It’s been two weeks since I dropped my last blog. Last week alone, I only released 3 posts to our Facebook Group Page and 1 post to my Instagram Account. As someone who prides himself as being consistent with anything and everything he does in life, this is simply unacceptable.
Now I could easily sit here and provide reasons/excuses for my inconsistency with our Social Media Platforms, but in my opinion none of them would be valid. Yes, our business has become increasingly busier this past year (especially as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift more and more). And sure, our new Online Training Platform has demanded a great deal of my time these past few weeks and has been somewhat of a distraction for me. Hell, even my personal life has become more hectic as new business ventures, and opportunities are demanding more of my time away from the gym as meetings and social obligations need to be met.
However like any good Business Owner would do when his or her business becomes busier, you hire some help.
And that’s exactly what I did……
Why I’m Afraid Of Ghosts
If you follow me on Instagram, are a Member of our Facebook Group Page, and/or read my Weekly Blogs that are posted on our website, then you already know that I write ALL of my own shit. I don’t copy & paste other people’s work, nor do I plagiarize other people’s writings.
I also don’t believe in using Ghost Writers when it comes to the articles, posts and blogs that I write. Just as I’ve done with training clients over the years, I’ve always wanted all of my work to come off as authentic and raw as possible to my readers.
Because of this, I take full responsibility for any and all grammatical errors. I also stand by my thoughts, opinions and beliefs when it comes to topics that concern me such as this Global Pandemic. And because I do write all of my own content, I have had to learn how to defend and coexist peacefully with most of my Online Haters who strongly disagree with what I have to say.
With all that said, writing content for our Social Media Platforms, takes up a great amount of my time. Time in which might be better spent working on the floor with clients or opening up my Online Roster to more people to work with me in a One on One Setting. And I would be lying if I said the thought hasn’t occurred to me to drop my daily social media posts and weekly blogs in order to shift my priorities towards working with more clients both online and in-person.
From a profit standpoint, this ofcourse would make more sense. But from an ethical perspective, I just can’t put my name on something that I didn’t write and allow someone else to create and release content for me on my behalf.
Time To Quit?
I’ll be honest. I ABSOLUTELY HATE Social Media! I’ve always said that once I officially retire from the Fitness Industry, that I will unplug from Social Media once and for all. And I truly will without hesitation.
If I didn’t work in an Industry that relied so heavily on having an Online Presence in order to stay relevant with the younger generation, I can assure you that I would have never started a Facebook Group Page or opened up an Instagram Account. Back in the day, I could have given two shits about selfies, followers, likes, and hashtags. These days though, I understand the importance of online marketing and how building a reputable brand in the Cyber World, can lead to a highly successful business in the Real World. At the same time, I also understand that it’s important to remain true to both yourself and your values without selling out completely just because you want to turn a profit. Which is why I also try to remain as honest and authentic as I can with all the online content that I release. Unfortunately this isn’t always as easy to accomplish as one might think it to be.
So Where Do I Go From Here?
I’ve been advised from clients and friends who run their own Small Businesses, to hire a Social Media Assistant in order to remain relevant online and provide me with more time to work on my business. And although this is good advice, when I view the content that is released by other companies that use these assistants, their content seems fairly generic, insincere, and full of stock photos that can easily be found online. I find myself scrolling through their Newsfeeds without even reading their posts because none of these marketing strategies interest me. So then I think to myself, if this doesn’t interest me, then how can I expect these same tactics to interest our own clients and followers?
And the answer is that they can’t and they won’t.
Make no mistake, remaining active on Social Media while providing informative content on practically a daily basis, is almost a Full Time Job in itself. Combine that with operating a Business for 14-16 hours each day, and a Business Owner can easily find him or herself working 80+ hours each week.
But so what? There is a reason as to why most successful Business Owners are successful. It’s because they don’t believe in 9-5 or understand the difference between a Monday and a Saturday (at least until they have established a business that practically runs on it’s own.) And in my opinion, this is the mindset that is needed if someone wants to truly become successful at what they are trying to achieve. Yes, it’s important to rest and take breaks. However if you are serious about building anything in life, then you are going to have to put in the extra time, effort and energy needed, in order to achieve your target goals.
Retirement Plans
As for me retiring from Social Media? You better believe that is still in my 10 year plan. But I’m not quite done building what I set out to achieve just yet. Which is to offer the ultimate Personal Training / Online Coaching Experience to Everyone and Anyone who needs it.
So for now, I’ll keep flooding your Newsfeeds with ridiculous cooking videos, shameless training selfies and even a few sarcastic posts. But I promise that I will continue to try my absolute best to remain as an authentic, sincere, consistent and most importantly, informative, with all/most of my Social Media Content.
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance