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Welcome to The Figuring It Out Podcast.
At 22, I took the plunge to go on the entrepreneurial journey and start a fitness business, 7 years later I’d been the nutritionist for 2 elite sports clubs and private coach to some of the worlds best sportsmen and women.
Now it’s my mission to show fitness coaches how you can put yourself in a league of their own, become the go to coach, and finally eliminate the self-doubt and imposter syndrome that's holding you back from building the business of your dreams.
This podcast will help you figure out how to thrive and conquer the fear that comes with the lonely entrepreneurial journey.
If fear is the only thing stopping us from achieving our dreams and we only fear what we don't understand, then the antidote to fear is knowledge.
Callum Walker:All we have to do is find out who
Callum Walker:has the knowledge that we need to conquer our fears and achieve our entrepreneurial dreams. My name is Callum Walker, and welcome to the podcast that will help you figure it out and conquer this lonely entrepreneurial journey.
Callum Walker:Hello, everyone, and welcome to the podcast. Oh, what a weekend. What a weekend. Well, I say weekend. It's Saturday today.
Callum Walker:It's Saturday. I'm driving back from Birmingham because we have just had a full immersion day with the elite coach. Yeah. If you wanna get yourself in a room of people who yeah. I don't like this, like, like minded people, but I think just people in the same sort of situation as you.
Callum Walker:Like, you do you know what I think the ultimate pain is in running a business and specifically maybe a coaching business? The the ultimate pain and the ultimate problem is the loneliness. It is. It's the loneliness. And it's not the, you know, the fact that you have to do everything on your own.
Callum Walker:It's the fact that not everyone thinks the way that you do. And it can be insanely lonely because, you know, I I remember for myself that when I first started my business up, I was 22. I'd just come out of uni. All of my mates had, you know, they've got jobs. They're they're meeting people.
Callum Walker:They're making new friends. They're going out. They were living like this London lifestyle, and I decided to write a bit like start a business. And it was just like it was so hard because no one understood the the unique challenges and difficulties that come with a business. You know, everyone was almost like, oh, you know, it must be easy for you running a business.
Callum Walker:I'm like, fuck, man. You have no idea. You have no idea. I'm depressed most of the time. I'm just relentlessly anxious because I haven't got Scooby Doo where my next client's coming from.
Callum Walker:But then the other thing is also, again, I come back to not just people outside not just people outside of the entrepreneurial space. You know, it's interesting. When I was single it's quite fun of this. When I was single, long time ago now, I went on a date with this girl and she was actually she was like a real top gymnast and she ran a business almost kind of doing these like insane gymnastics sort of events, but, like, for private conferences and stuff. Like, you know, she I remember.
Callum Walker:Yeah. Obviously, it didn't work out between the two of us. It was it was actually a bit of a catastrophe, and she she hated me. And, you know, I'm sure that she wanted to snip my testicles off and hang them by the Christmas tree. Yeah.
Callum Walker:I I was bit yeah. I was a bit different to how I am back then. But anyway, a compact suit. It just didn't quite work out between two of us, but she said something with me, which was really interesting. She's a brand of mine.
Callum Walker:It was really cool because she said that like, you know, she traveled around the world. She go to The Maldives. She go everywhere. She get paid to like, go and perform at these events. And she said she was like, do you ever feel like a wizard in a muggle's world?
Callum Walker:I was like, oh, yeah. Like that. Probably one of the only things I like about you, but I like that. Yeah. Yeah.
Callum Walker:It can really feel like you are a wizard in a muggle's world. But then also, even when you do get into the wizarding world, you know, let's say that you get into, you know, you get into Hogwarts. You start to realize that there's a lot of wizards in there who are entrepreneurs, who are running a business, who understand the unique struggles that come with running a business and challenge, but they're dicks. It's almost like you're Harry Potter and you're just surrounded by Draco Malfoys. You know, even when you do like, you know, find other people who are on the same journey, you just like, oh god, this sucks.
Callum Walker:Like, maybe you've been in a mentorship program before. I know I have. Like, you know, I've been in the mastermind. I just remember being in a mastermind just being like, gosh, don't like anyone in this room. Like, these have different values.
Callum Walker:And I think the big shift, I look at kind of the, you know, the room of people that I had yesterday, yes, you know, everyone was in there to, you know, really kind of level up, grow their business, grow themselves. But I think the difference was and I think this is the thing I found in the fitness industry specifically. Know, there's a lot of mentorships and masterminds out there that are just solely almost kind of pushing you to become a predator, pushing you to basically become a predator and just prey on vulnerable people, and I just don't like that. And I I also think that that's a commonality in the coaching space. It's a commonality in the mentoring space that these mentors are predators just preying on vulnerable people, and they're training you to become the same.
Callum Walker:They're training you to become the same as well. And I know for myself, you know, I was once in a mastermind, and it was just giving off that vibe. Not coming from a place of substance, but more how can you make any more calls, more DMs, more content just to get the sale over the line. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not this delusional person who's like sales don't matter.
Callum Walker:Like, no. Sales are so important. You got no customers. You can't coach. You got no customers.
Callum Walker:You got no money. You got no customers. You got no money. You got no business. End of story.
Callum Walker:You have to sell. Yeah. But sell from a place of integrity, sell from the place of the fact that you've got a high quality product and you wanna get it into the hands of people who genuinely need it. And I think that's what I had in the room yesterday. So and and I think that this is a really, really important point for you in terms of, it was interesting because we were really talking about retention yesterday, a lot around retention.
Callum Walker:And when we're looking at retention, there's three core things that you have to master to really, really ensure that you have a high quality retention. Now who am I to talk about this? I like to think my my retention's pretty good. That I know that when someone comes onto my elite coach program, you know, they're gonna be with me for at least three years, at least. And I'm pretty happy and content with that.
Callum Walker:And the ones who have finished have I actually like to see more as they've graduated. You know, that it's like, yeah. Okay. We got the job done. We got the job done, and we didn't really need to kinda yep.
Callum Walker:That they, you know, they they could go elsewhere to because they were experiencing different problems. So when we're looking at retention, there's three core things, and I've pressed on the one already. And the first one is that community. Because remember, our business really is all about the relief of pain. It is about the relief of pain.
Callum Walker:Now I'm gonna kinda go into this here in terms of what I was talking about yesterday. In terms of if I was running a coffee business and I was selling coffee, what I would not sell would be how great the beans are. I would not sell the fact that I'm I'm my coffee tastes better than everyone else, or I wouldn't just talk about how amazing coffee tastes because it's not that. Because if you are a coffee fanatic and you adore your morning cup of coffee the exact same way that I absolutely adore mine and I am obsessed with my cup of coffee, what is the most special thing about your morning cup of coffee? What is it?
Callum Walker:And I asked that to everyone yesterday, and they all said the first sip. But specifically, you think about that first sip. What is it about the first sip? It's that sensation of you have that sip and then you obediently go, oh, that's that's what you're selling. But remember, in terms of selling, it's not just on the front end of bringing someone into your program, but also you have to keep selling within your program.
Callum Walker:Like, when they're in your program, you have to keep selling to your clients, giving them a reason to actually stay. So fundamentally, what is that? It's relief. It's that relief when you haven't had that cup of coffee and you're have that drink and you're like, oh, yeah. K.
Callum Walker:It's relief. You think about it. And I remember when this thought hit me, me and Alice were I don't know. We were at one of our national trusts. It was really, really sunny.
Callum Walker:I mean, it was massive, like, manor. It was this big manor. And I can't remember what it was. It was I can't even remember where it was, but it was really sunny. It was a huge, almost kinda like tutor based business.
Callum Walker:It was so funny because I was like, I've cracked it. I have these things. It always happens to me like National Trust. I should probably go to some more, but I remember just walking around and they said like, we call each other Bean. It's like one of our names.
Callum Walker:You go, I was like, Bean. Bean. She was like, what? What is it? So I cracked it.
Callum Walker:So it cracked what? So I've cracked selling. And she's like, oh, shut up. She just turned around and walked away. I was like, oh, I realized, like, that's what we are selling fundamentally at the core of everything is relief.
Callum Walker:It's relief. Think about paracetamol. Like, why do you go and buy paracetamol? Which is pain relief. Think about like a burger.
Callum Walker:If I was at McDonald's and I was selling a burger, what am I actually selling? It's not the bun. It's not the beef. It's not how amazing it's gonna taste. It's that first bite.
Callum Walker:When you have that bite, like, what's that feeling after? It's that, oh, it's a relief of hunger, that relief of appetite. It's just god. It's like, oh. So when you haven't seen your friends for so long, you give them a hug, you're like, oh, it's a relief.
Callum Walker:I'm with you. It's almost like, you know, when you you have fresh bedsheets. How amazing are fresh bedsheets? You jump in those bedsheets and you're like, oh, oh, it's the relief of fatigue. So what is the ultimate pain that we are actually really, really solving in terms of our own business?
Callum Walker:The ultimate pain we are actually solving in terms of our own businesses, the loneliness and misunderstanding. Think about that loneliness. What is the ultimate pain of running a business? The ultimate pain of running a business is that one phrase. How many times have you thought to yourself, nobody gets it.
Callum Walker:People just don't get it. Like, my partner doesn't get it. My friends don't get it. The world don't get it. My clients don't get it.
Callum Walker:Even the other wizards within the wizarding world of entrepreneurship don't get it. Whereas yesterday, if I think about the thing that I'm most proud of is my community. And I don't like using the word community, but it's almost kinda like my group. It's my tribe. It's it's a place where if you're a coach who yeah.
Callum Walker:You wanna grow. You wanna become better. You wanna become more, but you wanna do it from a place of integrity, from a place of substance in terms of building a business where you feel energized, full of vitality, excitement, awe, wonder. You know that you're the best that you can possibly be. One, you deliver the best service, but then also you're you're the best across your energy, your life, your happiness, all of these things.
Callum Walker:That's what the room of coaches was yesterday. And all of the other guys, they're friends. Like, they're friends. Like, you know, we've literally organized a meetup outside of my coaching program. I'm not charging for it.
Callum Walker:Like, you know, a few of us have organized a meetup that, yeah, we're gonna go here and we're gonna go do this, this, this. Like how amazing is that? And it's like for myself, I'm so proud because I've created my own friendship group who are my clients, but then also within that, all my clients, all the other coaches have become friends. How amazing is that? And that's why they stay because the key thing is that they're not just leaving the program, they're also leaving their friends.
Callum Walker:They can't because where else are they going to find other coaches who are on the same journey with the shared seg values who are their friends? They're not. So number one, gotta make sure that we can get clear on in terms of the retention, in terms of your coaching program, what are you doing to really deepen the relationship with other people within the coaching program? So within the coaching program, how are you making it so that they can build relationships with one another? Because that's what keeps them in there.
Callum Walker:You're creating that place. Secondly, it's their relationship with you. Their relationship with you. What are you doing to really kinda showcase who you really, really are? How can you really be their guide?
Callum Walker:My really good friend, Michael Lennon, always says, you are the guide on the side. Phil Brady also talks about this. It was also a favorite. Yeah? He said, you are the guide on the side.
Callum Walker:What are you doing to really kinda get them to deepen the relationship with you? I have a members only podcast, which is a podcast just for the people within my coaching program, and they get to listen to me, you know, really kind of share the things that I'm doing to grow my business, the level of my performance, to improve my marketing, my messaging, my selling, all of these specific things. They get to know me on a deeper level. They get to know what I'm like when they come to events. They understand my weaknesses.
Callum Walker:They understand my strengths. They understand me away from business. They know my partners' names. They know my dreams, my aspirations, my fears, everything. They deepen their relationship with me because then they're not just leaving the other people.
Callum Walker:They're also leaving their guy who understands them. But then the other thing is myself. I have spent a inordinate amount of time, energy, and effort to really get to know my clients on a deep level to actually understand them away from business. I know, you know, I know who their partners are and who their kids are and who their friends are. I know what they like to do.
Callum Walker:I know what gifts I can potentially purchase for them. Like, I've made them my friend. And I think that what I don't like is there's a lot of mentors who are like, you know, don't make your clients friends. I'm like, no. That is stupid advice because okay.
Callum Walker:Let's say that a client then becomes a friend and is no longer a client. Okay. That's fine, but you've gained a friend. How great is that? So go make your clients your friends.
Callum Walker:And, yeah, do you need to have a coaching boundary? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that you have to be completely isolated. Like, no. I don't like that.
Callum Walker:One of the things that I absolutely adore about my program is the fact that it's the relationships. And it's interesting because if we look at it from a health perspective and I was having a conversation with my mom this morning. We went for and it was really awesome, actually. I just sat there for breakfast, and we were talking about health. And I said, mom, do you know do you know what the number one the number one ultimate consistent and powerful predictor of how long you're going to live actually is?
Callum Walker:And she said, is it obesity, your weight? Is it your mental health? Is it your your risk of cancer? You risk cardiovascular disease? And I said, nope.
Callum Walker:Doing is is the quality of your relationships. People who have longer relationships live longer. And I was like, well, think about it. I mean, it makes sense because, like, if you've got no one, you got no
Callum Walker:one to hang around with.
Callum Walker:You got no one no reason to hang around for, have you? Whereas if you've got people that you adore, you have high quality relationships. You've got a reason to still be on this planet, haven't you? It makes so much sense. It's the same with your coaching program.
Callum Walker:What are the quality of the relationships like with your clients? What are the relationships and the quality of those relationships like with your clients? Because if you can deepen the relationship with them, you'll really enjoy yourself. And do know what happens when really enjoy yourself? You then end up performing better and putting on a better service.
Callum Walker:It was interesting. We were talking about this yesterday where I was saying you have to really care about your clients. And and I said to them, I said, but here's the here's the kicker. You gotta be really careful because you can't care about everyone. I've had some clients where I've gone, I really have tried to like you.
Callum Walker:I'm gonna be honest. I really have tried. I've really tried my best, but you are just a dick. Like, you are. I'm sorry.
Callum Walker:I don't say that to them, but internally, I'm like, I don't care about you because I don't like you. It's really hard to care about someone that you don't care about, and that's fine. So you gotta get clear on who do you actually wanna work with, who do you wanna bring in so that you can legitimately care about them. If I look at my clients, I legitimately care about them solely because I care about them, because I like them, because they're my friends. That's it.
Callum Walker:And if I don't like them, I don't care about them, and they shouldn't be in my program. But the beauty is that because I care about them, I go above and beyond. And we can really take advantage of the, the amazing saying Napoleon Hill said, which is, you know, if you're willing to do more than you're paid for, eventually, you'll be paid for more than you do. And remember that paid for more than you do isn't just around finances. I look at the relationships I've got with my clients that, you know, it was amazing.
Callum Walker:We're setting up a a franchise over here in in England to train people to become personal trainers. And Ryan really kinda like touched my heart yesterday. Ryan lives in Ireland, he was like, mate, if you need an assistant coach to really kinda help you out in terms of the coaching side of things, like, yeah, I'll fly over and do it. Like no expectations, nothing. It was like, yeah, I'll help you out a 100%.
Callum Walker:Why? Because he cares about me. Why does he care about me? Because I care about him. So how are you, how are you almost kind of vetting people in and who do you really care about?
Callum Walker:And do you care about your clients? And if you don't, that's fine. But go and find some people you can bring in to care about. Because when you care about them, you step up. And when you step up, you deliver a better service.
Callum Walker:And when you deliver a better service, well, they ain't going anywhere. Because then they're developing, they're getting better. They see a reason to stay with you. And that's the thing. Retention isn't complicated.
Callum Walker:We try and complicate it with all these retention hacks. Keep it super simple. Give them a reason to actually stay in your program. Why should I stay? And that comes down to the relationship with you.
Callum Walker:It comes down to the relationship with other people. And thirdly, it comes down to the one other thing, which is progression. Can they see a future with you? And this is why I say to you, and I'm going to I say to all the coaches, and I'm gonna say this to you right now, to this. Get away from selling fat loss.
Callum Walker:Why? Because fat loss is finite. Once someone's dropped body fat, what do you do? Maintenance. Yeah.
Callum Walker:Just keep paying me £200 a month to do the exact same thing. It doesn't work like that, sunshine. Like, they're not gonna keep paying that. How are you progressing these people? So it's interesting because I look at all of the coaches who come into my world.
Callum Walker:They come in to level up nutritionally, but then it's amazing because they start to develop into this amazing coach. But also they start to develop into the, you know, fantastic entrepreneur, the strong, powerful, creative, exciting, enthusiastic entrepreneur who is full of creativity, who really is able to actually throw their creativity to go build the business that they really want to build with the people that they wanna build it in the way that they wanna do it. And that is a never ending journey. So they're constantly progressing. So my tip to you in terms of progression, the easiest thing to do is to start seeing health and fitness as a vehicle, not the result.
Callum Walker:Because it's not about getting into shape, it's what's life gonna look like once they get into shape. That's what we're selling. But also that's what we're coaching. Health and fitness is not the destination, it's the vehicle. What's the destination?
Callum Walker:What are you gonna be able to do once you're in shape? Are What you gonna be able to do once you feel better? Once you look better, once you're fitter, healthier, more energetic? What are you gonna do? That's why they're in their program in your program, to get clear on that.
Callum Walker:Never forget, for every one of your clients gave you just one new client, dobish business.
Callum Walker:Have you got a client who isn't losing weight right now and you have absolutely no idea why? And maybe you're worrying that if nothing changes, they could drop off at any moment? Well, I've got a free nutrition masterclass for you where I reveal the secret nutrition strategy that guarantees that that stuck client loses two to four pounds in the next seven days without lowering their calories, upping their cardio, or even tracking macros. Click the link in the description to get access to the free elite nutrition secrets masterclass and get your client moving in the right direction, stopping them dropping off today.