The Endurance Coaching Business Podcast

Challenges are powerful, structured programs designed to engage and motivate participants while highlighting your coaching expertise. They serve as an effective entry point for potential clients, offering a taste of your coaching style and helping athletes prepare for specific goals or local events.

In this episode, we discuss how to design impactful fitness challenges that attract your ideal audience, from beginners looking to build confidence to seasoned athletes targeting higher performance levels. We cover the essential steps for creating successful challenges:

Content Marketing for Coaches: Build Authority & Attract Clients
Content marketing is one of the best ways for endurance coaches to establish authority, build trust, and attract new clients. In this episode, we explore how to create and share valuable content across blogs, videos, social media, and podcasts to connect with your audience and ultimately grow your business.

Key Topics Covered:

All coaches know how powerful referrals from their existing customers are for attracting new clients. But most coaches leave it up to chance. The concept of one of your customers telling other people about you is related to the marketing term “Social Proof”

Social proof is essential in building trust and credibility with potential clients by showcasing the real-world success of people similar to them. This approach highlights the effectiveness of your coaching and makes it relatable, increasing the likelihood of engagement. By sharing testimonials and case studies from clients who mirror your target audience, you underline the...

Are you ready to expand your coaching business and reach new clients? In the first episode of our nine-part series, we dive into the power of strategic partnerships. Learn how collaborating with complementary businesses or brands can tap into established communities, creating valuable connections and boosting your visibility. 

Hey everyone, welcome back to the show! Today, we're diving into the less-than-stellar side of TrainingPeaks—a platform that seems designed to keep coaches stuck in the crowd. If you’re all about losing your unique brand, letting athletes wander off to a marketplace, and dealing with sluggish tech when you need it most, this episode is for you. We'll break down eight reasons why
TrainingPeaks might be exactly what you don’t want, and then we'll chat about an alternative that puts you in the driver's seat.

Episode Bullet Points

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025. Now is the perfect time to set your coaching business up for its best year yet. A strong start isn’t just about planning—it’s about taking action and getting the support you need to succeed. Whether you’re looking to scale, streamline, or completely reshape your business, the right guidance can make all the difference.

The best athletes have coaches to guide them, push them, and hold them accountable—and the same principle applies to running a successful coaching business. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your...

We've released a lot of features and improvements since our last update. Thanks to all our coaches who have contributed to the roadmap and the development of our platform so far. We've come a long way since our basic website builder and training plan builder in 2014. You can follow along with road map and progress here in our roadmap and feedback tool.

More details in the episode but here is a quick list of improvements:

In this episode, we explore why clear communication is the cornerstone of effective coaching. Discover how to simplify your process, document effectively, and communicate with clarity to empower your athletes and improve their results.

Think Clearly: Simplify the Complex

Document Clearly: Build a Roadmap for Success

In this episode, endurance coach and business mentor Michelle Lake shares invaluable insights for endurance coaches looking to grow their businesses. Michelle discusses her transition from competitive athlete to coaching and then to helping other coaches create sustainable and profitable coaching businesses. Some of the key takeaways include:

In this episode, we dive into how major endurance coaching platforms, like TrainingPeaks, often overshadow coaches' individual brands. We explore the impact of platform-centric interactions on athlete loyalty and how these dynamics can influence the coach-athlete relationship. Discover how you can elevate your coaching business above the noise and ensure your brand is always front and center.

Key Points:

How do you win against AI Coaching?

I've been thinking a lot about AI and coaching lately. It's natural and reasonable to wonder about the future role of a coach.

Just to be clear, when I talk about competing against AI, I am specifically talking about the platforms and tools that try to replace the coach by coaching athletes directly. You should of course leverage AI to help you do things faster, easier and better.

Don't try to compete directly against AI. In other words, you won't beat AI coaching at it's own...

Introduction

In this episode, we dive into the key strategies coaches can use to help athletes navigate the ups and downs of major races. From managing expectations early to celebrating every effort, learn how to support athletes through their toughest moments and foster resilience for long-term growth.

Manage Expectations Early

Setting realistic goals and managing expectations starts well before race day. This section explores the importance of regular conversations, realistic performance forecasting, and planning for potential setbacks, all to help athletes face challenges with confidence.

Offer a Supportive Post-Race Space

In this episode, we break down the key stages of branding for endurance coaches

Branding Isn’t Important When You Start Out
Initially, focus on delivering quality coaching and building relationships. Branding can wait until you’ve got a solid client base and at least some consistent revenue.

Your Brand Is Your Service
Early branding is about how you deliver your coaching, not just logos or color schemes. Your service, philosophy, and client interactions form the core of your brand.

Branding Isn’t Your Logo or Business Card
A brand goes b...

AI doesn't do a good job of coaching, ignore what the direct-to-athlete platforms tell you about it. They are talking their own book. They won’t replace good coaches any time soon, if ever. Right now, they are just a much better version of a generic training plan.

All tech goes through a hype cycle, AI is no different and the AI hype cycle is probably going to be the most extreme tech hype cycle we’ve ever had.

I’ve already seen signs of athletes who were initially very excited, begin to lose interest.

In this episode of the "Endurance Coaching Business" podcast, Cam sat down with Taylor Thomas, founder of Thomas Endurance Coaching (TEC) and the Growth Circle accelerator program. They delved into the common struggles endurance coaches face when scaling their businesses and shared actionable insights to help coaches turn their passion into a profitable, sustainable career.

1. Building a Scalable Business Model

What do Starbucks and Coaching businesses have in common? Apart from being coffee lovers?

Apps and automation is one thing.

That’s pretty broad so you are probably wondering how that is relevant for you as a coach.

Well both Starbucks and coaches have the advantage of being able to add a lot of technology and automation to the way they deliver their products and services to their customers.

Equally, they both are in danger of adding too much automation, to the detriment of the relationships they have with those customers.

Recently, I wrote a post about how some coaching platforms weren't operating in the best interest of coaches After that, I asked my email list to come and comment on one of my LinkedIn posts to help me get some traction. Only two people did. This made me realize something: not many coaches are using LinkedIn, or I hadn’t quite built enough credit with my audience yet. Probably a little bit of both.

I suspect most coaches are spending more time on platforms like Instagram, where engagement is high. This engagement feels great, but there is a...

The best coaches are not the cheapest, and the cheapest coaches are not the best.

One of the biggest mistakes coaches make is underpricing their services. I see it everywhere, coaches promoting the high quality of their service but charging cheap prices.

Cheapest and best? Nup, there is no such thing. Highest and Best is what is real.

The hard truth: you can’t be cheapest and best. If you’re trying to offer the best for the lowest price, you're setting yourself up for burnout, dissatisfaction, and ultimately, failure.

Here’s why...

Our AI Coaching Assistant can now help coaches with their writing by suggesting comments to add to completed activities or help with replies to your clients.

The goal of the assistant in this case is not to automate comments to your clients but rather a way to speed up the process and save you from having to type all of what you wanted to say.

The assistant is aware of the clients details including their training zones and some other specific information about their training. This enables the assistant to be more accurate when suggesting...

In this episode, I discuss a topic that's been on my mind: the "Bait and Switch" tactics some coaching platforms use. These platforms often offer seemingly great deals with cheap or "free for coaches" subscriptions and lucrative referral programs. But there's a catch—they also sell plans and self-coaching services directly to athletes, potentially cutting you out after you've brought your athletes onto their platform.

I share my thoughts on why it's essential to be aware of these tactics and to choose platforms that genuinely support you as a coach. I also recount a story about a co...

Lately, my focus has been scattered, thinking about multiple tasks at once. I'm revisiting 'Exhaust the Body - Tame the Mind' to see how it helps with my mental clarity.

You can read the full blog here https://trainingtilt.com/exhaust-the-body-tame-the-mind

You can watch the video version here https://youtu.be/LgKWVYfu6lk

Training Tilt is an all in one coaching and e-commerce platform that helps coaches get better results for the clients and their businesses. You can learn more about Training Tilt here

Today's episode dives into the often-discussed topic of TrainingPeaks' pricing. While some coaches find it on the pricier side, we're taking a closer look at the value it offers, especially given its extensive features tailored for endurance coaching. Sure, it's not without its flaws, particularly in how it serves the coaching community, but there's no denying it's a powerful tool designed with specific needs in mind.

We also touch on the unfair comparison between TrainingPeaks and the everyday consumer apps we're all used to. Given that TrainingPeaks serves a niche, professional market with unique demands, its pricing...

Ever heard of the business phrase "selling sawdust"? It's a marketing concept drawn from a very traditional business, sawmills. A by-product of milling timber is of course sawdust. Sawdust is a product in itself but sawdust is not made to sell, it’s just created as part of the process of making a different product.

The sawdust is not wasted though, it’s sold and used for many things including gardening, smoking meat, animal bedding, oil spill cleanup, packaging and even crafts and DIY projects. All this to say it, doesn’t go to waste and can add to...

In this episode, we're diving into something that's been buzzing around our world lately - the shutdown of Today’s Plan. It's not just big news because it shakes up the coaching software scene; it's also a moment that makes us think about what it means for all of us in this niche, especially for folks like me running Training Tilt and coaching businesses in general.

Here’s what we’re chatting about:

In this episode, we explore the inevitability of criticism in the coaching world, especially for those who share their ideas publicly. We delve into why criticism is a part of the journey and how it can be used to refine and strengthen your coaching philosophy.

Key Points:

...

In this episode, we delve into the concept of simplicity in the realm of coaching, particularly in the disciplines of running, triathlon, and endurance sports. Drawing inspiration from an artist's approach to mastery, we explore how this analogy beautifully applies to the art and science of coaching.

Topics Covered:

🎧 Join us as we explore the diverse landscape of endurance sport coaching. Whether you’re coaching out of a love for the sport, or you’re mixing your passion with a dose of business acumen, understanding your current position is key to your evolution.

🔍 We dissect the characteristics of Hobbyist, Professional, and Transitional coaches:

🔥 The Hobbyist's fire is lit by passion alone, coaching for the joy and success of their athletes, often sidelining the financial aspect of their service.

📈 The Professional thrives on strategy and sees their passion for coaching as a part of a larger busi...

A follow on from last weeks release, you can now use the AI Cycling workout builder when building template plans or directly on a client calendar.

See the release notes

https://build.trainingtilt.com/announcements/create-cycling-workouts-in-the-calendar

Watch the video  demo on Youtube

https://youtu.be/lKxF9zLfOd4

Sign up for a free trial of our coaching platform at https://trainingtilt.com/signup

Creators & Guests

Training Tilt is an all in one coaching and e-commerce platform that has e...

New feature released to Training Tilt. Use our AI tools to quickly and easily create cycling workouts by using text

Watch the video version on Youtube

https://youtu.be/ZkY3mzzO5rY

Sign up for a free trial of our coaching platform at https://trainingtilt.com/signup

Creators & Guests

Training Tilt is an all in one coaching and e-commerce platform that has everything you need to create, build, and grow your endurance coaching business online. You can learn more about Training...

Hope you and your athletes are setting some killer PRs and making gains! If not, all good, growth is rarely linear! I try to remind myself of that often!

Quick thing for today’s blog—I've been working on some new features for Training Tilt simultaneously and the context switching has started to mess with my mind and slowed my progress on all of them!

I’ve been dragging my feet so I need your help deciding which one to focus on and get over the line first.

Hit me up in the chat b...

Hey Coaches,

In this latest podcast episode, I dive into something that’s been on my mind: the business side of coaching. I share why coaches, especially in endurance sports, need to take their business acumen as seriously as their coaching expertise.

During my regular hunt for potential customers on LinkedIn, I stumbled upon Michelle Lake—a game-changing business coach specifically for endurance coaches. 🎯 She takes everything I’ve been trying to help you with to the next level.

We discuss four key insights from Michelle that really resonated with me:

1️⃣ Con...

In today's episode, we're tackling a question that's often overlooked in the coaching world: Is your current platform really serving your best interests? While dual-focus platforms that cater to both coaches and athletes seem like a one-size-fits-all solution, they may actually come with some subtle but significant trade-offs.

Key Points

In this episode, I take a deep dive into why my content may seem mundane, ordinary, and downright boring. It's not about flash or dazzle; it's about the nuts and bolts that truly matter in running a successful business.

Topics Covered:

Links & Resources:<...

Back from Samoa Heat Camp with a release of some new features.

We hope you find this episode insightful and helpful. As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts!

You can read the full blog here

https://trainingtilt.com/new-features-to-enhance-your-coaching

I also mentioned my previous post in the episode about the power of working in a group and how group dynamics can improve individual performance.

https://trainingtilt.com/the-power-of-the-pack-how-groups-improve-performance

Creators & Guests

Training Tilt is...

In this episode, we're diving into the topic of group dynamics in endurance coaching. We discuss my recent experience at a heat adaptation camp in Samoa and how group dynamics not only improved the athletes' performances but also unexpectedly influenced my own performance not only supporting them but also in my own training performance. We'll explore how these dynamics can foster a sense of community, unity and mutual support, even when training is primarily online. Plus, we delve into the role of technology in managing group coaching.

Show Notes:

Welcome to today's episode, where we navigate the tricky terrain of pricing your services as an endurance coach. How do you determine the right value? It's a question that trips up many in the coaching field, leading to a dangerous pitfall - undervaluing what they bring to the table. Our discussion today will help you shift your mindset and acknowledge the true value of your services.

In today's episode, we dive deep into transitioning from a one-on-one coaching business to a one-to-many model. With our step-by-step guide, we'll break down the ways to break free from the limitations of a one-on-one model and effectively scale your business.

Key Discussion Points:

There is a lot more uses for AI for an endurance coach than just AI generated workouts and training plans.

Today we're going to dive deeper into how AI can be a game-changer for creating content in endurance coaching. This blog post is a continuation from last week, where we worked with an AI assistant, Chat GPT, and brainstormed a whole bunch of content ideas.

Our main aim, as endurance coaches, is to connect with potential customers by offering them valuable content online. This not only makes us more known in our field, but...

For online and in person coaching businesses an essential marketing strategy is producing customized content for the audience you're hoping to engage with and convert into customers.

At its core, it's about being a beneficial presence online, to become more known, liked and trusted by those people you’d like to have as customers one day.

I've recently been exploring and leveraging Chat GPT, a powerful AI platform with impressive capabilities in content idea generation.

Listen to the episode, watch the video or read the full post to learn more about how to sa...

In today's episode, we're going deeper into the role of AI in coaching. Although AI isn't ready to replace coaches, it's set to provide a competitive edge for those who adopt it. The transition to AI could be as significant as when we moved from paper to digital methods, or adopted video conferencing tools.

AI goes beyond creating tailored training plans and extracting insights. It can help streamline business processes, create content, and even refine marketing strategies. Ignoring this tool could be a risky move for coaches.

Looking back, technology has always been a game-changer...