Today I bring you five specific things to focus on if you're wanting to build an online business in the world of health and fitness (and bring in a profit!)



I created a workshop in 2020 - 3 steps to build a PROFITABLE online heath and fitness business. 



And named it this for more than one reason… 



Businesses need to not only generate revenue but be PROFITABLE.



Many people think “oh I am just going to start an online business” because perhaps it looks “easier” than other options in life…I can assure you the benefits and possible autonomy are there, but make no mistake it is NOT easier.



And to be very frank, most people won’t be successful. Because most people are not meant to be entrepreneurs. The online world has simply created an allure - the allure that if you’re a coach or practitioner in person, you can do it online with ease and make boat loads of money. LOL False.



Now, with that…I am team, if you think it can happen, and you have what you need to MAKE IT HAPPEN, you can. PERIOD.



So, if that’s you. If you’re driven by the possible freedom and okay with the reality that will be anything but easy, you’re my people.



If the idea of being the creator and the solver of your own problems is more appealing than passing issues to someone else to handle, or worse, solving someone else’s issues, then lets do this.



If it physically pains you to do things someone else’s way when you have a different idea, this might be for you.



If being everything - the social media manager, the email marketer, the web designer, the coach, the accountant and the customer service manager is okay with you, then this might be the right path.



I don’t say these things to scare you away or paint a big black x over your rainbow and butterfly painting. I keep it frank because it’s reality. And I want you to be prepared. Prepare to go from passion to profit in the online space.



So, let’s.



I called this episode the New Coaches Guide but let me be clear…



Not NEW Coach



NEW to the online space.



NEW new coaches should work in person however it makes sense in your area of focus. But ALSOOOOOOO you’re winning if you can do both - build and establish that online presence for FREE while working in person as you strategically and organically make that transition online.



1 - CLARITY on what makes you different - your area of focus - your niche.



Call it what you want. I don’t care.



Find this through ACTION



What made you different in person?



What comes easy to you?



What is your philosophy?



Listen to episode 237 on how to set yourself apart as a do it all coach



ICA avatar creator download



Know your niche content guide.



2 - CONTENT frequency



Messaging becomes more clear



You have a passion - how well do you communicate that online? Put in those reps



Builds dependability, knowability and credibility



Keeps you front of mind - thiiiiiiisssss is profitable 



3 - YOUR OFFER



What do you sell?

No matter the weight training program you follow when starting out, you will likely experience a honeymoon phase. 



You’ll feel like you are adapting quick, making gains and getting stronger. This is what we call the newbie phase. And I hope you enjoy it. Because its a precious time in training.



That phase ends at some point however. The weights stop increasing with ease. The same shit feels just as hard as it did last month, or three months ago and you’re like, what is happening? Have I plateaued? Am I overtrained? Do I need to do more?



That’s what we’re unpacking in today’s episode - all you need to know about newbie gains and lifting. 



Many adaptations are taking place when you ask a muscle to contract repeatedly as a given load, with a given speed and then recover. To be clear, the adaptations to training happen in the recovery from said training. That’s where the anabolic affects take place. Two of those adaptations driven by different styles of training can be…



Neurological AND metabolic adaptions



You need BOTH and can HELLA benefit from both when starting out.



That’s heavy load, low rep lifting, and high rep low load lifting. Both should be challenging, but in a different way.



And both can help build a strong foundation of movement patterns, capacity and strength.



So when you start training and you’re PRing every week, upping weight on every exercise, are you getting stronger? Are you gaining muscle? What’s actually happening?



That leads us to:



Skill vs actual muscle growth



You are not likely putting on significant muscle growth, or rather your “gains” and improved force output week to week in the first month or two of training are NOT from increases in muscle mass. They are from building skills - neurological adaptations. Your muscles and mind muscle connection are becoming more proficient from practicing these movements for several reps every week. 



These neurological adaptations don’t STOP as you start acquiring more muscle mass. They simply account for most of your “newbie gains” in the first few months of consistent training.



And that neurological piece will be there, responsible for weight increases regardless of your program, or rep scheme.



But then we do have those differences that I mentioned earlier - in the long term, neurologically demanding training stimuli is going to be more pronounced in lower rep, higher load training like traditional strength training. Strength is very much a skill. While higher reps and lower loads (but still challenging) will likely drive more metabolic adaptations - more mitochondria inside the cell, a high demand for ATP regen and production, etc.



What happens when the PR’s slow, and weight stops going up?



You haven’t plateaued per say. You simply need to begin and will likely benefit from more variance in training factors and intention in program design.



That doesn’t mean you need to confuse your muscles. It simply means that upping JUST WEIGHT or JUST ADDING REPS isn’t enough week to week or month to month anymore.



We can manipulate tempo, rest periods, yes - load and volume, exercise variations and more when it comes to training factors that can lead to more muscle growth or strength gains for you as a trainee.



Question worth asking:



What are you expecting from your training? More muscle mass? More force output (strength?) Higher capacity/fitness?

This episode is for my people. The people who go against the “be a master of one” narrative.



You can’t have more than one offer. You can’t have more than one ideal client or area of focus.



While I understand that perspective and the truth in it (I mean I have an Ideal Client Avatar download and a Know Your Niche content guide), I also think it’s misunderstood in the online health and fitness industry.



YOU NEED CLARITY.



Clarity breeds confidence. Confidence in your offer, how you help, who you help, how you got to where you are and why you take the approach that you do. If you can gain clarity in these areas, you’ll be far more likely to TALK about them - in your content, in sales, in all the places it likely matters. And THAT, I assume, may even lead to more revenue for you. Which you need. Because you own a business.



You don’t have to CHOOSE nutrition OR mindset OR training.



It you DO need clarity on HOW you do those things and how to differentiate yourself from competitors.



Some of this will happen, naturally, if you are building a personal brand. Someone may literally choose to work with you, because of your music preferences, that you share, or other pieces of your life that are intertwined into your online presence. 



But you do need to be clear on the business side of things and your actual methods. As a byproduct, you will likely become more confident in talking about your offers, and how you help people. It’s a win-win. 



So, if you feel like you do it all, just like everybody else, and you don’t know what sets you apart, hopefully today’s episode can lead you to a bit more clarity. Or at least how to find that clarity in your own time.



DEFINE YOUR VALUES



3-5 core values.



May overlap with personal values.



Drive behaviors - ACTION.



What do you believe - in general and in terms of you approach as a coach?



Philosophy IS a massive piece of health and fitness. Take my long haul mentality for instance. That is not a value, but a belief, based in a value I am sure. Of what? Maybe tied into efficacy. One of our core values here at Annie Miller Concepts.



Free write or google some values. But DEFINE them.



Then after you list those values, ask WHY?



Answer that question.



Then paint a picture. What does that look like? How does that core value manifest itself in your approach to health and fitness, or in health and fitness in general? This needs to apply to your area of focus of course.



But considering this episode is for “do it all” coaches, it may be a more broad belief/picture and that’s fine!



Your values, as I’ve said, permeate everything. So, let’s get into that.



DEFINE YOUR METHOD/APPROACH



You have one. Whether you’ve written it down in a system, and on your sales page or not.



Today, you have no excuse. You now know you need to. 



WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH? Is there a series of steps you take every client through?



Many of you work with clients 1:1. That’s great and each of their protocols can be individualized, but HOW DO YOU GET TO THAT PROTOCOL?



That’s my question. If you’ve never considered your method, CONSIDER IT NOW.



FIND IT,

If you want growth on Instagram, you need to focus on engagement. Shareability, and engagement, which means your content needs to be engaging.



Today’s two tips, or how to make all content more engaging for your audience, from stories, to reels, to static posts and more.



These are simple, and they are going to require consistency and time in order for them to work. But you will be able to implement them immediately. And that’s the goal. There’s action that you can take even while you are listening to this episode. Which is, how you’re going to get more engagement.



#1 way to make content more engaging...



MAKE IT EASY 



You are the leader of your audience and I need you to view yourself as such. Recently, I posted a question box that got no engagement. I got one question from someone asking me where I buy my jewelry. Which is a fine question if it’s amongst other valuable questions in relation to fitness, business, or education. That can be rather discouraging or annoying. When it’s the only question you get, and you’re offering your time for free in order to help people.



That’s probably one of the top frustrations that I hear from people trying to build a personal brand on Instagram. Question boxes can make your life so easy because content begets content. 



People are literally providing pieces of content for you to create. And it feels good when your audience responds and interacts with you. That’s the connective piece of social media. 



So instead of moping around about the fact that I got no engagement after thousands of people saw my question box, I just got in my stories, and called out my audience and said something along the lines of you guys really have no questions this Sunday morning? I will gladly get in my fourth lift of the week and stay off this app, but I really do enjoy answering your questions. So if you have any, go back and put them in the box. I basically made fun of the situation and brought light to it. Within five minutes I had like at least 15 to 20 questions.



I’ll say it again, you are the leader of your audience. That doesn’t mean you’re a dictator. It means that people have chosen to follow you and you do have leverage and helping them help you.



So first things first, you need to view yourself as and take on the role of being a leader for your audience. There is agency in that and truth in that.



Then you’re going to make it easy for them. Always always always filter everything through how easy it is for your audience to engage with you. It’s not putting up a question box in your stories, or simply having a call to action in your caption. Can you put the call to action in the actual reel? Can it be the first thing that you say in the caption? Can you give them options to choose from? Can you have them vote on some thing? If you did a number to post, 10 things you’ve learned from 10 years of fitness, ask what number resonates with them the most.



Make it easy.



Have them DM you a word if they want more information on some thing, put up a poll with only two options.



You get the idea. How can you make an engaging with your content easier for people who already follow you?



If you bought your contact or created on the fly, think about that this week or this month.



MAKE IT HUMAN



One of the weakest points I see in people trying to build personal brands in the health and fitness industry online is that they minimize the personal piece. They don’t embrace storytelling, or even identifying with their stories are.

Proficiency is truly the name of the game when it comes to movement patterns, strength and muscle building.



When people talk about muscle memory or mind muscle connection, what are they really referring to?



WHAT



In short, I’d say, the proficiency, strength, and consistency of your neural pathways from brain to muscle when contracting.



WHY



This is where touching, visualizing or thinking about a given muscle contracting can actually cause a stronger contraction, and more fibers to be recruited (find study).



That is the mind muscle connection. And it will likely behoove you to work on it it gaining muscle, strength or better movement patterns are goes of yours.



HOW



First off SLOW DOWN - focus on tempo



Isolated movements VS compound movements




* isolated - touch, or think about. Close your eyes OR look at the muscle (where mirrors aren’t actually a terrible idea)





* Compound - rather than just going through the movement, focus ONE section or muscle. Either that is prime mover, or that you want to work on.




Squat - focus on quads let’s say



Picture them lengthening across the knee as you lower down.



Think of them controlling the descent for you.



Then…



Think of them pressing the floor away as you stand up from the bottom of the squat. Picture them shortening as they straighten your leg, bringing the knee from flexion to extension.



In a pull up - focus on the lats



Picture the lat contracting, pulling your upper arm toward the low back and hips. 



You get the idea.



You may or may not find that you experience a burning sensation QUICKER than you normally would when going through the motions in a bit more disconnected manner.



That’s normal. And should be celebrated!



You’re also not doing it wrong if that DOES NOT happen.



Can be applied to warm ups and movement prep or mobility as well



Overall really important even as trainees to be curious about the muscles you’re using and the direction of the fibers you’re attempting to work.



Fiber direction and attachments



This might be a stretch, no pun intended, but, like I mentioned with the squat and your quads, it can be helpful to think about when the muscle is stretching, and in what direction. This is where, focusing on range of motion, and shortened, or length and positions can be helpful. Obviously, if you are a trainer, you can educate your clients on this. If you are a trainee, don’t sweat it. But feel free to be curious, and slowly learn about the muscles, roughly where they attach in the body and the directions in which they contract.



Let’s look at the glutes because who doesn’t love working their glutes in 2024.



Next time you work, your glutes, focus on the lengthening phase as well as the shortest position.



In the hip thrust, that length and position is going to be at the bottom. And then want you to contract your glutes from that bottom position in order to bring your hips into extension. Literally think about your glutes being the muscle that controls that movement.



We can then look at some thing like a curtsy, reverse lunge, where the glutes are, both lengthened, sagittally, and you could argue transversely or along the...

2023 was not my norm...It was my first year as a mom-preneur. And though I don't love that title. It's a thing. It's very real. And it took some trial and error. So, let's dive in.




* No revenue goal but a need to maintain



* Biz + baby trial year (unexpectedly grow another one )




2023 was a year of essentialism and gaining clarity of biz and life NOW



Lots of tension and fog into gaining said clarity. Lots of 12 minute back and forth voice memos with colleagues and team members. Lots of INTROSPECTION.



Which led to:



#1 = 2-5 year goal of hitting 7 figures without using ads




* me, Maddy, Paige, web team, open to other contractors




FOCUS



#2 = “One stop shop for health and fitness professionals”



Be the most helpful brand in my industry




* EVERYTHING is filtered through these lenses.




2023 choices aligned with future goals and wins:




* Trademark Built by Annie!



* Trademark FitsPRO!





* YouTube launched! (2,000 subs by end of year)



* Channel reached monetization by end of year (tiny but a big deal)



* Web platform creation (WE OWN IT ALL)





* Secured CEUs for FitsPRO! (Higher incentive to buy)





* able to step away from IG for TWO MONTHS (re: lower revenue but THE FREEDOM still)





* Seamless launches - seriously so low effort and predictable. Almost felt disconnected to where I want to revamp some things in 2024



* High rev to work ratio - terminated all 1:1 offers to make ROOM for working ON the business, and ways to generate more rev (see lower income this year but calculated choice).





* >> Clarity in where efforts and energy should go




Overall 2024 goals, tasks and focuses:



No more sitting around and seeing how biz goes - that life just isn’t for me. Fine for a season, needed as I literally had NO IDEA what to expect.



So we make specific AF plans for 2024




* List them in priority order (priority determined by ease, and also time - launches of certain things, seasons it makes sense to work on given projects etc).



* We hold them LOOSELY





* stable audience growth across IG and YouTube



* NO REV LEFT ON THE TABLE



* No more live 1:1 (power hours, biz, fitness) - OPTIMIZE PASSIVE




NEW OFFERS 




* Pp funnel - Masterclass & bonuses



* Update FitsPRO Funnel



* Free week of BBA through 3 Day Mob Guide



* FitsPRO 2.0 - the scaling portal

* Determine OUTCOME & MODEL (it’s a portal, but what’s the takeaway and timing/how often it’s launched). 



* Self assessment leads to a track / action plan






Offer Specifics



Overall - we have a CAPTIVE CUSTOMER (buy multiple offers and become lifers)



FitsPRO wins:



3-5 FitsPROs per month with little to no marketing



People pay in full

Flexibility is the capacity for mobility. And mobility CAN certainly make for superior strength and hypertrophy. 



I mentioned in another podcast recently that more and more I view mobility as youth.



Range of motion can be looked at in passive and active lenses.



Passive = flexibility. Think sitting in the splits or doing a pec stretch in the doorway. These are passive and/or assisted.



Active range of motion = mobility.



How well can your muscles move your joint through its range? Think about sliding into a straddle and using your legs to pull yourself back up. Or for the pec example, doing shoulder CARs. What is your shoulder mobility if you simply and SLOWLY take your shoulder through internal and external rotation as you flex and extend your shoulder in as large of a circle as you can?



If you don’t have the passive range, you won’t have the active range. But you can absolutely HAVE the passive range and still not have the active range.



So what is the role of mobility and flexibility in performance (let’s say strength and movement patterns in this case) and building muscle?



That’s what todays episode is all about.



And it matters. It’s why mobility is integrated into Built by Annie programming.



Mobility and Flexibility benefits for Hypertrophy




* More muscle fiber recruitment (more range often = more STRETCH leading into a contraction)



* More functionality



* Potentially less pain



* More range = more time under tension *potentially*




Mobility and Flexibility benefits for Strength




* More range = more potential to build strength at different angles (improving OVERALL strength of a movement pattern or muscle group) 



* More mobility potential to be GAINED



*     Loading an end range and pushing that end range can be HIGHLY effective for gaining even more mobility (light loads likely)



* More range, like hypertrophy = more fiber recruitment if loaded properly which IS potential for strength gains 



* More comfortability within a movement pattern



* Less energy leaks within said movement pattern 




Hyper mobility is a thing. And it’s VERY important that we gain STABILITY in addition to flexibility and mobility. But generally, for most people, there are few downsides to gaining mobility and strength.



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Coaching philosophy is so much more than the methods you adopt and whether or not you think cardio should go before or after a lift, whether you think macros are necessary or not.



A massive part of your coaching philosophy is shaped by core values.







Rather than saying “crafting,” it’s more like identifying or carving out. It likely already exists but you have yet to claim it, identify it.



Why brand values matter




* they’re the foundation and backbone of your brand - from content to hiring to how you work with clients, and even the structure you choose for your offer.



* They’ll align with or misalign with your audience and potential customers



* They *can* and ideally do keep you grounded as a coach and entrepreneur




What are core values




* Personal core values vs brand core values




Business:



Personal: I’d say are beliefs that drive BEHAVIOR.




* THEY’RE DIFFERENT but absolutely have carryover if a personal brand




THEN we have, and those values will permeate and sometimes dictate the actual methods you use.



YOUR METHOD




* Schools of thought you pull from / align with



* Personal experience within the field (performance and professional)



* Who do you look to? Researchers? Brad Sheonfeld is my go to, Charles Poliquin was massive in influencing my program design approach. Joel Jamieson in conditioning. Why? They’re simple, easy to apply and WORK. That aligns with my no bullshit, long haul mentality and value. They also EDUCATE. Aligning with my value of efficacy and knowledge.



* So, how have your values shown up in your philosophy? In your methods? Look for it. Write it down.




A beautiful thing happens when your brand and coaching philosophy are rooted in values. It only leads to clearer communication in your content, emails, across all platforms. Which brings aligned clients and more ease and joy in your business.



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