I give my take on this growing scam, why it is poison in this industry that I love, and how to spot them.

I’ve wanted to tackle this issue ever since I started writing my blogs, the issue I’m talking about in more detail is the strange trend of ‘fitness coaches’ or even ‘life coaches’ who market themselves as gurus in money making. These Individuals sell tempting get rich quick programs that seem to promise huge earnings, more free time and maybe a diary full of clients depending on what they are pedalling. These scammers can be very subtle in the different approaches they use, I myself was nearly conned by one back when I started work, I’ll discuss my own experiences later.

If your in the fitness industry or many any professional I’d put money on that you’ve seen their adverts on social media or even been approached by them. Their adverts are usually headed by a handsome Male or Female in a glamorous environment, office or chromed out gym, surrounded by fancy cars and hoards of satisfied clients. They say things like; ‘Hi Chad here, I made £100000 in my first month last year with what I’m about to tell you, if you too want to make 6 or even 7 figures like me, keep listening’. Or maybe; ‘Hi, do you want more freedom and more money? Well listen up because I’m going to give you the information on how to do this FOR FREE!’

It’s time to wake up and smell reality people. This ‘get rich quick’ mindset is insulting, belittling and for me, epitomises everything that is wrong in the world, not just in my industry but in general. Some people are so fixated on quick money and the acquisition of it that I believe it’s a decay that needs addressing. I mean, whatever happened to just being a great coach and your reputation speaking for itself?

Now, I LOVE the fitness industry deeply, right down to my damn bones. It’s an inspiring place to be and I consider it an honour and a downright privilege to call myself a Personal Trainer. This cherished belief in my career also brings a certain ‘code’ with it. That code means to live with integrity, honesty and knowledge that it takes hard work and patience to be good at something. I’ve worked hard to build my business and can’t stand these charlatans claiming to have the fast track to success. It simply doesn’t exist, their is no fast track or secret formula that one person claims to have over the rest of us, and certainly not over a dodgy looking online source!

Anyway, I’ll give you my story on how I was nearly duped over 8 years ago…

Why this issue is important to me

Back when I left the Royal Marines in 2012 and newly qualified as a Personal Trainer, I was totally new to the industry and if I’m honest pretty clueless as to how to get clients. For 6 months I ran weekly group workouts and that was what kept me afloat. As the sessions steadily grew in popularity I began to have aspirations on pushing my business further and that’s when I came into contact with one of these scams.

It was over Facebook that I saw a tempting advert for earning big bucks as a fitness trainer, I showed interest and within a very short time I was sent a message by the person claiming to be said successful coach. For the next few days he asked me questions like; ‘How many clients do you currently have? What’s your ideal income? What do you currently do to market yourself?’ I answered him and in return he gave me snippets of fairly obvious advice, things like network more, post great content and give your clients the wow factor (gee thanks). What came next was more suspicious though. He revealed that if I wanted the REAL secrets to earning the big bucks I would need to sign up to his course (£5000!) which would lead to this mythical life of huge earnings and freedom. After I hesitated on the price (£5000!) I was pressurised to join with almost hourly messages and special deals of a reduced rate (e.g. if I signed up now they would reduce the cost to £3500). Once he realised I wasn’t interested, tactics changed to become more psychological. I guess it’s their last card to play. He make me feel like I absolutely HAD to sign up to their course otherwise I’d miss out and more than that, even had the cheek to say I’d be a failure if I didn’t!

I hazily recollect language he used was like; ‘Hey it’s your decision, I’m just saying that I feel like you need this in your life, you seem like a great coach but without my advice I think you’ll struggle and it’ll take you years to get to where I am now’. What started as very subtle all of a sudden became very potent pressure selling! Eventually after a week or so he left me alone but the experience left an impact on me, I’d never dealt with a scammer before and it definitely made me more untrusting of people. It was tiring having to deal with him.

After talking to others who were taken in by these sort of ‘money making gurus’ and from my own experiences, I have come up with 3 tips that’ll help you steer clear of them.

1. Stop

From my own experience the scammer wanted me to buy his course there and then. It was very much about the impulse buy, he knew just how to play on my ambition. Before your pressurised to part with your hard earned cash for any type of online course or money making program, stop and take a step back. Chances are they will continue to bombard you with messages which will no doubt become more and more urgent, ask yourself; ‘is this normal behaviour and would a reputable educational organisation operate like this?’

2. Think

Think about what you are about to do, is this a good decision? Take some time, take a step back, think rationally about the decision your going to make. When I did this I very quickly realised that it was all piffle, bottom line – there was no reason for me to part with this huge sum of money!

3. Research

Finally have a dig around at the persons credentials and what they are offering, are they backed up by an industry registered provider? If not, why not? Always remember – if something seems too good to be true it usually is. Be cynical and don’t be afraid to ask them questions. Once I’d gotten to the bottom of what they were offering I realised that it was pretty simple information anyway and could easily be studied by picking up a book! Allow your alarm bells to ring and see their blatant attempts to steal your money as just that. Finally, try to get some reputable free advice from maybe citizens advice in the U.K. or a similar free legal organisation in the country your in. 9 times out of 10 they’ll tell you that it’s a scam and to watch out. On a more personal level, we all want to have more comfortable lives. But be safe in the true and honest knowledge that hard work, patience and usually way less money normally gets you to where you truly want to be.

I think the one thing you should take from this blog is to be cynical of these online money making gurus, learn from my mistake and always do your research. Remind yourself – why is this person so determined to sign me up? What’s the rush? My last thought for you to take away is this – when you go to a college or university open day, do they hassle you or chase you down the street trying to get your cash, or are you allowed to come to your own conclusion on whether it’s the right course for you? I rest my case!