 Hey guys, it's coach Ben from soccer entrepreneur and in today's video. It's gonna be a little bit different I've gotten a lot of questions from coaches out there who asked me how I began private training and when I started all that and what really got me into Starting my own academy, which is something that I've been doing since 2009 2010 So I want to kind of just explain my story and hopefully this motivates you If you're thinking about starting your own private training Academy or your own camps or clinics I want to be transparent Show you where I came from with this and show you how far everything's come I feel like in a pretty short amount of time So as soon as I graduated college, I went to a school called Drury University It's a small division to school. That's in Springfield, Missouri. I played soccer there And as soon as I graduated I came home and I looked for a job. So I started Working it was kind of like an internship for this company that specializes in sports performance so every day I would go to work and I would Help I guess serious athletes who wanted to get better With their speed with their power They wanted to get stronger and this is more for I guess kids who were specialized already in other sports It wasn't soccer specific at all And the more I started working there The more I realized for me I Wasn't going to be best suited working for someone else. I remember every day. I Would wake up with a lot of anxiety Not really wanting to go to work. Although I loved training the actual kids were there I never felt like I had any creativity behind Creating my own programs for them. I was always doing something that you know, someone else was telling me to do and That made me kind of think about how it was when I was coaching kids in club soccer because I did that You know throughout high school and college. I always coach club teams and I never really felt Like it was my thing that I was producing for the players And so as I continued with that internship, it was a four month Unpaid internship. So I wasn't making any money. I was doing it with the hopes of getting a full-time job there And it got to a point where I just knew that that was not going to be the right thing for me personally And I wanted to try to figure out something That was going to make me happy number one and something that was gonna Make an impact on kids and I at the time I didn't know it was going to be private soccer training I just knew that I needed to leave what I was doing. And so I had a few options to go coach at some clubs But the more I kind of explored those options. I realized that That wasn't going to be the best fit for me either Because if I really wanted to have control of something if I wanted to have a lot of creativity behind what I'm doing I Needed to branch out on my own and do my own thing and It's crazy how everything started for me. I haven't really shared this with too many people Especially on YouTube But when I first started It was a couple weeks after I quit my internship at that time. I was pretty lost. I did not know what I was gonna do I was pretty concerned actually about the future. I knew that I Wanted to do my own thing. I just didn't know what that was yet And I remember I came home my dad called me and he was like, hey I don't know if you would want to do this, but there's a family. I know They have a couple kids who might want to do some soccer lessons and for me I just instantly jumped on the opportunity. I went over to these people's house. I trained them for a few months and It's just amazing what happens when you take action and I did it because I Wanted to go help these kids and I did it for free. I wasn't charging anyone anything and I think the best part about me taking that action was it gave me better experience working with players one-on-one I've done that before in college, but it wasn't really a serious thing. It was something that I just did Periodically, it wasn't like a weekly consistent training sessions. It was it'd be something I do like maybe once a month with players But as I got in a groove Training players training these these kids that they were in the family You know once a week or twice a week. I started to get to know them. I started to go watch their games And it was really cool. The father of that family Was a very successful private tennis coach and so every single time after our sessions He would motivate me to expand upon what I'm doing and tell me that hey man, like this is possible You can do this full time But you need to get everything set up and for me if you would have met me Back then 2009 2010. I was extremely shy. I would never come and Created YouTube videos like this And I was very shy talking to parents. I was very shy even with the players who I was training I had very low self-confidence about myself, and that's really the honest answer, but I didn't Know how bad I was at that until I started training players And it really kind of exposed that and it made me grow it made me figure things out But every session after I train these kids, I would sit down with the dad. He'd give me some Incredible advice and I would just go take action. I wouldn't think about what he would say I would just go do it and it kept working And at that time I didn't know how to make a website. I didn't have any logo I didn't do any of that. I just focus on the training and As soon as these kids got pretty decent results. I knew that okay This is working. How can I help other kids? And that's exactly what I did. I started to post ads on Craigslist I started to network with this family to see if they knew anyone else that would want to train And then I had a couple kids in high school who were looking to get scholarships And they they knew that I played in college and I wanted to walk them through the recruiting process And once I started to gain a little bit of momentum I knew that this is something that Ultimately I can do full-time and I had the blind confidence to know that because I knew As especially after I train those first couple players that this is what I was meant to do I knew in my head that There was nothing that was gonna stop me from training players and all I need to do at that point Was learn the actual business and this is the thing that I know Most trainers get caught up with is they're great trainers, but they don't understand business And that's really the whole purpose of this channel is it's not to teach you how to Structure your sessions. I mean we are gonna have some videos about that But it's how to actually dominate the business. This is the thing that most coaches don't get I did not get that at the beginning and Since starting my training I spent thousands of dollars with mentors who've helped me I spent thousands of hours Learning how to do certain things a certain way and this has put me in the position I am today to help other trainers and that's the whole purpose of this channel now But if I didn't start from where I started I started, you know below zero If I didn't take action there, I wouldn't be talking to you right now I wouldn't have written the books that we've been able to create We have a separate online company I wouldn't have been able to do any of that stuff if I didn't take that first action step at the beginning And I could have very easily said no To that first opportunity, but I didn't I jumped on it without knowing what was gonna happen I didn't think about money. I didn't think about charging these people and honestly for the first I would say six months nine months. I wasn't charging anybody anything and I know that sounds crazy But I wanted to build a reputation. I wanted to get players results and Once I knew that I had a certain amount of results once I could get more testimonials Then I could really go after this and that's when I started charging maybe $15 a session if you've read my book, you know the rest of the story but everything come from came from that first action step that I took and Everything developing grew from there and I know in 2011. That was a very pivotal year for me. I Kind of parlayed everything. I You know, I was doing this trying to do it full-time. I wasn't making that much money But I knew that at that point There are other people in the US or other people in the world that are doing private training for other sports Or personal trainers and they're doing at a high level and I needed to learn how they were doing it how they were You know breaking down their business and see if I could implement that within my own and so What I did I used a lot of the profits that I was making my own company to fly out to California To go to a seminar to where I could learn how to Build a better business and how to create a brand within my community And I know for me that was kind of a life changer That's when I really opened my eyes and I know a lot of times when you're trying to do your own thing You feel like you're on an island. You feel like there's no one else to help Not everyone is like you not everyone else is doing their thing. I know for me none of my friends were You're starting their own business. Everybody's working for somebody else. So it was impossible for me to explain the feelings of you know the struggles that I was going through with any of my friends and So me going to this conference Really opened my eyes to like wow. There's so many people out there Who are doing you know what they love at a very high level now? How can I? so can in this and so can this information and Implement that with what I'm doing. So for three days. I sat there with my notepad. I just jotted down notes I talked to a few people. I kept still in touch with some of those people And I came home and I implemented I created a website. I created a marketing system I started writing emails. I started doing all the things I talk about my book that really launched me and propelled me forward with with my company here and That was a huge moment for me and I know when I first started that would be something I probably wouldn't want to do I wouldn't want to go sit in a conference Room full of people for three days. I thought in my head that I would maybe just know how to do it on my own and That's not the way I you know, I recommend anybody who is looking to get in a private training that wants to do it full-time or even part-time I Would rather you learn from someone who knows what they're doing. That's why I created this channel I don't hold back any secrets People who go through our programs Are doing this full-time people who go read the book? I mean, there's hundreds of people around the world now who've gotten that and I want to be the person who's going to help as much as possible I there's no secrets. There's no secret walls behind what I do. I'm very transparent about you know How to start how to succeed? I'm very blunt about it too and because I know at the beginning I was very stubborn. I didn't want to learn. I had to learn the hard way and That really sucked doing that way. I could have fast-tracked what I was doing times 10 If I would have you know gone to that conference earlier That could have saved me lots of time lots of money lots of you know There's a lot of stress that went on in this first couple years with me not being certain about if this is what I was gonna Do or not and so That conference for me was a life-changer that mean that made me realize the power of mentorship And so after that I started to figure out okay How can I surround myself around other successful people all of the time and in my town? I mean in San Antonio, there's not a ton of younger business people And so what I did is I found older business people people who've been In the game of business for a much longer time than me people who have been in us for decades And so I started to get mentors I started to be more accountable with what I'm doing and I would check in with people Once a month and I would pay people I would put myself in position to where I Knew that I had skin in the game. I needed to You know pay people for their advice. I need to do whatever it took To get someone else who's more experienced to help me out and That's when I started to really get the ball rolling and get the ball moving with what I'm doing and It went from me training zero players in 2010 2011 time frame to scaling what we're doing to over 3,500 players trained And that's not me training all the players. Obviously. I've had other Contractors or employees coaches who've helped me out with doing that. We've done camps clinics private training But our bread and butter now is private training the one-on-one training and small group training This is the thing that I really carved out as a niche in my town And I know a lot of times when trainers ask me, you know, what direction should they take? Should they do private training group training camps clinics? I mean my advice is very simple you need to get into One or all of those to see which one you like the most and don't just do what I like because If I wanted to make as much money as humanly possible, I would just be doing camps That's why you see a lot of people to do camps. They hate private training. They don't want to spend their time that way For me, it's not about the money. It's about the enjoyment and it's about the satisfaction knowing that I'm helping players On a private one-on-one level and that's my philosophy That's why I never, you know, like coaching teams anymore. I like coaching kids one-on-one or small groups And that's really my obsession. I love that aspect of training because I Know at the end of the day, I can give the highest level session To one or small group of players because they're getting all of my attention and this is what players lack in Their teams or in their high schools. They're not getting that and once I understood that here in my town I could carve out that niche and I could dominate that and since then there's other people who've tried to come in Try to replicate what we're doing but the problem is they don't understand the business and this is the thing that I'm so strong about You know, when I teach other trainers how to do this is they have to understand the business. You don't get that You're not gonna be cut out to do this long term. I mean, there's a lot of people on coach up right now You know, they rely on other systems to try to take every care of everything and in the long game That does not work because What if you woke up one day and coach up comm crashed, you know, they're not accepting payments They go out of business, you know, whatever. I don't want to rely on someone else I want to rely on These systems I create and that's the thing that I tell all the trainers who go through our consulting program The ones who go through our books our four-week program It's all the same. I want everyone to Be well balanced with their business and understand the basics and eventually learn the advanced tactics to how to run your academy The profitable way the way where it's going to bring the most enjoyment where you you have the least amount of stress With your training and this is the thing and I know how it was for me because I did not understand that At the beginning stages, there were so many times I show up to the field where Parents would want to pay me after the session or not pay me at all or they would show up late to sessions I've been through all of the BS that so many trainers are going through right now And this really made me realize after a certain point Okay, why don't I create a YouTube channel? For soccer trainers who want to learn the business and that's why I started soccer entrepreneur And you know before I started YouTube channel I started consulting with coaches who were kind of around my area people who are non competitors That wanted to learn how to structure their business and we've helped a lot of people now And it made me realize that you know, I can't just meet with people one-on-one I mean that that helps that's beneficial for them But how can I help this? You know how help other coaches through video? So that's why we start our YouTube channel That's why we have more advanced programs for more committed coaches And so if I had to go back and do everything over again And this is a question that I've got the first thing that I would do is Instead of me Just jumping into training which I know that was a good thing for me to do but instead of me just jumping into it I need to kind of take a step back and Understand and refine what is going on in this business, you know, what it how can I set this up in a way to where? before it really begins It's in my favor It's not something that I'm playing catch-up on and I know that's something that I did the beginning I Wasn't really strategic and smart about how I was doing things And this is why I want to give you all the advantages now if you are new to this or maybe you've been doing this for years I mean some coaches that I've helped have been doing this for over 10 years and they You know have been grinding through this. They've been doing this for a long time They're at the field all day trying to train players And they maybe just haven't cracked the code yet. It doesn't matter if you're there or if you're brand new I want to fast-track What you're doing and that's the whole purpose Behind my brand soccer entrepreneur and it's not just for private training. Obviously, it's for you know camp clinics anything soccer related We have coaches who I've helped that have started like foots all the academies Goaly training academies you name speed and agility doesn't matter We've already tested so many things within my own program. So I know what works, but doesn't work Especially with all the marketing and so that's why I created this channel That's how I started honestly started from nothing had very little equipment didn't start off, you know with any money I grinded it out just like how most people do But the smartest thing I ever did was I sought sought out people who are smarter than me and I knew that once I started doing that My level of comprehension of business went from zero to a hundred Not, you know overnight, but over time it did and Now I look to put myself in the same positions for anything that I do I want to put myself in positions where I can be around somebody who's been there and done that and this way I can model what they do and That's really my advice for you if you really want to dig in and learn how this business actually works and how you can actually succeed and You know stop going through trial and error and stop guessing around, you know with this with the way this works Then I want you to contact me. I want to help you out I would love to help you out. That's the whole purpose here is for me to help you out share all of the Wisdom and experiences that I've had and I've been through so many ups and downs I mean I can think of a hundred things off the top of my head right now that have happened in the past That would never happen. No And it's just because I didn't have anything structured or organized the way that I do So I want to create this video so I could be transparent With you if you're watching And show you that you know, this is so possible. I didn't have any business degree And you know if I wanted to start this when I was 17 18 years old I could have done that and a lot of people who contact me or maybe a little bit younger and they They asked, you know, do I need to get certified or do I need to do this or that? No, you need to take action. You need to go help players. That's the primary objective objective Go help players help them get better and they will get results And then you can start to really dig in and then you can really start to help more people and make this a real thing But I hope this gives you some motivation to know that something like me very limited resources Not self-confident at all about what I was doing at the beginning. I knew nothing about business seriously I was really stupid when it came to that sort of stuff but I put myself in the position to succeed because I took action at the beginning and I sought out People who are smart people who understood things much better than I could they could sit down with me for 10 minutes They could expose everything I was doing wrong I would be open to whatever they would say and I would go do exactly You know what they told me and that worked that worked perfect for me And now I do the same thing. There's nothing different with what I do I'd seek out people who are more advanced with the things that I want to do in my life with my business And I model what they do and that's why you know for me. I created this channel I've created all of our program you know programs products it's for those serious people who really want to do this and I think it's important for me to say this to My goal here with this channel with this brand is very simple I don't want to help coaches who are not passionate about doing this So for example, if there is a club coach out there who thinks they want to do it, but they're not really sure Or maybe they're just trying to do it to make money I'm not gonna help that person and I've turned away a lot of people already in the past When I'm on the phone with them when I know that their true intention is not to help players We're not gonna work together That that's not gonna help me It's not gonna bring fulfillment to my life helping someone if they just want to make money I want to help coaches who are serious that they want to do this. They know that There's something within them that's telling them. Hey You need to be training players. You need to be doing this different than everybody else And how can we create a business around that? That's who I want to help and that's why I'm willing to Not work with a lot of people I want to help those who are committed and if you were you know around me with my private training program I'm the exact same way. I don't accept everybody I'm very specific and picky who I work with and that's what I recommend all trainers do when they are Training kids. That's how you should be. You know, it's your business You should be selective with who you train and so that's how I am with coaches, too I mean, I don't care if this channel has you know 100,000 subscribers we could have 500 subscribers But for me, I just want to help the coaches who are deadly serious to succeed Those are the people who I want to help and if you're like that. I want you to reach out to me I want to help you out And so what I'll do is below this video You're gonna see all of the resources we've created if you are a brand new trainer Go ahead and click on the startup soccer Academy book That's gonna basically walk you through how I structure everything at the beginning how I got to where I'm at now And then we have a four-week business accelerator course. This is for coaches who are serious about doing this full-time that that's where we go very deep into the business and how everything works and How do you set up, you know everything that you need and there's gonna be a link there? You can go check that out. We also have our consulting program where I help coaches one-on-one over the phone and anything that we offer and I'd tell us to everybody is Only four people who are serious, you know, I don't I don't want to help those who aren't committed those who aren't willing to take action because We won't be able to vibe if that's you. This is not the right place for you If you are super serious, if you know, this is what you want if you've thought about it for a long time It's been itching at you like if you know, this is what you want You're in the right spot And that's why I'm so happy to help those who recognize that they need help It's easy for me to help those who are like that. So that's it for this video Thanks for watching. I know this is a very long one But I needed to create something to give you more insight about where I started where I came from with this And what my true intentions are with soccer entrepreneur and so that's it. I'll see you next time