In a long career as a coach, you find yourself working through a number of different programs. Each one teaches its own lessons and unlocks something to discover. I have tried – I’m not going to say everything. But I have tried a lot. Atkins, Mediterranean, Paleo. The list goes on.
But as a coach you need a concept, a philosophy, or a principle – not a diet. Something that guides you and can have any number of spin offs or attachments. Mine is minimalism.
What’s yours?
Mark McNeil says
I admit I’ve been struggling with this. But I would say my concept is helping people restore movement with functional exercise. Too generic?
Pat Flynn says
A bit, yeah. It’s also non-specific. What, exactly, does functional exercise mean? Part of having a concept is controlling that concept, and functional exercise, I think, is a concept of various interpretation. It means different things to different people.
The best way to come up with a concept is take a generic claim, something everyone is interested in (losing fat, for example, or getting fit – and, maybe for a pocket of people, restoring movement) and put a spin on it. My spin is minimalism, or “less is more.”
A good concept should also be able to produce spin offs. I can (and have) taken minimalism and applied it to much more than losing fat. Also to building strength, and even running a business.
Mark McNeil says
Thanks Pat that’s helpful. I’m going to think about this a bit and come back.
Alyssa says
So I want my concept to be something like “I help people lose weight by making exercise fun again” because I see so many people quit because they hate what they’re doing or aren’t having any fun.
Background: I teach mixed modality fitness boot camps, so we are constantly doing different things to mix it up and keep it fun.
Good? Bad?
Pat Flynn says
I think it’s a great start. But I think it could use more specificity – meaning, what concept are you using to make fitness fun again? Mixed-modality is, in someways, a concept, but vague. Concrete details please – something people can really wrap their heads around.
Sarah Gage says
I have trouble with this, but I’d say my concept is, “I’ll get you the body you want the fun and badass way…simple, effective and beastly.”
What say you? No good?
Pat Flynn says
The badass way – you need to define that. Simple, effective and beastly describes but does not define.
anna says
I’m still working on a USP, but this is what I have so far:
I help overwhelmed, but motivated people, heal the root cause of why they are overweight so that they can exude confidence, feel beautiful, and get the body they want.
So, maybe my concept is “holistic approach”…but “holistic” is just jargon and probably doesn’t mean much to most people. I also use baby-steps and focus on yoga, life balance, and inner healing for outer transformation.
What do you think?
Pat Flynn says
What was once a clear concept (holistic) has become vague through overuse. It’s just not enough to say you’re holistic anymore. Holistic used to be a concept, but now you need another concept… if that makes sense. Westerns used to be a concept, and still are, but a bit over done. So Star Wars took it to space. And then everybody took everything to space. And so then that was overdone.
I find it sometimes help to think in terms of books and movies, because in these instances concepts and unique selling propositions are often a lot more clear than they are when you look at businesses. The Big Lebowski, for example. Now there’s a concept. Essentially a detective movie, except the private eye is a lazy stoner. It’s all about having a unique spin on a commonly accepted and beloved approach.
anna says
Okay. So if I were to pick a movie, it would be The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy had all of the answers inside her (even though she didn’t know it). She was seeking outside of herself for the answer to her problems (The Wizard).
The concept this makes me think of would be “self-empowerment.”
Am I doing this right?
Pat Flynn says
Very close. The theme, I would say, is self-empowerment – that’s what the movie is about. But the concept is the unique spin that makes it appealing, that makes you want to watch a movie about said theme. My “theme” is fitness (along with some other things), my concept is minimalism. Keep going, you are getting close!
anna says
Thanks for your comment. It was really helpful for me. Here’s how I’m looking at this theme-concept thingy, using your example:
Fitness is the subject and Minimalism is the lens or filter through which it is viewed. (Have you said this before and I’m just repeating something from you?)
So, I’ve been letting this swirl in my mind a bit and here’s what I’ve come up with:
My subject/theme: Fitness
My concept/lens idea: To view fitness as a process or path with the intention of becoming whole. The fitness “journey” moves a person towards wholeness and healing. There are inner shifts that occur to enable the outer goals (weight loss) to be reached.
What do you think?