How to Save 5 Hours Each Week
The first big storm of the season hit a couple weeks back. As the late cancellations and icy boots piled up, it got us to thinking…
Ever wonder how much time you spend simply getting to where you need to be to do your job?
What else could be done with that time?
We asked a select group of fitness professionals to share their daily sojourn with us. Below is a brief summary of initial insights. Afterwards, we ran the numbers to create a simple, clear way to enjoy extra time each week. Onward!
Do you rely on perfection?
Even on the BEST of days - perfect MTA schedule, perfect weather, perfect cab/UBER availability etc….otherwise known as magic… on average FitPros spend nearly 1-5 hours each day simply moving around to see clients! What is the cost of that time?
Location, Location, Location…
For some, variety was the spice of life. Multiple locations - if batched well (ie one neighborhood covered in a single chunk of hours) - alleviated boredom and the soul-sucking feeling of monotony that snuck in when having done endless sessions at one spot.
For others, an optimized schedule is key. Organizing clients in one place means increased revenue, free time to pursue artistic or other passions, and improved self-care thanks to pre-determined down times.
Time=Money
Fitness + Wellness Professionals bounce between 1 to 14 locations in a typical week.
That’s a huge range to consider given how well diversified and populated New York City is.
Thanks to unlimited monthly MetroCards, it’s only $121 spent on commuting, but when you factor in cabs (ie if running late or the subway is down) plus multiple trips per day, it could be way higher. Additionally, when time and energy costs are added to the picture, a much different portrait is painted.
Of note: the higher range comes from those with a well-developed in-home client business. If only frequent flyer miles existed for service providers! Hey @thepointsguy, you listening? =)
Seeing the data as a reflection of all professionals working hard in the NYC Fitness scene gave us pause to think: what is the true cost of the time spent commuting, running between locations, how does it impact your bottom line, and what else would you do with those hours? Let’s find out…
While more probing is needed prior to making any final conclusions, follow the train of thought below (c’mon, had to!) to see if your own schedule is working well for you.
How does traveling to multiple locations impact you?
Let’s play this out with numbers:
hint: More is NOT more…
Meet Dylan and Sammy:
Dylan the Trainer travels 2 hours each day to 3 Studios.
That’s 10 hours of commute time each week.
With an unlimited MetroCard the commute is $30 per week.
With 27 clients per week at 3 Studios, the cost of the commute per hour worked is $0.54 per session ($20 / 37 total client + commute hours).
At an average of $110 per session Dylan makes $148,500 yearly gross revenue; with $1,452/year spent on commuting.
Sammy the Stretcher travels 3 hours each day to 5 locations (2 Studios, 3 in-homes).
That’s 15 hours of time commute time each week.
With an unlimited MetroCard plus some cabs for in-home clients ($25/week), the commute costs $55.25 per week.
Also seeing 27 clients per week at 5 locations, the cost of the commute per hour worked is $1.31 per session
($55/ 42 total client + commute hours).
At an average of $119 per session Sammy makes $160,500 yearly gross revenue, with $2,762.50/ year spent on commuting.
CONCLUSION: more is indeed NOT more.
Which would you rather have, time or locations? Note in the chart below how much more free time Dylan has (5 hours a week!) compared to Sammy (nearly double!) relative to commute expense.
While it seems Sammy makes more per week ($3,210 vs $2,970), they also spend more per session on travel ($1.31 versus $0.54), while Dylan saves 5 hours per week.
Over the course of a year, Sammy will make $160,500 to Dylan’s $148,500, but it will cost Sammy not only time - 250 hours to be exact - but money as well.
If Dylan chooses to take half of those 250 hours to see an additional client, Dylan will make more than Sammy (125 x $110 = $13,750, ) and still have 125 hours free time!
Clearly, 5 hours extra commute, each week, costs more in both money + time, in addition to the extra intangible costs via stress, energy, and focus.
By simply consolidating the total # of locations, Sammy would have both more money AND free time.
To approach it from a different angle - without getting into rates yet (see our next post) - let’s only change the travel variable to see what can happen:
If you remove one location, it frees up 2 hours per week (25 minutes per day).
1 hour x $120/session x 50 weeks = $6,000
What’s your ACTUAL hourly rate once travel is accounted for?
Consolidating Studios or batching areas to gain one hour each week generates $6,000 increased revenue per year:
PLUS: there’s still an extra hour to play with from those two hours you just liberated to: get a massage, do your workout, connect with friends, eat a truly un-rushed meal…the possibilities are endless. Of course, both hours could be used to see clients, for $12,000 more per year, but let’s be conservative for now and err on the side of a healthy balance of work + much-needed self-care.
Therefore, with a factual, numbers based approach while also accounting for energy, time, happiness, etc, when you consolidate your schedule to improve your commute, you also propel your wallet, self-care and more.
This begs the question: why are so many professionals in the fitness + wellness industry driven to travel to such a high volume of locations? Who is that really serving? Given the number above, it doesn’t seem to serve the professionals who are actually doing the work.
By sticking to the status quo, not crunching numbers, or even slightly tweaking schedules to optimize efficiency, we see a passionate group of professionals running all over town, snagging food between sessions, lacking time to take class or fit in their own workouts and more. Burnout is real, clients can sense it, and finding the pleasure in what was once joyous work seems an ever-more uphill task.
Do you want to commute as much as you do?
What impact does it have on you?
What else would you do with an extra hour each week? How about each day?!
What value do you place on your own health + self-care over the long-haul?
We’re certain of one thing: there is much more to learn - especially related to how professionals account for and set their rates relative to their weekly travel time. Stay tuned, cuz our next post dives deep into rates + travel times.
What now? We created this next survey to learn more: https://studio26.typeform.com/to/BJeVRw It will take only 4 minutes for you and will be immensely helpful for us as we continue working as a catalyst for you to be well + wise in business and in life.
Last: sharing this with your peers - helping us reach more peers, professionals, and colleagues who need this - would be awesome too!
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DETAILS - how we broke the numbers down:
Unlimited MetroCard = $121/month, $30 per week ($121/4), $4 per day ($121/30)
Commuting to 3 locations = 2 hours per day: home > location 1 - 25min, location 1 > location 2- 30min, location 2 >location 3 - 20min, location 3 > home - 30min
Assume Sammy charges more for the in-homes - 6 in-homes at $150 per hour, 21 Studio clients at $110 per hour.