1) Lauren Dannenmiller- Lauren is a former NPC bikini competitor, who won at the national level and turned pro in 2017. Now an IFBB Bikini Pro, Lauren is also a fitness coach. (My coach)
2) market expert- Lauren markets to the same audience I plan to market. She works to grow her social media through Instagram and Youtube, and grow her influence on females in the fitness industry. Lauren is also an online coach, marketing this population to grow her clientele.
3) I found Lauren via Instagram a while back, and have followed her journey to turning pro. A few months ago Lauren posted about opportunities for bikini coaching, and I decided to hire her as my coach for my upcoming bikini competition. So I speak to her regularly via email and Instagram.
3) I found Lauren via Instagram a while back, and have followed her journey to turning pro. A few months ago Lauren posted about opportunities for bikini coaching, and I decided to hire her as my coach for my upcoming bikini competition. So I speak to her regularly via email and Instagram.
4) So because I am already extremely knowledgeable about competing, nutrition and training, and I put myself in a really great place to start a competition prep, Lauren agreed to coach me. This is a win-win for us both because I got a coach, who can help me get stage ready, and she (being a newer coach in the industry) gets an ideal client who is going to perform well in the sport. So Lauren agreed to coach me for a lower price because I'm a college student, and don't need as much tending too as a beginner client (I win), and I agreed to write a testimonial when all is said and done about her coaching with my before and after photos (she wins).
5) Not only is Lauren's coaching advice going to relieve stress on me during my prep, and help me look my best, but she has prior experience so she can help me in the areas that I've yet to experience. Further, Lauren is very well known in the industry as she won the overall at the national level last year, therefore judges know her well, and word of mouth is very important in this sport... if ya know what I'm saying. And finally, building a relationship and even a friendship with Lauren is beneficial to me because I want to get into this market and industry and she has a larger following than me, as well as she knows some people who I look up to and admire in the fitness industry. If I get to meet these people and build relationships with them, I can potentially end up in Lauren's shoes in the future.
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1) Kyle Burns- Kyle is a natural bodybuilder, has a degree in exercise science, and is an online fitness coach. (Also my coach)
2) domain expert- Kyle is Lauren's boyfriend and together they have an online coaching business.
3) See above
4) See above
5) See above
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1) Paul Revelia- Paul is also a natural bodybuilder, a social media influencer, and a fitness coach.
2) Supplier- Paul is considered a supplier in my opinion, because he is a more established and experienced coach. Paul is such a great coach that he coaches several professional athletes (including Lauren Dannenmiller). In addition, Paul is a supplier of fitness information to lots of people in the fitness industry via his youtube channel where he provides tons of educational, free content that other coaches/people reference.
3) I originally found Paul on Instagram because a professional bikini athlete I love (Emily Hayden) is coached by Paul.
4) So I actually met Paul in Miami at a bodybuilding competition. I approached him to say "hi" and basically tell him how wonderful I think he is. I went on to tell him some of the things I've learned from his content and that I aspire to have the same job as him one day. He told me that a lot of people say that, and with the growth of online coaching it's becoming more important to have the education. I told him about my current degree program and that I'm considering grad school at USF (where he went). He followed me back on Instagram and he's polite enough to answer my questions whenever I have them!
5) So while I don't consider having a relationship with Paul yet, or consider him being in my network yet, I plan to get there with him. If I do go to grad school in Tampa, I would ask Paul to be a mentor to me, and possibly put me on, working under him. This would be an incredible experience for me to learn about coaching, it would help me further grow my social media, and Paul too, knows lots of very intelligent, influential people in the fitness industry which would open more doors and provide more networking opportunities for me.
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Reflect.
When I first contacted all of these people I was super nervous because to me they're almost "famous." But what I've learned is that they're just regular humans like me :) and that it's not that hard to talk to them! They're all real, and polite, and want to help people who seek information! I've learned that networking and speaking to people is super important for business growth, and that even if it's scary the more practice you have the better you become at it. My strategy is to kinda not think and just do it.
When I first contacted all of these people I was super nervous because to me they're almost "famous." But what I've learned is that they're just regular humans like me :) and that it's not that hard to talk to them! They're all real, and polite, and want to help people who seek information! I've learned that networking and speaking to people is super important for business growth, and that even if it's scary the more practice you have the better you become at it. My strategy is to kinda not think and just do it.
Hi Megan! That is wonderful that you are reaching out to people who are already successful at what you would like to be in the future. It is important to not only use them as networks, but also as mentors. It is very scary to network, and also nerve-wracking to showcase your ideas. Since you are technically showcasing yourself, the more you become more self-aware in your own skills the better you will be.
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome you've found such great connections in the fitness industry. It's also cool to see how your relationship with your coach benefits both of you. Often times people would think the coach's only benefit is money they earn, but you're helping her get her name out there as being a coach who can effectively train others to compete.
ReplyDeleteIt is very helpful that you already have so many people that you know in your field. This definitely gives you a leg up, even if you do not have them in your network yet. Clearly it is something that you are already working on. Also, I liked the point that you made about them being normal people. Sometimes successful people seem intimidating, but we need to overcome that to expand our network.
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