In a perfect world, you, as gym owner, have someone extremely capable and confident running the nutrition program. They have their finger on the pulse of all the new information provided by Healthy Steps Nutrition, are active in their monthly mentoring calls, and are implementing action steps with minimal micromanaging. If there existed such a checklist, they would have big green checks next to:

• engaging with clients on the app
• developing rapport with clients during in-person assessments and with general members during classes
• having a consistent and clear social media presence, including 4-5 nutrition posts per week
• maintains login information to the HSN app, Grow Your Nutrition Program website, and spreadsheets saved on their hard drive, as well as on-site folders with notes on each client
• runs in-house challenges and corporate outreach on a regular basis

Now imagine that nutrition coach leaves. Or gets sick. Or is injured. This person is, in some way, unable to carry out their responsibilities with their clients. To date, this was a perfectly run program that was generating your affiliate income, providing your members with a quality service and allowing your nutrition coach to grow a lucrative business. You didn’t need to be a part of the program to make it grow. But now you have clients that require attention and accountability immediately. I ask: What is your Plan B?

They say hindsight is 20/20, so at this point, it would be clear that you should be involved in every aspect of your gym; if you are invested in the growth of your affiliate, your coaches and your members, then you need to have your hand in your nutrition program. In the event it falls on your shoulders, you can certainly stay the course, and here’s how:

1.      Complete the online training and stay current with updated modules so you are aware of best practices, how to access our resources, and navigate templates such as “Adding a new coach/Replacing a new coach”.

2.      Obtain login credentials to the HSN app and add yourself as a client so you are familiar with the important features and how to manage client accountability.

3.      Set up monthly accountability meetings with your nutrition coach so you are aware of current client roster, growth strategies and monthly income. Include monthly goals and action steps in the HSN Workbook and discuss these in person.

4.      Be aware of their current social marketing schedule so you maintain its consistency or assign the task to another coach on staff.

5.      Add yourself to the Healthy Steps Nutrition Mentoring (Current Members Only) FB group and surround yourself with a strong support system while your program changes hands.

6.      Know your HSN mentors and book calls immediately! We can help triage the situation and provide realistic action steps to keeping your nutrition program alive and well. Better yet, start attending monthly mentoring calls with your nutrition coach so you can build rapport with mentoring staff.

Nutrition programs that thrive are those led by an engaging nutrition coach and backed by a supportive and knowledgeable affiliate owner. Be invested in the very program your members are investing in.

Would you feel comfortable taking over the nutrition program in the event of an emergency?

Lindsay McDonald

Senior Mentor