“octopussy”

What is a Personal Manager; he’s not arranging interviews with potential customers, or paying your bills, that’s an agent? He doesn’t send press releases to inform the masses of your upcoming competition that’s a publicist? He doesn’t pick up competition suits, shoes, music CD’s or your props and gets them ready for your show? That’s a valet? He doesn’t follow you and picks up after you that are a personal assistant?  Your sole purpose is arranging there travel arrangements’ (hotel reservations, plane tickets transportation to and from airport) applications are completed send out including fees. Arrange services require for the competition that she may need, as make-up service, videos service, spray tanning, polygraph test, drug test. You will arrange all services before she arrives at her competition. Your office equipment consist of a palm pilot, blackberry, or a small laptop with wireless, that is it belive it or not, You work behind the scenes. Just consider yourself a “personal concierge” or a “butler” with a cell phone. You are their personal event planner. They are under a lot of pressure, their fitness schedule, workday schedule; it creates conflict with their personal time? That’s why they seek help. A few years ago, I was a personal manger for one client; believe me, one client is sufficient to manage. You can do this part time or full time. You can earn from $60 per event session, or $300 to $500 per client, per month, it all depends in how good you are. Remember your reputation follows you around. So be careful how you conduct you’re self. Be professional with your client. As a personal manager the three things the client is looking for before they hire you. Loyalty, Confidentiality, and Ethics.  All combine equals trust. They expect you there when things go wrong, and need to be corrected on the spot, or inform them before it happens. If you can’t posses these requirements you’re in the wrong business.

MENTORING.

 In today’s world a mentor is an individual, who is an expert in their field of trade, who guides the protégé (model) to development the skills needed on their ongoing career. Or a positive role model in your life, “your boyfriend or husband!” is not your role model” he is just your boyfriend or husband don’t mix personal relationships in this business. Will talk about it later in this blog, whatever the case may be.  When a protégé (model) is under severe stress; the mentor provides quick guidance for decision making, to make it short he is your stress relieve on call, your human aspirin bottle.  When you acquire the service of one, you as a Protégés, you observe, question, and explore his teachings, the sole purpose of a mentor is to demonstrate, explain, and assist you in your every moment of need.
 

COACHING.

 What is a coach ?, and why do you need one.  A coach may teach you specific insights and skills to empower you the client. You as the client you’re always in charge that’s why you pay them generously for service rendered. And As I said earlier you boyfriend or husband is not your coach! Unless he is also a model or was or is part of the industry now  and then you will clash do to professional differences, or your egos will meet and collide, they will meet believe me I seen it happen many times.  
 

Agent.

Choosing a good agent takes time, like I said in my early blog, you don’t have to obtain an agent to get discovered, it speeds up the process and save you leg work.  How reliable is he? What are his fees, how much does he charge? And most of all is he must be very professional with you at all times its business, that’s all! Can your Boyfriend or Husband be your agent? That is up to you, are you willing to jeopardize your relationship or your career for him, yes or no! Your career for him! He will take charge, and tell you, who? You need to talk to, or not to talk to? You will ask him over and over WHY? WHY? WHY? Now are you willing to jeopardize your career for him, well? So get professional help.
 

Boyfriends & Husbands.

Well, we are in our last chapter of this blog and it’s the big one of all and I hope you do pay close attention to it. It’s your relationship or your career; you choose what matters to you. First of a MENTOR! Is some who is committed to you as a person in need, to guide you in your ongoing career? Who has a wealth of knowledge and you will learn from him, he will give you positive and negative point of view, as you’re progressing. Your boyfriend will not be that person. All he is going to do is tell you, YES! YES!,  your better than the rest of them! You’re going to win, “Don’t listen to anybody I know what am talking about”?.  Am I right? Tell him to stay in the back seat! he should be  happy that he is  dating a model.  He is not a professional, he is there to support you in the crowd. When you’re finish competing, he can give you all the pointers at the end of the show. When they get to involve in your business they become more possessive they want to take the ride with you, and then it starts to become ugly. Like I said earlier in the blog. Now let’s go into coaching. A COACH! May teach specific insights and skills to empower you the client from past experiences as a model, former judge, or past circuit competitions. Does your boyfriend or husband,  resume  read something like that then your good, you are saving money, if not, again! tell him to stay in the bleachers or in the crowd where he belongs? And let the professional do their job. You’re paying the coach not him, and you are expecting result from him, it’s called sending and receiving information that you required from his services that you acquired. If he pays! Then it is obvious that he wants to be involved in the decision making of your career. That spells trouble. It will lead to a power struggle, meaning that, he wants to be in charge! It should be you not him . So borrow the   money from him and tell him you will pay him back later, so this way he is not compel to be always questioning you, “Were you are going Now?,  I want to meet your  coach and give him some of my ideas”? You really don’t need a third wheel running on flat, every were you go. Last is the AGENT! Everybody thinks there one, and your lucky he’s there for you, so they say?. All they see is an opportunity to make money of you which they never do, and to insure that no one takes advantage of you, but then, at the end of your hard work you forgot about him right? What was I thinking? And it’s too late; an agent will be responsible for sending out your photos, getting you interviews, and trying to get you much needed exposure that you need,  saves you the leg work, you know pounding the pavement knocking on doors dropping photos. Is your boyfriend or husband going to do that for you, “I THINK NOT?” he just wants to reap the goods of your clout in this business to meet other “woman yes other woman”. If he is truly your boyfriend or husband, he will support you in the back or the sideline. If he is for himself he will always be in front of you or next to you, there for, it won’t work and you will fail drastically sorry, that’s fact not fiction ask around….
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What is a personal coach; it’s an expert in his or her field.   Don’t compare them to a “PERSONAL TRAINNER” . A professional coach may requests a metting to identify your potential  goals. He must be held accountable for monitoring your plan of action. A Coach may teach specific insights and skills to empower you.  A he or she should not promise you that with their service’s they can meet your specific goals. You are solely responsible reaching your own goals. Do you need a coach? Well, if you just entered the Fitness modeling business, and you have no clue or direction, well then you do need one. If you were involve in fitness modeling or competitions, and left for a short time and feel rusty well it doesn’t hurt to invest in one for an upcoming competition. When interviewing, a potential coach have in mind, anybody can call them self’s a professional fitness modeling coach, as in my previous blog, watch out for fake ones, anybody can print fake business cards, and call them self professional fitness model coaches. They try to make a fast buck, or worst try to meet woman. Be careful there are lose nuts out their. Get references from other models. If they are well recommended by someone you know, then they are probably all right…  Fee’s  range by the hour, day or an upcoming competition. As a client what is it that you expect of them to accomplish for you, you will be doing all the work, so you should expect heavy results. Are they willing to travel with you to an up comming competition ?, if so remember, that’s extra money to them. As a coach they are nurturing you how to perform in public, meeting clients, sponsors, promoters, how to approach them, and ask the right questions for an interview. How to Answer questions on the podium,  they insure that you perform a well choreograph performance, and  Insure you enter and walk off the cat walk the right way.

What’s a Fitness Model ?

A woman who models her athletic physic for a profitable income. She may compete in competitions.  She doesn’t have to compete in order to become a fitness model, if she wants to be successful at it, she will. Competitions gives the contestants a lot of exposure that is needed to get fitness  photographers, company sponsorship, and magazine editors, a way to notice you, which could lead to, bigger and better things in the future.

Competition.

  Each competition is different. You may be right for one competition and totally wrong for the other one. What are the judges looking for? Judges are given certain criteria to guide them in the process of picking winners. See if you meet their criteria; find a competition you feel comfortable competing in. study it first, before you choose to compete. Insure, this is what you want and you are ready to go for it.

Self Promotion.

You need to stand out from all of the other contestants who are pretty, physically enhance and determined to win, and  be ready to stand out in the spot light, and don’t be shy.  If you are, you probably don’t belong in this business and you’re letting everybody know you don’t belong here. Start attending every function, competitions, and parties associated with fitness modeling, cary business cards, give them out and start making contacts.  If you are given any cards by other individuals connected to the fitness model industry at these events, try to be the first to respond back, a quick call means you are serious to commit.  Call them up and let them know you are available at any given time, and that you can send a packet portfolio of photos for a specific shoot they are looking for.  This is why promoting yourself is so important.  It gives the photographers, agents, sponsors, event planners, and promoters, looking for new talent a reason to remember you.  You’re not just another pretty face in the crowd. The truth is? “Don’t wait around for someone to discover you”! It all happens in an instance. And only you can make it happen right now!

 Be punctual at your appointments, calls or company shoots.

That is the first thing they look for in an upcoming fitness model.  If you are suppose to show up for your promo shoot  at 1:00 PM, but you decided to be at least twenty minutes prior and dressed and ready to go. You are showing the client that you are serious about this job; you’re someone worth working with.  The client will then use you again, or recommend you to another company, or give you some excellent contacts for you to connect with. If you show up late and complaint a lot, or your very demanding, I recommend you hang it up its not for you, the client hired you for a reason, to use you as he wanted in professional way of course, but remember he is paying you to represent his product to the world, and you are his spoke model, he does not want to look like a fool in front of others specially the clients his representing also.

Portfolio packet.

Photos are the key factor of this business; they are your visual calling cards. You will be asked to submit photos.  The client may go through one to a hundred photos and never see you in person.  If your photos are eye catching, or different from other models you have a better chance of getting a call for a job.  Make sure that you have a good make-up artist, hair stylist, and photographer.  If your pictures don’t come out the way you think they should, try another photographer don’t go to him because he is cheap, choose one who has been recommended by others in the business. A makeup artist are always in the same realm as photographers, they talk and exchange cards, hair stylist it’s also by word of nature in this business.  Then order a professional package from him.  This is an important step; make sure you do this right. Keep saving up your money and getting pictures done until you have the right portfolio to present. 

Get an agent.

You don’t have to obtain an agent to get discovered, it speeds up the process and save you leg work, you know pounding the pavement knocking on doors dropping photos. Ask other fitness models. Who represents them or can they recommend one to you. Ask, is he good at it? how reliable is he ?,  what are his fees?, and most he must be very professional with you at all times !. An agent will be responsible for sending out your photos, getting you interviews, and trying to get you the much needed exposure you despardly need.  In some instances agents receive phone calls from other agents, sponsors, and promoters about possible jobs and auditions before it’s announced to the general public.  This can give you some extra time to prepare.  Remember an agent works for you so if you get paid, he gets paid also. Agents can also offer you some key points as to how to answer questions at an interview.

Be careful.

There are individuals who think they are photographers because they carry a camera around their neck, magazine editors because they have their own web-page and write blogs and television producers because they directed a cheap car commercial on a television station no one ever heard of.  No these people are not professional they are scam artist looking for a fast buck, individuals who are looking for a girl friend, or worst a complete nut who probably is a stalker who is seeking attention from others  meaning “you”. If someone approaches you, and you never heard of him, his work, or his company, be polite, take his card, thank him and walk away. If he continues to bother you over and over again, it’s possible he is not for real, call security. If he is a professional like you he will give you references or other points of contacts. the rule in this business is talk to one possible client or contact at a time, “RIGHT!” you need to very careful, anyone can approach with phony business cards and say he is a professional in his field of work. Call previous clients if possible, talk to other models to see if they worked with him before. , then someone in the business have worked with them in the past or know of someone who did. It is better to be safe than sorry in the long run.
 

Take your new career seriously.

Remember if you want to make in this business, you must be adamantly committed.  There are no short corners to cut. Don’t think that you’re going to walk in to some ones office and say “Hi am here, let’s get started, were do I sign” and right away they are going to plaster your picture on front pages of all fitness magazine all over the world.   Every fitness model paid her dues, before her big break……