Inducted into the Beachbody Coach Millionaire Club
Yes. Beachbody Coach Millionaire.
Wow, my hands were shaking when I typed that line above. I can’t believe I am writing this blog post. Today, August 19th, 2014, I woke up to see I was inducted into the TeamBeachbody Millionaire Club. The fact that this has happened is still so surreal, especially since this was just a faint dream I had only a few short years ago.
I wanted to share a little bit about this milestone, my journey to make this a reality, and even share some helpful advice I have picked up along the way. Before I even get into this accomplishment and my story, I want to make it known that I am not writing this to brag. Not my intention. My goal is to hopefully share some advice and experiences to inspire and encourage others to work toward a financially-free future for their family, like we have been blessed to have because of the Beachbody Coaching Opportunity. If I can inspire just one person, then I’ll chalk it up as a win.
“The number on your paycheck is a direct reflection of the value you continue to bring into the lives around you every day.”
I am excited that I have achieved this accomplishment, not for personal reasons at all actually, but to have as personal experience to share with people what is possible, especially only being a Coach for 4 years and nearly quitting just over 3 years ago (which you will read all about in this post). Plus, as most of you may already know, I have built my Beachbody Coaching Business part-time! Outside of coaching, I still have a full-time job where I am a Marketing Manager at a professional sporting arena, averaging about 60-80 hours a week (6-7 days a week). And, I am also a committed husband and a busy father… you name it, we juggle it! But because of all this madness, I don’t think I can be anymore relateable to people! If I can do this, YOU CAN DO THIS, TOO! Just a cool thing to have accomplished knowing it can inspire others, too.
A little about my journey…
My story is an interesting one, that’s for sure. To start it off, some people may see that I have only been a TeamBeachbody Coach for 4 years, so they could be quick to assume that accomplishing the Millionaire Club was an easy goal to check off the list. Well, let me just state for the record that it wasn’t easy. In fact, after you read my story and see of the obstacles I had to overcome throughout my 4 years as a coach, you’ll understand a little more of what I’m talking about. But trust me when I say, it was no smooth sailing.
I became a TeamBeachbody Coach quickly after giving P90X a try for the first time. From the moment I pushed play during that first workout, I was absolutely hooked. I was committed to P90X every day, talking about it everywhere I went, sharing my journey and photos online as my body began to change, and was even helping people who were messaging me and asking about it. I guess you could say I had develop a huge passion for this workout and new lifestyle I had adopted. Well, because of this, my Coach (Josh Spencer) contacted me and told me that I should become a TeamBeachbody Coach; since I was basically doing everything a coach does already. I had no clue what a coach was, what the rewards were as a coach, or anything, but I decided to give it a try. In March of 2010, I officially became a TeamBeachbody Coach.
From that moment on, was it smooth sailing to the Millionaires Club? Nope. Far from it. The more I studied the Coaching Opportunity, the more I began to consume myself in it. However, this wasn’t a good thing. I began to focus more on what I shouldn’t be focusing on, such as the numbers, the earnings, the results, the rewards… everything that successful coaches weren’t worried about, I was. Because of this approach, my mind, my heart and my intentions weren’t dialed into the right areas. I began to put my own reward in front of those I should be helping. I began to focus more on the numbers and earnings, rather than the people I should be helping and inspiring. Since my approach was backwards, I began to see a significant drop in my business, my client enrollments, my earning, my attitude, my passion.. everything seemed to be in an uncontrollable spiral. With this selfish mindset, discouragement quickly set in as I saw my business sink deeper and deeper. At that time, I had no idea why this was happening? How come I am not seeing any progress or results? What in the world am I doing wrong?
I was completely blind to the fact that I was destroying my business from the inside-out. I was my own worst enemy, perhaps too in denial to admit it. Things weren’t working out. Suddenly, what used to come natural to me and what used to be fun and exciting to me, is now a frustrating, unpleasant, annoying burden that I wanted nothing to do with anymore. That’s it, I’m done. I remember thinking that I work a full-time job on top of Beachbody Coaching as a Marketing Manager for a professional sports team, working 60-80 hours a week, so I don’t have time for something that isn’t working and is wasting my time! I believe it was late fall of 2010, I decided to submit my Coach Cancellation Forms and resign as a TeamBeachbody Coach.
My Coach, Josh, wouldn’t let me off the hook that easy. Josh saw my cancellation request and quickly gave me a call. To this very day, I have no idea why I even answered the phone, but I am thankful I did. Let’s just say when he called, the conversation was intense and probably not suitable for viewers under the age of 18. Since Josh and I are very similar, Josh knew exactly how to talk to me to help me realize what was happening. Josh and I are both young, both athletes from the same conference in college, both stubborn and hardheaded, and both extremely driven and focused… however, I guess I was just driven and focused in the wrong direction at the time. He made me realize that I wasn’t the same person I was when we talked on the phone the day I became a Coach. I became selfish by worrying so much about my numbers and my business growth, rather than inspiring, supporting and motivating people. He said something I will never forget, “When you focus on the rewards, they will never come. Focus on helping people, and I promise, the rewards will follow.” That statement has stuck with me since. Josh and I had a serious, intense, long chat on the phone which will forever be known as the phone call that changed my life.
Shortly after that chat, things began to change for the better. I began to take on the same mindset I had before I became a Coach. The opportunity was fun again, my passion was spilling out of my ears, and my focus was now directed on those I was engaging with every day. I was committed to helping them get started with the workout that started it all for me. With these new intentions, I began to see my business pick up. I began to see the rewards roll in. I began to see more and more people requesting to join our upcoming challenges. Why was this? It was because I was doing what I should of been doing as a Coach the whole time, which is, providing people with value and making this all about them! I am here to help them start their journey and help them stay on their journey! I am here for them. My focus is on them. And because of this, things began to improve drastically.
Being inducted into the Millionaires Club is pretty cool, but to know the number of lives my decision to not give up impacted to make this even a reality is even cooler.
Going from sending in my Coach Cancellation Forms to achieving 11-Star Diamond, two-time Elite Coach, completely debt free, paying off our mortgage 28-years early, and now being inducted into the Millionaire Club… that’s crazy and I am incredibly thankful. But what is even more crazy and what I am even more incredibly thankful for is to think about is that in just a little over three short years after submitting those forms, I have been able to meet, build relationships with and inspire thousands… literally…. thousands of people. I get goosebumps every time I think of this because it goes to show the impact one choice you make can have on other people’s lives. The choice I made to stick with coaching and to make the adjustments I needed to make to become a better person, a better Coach and a better leader, has effected the lives of thousands. Our team, Team Motiv8, has grown to over 2,000 coaches since that moment, and continues to grow daily!
I want to give a special thank you to my team, Team Motiv8. You all are incredible people and it’s so inspiring to continuously see everyone work hard to make an impact in other people’s lives. I’m so blessed to have you all in this with me. Some of you I consider close friends and even members of the family! I remember as if it were the other day when we launched this team and there was about 10 of us. Now, we are over 2,000 coaches strong and growing! From our new coaches who signed up today to our veteran leaders, every coach, no matter how experienced or successful plays a huge role on the team and what we are here to do. Thank you for paying it forward every day, sharing our mission proudly, representing our brand with integrity and supporting one another day in and day out! Special love for our leaders, too. You all continue to inspire me daily as you develop more and more! It’s amazing to see your own teams grow and develop, too! Continue paving that road! You all rock!
Do I regret my journey?
Is it embarrassing to talk about my journey? To admit that I used to be selfish? To admit that my focus was in the wrong place? To admit that I have experienced rock bottom as a Coach? No. Not at all. After reading my story, you now have a better idea on why I said that the journey to the TeamBeachbody Millionaire Club hasn’t been an easy one. Have these past 4 years been nothing but smooth sailing? No way, and far from it. But because of this experience, I feel I can share this with other coaches who may feel like they have hit that “rock bottom”… guess what? I can relate! I have been there. I have felt that. I have thought that quitting was the only option. I feel my story can be used as an example of what can happen after a few adjustments are made and discouragement is replaced with passion, belief, fun and an unimaginable drive to succeed.
I truly hope that my story and accomplishment of being inducted into the TeamBeachbody Millionaires Club can inspire others to dream bigger, to never give up and to always focus on what’s important to the mission – which is helping people. If your intentions are true and you are here to help, support, motivate and inspire others by leading by example, then the rewards will come… and they will be limitless.
Here is some advice…
I wanted to put together a few pointers I have learned along the way to help you.
PUT OTHERS FIRST – This is a business of giving and helping others. It’s not about you as a Coach. Your success is a reflection of the amount of lives you are influencing in a positive way. As you can see from my journey, when I avoided this piece of advice, I began to see how fast my business suffered from it. If you aren’t helping others, what good are you as a Coach?
PROVIDE VALUE – In order to gain people’s attention, trust and loyalty, you need to supply them with a source of value. Find out how you can best help that person and then do that. Continuously serve that person the best way possible to help them take steps toward their goals everyday. If you aren’t there for their journey each step of the way, you aren’t as valuable to them as you should be.
MAKE SACRIFICES – I was once told by Jeff Hill of Beachbody Corporate, “Chris, if sacrificing some late nights partying, if waking up an hour earlier, if staying up an hour later, if working a little harder, if investing a little more, if making these sacrifices for an entire year would lead into a six-figure income for you and your family, would you be willing to do it?” Of course! Sure, there might be nights where you have to stay up later for a call, or days you might have to wake up earlier to message a few people, or might have to miss out on some things to make sure you’re getting your work in, but if you are committed to success, then sometimes these sacrifices have to be made. If you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen.
STAY CONSISTENT – As you develop into a leader through the eyes of your followers, clients and coaches, you must make sure you are staying consistent. Coaching is just like committing to a workout program. If you are only eating healthy when you feel like it or working out once a week, do you think your results are going to be as great as you want them to be? No, they will suffer because you aren’t staying consistent with it. The same philosophy applies to your coaching business. Stay consistent to plugging in, sharing, inviting and engaging and your results will increase over time.
THINK LIKE A LEADER – In order to do this, you must consistently fill your mind with positive thoughts. Investing into the right Personal Development tools are important. We all want to grow and develop our leadership skills, and in order to do so, we must continuously grow the way our mind thinks like a leader. Personal Development will help do this. Also, lets face it, as I explained in my story, we all suffer from tough times. The journey through coaching and life in general isn’t always smooth sailing, however, you’re chances of overcoming such setbacks and obstacles increase the more you understand how to face these issues and overcome them. Having a strong commitment to you Personal Development will sharpen your senses. Some great reads are, “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz, “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell, “Talent is Never Enough” by John Maxwell, “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy, “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson, and “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy.
CREATE A GOAL BOARD – Have a vision. Have a target to aim for. Go to the store and buy a dry erase board. Once you have your board, think of long term and short term goals to list on your goal board and make sure you plug into it daily to judge your progress. In order to make progress, you need somewhere to go though, right? Without that sense of direction, how do you even know if you are progressing? Have goals. Write them down. And look at them daily! Click here for my goal board training video.
BE A LEADER – Leaders lead by example, are supportive, positive, see everyone as an equal, and guide people the proper way. If you want your team to do something, you must do it 10x better to show them the way. Everyone is watching you. As the head of the wolf pack, your choices and actions effect if the pack goes left or if the pack goes right.
MAKE THE TIME FOR YOUR BUSINESS – This is an important one for me, especially since I am building my Beachbody business part-time. I have created “Power Hours” throughout my day that allow me to focus solely on my business. I will literally lock myself in a quiet room (which is my home office) and I will work for an hour or two on things that will help take my business to the next level. I am a firm believer that it doesn’t come down to the amount of time you invest, but instead, comes down to the amount of value you bring to your business within that amount of time. If you have a few short hours to work on your business, then that’s fine… just make sure you are doing what needs to be done within that amount of time. Click here to see my Power Hour Training from Coach Summit 2013.
FOLLOW THE LEADER – Find someone who is successful and follow them. Social media is a great tool now-a-days because it makes it super easy to follow what others are doing. I follow a lot of the top coaches in the business to gain ideas on how I can become a better leader, all from simply watching how they engage and communicate on their social media paths. If you want to be successful, follow someone who already is and do what they are doing. Feel free to follow me on Facebook.
BE CONFIDENT – Right from the get’go, you need to be confident. Sure, you might not know all the answers to every question or how to do everything quite yet as a newer Coach, but oh well, still be as confident as you can. The image your project to your clients and followers is important. Do you think they will listen to someone who looks uneasy and unsure? No. People will listen to those who look like they play the part. Do your best to be as confident as you can, even when things might not always go your way.
HAVE FUN AND BE PASSIONATE – When you enjoy it, it becomes a lot more fun. When it’s fun, you become more and more passionate about it. When you’re passionate about it, it becomes a lot more natural to you. If you aren’t enjoying the ride, then you will never be able to share it with passion.
BE RELATEABLE – Your followers will relate more to your weaknesses and struggles than they will with your accomplishments and rewards. Why is this? Simple because everyone has weaknesses and struggles. So they are more relateable! Sharing your great times is a must, but it’s also important to share your not-so-great-times! People like to see that you have struggles and weaknesses, too. I also say to pull out your biggest weakness or struggle and lead with that. Why? Because chances are, others will relate to it, too! Then, you can share how you are working to overcome it. People will connect more to others they relate to, and in order to show them you are relateable, you have to share all areas of your life.
BE COACHABLE – And last but not least, be coachable. Understand that there are going to be plenty of times were you will fail in this business, and guess what? That’s perfectly normal! Now, here is what separates those that fail forever and those that overcome temporary failure – the ability to be coachable and make the proper adjustments to overcome what didn’t work at that moment. As you can tell from my story above, in the beginning of my journey, I was definitely not considered “coachable”. If you are like me, put the ego aside and don’t be afraid to ask for help and make adjustments.
Hopefully, you’re ready to rock…
I truly hope you enjoyed and learned from my story. Hopefully my tips were helpful. If you have any questions, just reach out to me at bbcoachchris@gmail.com or on Facebook. If you’re interested in the business that I’m a part of, Team Beachbody, you can email me as well and we will set up a call.
Please share this post if you feel it could inspire or help at least one person. Thank you for viewing and hope to hear from you.
Much love,
Chris Balmert
*Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill.
