For trainers who want to 'fast track'

[Coach is Back!]

This article was written by a couple of other trainers I know very well........



By Alwyn Cosgrove and Jason Ferruggia For www.EliteFTS.com
Published courtesy of Jason Ferruggia and Alwyn Cosgrove

This article was written in response to a trend that both Jay and I experienced. We were getting approached by trainers asking us for business advice and how to "jump the ladder, get out of the trenches and avoid training clients for a long time".

We are all for helping motivated individuals fast-track their career, but the fact that a trainer is asking how to avoid training people, didn't sit well with us. We all get started in this industry through our desire to help people. If you don't want to be in the "trenches" helping people - maybe this industry is not for you. You know who you are.

In short - our advice to "fast tracking" your success as a trainer starts with being really good AS a trainer. Unfortunately this is the step most people seem to want to skip.

Over the past year, we have both received tons of emails and phone calls that go something like this: "I have listened to you for a while now and have purchased several products from you. I've watched you and your reputation grow."

Or like this: "What was the one thing you did or the one step you made that took you from being a 'personal trainer' to a more accomplished fitness expert? Basically, what got the ball rolling for you and got you that first break? How did you leap frog the competition? What advice would you give someone aspiring to do the same?"

Normally, we have no problem answering these questions, and we have helped many trainers with their businesses. Recently, however, there has been an alarming trend that we've both noticed. People seem to think that the "in the trenches" experience is a step they can skip.

AC: Prior to anyone in the field having "heard" of me through products, websites, or magazine articles, I had been financially successful as a trainer full-time for over 10-12 years. I had opened my own fully equipped gym with four full-time staff and saw close to 300 members 2-3 times per week. While I do make money from writing articles, etc., the bulk of my income comes from my gym. The current line of thinking seems to be that training people and getting results is unimportant and not really required to become a well-known trainer. However, it's the only thing that IS required.

JF: I didn't leap frog any competition, and I am far from an overnight success. People see my column in Men's Fitness or see me on the staff at EliteFTS.com, and they wonder what I did to get there and how they can do the same. The people asking me this question have usually trained three people and have been in this field for about a year.

Do you want to know how I became successful, got in the magazines, and got people to pay big money for my advice and buy my products? Do you want the simple formula for becoming a big success in this industry? Ok, I'll give it to you. Start training people when you are 19-years-old and going to college. Continue to do so until you're done with school. Read a book a week for the next 13 years, go to countless seminars, and do internships. Pay anyone you can find for advice; some of it will be good and some of it will be bad. Use every possible method and system of training you can find or invent one for yourself first and your clients second. Train literally hundreds and hundreds of clients for 6-12 hours per day for ten years. Get great results in your own training and with your clients CONSISTENTLY. When you have done that, you will have achieved your "overnight success." That's when you should start writing articles. Alwyn and I were both in the trenches for at least ten years before we ever wrote an article. We both believed that we had no business trying to spread our word to the masses until we had paid our dues and earned that right. For some reason, this is the only field where people don't seem to follow that same line of thinking. How long do you think Paul Tuttle of Orange County Choppers worked on bikes until he got a TV show? A year or two? Come on now, we all know better than that. How long do you think Chris Garver was tattooing before Miami Ink debuted on TV? Chris was recently quoted as saying, "It seems like anyone can become a tattoo artist these days, but it takes a very long time to become a good one." I agree 100 percent. I'll add that it seems like anyone can become a trainer, strength coach, or internet guru these days, but it takes a very long time to become a good one. In the shop where Chris Garver works, there is an apprentice named Yoshi. Before they will allow Yoshi to tattoo anyone, he must learn from the masters and pay his dues. This is how it should be in our industry. You shouldn't be able to get in the magazines or on the websites if you haven't paid your dues. It's that simple. If you're going to trust someone with your body, who do you want putting your tattoo on you--Chris Garver or some art school graduate who can talk a great game and even has a whole portfolio of Marvel Comics characters he drew to show you? By the same token, if you trust someone with your body in a different way (i.e. getting training advice from them), who are you going to listen to--someone who has spent the last 15 years in the gym and has amassed over 10,000 hours of working time with clients or the guy who just got into this field a year ago, has received 28 certifications in that time, and can quote everything Mel Siff ever wrote word for word? It's not the fact that we think you spend "years in the trenches" - we just think that you shouldn't want to skip that step - you should develop your skills to a high level. ---- Now don't get us wrong. We are all for helping everyone that we can. There are plenty of up and comers in this industry who will tell you that we're always willing to answer their questions and do whatever we can to be of assistance. We don't blame anyone for trying to make a living, and we love to see people succeed. It's just that if you're going to write about training people, you actually have to TRAIN PEOPLE!! And not just for a few years. That does not make an expert.

Get a successful training business up and running, put in the time and effort, and then you may be ready to speak to the masses. The problem is that we both came up the hard way, the old-fashioned way I guess. We spent thousands of hours in the trenches and experienced many ups and downs and hard times on our way to the top. It was never easy, and we struggled to make it many times. But, we persevered and earned our spots. The thing that pisses us off sometimes is the fact that nobody wants to do that anymore. People expect to come straight out of college, get in the magazines, write a few books, charge $400 an hour, and become a superstar. It's a little disrespectful to guys like CJ Murphy, who has busted his ass in the gym for close to 20 years working, learning, and getting unbeatable results. He is so busy that he barely has the time to even turn on the computer, never mind becoming an internet guru. Murph will never starve because he is doing things the right way and always has. If the magazines decide not to pay him anymore for his very limited time, he'll be fine. The guru's who have based their whole career in this industry on writing and selling products but haven't done time in the trenches will one day be exposed and left with no choice but to find a new career path. Like Ice Cube once said, "You better check yourself before you wreck yourself." So, more articles and more products do not necessarily equal more success. Just keep that in mind. Don't confuse "publicity" with being good at what you do. There are several well-known "trainers" out there. We were making good money actually training people FIRST. THEN, magazines started asking us about training and people asked about products. The articles and products came as a result of our reputation. They didn't help us get clients, or get good at our craft.

Good trainer first, marketing second.

AC: I mentioned this once to a "business adviser" in the fitness industry. I had commented that Trainer X literally had no clients. Not one. Yet, he was positioning himself as some sort of expert in the field, working harder to get magazine articles published and products released than he was getting clients and actually doing what he talked about. I thought it was a valuable point, but the "business adviser" disagreed. He said, "I think it's great. He has skipped all the bullshit and is making some money and a real name for himself."

But it's NOT great. It's deceitful.

What these people really do is journalism, not training. This is fine, but they're claiming more than just writing skills. The best journalists and magazine editors we know have never said they were trainers. If training people and mastering your craft is "bullshit," then I don't know what this industry will become. There seem to be several guys out there who are excited at having "skipped all the bullshit" (their words). They are now writing articles and selling products without having spent any time "in the trenches." Why are they proud of this? They should be ashamed of it.

How can you "skip" the "in the trenches" experience? That's not an option. It's also a key indicator or CLUE of their real intentions. We all got into this for the same reasons--because we have a huge passion and want to help people get better. The best way to do this is face to face, and it's also the best way to make a difference. If you skip this step, then what difference are you really trying to make? Why are you in the coaching business anyway? We know guys who have little to no real world experience training people, yet pride themselves on how many articles they have had published. And of course they list that on their website.

Are you kidding me? These guys with no experience are some of the biggest names in the field. You'd recognize their names if we published them. If you just won the lottery and needed to invest your money, would you go to a kid that is green in the business with zero money of his own? Or would you more likely trust the guy with a few million in the bank who has been helping clients for years? If you knew this, would your decision be based on experience or publicity? What if the new guy had all kinds of nice looking ads in the paper with a daily column? Would this influence your decision? Or would you go with your gut and seek the guy with the money and experience? It's almost as nuts as a guy who has never trained any tennis players or no more than a few high school kids EVER writing an article about training tennis players. Crazy, huh? Oh wait...that one was on the web last month. Honestly, we have more respect for some of the personal trainers who are working long hours at 24-hour fitness facilities and are actually getting people in shape. They are putting food on the table for their families based on their ability to get results, not just their marketing.

Now, we want to be clear that we don't think "paying your dues" means taking a shit job, or making shit money. But recently it seems that guys think putting your time in, actually getting good, and spending time on developing your skills in the real world is a step that can be missed. Unfortunately, becoming a high profile trainer has recently been marketed as if it were a separate issue from just being really good.

It's the equivalent of starting karate and saying, "I need to skip all the bullshit between yellow and blue belt and just tell people that I'm a black belt. If I skip all that, write some articles, and make some products, I'll be making black belt money!"

The problem is that you can buy the black belt, make a certificate, and "act as if" all you want. But when push comes to shove--and eventually it will--you're going to be exposed as a white belt.

In other words, you're a liar.

Before you even focus on trying to expand your business, or your profile, make sure that you're technically really good at what you do. Everyone thinks that they need business development, and this is true, but most of the trainers I've met need to get better at training first! You can't skip this step. Being really skilled at what you do is the only guaranteed way to improve your business. Marketing and business practices are very important but will only take you so far.

Great marketing and a great image will be exposed if you can't back it up by producing real results with real people. If you're just a good personal trainer, start educating yourself rapidly. The more you learn, the more you can earn. It's that simple. And it's important to understand your limitations. We all have limitations when it comes to experience. For example, we're not powerlifters. We don't train powerlifters, and as a result, you will never see us posting in the Q&A on EliteFTS.com in any areas we do not feel comfortable. We're not the strength experts. That's why we ended up seeking out Louie Simmons and Dave Tate and their educational material. It's ok to find someone to help you. We're not the diet, supplement, or drug experts either. We might not even know as much as you do. But, we definitely know someone who knows more than you, and all we have to do is call him.

We DO have years of experiencing training athletes and regular people. This is what we do, and what we love to do. This is what we know. If this step is something that people are looking to skip, then they are in the wrong field. So what do you do? Up until now, this has been little more than a rant. Well, that's not us. Here is our plan of attack to take your career up a notch. 1. Set benchmarks of success that you want to hit. If you work in a club, maybe you want to become the head trainer or the busiest trainer? Perhaps you just want to have a full client load or charge more money?

Maybe you want to go out on your own or open your own place? (Keep in mind that although it seems like a goal, opening your own place or even working for yourself is maybe not the way you want to go. There are some GREAT trainers who have made a name for themselves working for someone else. Martin Rooney and Stephen Holt come to mind.)

If you're just starting out, seek out a mentor to help you. Offer to assist them for free or even pay them for their time. It will put your experience and education on the fast track to a level far beyond any financial investment you may make.

2. Establish a level of excellence in everything that you do. How's your exercise technique? How's your client's exercise technique? What if you're not there? Your client's exercise form, without your supervision, is a window into your abilities. If you took a vacation and Dave Tate was supervising your AVERAGE clients' squat workout (not your star client!), would you be proud of their form, or would you have the excuses lined up?

3. Create a replicable system of program design. There has been a backlash against formal program design recently. The attitude has been "I don't know what I'm doing exactly until I get to the gym." This is acceptable when it comes from an experienced trainee, but in business, systems are everything. We should be able to write a program exactly as you do, without your input, by merely following your directions. This is the first step into hiring staff or increasing your business.

4. What are the results of your TYPICAL client? We all have the superstars that we can hold up and say "this is our work!" Well, guess what. ALL your clients are your work, even the "athletically challenged." It's easy to show us a picture of a pro athlete who you work with or a Men's Health cover model and take all the credit (even though these guys were pro athletes or models before they even met you). Your reputation is built on improving the average client, getting Johnny off the bench and into the game, getting 30 lbs of fat off of Suzy. Raise the standards of your results across the board.

5. Think about the type of clients you want. You may want to train baseball players exclusively but right now only 10 percent of your clients come from that niche. How can you target more in that market? Maybe it means offering your services to some local kids for free to build your reputation? And what kind of clients do you have? If you were to classify them as A, B, C, or D, with A being a highly motivated client in your target market, who trains hard, never cancels, is a great ad for your business, and refers other clients, and D being "you need the work to pay your bills," how would you classify them? (You can use any system of classification that you want but hopefully you get the picture.) Every three months, you should be able to "trim the & fat" and get rid of the bottom tier of clients. If this isn't the case, then it's doubtful that your skills are where they need to be. 6. Start studying the ancillaries of your profession. For example, if strength is your forte, then make sure you have a basic understanding of nutrition, mobility, energy system work, flexibility, and injury revention/rehabilitation. The goal is NOT to become an expert in all of these areas, but to build a basic level of competence so that you can communicate on the topic and establish who the experts are in these areas. You want to look for THE expert and also the LOCAL expert. This helps build a network for you to consult. It has basically been the impetus behind the Elite Fitness advisory team. To be quite honest, until you are good at what you do, no one cares about your ability to write about it or wants to view your new DVD on it!

7. Now it's time to study business. Magazine writing and product development all hinge on your abilities as a trainer. Getting good is not a step you should want to skip. If you want to get away from training and coaching, then maybe this field is not for you. Coaching is why we all do this. Don't be in a hurry to get past that stage.

8. If you want to write, STUDY writing. Some of the top journalists in this field, such as Sean Hyson, Adam Campbell, and Lou Schuler, have spoken to more top trainers than anyone else. These guys know a great deal but NEVER pass themselves off as trainers. Don't be disrespectful to these guys and think you know how to write. Learn your craft.

9. Business book number one has to be The E Myth by Michael Gerber. Your goal should be to read this book ASAP. A good goal is to read a business book a week, alongside studying training. The second book to read is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It has about 15 chapters. Keep reading this book. Read a chapter a day every day so that you basically read it twice a month.

10. While we're on the subject of reading, a competent trainer should be reading Entrepreneur magazine, Fortune Small Business, Inc, Fast Company, etc. You should also be reading all the fitness magazines and websites. You can make fun of the fitness magazines all you want, but it's what your clients are reading and you should know what's out there. And face it, there's not a single trainer out there who wouldn't love to have a column or article in a national magazine.

Read the magazines.

(I once read some criticism on an internet forum that said, "Do you think Alwyn Cosgrove will hurt his reputation with his recent book deal and Men's Fitness column?" Yeah, right. Every trainer on the planet would hate a mainstream book deal and a column in a national magazine because it might hurt their reputation on a forum.)

11. Attend any and all seminars in your area. You're not that good that you can afford not to attend. We've never got dumber from attending any educational event. In fact, the networking alone is worth more than the seminar fee. And don't limit yourself to only training events. You want your butt in all the business seminars in your area also. So overall, getting to the next level takes time. There aren't any steps you can skip or moves you can make to leapfrog the competition. You just need to have a methodical plan to improve your skills and therefore your business, and do everything in your power to execute that plan. Alwyn Cosgrove is a Tae kwon do international champion. He has utilized his personal experience as an athlete and combined it with the advanced theories of European sports science and the principles of modern strength and conditioning systems.

Alwyn Cosgrove has worked with a wide range of clientele including several Olympic and national level athletes and five world champions. He has also worked with professionals in a multitude of sports such as boxing, martial arts, soccer, ice skating, football, fencing, triathlon, rugby, bodybuilding, dance, and fitness competition. www.AlwynCosgrove.com.

Jason Ferruggia is a nationally recognized, highly sought after performance enhancement specialist. The owner of his private athletic training company, Renegade Strength & Conditioning, Jason has worked with hundreds of athletes from over twenty different sports over the last ten years. Jason is renowned for his ability to rapidly increase speed, strength, and size in all of his clients. www.J1Strength.com

[Coach is Back!]

Look, I know this is a long article, but try and focus your ADD and read it!

[disturbia]

[Coach is Back!]

In short, it focuses on "trainers" who come off as experts and want to bypass the "in the trenches" training it takes to become an "expert". People who would rather write articles about training to try to get a name for themselves and capitalize on the industry instead of actually training. 

[disturbia]

In short, it focuses on "trainers" who come off as experts and want to bypass the "in the trenches" training it takes to become an "expert". People who would rather write articles about training to try to get a name for themselves and capitalize on the industry instead of actually training. 

but he's a Certified Master Trainer   

and I'm a pilot too

[dyslexic]

I didn't get past the "avoid training clients for a long time" part.


That is me.


Obviously this is not what the long-winded bullshit article is about.


Fuckin bitches wanna trainer for the rest of their lives. I can write an article about that, no problem.


Bye.

[Coach is Back!]

I didn't get past the "avoid training clients for a long time" part.


That is me.


Obviously this is not what the long-winded bullshit article is about.


Fuckin bitches wanna trainer for the rest of their lives. I can write an article about that, no problem.


Bye.

Like the article basically said, you do for the money without really giving a shit exept for a check. This is what gives trainers a bad name.

[SGT BARNES]

and you train for free?

just do it for charity right?  not that you ever made any real money anyway

[Coach is Back!]

and you train for free?

just do it for charity right?  not that you ever made any real money anyway

No, but I don't use gimmicks or make myself out to be something I'm not just to rip people off to better my bottom line. As for not making any real money, well, just think before you speak. What do you consider "real money"?

[noworries]

Coach, I didn't read any of your letter.  But why did you say Goodrum.  he is not a personal trainer. 

[gordiano]

Good "advices" in that article.

[Whiskey]

Look, I know this is a long article, but try and focus your ADD and read it!

could nt be bothered reading

regards

[Gino30]

In short, it focuses on "trainers" who come off as experts and want to bypass the "in the trenches" training it takes to become an "expert". People who would rather write articles about training to try to get a name for themselves and capitalize on the industry instead of actually training. 

QFT

its called 'there are no free lunches in this world'.....

nothing worthwhile comes without effort....

build a business in a day or two and lose it just as quick....

whats with these personal trainers trying to make a quick buck?.....NFI

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

but he's a Certified Master Trainer  

and I'm a pilot too

Well, I'll have a Collegiate Diploma in Fitness & Exercise from Ashworth University in a few months soon followed by a Bachelor's in Health next year.  Even though I've been in the business for a while, I'm always studying new things because I'm serious about my craft.  You have to keep up with new innovations in fitness and exercise and that's how you do it

As far as Coach is concerned along with the article, I find that article of paying dues a bad case of whine and moan.  He's mad because he had to sweat and toil for 10 years and get 28 certification before they stuck their head up and looked at him while people like me were quickly successful in the PT business with minor accolades.

Fact is that personal training is a business and regardless of what you know or what you have done, if you do not have the marketing savvy, a smart business plan, or money management skills then you'll still be a complete failure.  In addition to that, no personal trainer is the same.  My key to success was keeping my training and nutritional protocol to my client in CLEAR ENGLISH and keep the exercises easy to do instead of having my clients flipping tires or jumping up and down on boxes doing burpees or tossing around Atlas Stones like Coach does.  By using that method, I don't alienate my clients and that allows them to be more confident in staying consistent with their fitness goals.  I don't believe in "torturing my clients and putting them on the rack like some of these veteran trainers do".  

Some people struggle in the PT business and others don't.  That's life and Alwyn Cosgrove and Jason Ferruggia shouldn't chastise folks like me for not having to go through all that sweat and toil and shouldn't expect me to feel sorry for all of their heartache and struggle.  

Its personal training but its also a business.  You have to not only have the knowledge and skill to train people but you also have to have the business know-how as well and branch off into other avenues like I did which is why I don't really have to train as much as others to stay in business.    
  

[Mr Nobody]

Well, I'll have a Collegiate Diploma in Fitness & Exercise from Ashworth University in a few months soon followed by a Bachelor's in Health next year.

Even though I've been in the business for a while, I'm always studying new things because I'm serious about my craft.  You have to keep up with new innovations in fitness and exercise and that's how you do it

You might want to throw in some tire flipping Vince as Coach and chaos do, I'm sure there are some truck drivers around the woods of NC.

[dr.chimps]

Well, I'll have a Collegiate Diploma in Fitness & Exercise from Ashworth University in a few months soon followed by a Bachelor's in Health next year.

Even though I've been in the business for a while, I'm always studying new things because I'm serious about my craft.  You have to keep up with new innovations in fitness and exercise and that's how you do it

*Unsnaps holster*

[Mr Nobody]

*Unsnaps holster*

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

One other thing, Coach.  Ditch the front page you designed and redirect your site back to what 240 built for you because it looks like utter crap.  You don't need 2 web blogs and the Neochrome Wordpress Blog in the middle of the front page is downright ugly. 

People like you complain about struggling in the business and this is one of the reasons why....poor marketing strategies. 

[drkaje]

In short, it focuses on "trainers" who come off as experts and want to bypass the "in the trenches" training it takes to become an "expert". People who would rather write articles about training to try to get a name for themselves and capitalize on the industry instead of actually training. 

Aren't people who need an actual expert a minority compared to those who want a certain image? Sure, a lot of those trainers are bullshitters but most people only want someone to count reps and keep them entertained.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

You might want to throw in some tire flipping Vince as Coach and chaos do, I'm sure there are some truck drivers around the woods of NC.

Waste of time and Coach's training is going to get Tito Ortize's ass kicked in the ring.  If I was training him, he would be on a Total Gym machine or some dumbell doing minimal weight training for 45 minutes so that he can spend the bulk of his time on what will really help him in his fight which is more boxing, more grappling, and more cardiovascular endurance training.  He's an MMA fighter and should be training for a UFC Fight instead of Met-RX World's Strongest Man. 

[Coach is Back!]

I complain about struggling in business?? And did I read that correctly when you said you would put fighters on a "Total gym machine"? When you study your craft, what craft would that be? Because it sure as hell isn't training. Now you know why this was directed at you and "trainers" like you.

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

I complain about struggling in business?? And did I read that correctly when you said you would put fighters on a "Total gym machine"? When you study your craft, what craft would that be? Because it sure as hell isn't training. Now you know why this was directed at you and "trainers" like you.

You called me out and posted this whine and bitch article and you got your answer.  I obviously wouldn't know whether you're struggling in business or not but honestly I'm sick and tired of these so call "veteran trainers" complaining how us "young bucks" are taking all of their clients and being successful in a short time.  Truth is that it wasn't that easy but I didn't have to toil for years because I had a business plan right from the start and I consulted not only with successful trainer but also advisers on running a successful business in general.  Being a good personal trainer will only get you so far, you also have to learn time, money management, advertising, and marketing and the sooner you get that right the less time trainers will be "sweating and toiling".  


Now as far as Tito is concerned, I wasn't going to say anything but since you decided to insult my training business, I will tell you that you're going to get his ass kicked with your routines.  Yes I would put his ass on a Total Gym 26000 machine and have him do rapid punch chest presses to give him more knockout power and speed up his jab and plenty of core exercises to strengthen his abdominals so that he can absorb more punishment when he gets hit in the lower region.  In addition, I would literally put his ass to the wall in cardio training so his legs won't turn to rubber as the match wears on and I'd make him do it with a mouthpiece so he can do it with the same amount of oxygen capacity as he would have in a match as I noticed that when he was flipping tires, he didn't have one in his mouth.

My time with Tito would only be about 45 minutes and then I would refer him to his boxing and grappling coaches for the remainer of the day.  He not going to be pushing cars or flipping tires in the ring, he's going to be fighting so his time and energy should be focused on a regimen specifically on fighting not training to be a strongman.  I train a fighter to be a fighter, not anything else


If he actually manages to win the fight which I doubt at this point, it won't be from doing farmer's walks or lifting Atlas Stones.  

But to conclude, don't call me out Joe because you don't know jack shit about me.  And yes, I would put a fighter on a Total Gym because it does work.  Go tell Kenny Florian his routine is a joke.  He's been using that machine himself and for his Jujitsu studio with spectacular results.  Don't knock my methods and I won't knock yours Coach.  Show some respect for other personal trainers

[powermaxx9]

This should get interesting.

money talks... bullshhit runs the marathon (walks).



Which one of you made more money last year?  I remember vince mentioning it was a slow year, and that he earned $6k for his 2008 efforts.  Not a bad number for a part-time trainer in that area of the country, with a lower standard of living.  I'm in Cali like JME, and I know things cost way more here.  About how much did you pull last year, Marino?  You dont gotta be specific, but what range?  Did you make $6,000 like Goodrum, or a lot more? 

The numbers will do the talking.

[drkaje]

*Unsnaps holster*

Dr.,

Are you thinking Vince should harness clients to his trailer as a pulling exercise?

[Vince G, CSN MFT]

This should get interesting.

money talks... bullshhit runs the marathon (walks).



Which one of you made more money last year?  I remember vince mentioning it was a slow year, and that he earned $6k for his 2008 efforts.  Not a bad number for a part-time trainer in that area of the country, with a lower standard of living.  I'm in Cali like JME, and I know things cost way more here.  About how much did you pull last year, Marino?  You dont gotta be specific, but what range?  Did you make $6,000 like Goodrum, or a lot more? 

The numbers will do the talking.

2008 was actually a net loss so I didn't earn anything at all.  I only pulled out the money I needed for my personal expenses which was about 6,800 and I had about 4k in savings that I used.  It didn't have anything to do with revenue I made because I did a lot but with Ebay more or less changing the terms and screwing a lot of people over in advertising expenses.  Same thing happenned to Guy Grundy but even worse to the point where he ran of money to ship items and ended up with an grade of F from the Better Business Bureau with FitNetUSA.

This past year was much better and I was able to take more a decent chunk of money but even then I'm investing into other venture.