Narina Prokosch
Hello to all fellow PTU members. I am so pleased to be able to talk to you. This is indeed and honor and totally unexpected. I always read with interest and aspired to be as successful and respected as others that were chosen for Member of the Week. Tell us about yourself and your business. I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada and was involved in sports and fitness from an early age. I spent my teen and early adult years training and showing horses. In my late 20's I started weight lifting to gain strength for my martial arts activities. I was bitten by the bodybuilding bug in my late 30's and competed for a 15-year span from Novice to National Level. Through all of this I had returned to school to study Nursing and graduated in 2001 with a Nursing Diploma. I continued on postgraduate studies and specialized in Operating Room Nursing. I worked for 10 years in the Operating Room as an Open Heart Surgical Nurse. I had always continued to train and often dreamed of owing my own facility one day. I was always so frustrated when I trained in public gym watching people come and go desperately wanting to start a fitness program, but often met with indifference from the staff. I had dreamed of being able to offer people a safe environment with knowledgeable staff that really cared about them and their health. So finally in 2001 after many months of research and planning, I opened my private 800 sq foot studio with one client to my name. I resigned my full time Nursing position and started on a new path. The studio was an immediate success and thankfully the business was able to pay its own way the 2nd month I was open. From there I have never looked back. We offer personal training services in small groups. I have never done 1 on 1 training, realizing early on that this wasn't the best economic decision. I have always found that clients actually enjoy having their friends or other clients in the gym with them, so that is how I have always structured our sessions. All our clients have individualized programs, but we will work with several clients at a time. One year ago this month, I moved my studio and all my clients to a newly renovated 3000 sq foot studio. I have two trainers that work with me and my business continues to grow and thrive, even in our supposed rough economic times. As I move forward from here, I am now looking at other business opportunities besides running a personal training studio. I am so excited for the future as I am always looking for new challenges and can't wait to dig into some new adventures. How has being a part of PTU impacted your career / business?
PTU has always been there for me. I first started ready articles by Ryan Lee and Jim Labadie eight years ago. I have volumes of articles in binders that I have printed out over the years. I have purchased several marketing courses, DVD's and books from faculty members of PTU. The materials that are so generously offered through PTU are amazing. I don't think anyone that is successful in business has got to be successful without help and mentors along the way. The 6F6 program really helped me focus my energies at a time when I was going in so many directions I wasn't sure what was up some days. I strongly urge all new members to get involved with the 6F6 plan. There are several people that stand out in my mind that I feel have made a huge impact on me and the success of my business. First I have to thank Ryan Lee and Jim Labadie. They were the first two people that I started to read and to this day I really believe that they genuinely want you to succeed. Jim continues to be involved with PTU on a daily basis as I often see his comments on the forum. He has always been so willing to share information and continues to offer positive and motivational comments, and I always look forward to and read every single email that comes to my inbox. Pat Rigsby as well arrives in my inbox every day and I always take the time to read them. I find them motivational and always full of ideas on how to make your business successful. A.J. Roberts has always been willing to share his knowledge and several times he has helped with questions on the forum. Chris McCombs is offering us some great information on Internet marketing and it is great to have him on board with PTU as well. I have had the opportunity to hear Alwyn Cosgrove speak at several conferences over the last few years and always take note when he speaks. The whole faculty of PTU is awesome! The time they give and their support is a huge part of my success. I am sure I have left out some names, but my gratitude goes out to everyone who works so hard at PTU to help us out here in the trenches. I also want to say a huge thank you to all the members of PTU. We have an amazing group of fitness professionals that participate and get involved in the PTU family and the forum. I have learned so much and always try to give back to the forum when I can. I only wish the Nursing profession had a learning environment as supportive and nurturing as PTU.
What are your 3 biggest tips for your fellow PTU Members? 1. Never forget you are in the Service Industry. The hallmark of my business has been customer service. You must never forget that your clients are paying for your services. You may be a Fitness Professional but you still must provide Platinum service if you want to retain present clients or attract new clients. I feel that having long-term clients like mine, some for 7 years - 3x/week is a testament to how important customer relations are. Remember the important things in your clients' lives - birthdays, anniversaries, kids special occasions. Never fail to make your clients feel important. The biggest one for me and I insist on it with my staff - is to thank the client for coming in to train that day. It is just my way of acknowledging them choosing to spend their time and money at our studio. Even though I see all my clients 3x/week I will still say a quick thank you for coming as they leave for the showers. Don't forget the personal touch - with email so common, a handwritten card goes a long way to establishing that personal relationship that creates customer loyalty. If you are successful at creating that customer loyalty, clients will not want to leave. On a funny note, one of my ladies told me the other day, if it ever came down to money, she would give up coloring her hair before she would give up training with us. And, for all you ladies out there, you know the impact of that statement!
2. Invest in yourself. It is important that you take the time to read and learn. You could be the world's best trainer technically, but if you lack business and marketing skills, you may have a difficult time creating a viable and successful business. Yes, you must have the technical skills to safely train clients and it is important to continue your education on the technical side as well. Besides continuing credits needed for training certification renewals, you must invest time and money into learning as much as you can. You must be prepared to travel to workshops, seminars and conferences. I am sure you have heard this or read it a hundred times, but it is vital to your success. Set time aside to read - marketing books, sales, anatomy - all the stuff that is important to our industry. I can't remember the last time I read a fiction novel - I always seem to have my nose in marketing materials, articles about training techniques, physiology, web sites, blog marketing, etc. Join or create a Mastermind group. This is one of the best learning experiences. Try to be involved with people that have more knowledge than you - that way you will learn and you may find you will have something to offer the group as well. A group of us from the PTU forum just formed a Mastermind group last December and I look forward to meeting them all and working together. You must surround yourself with people that a common goal - to succeed. 3. Act, and Act Now. It doesn't matter how much you read or study if you don't implement. It doesn't matter how minor or major the action is, but you must be prepared to take it. Some things require a huge leap of faith and some are just minor chores, but it is the action that will dictate your future. Just before I sign off (as you can see I am a bit talky), I would like to say that no successful businessman or entrepreneur ever was successful acting alone. We all have support in our corners, whether it is our spouse, friends or other business associates. Don't forget the people along the way that have helped you. If you have a network that refer to you (physicians, physio, etc) it is a nice idea to remember them once in a while, whether at Xmas or randomly throughout the year. It is nice to send along a card to say thanks, but sometimes dropping off a nice bottle of wine goes a long way to cultivating that relationship. Remember your family and friends. They are the ones that are silently in your corner, supporting you and allowing you the freedom to pursue what you love. A little hug goes a long way to say thank you. Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you all. I wish everyone associated with PTU continued success. If you would like to, I can be contacted at victoriawellness@telus.net
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