4 Tips for Promoting Your Business at an Event

After a few crazy weeks, I think I am finally back to a semi-normal blogging schedule. This makes me happy, I have missed it. :)

In all the craziness, I forgot to share another event I went to a couple weeks ago.

Friday Favourites: Low Cost Advertising for Small Business

Friday Favourites are back and this week the focus is on building your business.

Whether you are a nutritionist with a home-practice or a chiropractor with your own clinic,
you need to do some form of advertising to attract clients.

Many advertising strategies don't come cheap, but does costly always equal more effective? Sometimes, but many small business just don't have a large advertising budget.

So, here are a few ideas on how to advertise on a shoestring:

A flyer that I used last year to advertise my bootcamp

Starting a Career in Fitness, Part 1

I have been in the fitness industry for over 12 years.

In that time, I have gone through many changes, both personally and professionally.  Despite these changes (or perhaps because of them), I have come to realize that my passion will always be with helping people look and feel their very best.

I am sure many of you share that passion and are thinking about starting a career in fitness.  Weather you are interested in CrossFit or kickboxing, there are tons of opportunities for you to shine.

Well, you've got the spirit, you've got the drive, but you are not sure where to start.  I know that making a career change can be overwhelming, so here are a few tips to help you jump into the world of fitness.

5 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog

I know what you are thinking. 

"Who really cares what I have to say about ___________ (food, fashion, fitness, etc.), I am not an expert?"

"Why would anyone read my ______________(sports, recipes, mommy etc.) blog when there are so many others out there just like it."

"What if no one ever visits or comments?"

I hear you loud and clear. Blogging can be intimidating and downright scary.

In fact, there are many good reasons not to blog (unable to commit, not interested in blogging, don't want to invest the time and the list goes on).

You will notice that the reasons above are not on the list.  People do care what others have to say and they will read your blog.  There are 1000's of bloggers out there and you could be one of them.

You just need a little patience, some great ideas and few hours a week.

4 Ways to Grow Your Fitness Business

In order to be successful with your fitness business (or any business, for that matter), you need to experience growth.  Plain and simple.

Perhaps you are considering moving to a new location or maybe you just want to re-work your services to meet the needs of your clients.  No matter which way you slice it, growth is good for your personal development and your business.

Here are some quick and easy ways you can take you and your brand to the next level.

Friday Favourites: The Best of 2011

Travelling around the blog world, I have seen a lot of "Best of..." posts this past week.

I actually really like these as it reminds me of some great recipes and tips I may have forgotten or introduces me to other posts I may have missed all together. I like them so much, I decided to do one of my own.

2011 has been a slice, but I am looking forward to 2012 and all of the new possibilities that it may bring. (Stay tuned for my new inspiration board next week!)

For now, here are a few of my favourite posts from the blog this year.

How to Make Your Business/Blog Stand Out

There are hundreds of healthy living blogs out there.  If you are running a business, I would also bet that there are at least that many like-services acting as your competition.

So, how do you make your blog/business stand out from the rest?

While there is no surefire way to guarantee that you will get thousands of followers, there are a few things you can do to make your brand/business/blog the best it can be.

Source

Staying Connected

Today is a big day!

This is my first time attending and I am looking forward to meeting 200+ social media savvy women for two days of learning, sharing and networking.

How Important Are Comments On Your Blog?

 This post was inspired by some fellow bloggers who recently posted on the topic of commenting and readership in general. 

Lindsay @ Cotter Crunch talked about how bloggers feel the need to constantly post, read and comment and how you can feel guilty if you can't keep up.

Sam @ Health, Happiness and Skinny Jeans noted how easy it is is to get wrapped up in the numbers (how many people comment, read your blog and so on.)

Tina @ Fath, Fitnesss and Fun mentioned that building real relationships is the goal of her blog, not to continually increase her reader numbers and comments.

CanFitPro Workshop Highlights: Post-Partum Planning

Happy First Day of School!

I can't believe it has been two years since I decided to go back.  I am pretty sure time speeds up when you get older ;)

You may remember that I worked-in last week, giving my body a rest from intense exercise and sticking to activities like yoga, walking and pilates.  I am still finding myself a bit tired this week and I think I am going to ease back into my regular routine.  Not sure if my body is quite ready for Turbo Fire just yet ;)

Today, I am going to share with you the information from another great workshop I attended at the CanFitPro Fitness Conference.

How to Promote Your Blog

A few nights ago, we had a great discussion on Fitblog Chats about blogging.

I have posted about how blogging can help you build your brand as a fitness pro (or any other pro, for that matter) and how you can to build a better blog.  Today, I wanted to talk about some of the specific things you can do to spread the word about your blog and connect with the community.

My 3 Favourite Social Media Blogs

Many other bloggers out there feature some of their favourite things every Friday.

I have been doing it the past few Fridays without even realizing it so I am just going to keep on spreading the love. :)

Today, I am going to share some fabulous social media blogs that will help you build your brand (blog, food, fitness or otherwise).

Building Your Fitness Business: Getting Out There

In How To Build Your Fitness Business, Part 1, I talked about some of the things you can do to help build your fitness brand.

Getting out in the community and networking are most definitely on the top of that list.  That is exactly what I did this past weekend.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I spent last Saturday morning at this event

How To Build Your Fitness Business, Part 2

You may remember in Part 1, I talked about some business strategies that can really help you get out in the community and build your brand.

In Part 2, I am going to talk about what doesn't work as well based on my own business building experience and the things I have learned from other pros.

How to Build Your Fitness Business, Part 1

As many of you know, I have created my own opportunity by starting my own fitness business.

Going out on your own is always tough and getting a new business off the ground requires planning and persistence.

Everyday I am learning more and more about what works, what doesn't and what changes I need to make to run a successful business.

For my other fellow entrepreneurs (fitness, health or otherwise), I thought I would share a few strategies that can be effective.