I’m a small business owner, very small to be exact. I used to have a nice office with employees and even a bookkeeper and Sales person. But after 2008 I changed my business model and went with a leaner format. I now handle most of the work myself and then outsource on a contract basis what I can’t handle. Not the way I wanted to run the business, but out of necesity has become the norm. I still have a bookkeeper, but I now only use her at the end of the month to reconcile my account. This means that I send my own invoices, deposit my own checks, AND collect my own money !! The worst part of the job in my opinion. Second only to “cold call sales.”
The other day I had lunch with a friend and she asked me how business was going. I explained that some days better than ever, but some days I still have the horrors of the 2008 crash playing in my head and so I never find myself too optimistic theses days. And then I explained that now I wear “many hats” which make what I do sometimes extrmely difficult. Not in the way you might think though. I can work until I fall asleep and bang my head on the desk lol Not a great trait, but it’s fact. What makes it difficult is the the topic of this weeks post. I hope it resonates with some of you and maybe helps in whatever area in life or your classes that need it.
So what makes it most difficult to wear “Many Hats” is that in a typical client interaction for me I have to find the project, sell the project, do the project, bill the project, collect the money for the project, then ask for ANOTHER project. In a perfect world and in a good economy, that isn’t too hard to do. Especially with good clients, which I have managed to find over the last 9 years. I have weeded out the bad ones and who ask for too much and pay TOO little and traded them in for the ones who are most reasonable and value what I do. I have to say I am easily in the above 90% satisfaction rate for myself with these clients. But for the purposes of todays post let me play a scenerio of a “poor” client experience.
Let’s imagine that I finished a project that probably took more time than expected because a client had unreasonable expectations. Then lets imagine that they are two months past due on paying their invoice. NOW let’s imagine that “I” as a struggling small business owner find myself with a dried up pipeline and in desparate need of 1. The client to pay and 2. A new project. This is a horrible place to be (at least it used to be).
So the conversation goes something like this. With an already poor expectation of how the call will go, and a deep seeded desire to not work with this client again, I first have to call as the “Book Keeper.” “Hello Mr So and so, this is Bookkeeper and I am calling about invoice 55555. It’s two months past due and I was wondering when we might see that payment.” This goes one of two ways. They either will act embarressed and say they haven’t been paid yet, but you would be shocked to know that more often than not what I get is attitude where they try to project it on me as if they are waiting to see what errors I made on the project before they pay me what I am owed. So THEN I have to put on both “Worker who did the project” and “Owner of the company.” These roles can also go two ways. I am either defending the quality of work, OR I am explaining that review and revisions should have been done months ago and should not be a reason to say 3 months later that payment is held up because of them.
Once that part is resolved, and some agreement for payment has been made, THEN guess what hat needs to go on ?? You guessed it, “SALES GUY” hat. UGH !!!! I get a knot in my stomach just typig out that scenerio because I lived it for WAY too long. But I am hopeful that aside form the rare occasion, I now have the ideal cleint base who makes this interaction rare and much less painful if it does occur.
I believe that this very true story plays out in every one of our lives whether you know it or not. I wear many hats as a father, as a friend, and as a husband when I was married. And you do too! It’s not something that any of us can change, but I believe it IS something that we can all manage better in order to make the experience (life) much easier to deal with.
Now since I never know who reads these, I am going to stear clear of any mention towards family and friends. I don’t want any uncomfortable run ins or angry emails lol But let me just say this and move on. What I have done with regards to family and friends is set bounderies, lower expectations, and narrow down significantly my circle. I don’t necassarily keep anyonme out, but I don’t let everyone in to stay for too long either. If I have a circle of people who respect and value me, and I respect and value THEM, than its a pretty cool place to be. And then those who don’t, that step into the circle, I give them enough time to show me whether they are there to help or hurt the atmosphere and if they are there to hurt then they are sent away until a later time when they can show me something has changed. Otherwise they only get to waive to me from outside the circle.
Recently I posted something on FB which I have tried to NOT do because too many people love to create drama from tiny things. In a nutshell it was this: Someone whom I used to hold dear to me and that I respected tremendously stayed at my home for 5 days. I had a business trip and so I wasn’t home. I cleaned the house, and even baked them fresh banana bread before I left. But did not have time to wash the 4 bread pans so I put water in them and left. But when I got home, this person didn’t wash the bread pans. So my FB post was basically asking “How many people think that is proper behavior/etiqate?” And in typical FB fashion, the point was totally missed and most people explained to me that I should not expect someone to wash the pans just because I let them stay at my place and that I should not “Give to get.” Now I take some responsibility for not explaining my question/point better, but what really got to me was how many people thought it was completely normal for someone to stay at your home for 5 days, use your water, your electricity, your food, and then totally ignore 4 pans in the sink but wash their own. To me that just strikes me as odd because I wasn’t rasied that way. You would have to go out of you way to just leave the pans there and work around them lol But the thing is, it wasn’t the point and I wasn’t expecting anything from this person as payment for using my home. I expected this of them because I thought that someone in my “circle” was the type of person who would behave the way I would behave. Who cares that the pans took me 3 minutes to wash. I cared that we are living in a world that more and more behavior that we used to not tolerate is not becoming so acceptable. The “Bread Pan” thing was just a metophore for the bigger picture I am seeing all around us. I mean, if I hear one more time “Oh, that’s just how the Millenials are” I think I’m gonna kill myself !! lol Why do we give passes to so many people to not treat us with respect, ESPECIALLY when all we have is our time? This is why I work so hard NOW to keep my circle small and invest almost ALL my time with the “Good Clients, Friends, Family” so that I can limit how much time is wasted on those that bring me aggrivation, irritation, and disappointment.
Let’s now talk instructor to instructor. We all have the person(s) in our class who complains about the music, complains about the bike, complains about the system not working, etc etc etc. Do you find that do what I do and am trying to STOP from doing. I will have 55 people in class who are working hard and focusing on themselves and their workouts. But when that person comes to me with the list of ten problems that no one else seems to have about the class, what do I do ??? I invest all my time on trying to fix everything on their list. “What, you don;t like that song ? I won’t play it. Turn down the music, absolutely. The bike isn’t reading the correct wattage, let me sit on it and try and fix it and then get help if I can because obviously if the wattage is off by 30 watts than there is NO WAY you could possibly get a good workout because until we had wattage meters no person was ever able to get a good workout.” Is that you ??? Well it was me and to some extent still is. But I’m changing. I’m working harder on being a guy with less hats because if people think you’re there to ONLY fill their needs then you never get any of yours met. I love teaching second only to my kids. It feeds my soul to know someone enjoyed my class and that some story I told during class to inspired them to go make a positive change. So the more I get pulled out of that and into things that I can’t help because let’s face it, the person complaining is ALWAYS going to have something to complain about. So think of your Love/Passion/Time as a currency that is in limited supply. If you think of it that way, and be more frugal with it, than you will find yourself less likely to waste it on people who are only there to suck it out of you like energy vampires.
The next time a person who I KNOW is just about complaining tells me the bike is not working to their standards, I’ll tell them I’ll have someone look at it and leave it at that. The next time they say don’t play a song, I will take a poll at the next class. You get the idea ? I am NOT trying to pass the buck and I am NOT trying to shut people out. What I am trying to do in all aspects of my life (Work, Relationships, Career) is to spend MORE focus on growing the plants that I know will grow and flourish and spend as little as possible on the plants who are sucking up all my water and sunlight which leaves me less for the plants that mean the most to me.
So maybe this week look at your lives/classes and make a list of how many hats you wear and how are they suiting you. Are you the Sister who everyone unloads their family problems/gossip on ? Are you the brother who is thought more of like the family bank? Are you the friend who is always expected to say sorry first? And are you the instructor always trying to please the one or two people who may never ever be satisfied and who is taking you out of your true flow where you give off and receive the most passion ? If so, do as I have been doing for years with my business and start firing cleints. Get rid of or distance yourself from the ones who are constantly pulling you away from who YOU are and re-engage in a way that your class and your circle is SO big and full of SO MUCH Love/Passion/Joy that even if there was room in the circle for these people, the smell and brightness of all the gorgeous flowers (POSITIVE ENERGY) would be so uncomfortabel for them they would either change or leave you alone all together.
Brute honesty I know, but in sticking with my newfound philosphy if it pissed you off than we probably would be friends anyway.
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Valentine's Day is fast approaching and whether you're making a special playlist to commemorate the occasion or not, I think you'll definitely want to have these songs in your library. In the past, I've created both Valentines and Anti-Valentines playlists which were both well received and lots of fun! Here are a few of my favorites from both collections.
Two of my favorite Anti-Valentines songs are I Don't Like You by Eva Simons and 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by G. Love and Special Sauce.
I Don't Like You makes a great climb at around 64 rpm's:
Most weeks I teach around 12 indoor cycling classes between 4 different clubs. I enjoy the variety of facilities, locations and different types of membership bases. I also like to see how different group exercise programs are run and administered. There is one trend I'm seeing that is starting to really bother me.
My job title in most facilities is Indoor Cycling Instructor and as you would expect my my job description includes all the various points of providing members with the best indoor cycling experience possible. The trend that is disturbing is the addition of excessive cleaning and bike maintenance that has been added to my teaching duties. In some facilities this extra cleaning is optional and, if done, is reimbursed. The cleaning/maintenance rate may be lower than my instructor rate but I appreciate the fact that the administrators at these clubs value my time. In other gyms the extra time spent cleaning is not optional, it's expected, and it's not reimbursed. This is not simply picking up and tidying the room after class it's sweeping the floor, cleaning all the mirrors, taking out the trash or wiping down 10 or more bikes. In most cases it's 15-30 minutes of extra, unreimbursed, work. I know this doesn't sound like much but I don't believe anyone should be asked to work for free and if I was required to do an extra 30 minutes of unreimbursed work after all my classes it could quickly add up to 6 hours of unpaid time per week.
Have you ever done the math? Below is a the breakdown of how all these little tasks can cut into your instructor rate.
I assumed a rate of $30 per class. If you get paid more, these extra tasks are actually more costly to you.
I assumed 30 minutes of prep time. If you spend more time preparing class your actually hourly rate will be even less.
Most facilities and certifications recommend arriving to class 15 minutes early.
Most facilities and certifications recommend being available after class to answer any questions or converse with participants for 15 minutes.
If cleaning is required it takes at least 15 minutes to be done properly, sometimes longer.
Some facilities are requiring a social media presence and want instructors to promote their classes on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. I assume this takes an average of 5 minutes per post.
As you can plainly see, your hourly rate can quickly be whittled away when all these uncompensated tasked are added to your job duties.
I often hear, from owners, managers or in customer service training workshops the importance cleanliness. Administrators will say that cleanliness is their top priority and often their top complaint. E-mail after e-mail will address that member complaints about lack of cleanliness are up and that “We all have to work together to keep the facility cleaner. Take just a few more minutes after each class to make sure the room is spotless.” When something in my life takes top priority I'm willing to invest in it, whether it be money or time. If a facility says that cleanliness is it's TOP PRIORITY then it should also be willing to invest in it and hire more maintenance staff or at the very least pay it's instructors for the time they spend making the room spotless after each class.
Last night I had a dream; a dream that moved me. I dreamt that I was walking down a straight road in the middle of the desert. The road was paved, but everything around me felt dry, baron and without color. I kept walking straight down the middle of the road though as if I was waiting for something to happen; as if this road was going to take me somewhere.
I remember being a combination of lonely yet purposeful. It was as if I had convinced myself that all of this, the road and everything around me, was for a greater good. It was as if I was certain that this was the journey I was meant to take and that the certainty I felt was enough to keep me moving forward; that eventually I would find my way to something extraordinary, and so I kept walking.
Every so often, I would see a little boy standing on the side of the road, beckoning me to follow him. But afraid to stray from my path of “certainty,” I could not get myself to stop walking long enough to approach the little boy on the side of the perfectly paved road. So to the little boy’s dismay I just shook my head as if to say “not now” and walked past him, only to see him later on further down the road.
Finally, about the fifth time I passed him, he realized I was not going to come to him and so he walked up unto the road and met me. He turned forward and walked there beside me, in perfect stride, and we talked. He told me about all of the amazing things that he had seen, and how he wanted to take me to those places. But it would involve me leaving my perfectly paved road. “Leave my road?” I thought to myself. “No Way!!” The little boy realized that I would have no part in it so he changed the subject back towards the amazing things he had seen in his own journey. I found myself feeling like his protector; as if he needed me to look after him while he walked “my path.” And sensed that the little boy felt no fear or anxiety and believed that it was his trust in me and the certainty that I possessed in my Journey that made him feel at ease.. The truth however was that this little boy did not need me or my certainty to feel safe and protected because HE had found equal comfort in “UN-certainty” and this detour he was on with me was in fact strengthening his beliefs that every journey has a purpose even if the scenery isn’t all that great.
I shared with him that I also had a purpose and that this perfectly paved road led to something great. I even told him that it was in his best interest to stay with me and follow the road if he really wanted to discover happiness, success, and greatness. After all, this was the road that “everyone” took and had been paved for this very purpose. It’s the path everyone told me to take and “they” would never lie or steer me wrong. I was so certain of it that eventually, the little boy stopped trying to convince me to stray from the path and go his way. I assumed it was because he believed I was right, but the reality had more to do with the wisdom of this little boy knowing that I would need to find out for myself that “certainty” does not always bring you where you want to go.
After some time, he began to look frustrated and doubtful and so I told him that I had many more years of experience in life and that I knew what was best. Reluctantly, the young boy followed and the longer he did, the sadder he got. He was used to bright colors and vibrant sounds; but this road had neither. I kept telling him to hold on and have faith, it would get better; but it never did. Even with no sign of hope, he stayed committed to my words and seemed to want to believe that I would in fact prove to him what I had been saying was in fact true.
After a couple of hours both of us were exhausted. We had not realized it but we had lowered our heads as we walked and were only seeing the road right in front of us. We stopped for a break and raised our heads to look up ahead and were struck with panic.. The road stretched about 20 more feet and then ended abruptly!! We no longer had the benefit of its direction nor did the end of the road have any grand rewards for our laborious walk. There was no prize for holding onto the certainty as we did for all of the hundreds of miles we walked.
I could not bare to look at him because I knew I had failed us both. He had put faith and trust in me and I had led him to a dead end. I knew that if I looked at him, I would be ashamed of what I had done. but I had no choice, I had to comfort this little boy who had followed me all of this way. I had to console him and convince him that things would be okay.
I turned down to look at him, expecting to see tears, but I saw the opposite. The little boy stood there smiling and rubbing his hands together. What I had seen as a dead end, he saw as an opportunity. Without saying a word, he grabbed my hand and pulled me off the road and into the desert. I fought as hard as I could to not turn around and go back to the safety of the road. I tried hard not to think about the past and where I may have gone wrong or missed a turn. Instead, I trusted in the young boy to lead me, the way he had trusted in me.
Within minutes we were surrounded by trees, plants, flowers, and exotic animals. The sights were amazing, but equally incredible were the sounds that we heard. This was like a fantasy playground for grownups and kids alike. Suddenly an amazing new feeling came over me. I tried to define this new feeling as we walked through the fruit filled trees and mossy green grass but my attention kept getting pulled away
After a short time it hit me and I knew what this feeling was; it was the feeling of “UN-certainty!” Like putting knew batteries into a flashlight I found myself with a glow I had not seen in many years and I was CERTAINY that the UN-certainty was exactly what I needed in this moment. I was lost and found at the same time and it felt perfect
What may have been hours, seemed like minutes. I felt recharged and full of life. I didn’t know where I was heading, but for the moment I was happy. In this moment I was a kid again; and then something amazing happened. The little boy stopped and pointed up ahead. There before my eyes I saw a newly paved road just a straight as the first one I walked for so many miles, but with an obvious difference. This road had trees along the roadside, birds in the trees, and the sound of a gentle wind.
The little boy and I stepped back onto the road and continued to walk with new purpose and vigor. We didn’t say anything, but we both knew what the other was thinking. Our journey continued just as it began; with purpose.
The moral of this story is simple; when you’re walking thru life, do not to stay on the wrong path just because it’s what you’re used to and comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to trust the child that is in all of us; the one who wants you to take chances, play from time to time, and walk new trails. Believe that life is here to serve you and that certainty and UN-certainty work equally in your favor. Keep that balance and life promises to get you where you need to be. Be a grown up and take charge when you have to, but don’t be afraid to play every so often. Be open to these principals and you’ll find a better path, and will stay young forever!!
Below, Premium Members can read a detailed description of this Class Profile, download a printable Class Profile that can be used in class, read a detailed description of the Power Based Training Zones and download a printable Power Postcard.
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Workout Basics:
4 minute warmup
1 minute recovery
3 minute FTP interval
1 minute recovery
#18 minute interval slightly above “maximum sustainable intensity” or threshold or Orange Zone
Last 3 minutes above threshold or Red Zone
1 minute recovery
4 X 2.5 minute interval at a slightly higher intensity or average wattage than the #18 minute interval or Orange Zone
30 second surge to Red Zone
1 minute of “recovery” only a few watts or heart beats below the 3 minute intensity after each interval
1 x 2 minute interval at a slightly higher intensity or average wattage than the #18 minute interval or Red Zone
1 minute of “recovery” only a few watts or heart beats below the 2 minute intensity after each interval
3 x 1 minute close to maximum intensity
1 minute recovery after each interval
3 X 30 second interval done at absolute maximum intensity
30 seconds recovery after each interval
Workout Goal:
Can you respect the ORANGE and stay in your Threshold zone for all intervals before we max out at the end.
4 minute warm up
Soft pedal for the first 2 minutes. Get comfortable on bike. Discuss fit and console.
Slowly and steadily increase HR and/or Average Wattage each minute, for 2 minutes, keep intensity below threshold.
1 minute recovery.
#18 minute “Benchmark” or Stages IQ FTP Test goals and specifics:
Ride for 15 minutes at a VERY challenging intensity or wattage.
If you have the capability to capture average wattage use the average wattage as your “Benchmark”. If you are limited to RPE to determine intensity use your cueing to make sure participants remember how this 18 minute interval “feels”. All intervals sets in this profile will use this wattage number or RPE as a starting point.
If you are instructing with a Group Display System like Stages IQ, this is when you will have your class perform their initial FTP or Threshold test.
This is a long effort so switch it up as you ride, but keep intensity around threshold for the entire 18 minutes in the Orange Zone.
Ride the last 3 minutes at an above threshold intensity in the Red Zone.
1 minute recovery in Zone 1 or Blue
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2.5 minutes at a higher intensity, RPE or average wattage than the previous #18 minute interval.
Ride seated with a cadence of 80-110 RPM.
If using Stages IQ ride in the Orange zone.
Surge for the last 30 seconds in the Red zone.
1 minute “recovery” just below Threshold or in the Yellow zone.
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2.5 minutes at a higher intensity, RPE or average wattage than the previous #18 minute interval.
Miller Time Interval seated with a cadence of 58 RPM.
If using Stages IQ ride in the Orange zone.
Surge for the last 30 seconds in the Red Zone
1 minute “recovery” just below Threshold or in the Yellow zone.
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2.5 minutes at a higher intensity, RPE or average wattage than the previous #18 minute interval.
Another Miller Time Interval with a cadence of 58 RPM.
Alternate between seated and standing riding for 30 seconds.
If using Stages IQ ride in the Orange zone.
Surge for the last 30 seconds in the Red Zone
1 minute “recovery” just below Threshold or in the Yellow zone
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2.5 minutes at a higher intensity, RPE or average wattage than the previous #18 minute interval.
Another Miller Time Interval with a cadence of 58 RPM.
Ride standing with a cadence between 60-80 RPM
If using Stages IQ ride in the Orange zone.
Surge for the last 30 seconds in the Red Zone
1 minute “recovery” just below Threshold or in the Yellow zone
2 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2 minutes at a higher intensity, RPE or average wattage than the previous #18 minute interval.
Ride at your choice of RPM and position
If using Stages IQ ride in the Red zone.
1 minute “recovery” just below Threshold or in the Yellow zone.
3 x 1 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 1 minute at a higher intensity, RPE or average wattage than the previous 2 minute interval.
Ride at your choice of RPM and position.
If using Stages IQ ride in the DARK RED zone.
1 min recovery after the interval 1 and 2
1 minute recovery at the end of the set in Zone 1 or Blue
3 X 30 second interval goals and specifics:
Repeat three 30 seconds at MAX intensity, RPE or wattage.
