After several years as a self-employed carpenter, I had developed a vision of what I wanted my business to grow into, with several vehicles, a workshop, uniformed tradesman etc, etc, but also realised that while I was skilled at my craft, and had learnt the necessary skills to run a business, and also really liked what I was achieving – I didn’t realise it at the time, but I wasn’t truly lit-up by the work I was doing, and as a result, while my income was “adequate”, my bank account wasn’t particularly lit-up either.

As destiny would have it, one of my commercial clients, a builder that did insurance repairs, was in a growth phase and looking for new building supervisors. They contacted me and asked me to meet with them to discuss the opportunity. At first I was reluctant as I had a vision for my own business, but quickly saw that the builder had similar vision but was years ahead of what it would take me to grow my business into. The opportunity was also a little unorthodox, as each supervisor was also a shareholder in the business giving us a personal interest (and investment) in the success of the business. Truth be told, I was sold no illusion in the level of committment required, or the potential income generation and it turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of my life (other than marrying my beautiful wife), but still not fully aligned with my Passion – that I was also yet to discover…

Several years in, I had advanced my learning by PLENTY about not only building, insurance, litigation, but also building a team (of supervisors), managing my investment, integrating into a team of strong personalities yet still mainting a single vision (and the difficulties that arose with some personalities) and particularly, the power of business systems when working within and managing a part of a large national business. The stress of which had taken it’s toll and while the organisation was supportive, I had more to learn about balance and sought to find something I was more passionate about – but first had to find what that looked like for me.

Again as destiny would have it, I was driving one day behind a sign-written fitness-franchise vehicle bearing a sticker that said “franchises available” as they all do, and this was enough of a spark to ignite my interest in finding my passion AND a career doing it. Several weeks of discussions, investigation, due-diligence, night-school to get qualified and careful consideration, I made the difficult decision to leave the building-family I had known and embark into an Outdoor Personal Training Franchise. Numerous existing franchisee’s I had spoke to had commented that the franchise was built on a “system” (a word I was familiar with) and I liked the sound of it and knew the potential power of strong business systems.

The illusion however was not as much backed by “strong” systems as much as I was used to and I quickly realised that although I did not have the required industry specific experience, I had more than the required business acumen to be “doing this on my own terms”. I would make no apologies to say that the franchise’s business systems failed to deliver to me the potential promises (as it did my 11 other counterparts that started a franchise the same time I did). Only 1 out of the 12 of us lasted to make the first franchise renewal term at the 4 year mark, and it wasn’t me…

The significant drop in income, when coupled with the loss of my wife’s income due to a critical illness that developed into a chronic condition, had not only financially depleted, but also physically and emotionally depleted us, leaving me faced with the tough decision to file for bankruptcy due to the exposure I had to the ATO from a large tax debt carried through from the large income from my time with the insurance builder that I could not service with the franchise income I was deriving. A little perspective shift and I reaslied that bankruptcy meant I could continue to pursue my passion in the fitness industry while breaking the grip of the tightly woven franchise agreement – apparently every cloud has a silver lining if you have the right perspective.

So I contined seeking “my passion” as a PT under my own brand, and drawing on the experience I had from my carpentry days, I quickly had a recognisable brand, along with a self-built website that consistently ranked on page #1 for the search terms I was targeting. I was also free to express more of myself through my fitness business, which also offered far more to my clients than just turning up to an excercise class. A journey that allowed me to sustain rigorous “fitness industry” hours, yet maintain the balance I was not able to achieve at the building company.

At the time I was not only building my brand, but also caring almost full-time for my wife, who’s “3 in a million” critical illness had developed into an ongoing chronic condition, including fatigue, seizures, joint-pain and additional adrenal complications. Among some circumstancial stimuli, we decided to bring forward our dream to build a bus to live in and travel – life is too short to be juggling when one of the balls is your partners care…

It was probably the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make – to say goodbye to the group of clients (who were more like friends) and open the next chapter – breakingout of society’s norms and living life with more connection, more intention, and less obligation. So now I choose my own path using the wide array of gifts, skills, and experience to help others build their vision.

THAT… is my PASSION!

If you feel the inkling to know more about what I can offer that may help you, please contact me so we can have a chat and learn more about each other in order know if working together will be good for you, good for me, and good for the planet!