We’re stepping things up here on Super-Trainer!
I just did the first LIVE interview on the blog, and it was with Cynthia Conde. She’s a trainer from my area in Queens who’s blowing up in a MAJOR way. I got the chance to catch up with her recently and it turned into a lesson on how to create a name for yourself in Personal Training and build up a tremendous career from the ground up. It’s a story EVERY trainer, no matter where you are can relate to. You’re also going to see the attitude and mindset of the modern Personal Trainer, so pay attention to this one!
[youtube eDxHIGoT3TQ nolink]
As you can see, Cynthia brings the complete package – the passion, charm, and charisma it takes to stand out as a trainer. It’s obvious she’s someone who “gets” this business.
To make sure you didn’t miss any of the important points, let’s take a minute to go over them:
- Made her career as an INDEPENDANT trainer: Cynthia got out on her own as early as possible. This allowed the independent thinking, leadership skills, and go-getter personality that’s gotten her to where she is now.
- Based her independent training practice out of an existing gym: Rather than waiting for things to be “just right”, she took a simple route to starting her independent practice, one that she still maintains today. You can find out more about this type of scenario in The Whistleblower Report.
- Created a specialty: This one’s vital – it’s one of the major factors that has led to her success. If she stayed a “general” trainer, it’s hard to imagine she’d have any of the success she has now. But with her Bridal Bootcamp Program she was able to focus on a niche that she soon became a major player in.
- Personal branding: As a Personal Trainer, the product is YOU. This is something that Cynthia obviously understands and maximizes. You can tell this from her outgoing personality and the way she presents herself. In all her projects and her website she’s put herself front and center.
- A lil’ bit of luck: Cynthia got her first celebrity client by luck. She then leveraged that opportunity into more high-level clients and media attention.
- Hustle: Never resting on her laurels, Cynthia has always looked to actively increase her reach in the training industry. All of the things she’s accomplished including the book deal, reality show, and media appearances were initiated by her – no one’s given her anything.
- Understands the fun factor of Personal Training: She’s recognizes the entertainment aspect to fitness that trainers are responsible for. We see this in the popularity of programs like Adventure Bootcamp. Cynthia understands this element and brings it to her sessions, an aspect of training that many otherwise qualified trainers fail to pay attention to.
Is that enough kissing up? HAHA! – I can’t help it, because every part of what Cynthia does are things we’ve covered here on Super-Trainer and are essential to becoming a Top-Level Personal Trainer yourself.
If you’re a trainer just working in your local health-club right now, some of the things she’s accomplished can seem intimidating. But remember, that it all started from the ground up, in a low income neighborhood with a business of only one for a time. Step by step, it grew from there.
So in case you’re not tired of hearing it yet, let’s say it again: In Personal Training, YOU’RE IN CONTROL! You can brand yourself, start from wherever you are, and create your own career path.
In addition….
When I met up with Cynthia I got to meet her new trainer, Benjamin Paul Schwartz. Ben’s in a great position, getting an early start in the industry at just 20 years old and with the opportunity to learn from an experienced trainer. I wanted to get him on here just to capture some of the passion and commitment you need to have if you want to take this career really far.
Here are the links to a clip of me talking to Ben, and a few exercise demonstrations he did to talk about his philosophy and how he applies it to clients:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oFQ3gl2DaHI&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4vLeAnvdI_g&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=p6sCZpZdaa8&feature=related
Another great interview! The keyword here is Niche. The first second she started talking about her business I started thinking, “there’s absolutely no way any of my clients would do her bootcamp.”
The fact that this is so true, is why she’s so successful. She established her niche which eliminates a certain part of the population but opens up business for countless others.
People who are looking for bootcamp style training are automatically signing up. There is no sales involved. The niche sells itself.
This should be a great lesson to all trainers out there. Remember, you are one of thousands of trainers.
Why should a client choose you over everybody else?
If you are a personal trainer and answered that question instantly, you most likely have established your niche and success.
If you couldn’t answer that question you should go to the drawing board and brainstorm how you can differentiate yourself from your competitors.
I agree with Mike, “niche” thats a hard sell for me as well, bootcamp? she makes it work in a BIG market !!! smaller markets such as mine wouldnt be as succesful, new trainers need to think about that !!!
Here’s what sold me (amongst other key points)
She mentioned being outgoing – which I am
She mentioned keeping up with the times and being educated – which I completely agree with
And she exuded a confidence that I could relate to and recognize. This interview was very motivating for me and I’ll tell you what – I couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride
Cynthia is proof that staying on your grind and forging on WILL bring you positive returns. If I wasn’t excited before …. :)
I wish her the very best!
also-
Kaiser – I don’t know if you addressed this anywhere but I wanted to know. How would you recommend a new trainer start off? Work in health clubs for a period of time for hands on experience? If so, how long before breaking out on her own? Thanks and great interview!
Hey Kaiser,
Another great interview! I am thrilled to see that more women are getting noticed in this field. Excellent interview with Cynthia and I wish her all the best. I also enjoyed your article in PFP magazine this month and was excited to see your name in there! It was a super informative article and I agreed with so much of it – I hope you continue to contribute more articles. You certainly are making a great name for yourself and spreading essential information to aspiring trainers.
Some really sensible take home lessons in here (and in this blog in general).
Great work and thanks from London for such an interesting resource. We have nothing like this for the United Kingdom.
Nick
Kaiser….once again…great info! Everytime I read a post it reaffirms my commitment to our industry! Its so interesting that as I read the blogs and watch the videos, previous blogs are brought to mind as if they are reaffiming each other. Constant positive support is your niche with me Kaiser! Thanks Sir!
Craig
Hey Craig – yeah, all the posts kind of flow together – this thing isn’t rocket science –
To Mike and Bill, I know, her specific niche is obviously not for everyone – but the take home message is there: create a superior training experience – like I talked about in the recent batch email (secret newsletter) I sent out, the type of “entertainment” I give my clients is more from an added in-session value – everyone does it differently, but we’ve all got to do it –
Hey Jemi, yeah, if you’ve got the personality part down, so much is already covered – Personal Training is a “personal” service – if you come with the right energy, half your job is done and you’ve already come half way to ensuring your success – as for your other questions, I’m sending you an email –
Yeah Jessica, the drought is over – the ladies of Personal Training are getting the props they deserve!!! I’m amazed by how many of my readers are women – this thing started as a kind of rant for the guys, but from seeing all of my female readers, I’ve had to rep the girls as well – Writing for PFP was a lot of fun – I love that magazine – very progressive attitude – everyone should check this magazine out, and they have a full online version so you don’t have to kill trees – http://fit-pro.com/
Hey Nick – thanks for the feedback gov’na!
And thanks to you too Craig – that’s why I’m here – Super-Trainer’s a way for all of us to keep our heads up – to see the side of Personal Training that we might forget about if we ever get caught up in a grind, or are stuck in a training situation or point of our career that doesn’t really represent the true potential of this industry –
But I’m changing things on here too soon – from all the feedback I’m getting from all the committed trainers that are reading religiously, I’m going to get more into lessons and tutorials on how to set-up the type of Top-Level Training practice me and all the other top trainers on here are talking about – it’ll be info sure to help EVERYONE so look out for it –
Im impressed, I have to say. Very seldom do I discover a blog thats both informative and entertaining, and let me tell you, youve hit the nail on the head. Your article is important; the issue is something that not a lot of people are talking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.
Very interesting. Please post more. thank you