often it is repeated, and his two daughters, Kelly and Lindsay.

In his athletic career, among many other championships and records, Dan has won the Master Pleasanton Highland Games twice, American Masters Discus Championships several times, the National Masters Weightlifitng Championship once and holds the American Record in the Weight Pentathlon.

Dan John is a substantial man, and we’re honored to have him as our Key Note Speaker at MEGA TRAINING 2010.

We’ve just about half-way sold out on our remaining seats for MEGA TRAINING.

Make sure you get on over and grab your spot for this before our tickets are all gone.

To your success,

Sean

P.S. Dan John is someone we can all learn a lot from. As an athlete, coach, father, husband, and teacher… he has ‘been there, done that’ and I’m honored to have him as our keynote speaker this year. “Never Let Go” is full of lessons about life and learning, all through Dan’s experiences as an athlete and coach we can ALL relate to. I can’t wait to hear him speak in person and you’re going to get a ton out of your time spent here in Orlando… that I can guarantee.

Grab one of the remaining seats we have left for MEGA TRAINING now before they’re all gone.

P.P.S. This is a special year to celebrate so much and give back to all our members. Not sure we’ll ever be doing a “free” event again, so don’t miss this one!

I want to share a very cool fitness business success story with you.

Give it a quick read…

Jeff with his beautiful family.

From Jeff Tomaszewski, Overload Fitness, Ohio

“I started with NPE at the beginning of 2008, our gross income at the end of that year was around $450,000. A year later, it was up to $666,000 and last year, at the end of 2009, we closed the books at $990,000, so just shy of one million dollars, and it looks like we’ll exceed the one-million-dollar mark in 2010, working with the systems from NPE in our business.

“The first time they had Mega Training in 2008, I went there and I was like a kid on the JV bench because I saw all these VIP members and I wanted a part of that. I wanted to be successful and I saw all these success stories from these guys and I thought, “I need to surround myself with like-minded people,” and that’s what I wanted to do.

“So I kind invited myself to the VIP’s table, sat with them, talked with them and asked as many questions as I could. I was like a sponge that whole weekend at Mega Training. I mean, my head was spinning. That night, I went back to my hotel room, I called Josh, my business partner, and said, “We have so much work to do.” I stayed up hours that weekend just typing on my computer, putting together a plan, on the way home on the plane, putting together a plan to launch it into that next year going forward.

“It was that moment after Mega Training that we really took off with our business and automated a lot of things, systems and things like that. Since then, we haven’t looked back. We’ve grown significantly. Last year in the recession, we grew 43% and in this economy, I think that’s not too bad.

“The other thing that had changed once I started NPE and started to grow the business and really working on the business is my schedule. I learned how to effectively block out time…for everything.  So now I spend every Wednesday at home with my three little girls who mean everything to me, and I can work from home if I want to, but I spend quality time with my family while the business runs itself.”

For Jeff, and many, many others, attending MEGA TRAINING was the catalyst. It was the thing that got him fully engaged with us here at NPE, and you just heard a little bit about the results he’s achieved because of that.

The very next year after attending his first MEGA TRAINING event in 2008, Jeff was first runner-up for Member of the Year.  His story is awesome, but it’s not unique.  There are many others like him as you’ll see at MEGA TRAINING 2010.  And you can be among them.

Register today while seats are still available.

It really is “better than free” to attend. Just use the two campaigns we give you as soon as you register to get more clients and make more than enough to cover your travel and hotel.

Go here for all the details about MEGA TRAINING 2010.

See you in October,
Eric

P.S. It’s true, NPE is #131 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies. And that’s part of the reason why we’ve made MEGA TRAINING 2010 better than free to attend.  But there’s less than 100 seats still available. Get the full story here.

NPE has just been recognized as #131 (and #16 in the Advertising & Marketing category) on this year's Inc 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America.

Today I wanted to share with you that NPE has just been recognized as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in America.

Every year Inc puts out a list of 500 of the fastest growing companies in America, and this year (our first year eligible to participate), we not only made the list… but we were ranked #131 overall across all industries and #16 in the advertising & marketing category.

It’s quite a honor to receive this recognition, most companies and entrepreneurs never get there.

We’ve proud to say we achieved it in our first 3 years.

You can view the listing here.

The past 3 years have been a wild ride for all of us. Kinda like riding a rocket into outer space, when you haven’t clipped in your seatbelt yet!

But we wouldn’t change any of it, and we want to thank YOU (all our customers, partners, and friends) for making it all possible.

Without you and your support, we could not have done it.

Our Turn To Give Back To YOU

This is a big deal. And we want to celebrate our success, and the continued success of all our top VIP clients that are having their best month’s (and years) ever by throwing a big party to celebrate.

That’s why we’ve decided to turn the biggest party we’ve already had in the planning for a year now, MEGA TRAINING, into a full-blown customer appreciation event.

MEGA TRAINING is now free to all our customers, clients, and friends.

The only “catch” is that we’ve only got room for 200 at this shindig.

So we’re asking you to RSVP fast and join us in the celebration.

It’s gonna be a blast, and we’ve been feverishly adding in some new speakers, bell’s and whistles to blow this thing out.

We know there are a ton of people out there who can benefit from getting face-to-face with us and all our top clients at MEGA TRAINING, so we’re removing every barrier we can to help you get here and get the support you need to grow your business.

All the details we’re ready to share are now posted to the MEGA TRAINING site here, so head on over and grab a seat to join us in Orlando on October 21-23rd.

This thing is going to rock the house, and we want you to be a part of it!

To your success,

Sean

P.S. Eric has also just released 2 new killer marketing campaigns you can implement immediately for a “back-to-school” promotion. Includes a Facebook advertising component and some quick training to get up to speed fast with everything you need to get this running now!

Grab your seat today,  and you can instantly download these campaigns as our gift to you. Watch the step-by-step training video to get it into play and you can start bringing new clients in your door this week.

This is just the beginning of a whole lot more we’ve got coming to celebrate this year and blow out this MEGA TRAINING event as our best yet!

It’s true.

MEGA TRAINING is now “essentially” free.

We’ve just won a big award, we’ve just had our best month ever (and are on track for our best year ever).

And so many of our top clients are all having their best months and years ever, that we’ve decided to celebrate by changing thing up and turn MEGA TRAINING into a full-blown customer appreciation event.

Because we know there are people out their struggling, and the best way we can help you is by making it as easy as possible for you to get to Orlando.

Emails, blog posts, and phone calls are ok.

But it’s NOTHING like getting face-to-face at a live event where you can meet us, learn from all the folks we have presenting, network with all our high level VIP clients, and get re-energized and focused to grow and push through any obstacles standing in your way.

While we can’t cover your travel and hotel investment, we can make the event essentially free AND help you EARN the revenue needed to cover all your travel and then some… all before you even get to MEGA TRAINING.

That’s why we’ve just released 2 MASSIVE fitness marketing campaigns for a back-to-school promo that you can immediately download and put into play as soon as you register.

Watch the video and get all the details here.

The only “catch” is we’ve got a hard limit on how many people can fit in the room. Even with adjusting some seating, making the stage smaller, and a few other tricks… we’re at a 200 max.

So once we’re sold out of tickets, they’re gone.

Grab yours now and get on this thing!

To your success,
Sean

P.S. No reason you can’t get these bonus campaigns up and running this weekend and have new clients walking in the door next week. What are you waiting for?

Get on this now!

We have HUGE NEWS to share with you.

I’ll get to it in a moment. First, let’s talk about that fun quiz almost 300 fitness professionals contributed to with your comments.

And, of course, I want to announce the winner of the sweet fitness marketing prize of 2 tickets to MEGA TRAINING 2010, 3 nights of hotel, and $100 cash.

“The Future Depends on what we do in the Present” – Ghandi

It’s a bummer it had to end.

But yesterday evening the blog comment quiz entries slowed to a trickle.

Almost 300 fitness professionals contributed their comments over the course of five days. And it was a fun ride while it lasted, right?

It’s great to stimulate the mind.

And it was cool getting that online conversation going.  Not an easy thing to do these days.

Everybody’s busy.

And…where there’s an abundance of information, there’s often a deficit of attention.

Never in our lives has there been more information accessible so quickly and easily.  Just Google it.

So I really appreciate you giving me your attention.

Because this may be the single most important piece of information I could ever share with you, and it’s not even about fitness marketing.  Imagine that.

But there is still a strategy, which I’ll explain, as well as an excellent tactic that will help you implement.

OK, so the question I asked on the quiz was…

All other things being equal (just like the two young men in Conroy’s letter), what is it that separates the “haves” from the “have nots”…

…at the most fundamental level?

And we got lots of great answers.

The most common ones, and the total number of fitness professionals with that particular answer:

Decision – 54
Desire – 37
Belief – 35
Thought – 20
Imagination – 18
Vision – 12
Want – 9
Plan – 9
Attitude – 5
Goal – 5
Intention – 4

And 36 other answers with from 1-3 people. Some examples; work, positivity, passion, mindset, responsibility, commitment, will, purpose, determination, faith, focus, courage, and more.

The Right Answer

My hope is that you will read this all the way through and think it all the way through. If you do, and then apply it, you will achieve your goals and dreams in record time.

Did you see the Ghandi quote at the top of this post?

“The Future Depends on what we do in the Present”

It’s brilliant. And it’s perfect. It cuts right to the core of the issue, and it reveals exactly what separates the ‘haves’ from the ‘have-nots’.

So the next question is…what determines what you do in the present?

Let me back up for a second, because it’s really important that you get this – that you understand it and internalize it.

When you want something, you have to take action to get it, right?

But there is a gap between your desire, and your action to manifest that desire.

Something has to happen in between in order for you to get your butt in gear.

What is it?  What is that ‘thing’ that happens to close the gap?

Since the largest segment of you answered the quiz correctly, many of you already know…

It’s decision.

You have to decide to take action.  That’s what closes the gap…and that what determines your destiny.

Anthony Robbins said it best…

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”

Like Ghandi’s quote, that one from Tony is simply profound.

So, with this understanding you now have the life-changing STRATEGY.

But it’s the implementation of this decision-strategy on the TACTICAL level that makes all the difference in the world.

Consider this…

You want to lose weight.  You know that will require taking some form of action.  You decide to exercise for 30 minutes a day and eliminate simple carbs from your diet.

The first day, you hit the gym and eat clean.  Same on your next day.  On the third day, a scheduling conflict comes up. You have to decide between your workout or this other thing (whatever it is). You decide to blow off your workout.

That, my friends, in a nutshell is what separates the ‘haves’ from the ‘have-nots’.

And it is often not even that obvious.

Another example…

You’re in the middle of working on a press release for your fitness business when your phone rings. You decide to answer it, and then get drawn into a conversation. After the 15 minute conversation you’re hungry and decide to go get lunch. The opportunity to complete the press release in the time block you allotted for it…is now gone.

Now that project gets back-burnered, or you have to push off another project in order to get back and finish the press release. And the problem cascades.

Small things, you say?

Yes.  And the devil is ALWAYS in the details.

More to the point…the devil is always in the little, tiny decisions you make hundreds of times a day.

You can either kick that devil’s ass – by making sure all your little, tiny daily decisions SUPPORT YOUR GOAL…

…or else the devil will kick your ass.

Your choice. (Aha, another decision.)

On the tactical level, the difference between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ comes down to the CONSISTENCY with which you make supportive decisions.

Because consistently making supportive decisions leads to consistently taking supportive action.

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” Another good one from Anthony Robbins

The decision is the TRIGGER for the action.

Do you see that?

“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.”
Yes, yet another great one from Tony Robbins.

Here’s a couple comments from two guys who got the answer to the quiz right. They do a great job.

Randy Gruezo and Brett Matthews both put it most succinctly…

Randy: Decision = cutting off all other possibilities. Allows you to focus on one thing only.

Brett: DECISION. Nothing can occur until you make a decision to do it.
(Brett, I grabbed the Ghandi quote off your website. It’s perfect. Thanks.)

Take a look at how Eric Anderson answered the quiz. This is spot-on:

“Decision. We decide, whether we are aware of it or not, to do or not do, choose or not choose whatever happens to us. Life is not really an accident or surprise…for the most part. I am where I am today due to the choices I have made along the way. Good, bad or indifferent, it is what it is. We can blame others, our environment, our fears, but we ultimately choose the path we take. Until we take responsibility for our actions, and accept that, we simply can’t move on. And, even if I don’t want to admit it, when I find myself becoming indecisive, it’s only because I have chosen to be!! Ain’t that a kick in the pants!”

On the lighter side, Tom (who didn’t leave his last name) also got it right and added this tid-bit…

“Eric I WANT that prize and I’ve decided I’m going to get it. My plan is to track you down. And my actions will be based on how cooperative you are in handing it over But seriously Eric great idea running this little topic/quiz you attracted a lot of cool people with a lot of cool answers. Peace my friend with kindest regards, Tom.

I also really like what Matthew Hickey wrote:

“First, my answer to your riddle is we must make a decision before we take actions. We make hundreds and hundreds of decisions or choices before we take any type of action. Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do…they make that choice, they decide not to go the extra mile, they decide to not paint a vision for the future but successful people have a strong belief in themselves, they make decisions based on positive (at least they hope) outcomes and the vision they have painted for themselves and strive to achieve.”

Great comments. Thanks gang.

The List of Fitness Professionals Who Got The Answer Right…And The Winner of the Sweet Fitness Marketing Prize

Plus…HUGE NEWS below

1. Dane Mitchell
2. Chris Tuck
3. Noel Chelliah
4. Dean Jolly
5. Matt ___?
6. Vern Gauthier
7. David Hoffmaster
8. Ron Farrington
9. Georgette Pan
10. Ron Embaugh
11. Chris DeLeon
12. Emile Jarreau
13. Kevin Lau
14. Linda Mallard
15. Bethany Geary
16. Jeff Tomaszewski
17. Mark Hill
18. Jim ___?
19. Paul Wright
20. Randy Gruezo
21. Tiffany Todd
22. Nathan Jordan
23. Peter ____?
24. Patrick Streppel
25. Chris Gray
26. Paul Straw
27. Jason Long
28. Rick Caputo
29. Shondelle Solomon
30. Capri Ford
31. Dave Prois
32. Joel T.
33. Tom ____?
34. Anthony ____?
35. Cynthia ____?
36. Peter Holmes
37. Patricia Gibson
38. Cath ____?
39. Zach Little
40. Tom ____?
41. Arden Straw
42. Scott ____?
43. Damien Woodson
44. Billy Colburn
45. Bill ____?
46. Dee Whittington
47. Rick Copley
48. Kimberly Guido
49. Brandon Flowers
50. Brett Matthews
51. Eric Anderson
52. Ruben Carillo
53. Matthew Hickey
54. Ann-Marie Giglio

Congratulations to all of you. Nice job!

So what we did was put all the winner’s names in a big bowl and then I had my dog, Apollo, stick his nose in the bowl (there was a treat at the bottom). When he lifted his head with the treat in his mouth, one piece of paper was stuck to his nose with the name of our winner…

MARK HILL
Lifestyles Fitness

Applause!  Congratulations Mark!  We’ll be in touch to hook you up with your free tickets to MEGA TRAINING, free hotel and $100 cash.

Which, coincidentally (wink) leads me to the…

FREAKIN HUGE NEWS.

And a little decision you have to make right away that we’ve now made so incredibly simple for you.

Go here for the HUGE NEWS and to make your easy-peezy decision.

P.S. As Socrates said, “Know Thyself.” It is the KEY to the door of abundance. Because when you stop to think about the daily decisions you are making – recognizing them in the moment – and correcting them (if need be) to make them supportive of the actions you know you must take to move forward towards your goals…then you have as complete and total control as you can possibly get over your destiny.

“We are all self-made, but only the successful will admit it.”

Onward…to the mac-daddy news.

In 1974 a freelance copywriter named Martin Conroy wrote what is widely regarded as the most successful single piece of advertising in the history of the world.

It was a simple two-page letter called “Two Young Men” that was the control piece mailed to generate subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal for almost a quarter century.

In that time it was responsible for over $1 BILLION in sales (with a ‘B’).

The letter is about two men who went to the same college, had similar grades and were both personable fellows.  They were very much alike, and both went on to work at the same company.

25 years later, one of the men was a manager of a small department within that company.  The other man was the company’s president.

After telling this story, the letter then asks, “What made the difference in their lives?”

The letter goes on to make the case that the difference lies in what each person knows, and how they make use of that knowledge, then transitions into how WSJ is that fountain of knowledge.

It’s a great story that clearly resonates with a lot of people.  And it sold WSJ subscriptions like crazy.

Certainly, it’s easy to agree with Conroy’s argument about knowledge and its application.

But there is something that happens even before the acquisition and application of knowledge.

And that ‘something’ is truly what separates the have’s from the have-not’s, the middle managers from the company presidents, the average fitness business owner from the six or seven figure fitness business owner.

This quiz is about that ‘something.’

More clues…

Socrates

Socrates was one of the world’s most influential thinkers and philosophers. He was Plato’s teacher back in the fifth century and the originator of what is now called the “Socratic method” of inquiry and critical thinking in pursuit of solutions and truth.

I took a philosophy class in college, scraping by with ‘C’. Held zero interest for me…then.  Now I find it fascinating.

That may be because I don’t think of it as philosophy, but as thoughtfullness, inquisitiveness and introspection.  What, and how we think about the world, our place in it, and ourselves.

As Socrates said, “an unexamined life is not worth living.”

The sad reality is that most people rarely take the time to think about WHO they are and WHY they are the way they are, do what they do, say what they say.

Instead they just react…salivating at the sound of the bell much like Pavlov’s dogs.

There are definitely times when thinking too much just gets in the way. It can actually interfere with performance, or stop you from even trying to perform.

But even that is worthy of thought, isn’t it?  (You can really go deep with this stuff.)

OK, let’s get to my question for you…my little quiz.

And there is only one correct answer.

Let’s see if you can get it right.  Everyone who does will be entered into a drawing to win a VERY valuable prize. I promise the winner will not be disappointed.  And really, you win just by participating, because this gets you thinking analytically – and that’s a good thing.

Here’s the question…

All other things being equal (just like the two young men in Conroy’s letter), what is it that separates the “have’s” from the “have not’s”…

…at the most fundamental level?

It is truly the ultimate success secret.

Now, it’s not a character trait, like self-discipline, determination or perseverance, for example.

It’s not your values or your principles, although they play a role.

It could be considered a “behavior” – but it’s NOT something you physically do.

It occurs only in your mind.

So it’s NOT “action” – or “intelligent action” – or “informed action” – or “massive action.”  All of which are often referred to as the ultimate success secret.

The answer I’m looking for…PRECEDES action.

It’s what happens before any action can occur.

That’s why I say it is what separates the have’s from the have-not’s at the most FUNDAMENTAL level.

The answer is just one word, and using either the noun or verb is acceptable.

OK, that’s enough clues. Go ahead and post your answer in the comments section below. Write as much or as little as you feel is necessary – but correct answers MUST include either the noun or verb form of the word.  We’ll announce the winner, and the killer prize, early next week.

Noodle it through – unless it’s nose-on-your-face obvious to you already.

Have fun and good luck.

Eric

P.S. If you’re not sure of the answer, think this through BEFORE reading others’ comments – it’s a great mental exercise. Then, if you’re still not sure…you can cheat a bit

In 1986 Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth was published.

It started a revolution.

Finally, small business owners had a path forward from “technician” to “entrepreneur.”

They discovered the critical importance of systems, and saw how spending more time working ON, rather than just IN their business, could set them free.

Gerber did a fantastic job of explaining WHAT to do, but his book fell short in explaining HOW to do it.

And that’s where the amazing new book I want to tell you about today picks up.

If your fitness business is disorganized and not running SYSTEMATICALLY, then there is an absolute ceiling to your growth.  Although most everyone pays lip service to the value of systems, very few understand how to create and implement them into their businesses.

The degree to which your fitness business is systemized largely determines how effective, and how profitable, it will be as you grow.

It also largely determines your quality of life as a fitness business owner.

Because fitness business systems give you leverage and control, and that gives you freedom.

I’ve written extensively about the value and importance of taking your fitness business from chaos to control via systemization in my letters about DUPLICATOR™ and EZ-Operator™ (the two most potent fitness management systems available anywhere, at any price).

With DUPLICATOR™ and EZ-Operator™, we give you the fish. It’s ready to eat.

But if you’re interested, as you should be, in learning how to fish, then I want to introduce you to a book that, in my opinion, is one of the most important business books ever written.

I say that because I’ve owned a business that was ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ and now I’m the co-owner of a business that is almost 100% systems-driven.

I did well with the ‘seat of my pants’ model because I can market and sell with the best of them.  But it was stressful and solely dependent on my performance.

Sound familiar?

Because of that, I repeatedly smacked my head into a HARD earning’s ceiling (and I’ve got no hair to cushion the blow).

I had very little leverage.  And leverage is the second sexiest word in business (‘margin’ is the first).

Now things are almost 180 degrees different.  Now business is booming, there’s nothing but clear, blue sky above our heads, and we’ve got TREMENDOUS up-side leverage.

That’s because of effective systems (my hat’s off to Sean).

Once you experience how systems impact your life: how much easier, more effective, efficient and IN-CONTROL they make everything you do, or manage, you want MORE of them.

And you want them in every aspect of your life.

That’s why, when I heard about the book Work The System by Sam Carpenter – I grabbed it and devoured it.

I might never be a systems savant like Sean – but even this old dog can learn a few new tricks.

And so can you – old dog or not.

Listen to what author Sam Carpenter says in his introduction to Work The System…

“I direct Work the System to those who have the following chronic internal dialogue: ‘There are things I must do right now, and there is barely the time or money or energy to do them. I will bulldoze my way through these tasks, and as usual, they will be completed just in time – but the results will be of marginal quality, and my body and mind will continue to be stretched to the breaking point.  I’m tired and stressed and can’t seem to shake free of living on the edge, and I worry about my frame of mind and my health.  There is too much chaos around me, too little control, and never enough money – things are far from what they should be…’”

Does that resonate with you?

If so, I’ve got 3 very serious suggestions:

1. Go here and download the first three chapters of Work The System for free (good), or just buy the book (better) for $15 here. It’s available in hard cover, PDF and audio versions.  The book is a great read, but it DOES require work to implement. You won’t benefit by osmosis.
2. Read about DUPLICATOR™ Fitness Business Management System. You may not need it at this time, but you will sooner or later.
3. Watch the EZ-Operator™ video and sign up for the early bird announcement list.  We’ll be re-opening this incredible system in September to 50 more fitness business owners who want highly optimized operations that delight your clients, staff and you.

To your fitness business success,
Eric

P.S. I coined the phrase “from chaos to control” back in early 2008 when I wrote the DUPLICATOR™ letter. Since then, it’s been borrowed by many top tier folks. Interesting.

Since I know many of you are into “hardstyle” training I wanted to let you know about a special event our friend Pavel is hosting in Ventura, CA.

This is taking place early November and is a special opportunity to get to meet Pavel and a few other big dawg RKC master trainers in a great “relaxed training” atmosphere (if there is such a thing).

Plus, I’m told Pavel’s will be sharing a ton of new training protocols he’s been working on with the TRX.

Check this out and if you can I encourage you to get your butt to Ventura in November.

To your success,
Sean

P.S. We’ve been given a special link with discounted pricing for all NPE members, so you’ll see that reflected on this page.

NOTE: You must use this link, you won’t see the discount on the main site