Growth & Common Mistakes

6. Social Media is Here to Stay!
It’s simple – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & the Web have the ability to connect you to hundreds, thousands and potentially even hundreds of thousands of people who may be searching for someone with your talents. Not just using these tools but using them in a professional, structured, and engaging way can reap the rewards. I’m a long way from where I want to be in terms of my updates & posts, but I’ve recognized that I need to be posting once a week with something pertinent. It can be about myself, a client or a comment on a recent event. It takes discipline to find the time to do this properly and have plenty of posts up your sleeve in case nothing springs to mind. A simple list on your computer can save hours of wasted frustration and a more efficient reach.

7. Understand Your Numbers – where are you most valuable?
Identify what you’re doing that is generating the largest chunk of revenue & focus on how /when / where you can expand (mindful of your own logistic & time constraints). For me, that’s 1:1 (or small group) coaching sessions. Being aware of the number of bike fit requests I get a month means I’ve been able to allocate the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month (when my wife is working) solely to bike fits & new client introductions. I’ve therefore been able to monetize some of the ‘dead time’ I would otherwise have sat at home. It has allowed me to not add additional evening work (I’ve allocated two evenings a week for clients that have no other alternative). I’ve also been able to stipulate that evening sessions are for a minimum of 2 people.

8. Differentiate
Ask yourself ‘why am I different’? What am I doing that my clients like? Seek feedback from your clients as to why they continue to use your services. I don’t think it’s just the diversity of what I’m offering (training plans, coached sessions, nutrition, bike fits etc). I’ve built a client base around a willingness to travel across a busy city; I help people understand why they have approached me and what I can give them. I offer solutions that start with an analysis of where they’re at (this could involve a session looking at heart rate or some power profiling), then some guidance on different, more specific sessions (many clients are time constrained) without selling them a monthly plan, but follow this up with another 1:1 analysis/power profiling session 4-6 weeks later to demonstrate how the client has improved. From there the client can see further opportunities in using me more frequently etc. Put simply, I just try to identify whatever ‘big wins’ will help people ride faster.

9. Partnerships – what do others want?
Whilst point 1 was about being diverse & multi-skilled, point 8 is about ultimately identifying what you do best / better than others. Being self-aware regarding these two points will help provide some clarity in answering this question.

Having a range of attributes, an awareness of how well you can deliver them and knowing how you can expand the opportunities they present are not the only ingredients for greater success. Identifying what others want, even if it’s different from what you currently do, allows you to diversify further, learn more skills and grow. Trying to sell your ‘current self’ to prospective clients will work in the short & medium term but doesn’t take into account your own development and what as-yet unidentified clients want. Rather than list your current menu of services, first, ask what people are really looking for. It may not be exactly what you currently do, but with some research, a little training, you can open up new avenues for yourself. That will then redefine your skill base and attributes, and so the process evolves!

10. Build & Implement a Strategy
This sounds straightforward, but what you start out with may not be appropriate 6 or 12 months later. Be clear on the amount of time you have each day, how long each type of activity takes (eg travelling an hour to see one person for a one-hour session may not be the best use of your time) and the revenue it creates. I set aside two, two-hour daytime slots each week to write plans & review training data from prescribed plans. I run two evening
group sessions a week and three early morning sessions, so five in total. My work with Scott-Sports India is just about to ramp up, so whilst I had some spare capacity that I can use for this, it will also eat into some existing work. I’ve had to make a choice: what is more profitable (both financially & in terms of what I want to do). The bike fits, whilst profitable and & a good lifestyle fit are something that will have to be reduced as the Scott-India
Development Team takes shape. In defining my strategy, one of the questions I’ve had to ask myself is “would I prefer to gain experience as a team coach/manager, or continue to grow as the bike fit guy”? The former carries many risks, but a potentially greater future scope, whilst the latter offers word-of-mouth expansion and a steady income. Don’t tie your strategy to something that you may outgrow quickly or invest too much financially in part of a strategy that may not provide a return. Whatever your current strategy, it needs to be reviewed at least once a year. Applying a typical ‘Lean’ problem-solving tool, one should continually ‘Plan’ ‘Do’ ‘Check’ ‘Act’. Finally,
given the ride I’ve had so far, in my case I’m happy to add ‘enjoy it!’ as well – if we forget why we’re doing stuff, we won’t do it as well.

Epilogue: In 2 weeks’ time, 4 Indian U-23 riders will set up a home in a 3-bedroom apartment, in a gated community in Nashik, about 150km east of Mumbai. They are the first intake to be invited to be part of the Scott-India Racing Development Team. The team was set up to provide a platform for young cycling talent, such that they could learn more constructively about training, eating, living & sleeping as an aspiring cyclist. On a more personal level, the whole project has found a benevolent commercial sponsor who shared the same vision. This
is the first of its kind in India. I will be closely tied to the project, providing training plans to the riders, accompanying them to races, and coaching them not just ‘on the bike’ but helping them gain greater life skills ‘off the bike’ as well. We have plans for cookery lessons, domestic chores, bike maintenance and all sorts of other self-sufficiency skills that perhaps European riders take for granted. I am proud to be associated with such an ambitious project and feel the responsibility two-fold: as well as wanting to reward Scott-India’s faith in me, the commercial sponsor was a personal client who I spoke to enthusiastically about the project: because of my very informal ‘pitch’ (or more likely the evangelical sharing of a vision of what was possible), I was able to connect Scott-India with a party whose passion for cycling and desire to further the sport in India matched their own. Those doors……….they keep opening & I keep walking forward.