This is a blog post by my main man Craig “Bad Boy” Kastings. I stopped in his gym in Chi-Town a few days ago and I got to tell you this guy is RIPPED. Craig is the kind of guy who knows how to have fun BUT also knows when it’s time to get down to business. Hmmmmm no wonder I like this guy.

In the below video I reveal his secrets on how he stays in such a great shape. I also make a HUGE excuse for myself and why I am not in such a great shape these days. Don’t worry CK you inspired me and I am going to start hitting it hard again.

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OK enough goofing around, CK take it away from here…..

Hey , Craig here and I have been thinking about what I can contribute to this awesome blog since the changeover. Before I say anything else, I want to thank my good friend – coach – mentor – & business partner Sam Bakhtiar for bring me aboard this bad ass group of advisors! I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences with all of you for a long, long time!

As I was saying, I thought long and hard about what I could contribute… I finally decided I wanted to talk to you about the things that have taken me about 13 years in the industry to figure out.  I have been in the industry for 13 years and it wasn’t until the last two that I really started implementing what you are about to read. If you are new to the industry and looking to make a name in it, the bullet points I have touched on should really help you grow your business and YOU as a fitness professional! If I had access to the individuals on this site and amongst our group of friends and collegues, I guarantee I would have been experiencing the success I am now…years ago!

So, here it goes…listed below I have mapped out THE DIRTY DOZEN!  Yes, I know there are 13 sub titles, but  back in the day when I was playing college football, we had a ass kicking conditioning session with 13 stations and it was referred to as THE DIRTY DOZEN! I figure something that long ago is still alive and well in my head, then maybe the content below will stay packed away in yours too…read it, soak it in, and implement! You will thank me later!

Value YOU – Value Your Time – There are just 24 hours in a day, you have to realize that YOUR time is the most valuable part of your business. If you are spending time working IN your business and losing out on time to work ON your business…you need to prioritize and make the change.

Don’t Trade Hours for Dollars– It only took me about two years of training at Gold’s Gym before I realized I wanted a whole lot more! I contemplated quitting the training position. When I did the math, I realized there was not enough hours in the day to make the money I wanted to make. I just didn’t want to trade hours for dollars anymore. Make your life much easier; hire other qualified yet energetic, young, and reliable trainers to do the training for you.

Determine YOUR 5% – You need to determine what you are going to be able to do a ROCK STAR job on and dominate at it! When you start to wander outside your 5%, you need to check yourself. You might think you are a badass at everything, but face it…there is always someone that can do little stupid shit better than you! That’s TRUTH brother! So 5%…nothing less and nothing more = Success!

Have Multiple Streams of Income – I cannot say I have as many as I would like, but you can bet your ass I am in the process of adding to mine.

The list is endless, sure you are a business owner and personal trainer, but unless you want to die working this is NOT going to cut it. Explore what is out there and take a change, have some faith, and always remember Failure’s No Option!

You can franchise, open satellite boot camps, coaching programs, info products, etc.

WORK HARD & PLAY HARD – When you are in work mode, be a savage, do NOT let anything or anyone get in the way of dominating. Remember you are a business owner and if you want YOUR business to succeed and KICK ASS…you need to DO WORK! Focus 110% of your energy, heart, mind and passion into your work!

On the same note, when you work that hard and sacrifice so much for the business…you need to reward yourself and Party like a Rock star! I believe my good friend Sam does it better than anyone. This guy dominates his market and more than likely YOUR market too…lol! He has relentless work ethic. Sam is also in a league of his own when it is time to play. If you ever have the pleasure of hanging with Sam I would highly recommend you wear your BIG BOY pants that night…any better part of the next day J

If you don’t allow yourself to enjoy everything you work so hard to get, what is the point of working that hard? If you just want a job where you slave and work stupid hours and then repeat it again everyday of the week…don’t be a business owner. Business owners are the ones that hire people like that…think of about it!

If You Never Upset someone or Cause a Commotion, You are probably doing a Lot Wrong. –At the end of the day there are always going to be some people that do NOT agree with my thought processes, or my training methods, personal life, past, etc. Whatever it is that they don’t like is their prerogative. Truth be told, I don’t have to make everyone happy to be successful. Over the years some people have moved on most stay. I believe those that had issues with me just drove me to be better. Perfect example is my studio kicking ass and rocking out every month for the past two years.  I like to think of it this way “If they hate on us, then we are doing something right!

Remember, if you feel like you can’t be yourself and you have to watch what you say then you do NOT want those people anyways. THEY do NOT VALUE YOU and they are not worth your time.

Give, Give, Give – This is huge, you need to truly care about your clients. These are the people that provide for you and feed your families. When you show a true care for your clients they sense this and feel an allegiance you.

When they have a birthday send them a card with a fun note and maybe a special birthday workout to do! Send them movie tickets, or coffee gift cards, or something small! If they have been with you for awhile, set up a schedule to send them something  when they reach 3 months, then 5, 8, and then a year. Make it a little bigger and more substantial every time…you would be amazed at how awesome you become!

CREATE “THE LIST” – No, I do not mean a list of clients, but more importantly a list of everything you are working for, what drives you, what is YOUR reason for making your business successful?

Check out mine…

1. My wife and kids.

2. I want my family to have the absolute best of everything.

3. I never want my wife to stress about money.

4. I want to give back to my parents for footing my bill for so many years.

5. I don’t answer to anyone…EVER

6. Ability to do what I want, when I want!

7. Provide a service that can often be life changing.

These are my “Lucky 7.” I know I could rattle off a bunch more, but it is always better to focus on a set amount and then own them! When they are taken care of you can start to add more.

Don’t Be “That Guy!” You Can Learn Something from ANYONE on Any Given Day – Embrace it and try to learn something new and helpful every day.

Worry About You – You can ONLY control YOU! It doesn’t matter if people talk shit or back stab you…at the end of the day you are still going to do what you do and they will have to live with the fact that they need to grow up. Life is too short to be control freaks…control what you have control of and let the rest take care of itself!

You MUST Know, There Will Always Be Something To Do Tomorrow – This is a great thing…don’t freak out if you can’t finish everything for your week on Monday. A successful business is always evolving and will always have tweaks and changes to be made. Remember, YOU do NOT have to do everything…if it is NOT in your 5%, outsource that shit!

Have Faith In Yourself – If you do NOT believe in yourself and know that you can do ANYTHING! If you second guess yourself and whine and bitch all the time, you will NEVER get things done! You need to be willing to put ALL your chips down on YOU! When you do this, you are always WINNING!

Pray – I am not going to try and preach the GOOD WORD too you, but I truly believe the sooner you believe and start having your daily conversations with the BIG GUY UPSTAIRS, the sooner you will have success! You were put on this world for a reason; it seems to me that the reason was to help others live a healthier and happier life! Don’t fight it, embrace it and DO WORK!

Well, I think I have left you with enough to think about for awhile…I would love to hear what you all think. I know just reading them over and keeping little reminders around the office and on my laptop keep me on point! Just remember…we wake up every day and get to change lives. Not many people can say they wake up every day and have a badass job. Shit, I don’t consider it a job…it is just what I love to do! I am truly blessed to be where I am today and surrounded by awesome friends and family. If you take this for granted…you need to check yourself. You could always be flipping burgers, sitting at a desk all day, or working for the man! In our business…WE ARE “The Man” in some cases “The Woman” so remember that and CRUSH IT! I appreciate your time and until next time…Kastning OUT!

Craig Kastning
Fitness Expert/Personal Trainer/Business Owner
Co-Founder/Owner – Premier Fitness Solutions
www.PremierFitnesSolutions.com
Co-Founder/Owner – WorldWide Fitness Bootcamps/Chi-Town Boot Camps
www.ChiTownBootCamps.com
M.S. Kinesiology & Recreation (Sports Psychology)