Do you have a passion for bodybuilding and fitness? Can you see yourself making a huge impact in our industry someday? Do people say you have the right stuff to become successful in our sport?

Do you have a dream? If you couldn't fail, what would you ultimately want to accomplish with your love for training, bodybuilding, health, and fitness? Would you like to start earning extra cash from your passion and knowledge? Would you like to generate enough money to slash your food budget or ease the financial burden as the result of buying expensive supplements every month? Maybe some of your goals are to be sponsored and paid by a national supplement company and featured in one of their magazine advertisements?

The "American Dream" is getting paid while doing what you love to do most in life. Do you ever fantasize about quitting your daytime job and make a living helping others achieve their health and fitness goals? How does that sound? How would you feel about yourself if you earned the opportunity to make money doing what you really enjoy doing? You'd be able to enhance the quality of your own life-as well as the lives of others at the very same time.

Having ambitious dreams and setting lofty goals is a great start to getting where you ultimately want to be. Simply wishing for events to happen, however, will never turn your dreams into reality. You must have specific plans, effective strategies, and take considerable and consistent action. The purpose of this article is offer you some of the best strategies that have led to some of the success I've experienced in this extremely challenging business of bodybuilding and fitness.

My journey has not been an easy one. I have face rejection many times along the way. I've made a lot of mistakes. I've had to battle my way through many bouts of self-doubt. I've wasted a lot of time and effort as well. Fortunately, I have persevered. This article is your opportunity to "leap frog" or skip over many of the challenges and obstacles I had to overcome. This piece of writing is my attempt to help you succeed sooner rather than later.

Do I think I've achieved a certain level of success in this business because I am smarter or more talented than you are? No way. The difference may be that that I quit my full-time job years ago and have been determined to find a way to make it. It's been a daunting task, to say the least, especially when everyone tells you it can be done. I had no role models to follow and make my undertaking easier.

If you read the advice I present to you carefully, you won't have to endure the learning curve or take the risks I was for to take. I hope to give you better insight into how the business really operates. I want to supply you with creative ideas and make you aware of the opportunities available that can help you start earning money right now from your knowledge and experience. I want to help eliminate your confusion, avoid frustration, and steer you clear of the common pitfalls many people experience. I want to provide you with optimism and help you achieve success in the shortest period of time.

The most common misconception many aspiring bodybuilders and fitness competitors have is that, when they become good enough, they will be automatically paid for what they've accomplished with their physiques. Many stars-in-the-making bank their hopes and dreams on the supplement companies. This is a huge mistake and one that will waste a lot of your precious time and energy.

There are outrageously differing opinions as to the value bodybuilders and fitness competitors think they offer the supplement companies and what those companies actually feel they are worth.

"Expect nothing!" One giant supplement company executive said to me. "Bodybuilders come to me all the time expecting to get paid a lot of money without doing anything for it. When a bodybuilder joins a supplement company, they should expect nothing!" These are very powerful words, aren't they?

Another supplement company president shared basically the same point-of-view with me a couple of years later. "Bodybuilders and fitness competitors are not like professional athletes and will never get paid like they are! Skip, that's just not the way the business works," he said.

My guess is that the majority of bodybuilding and fitness competitors have no idea they are viewed this way.

If you don't understand how the sponsorship game is played, you will have very little chance of winning at it. Most bodybuilders and fitness competitors simply don't understand how the game is played.

The illusion many bodybuilders and fitness competitors have is, when they become good enough, the supplement companies will rush to sign them to endorsement contracts. For some of them, becoming good enough means winning a major contest, turning professional, or simply developing an outstanding physique. Heck, some people believe they already have the "right look" and it's only a matter of time before the companies fight for the privilege to use their image to endorse the company's products.

If you win a national championship or have your picture featured in an international bodybuilding and fitness magazine, you will be among a select few who have been talented enough to do so. Although becoming one-out-of-a-million to make it big in this industry is quite an accomplishment, it means very little to a supplement company.

Most bodybuilders mistakenly see the endorsement business just like an athlete climbing the difficult ladder to professional status. To illustrate how the endorsement business really works, let's use the analogy of a professional NBA basketball player. When you consider the fact that there are thousands upon thousands of young boys who start playing basketball on the elementary school playgrounds with the dream of making it to the NBA, hope to progress to the high school level, are considered talented enough to play for a college team, and finally drafted into the pro ranks, those who progress that far are very special individuals.

Even if a pro basketball player is the very worst player on an NBA team, he can still expect to be paid a lot of money! He certainly deserves it, doesn't he? Although he may not be a superstar, he is probably a one-out-of-a-million exception out of the boys who have ever played basketball.

"Darn right, La Cour!" you may be saying to yourself. "Do you know how many guys have tried to build the physique like the I've got-but couldn't do it because they don't have my genetics, discipline, or perseverance?"

That may be true. In the supplement business, however, those qualities simply don't mean much. I guarantee you every supplement company in the United States has a garbage can full of letters requesting sponsorship from guys just as good as you and even better.

The real game is about how much money you can generate for a supplement company. Supplement companies are not in business of financially rewarding you for your hard work, discipline, and perseverance throughout the years. And don't think your outstanding physique alone is a good enough to sell lots of supplements. In order to be influenced to purchase a bottle of protein powder, the potential buyer really only cares that the model in the ad has a body better than he or she does. There are literally thousands of bodybuilders for the supplement companies to choose from who can meet the requirement of having a better body than the average customer buying protein powder.

Continuing with the NBA basketball player analogy, just because they've become one-out-of-a-million and made into the league, he doesn't automatically become highly paid endorsement material. Only players like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and maybe Kevin Garnett and Gary Payton are considered worthy to pitch products. When you recalculate the odds from that perspective, the chances of a young boy growing up and being paid an outrageous sum of money because he has the ability generate massive revenue are really about a trillion-to-one!

That's just about how difficult it is for a bodybuilder or fitness competitor to earn a paid endorsement contract. In fact, the odds are probably even worse. At least in professional basketball, every team needs a person to play the "center" or point-guard" position. Regardless of their level of skill, the team must have someone in those positions just to play a game. In the nutritional supplement industry, many companies are doing extremely well without anyone featured in their ads at all!

I know I'm sounding pessimistic, but that's the reality of the situation. Accepting reality will give you better understanding, prevent you from wasting time, and get you to take control of your own future.

You know what? Even if you were to get on with a major supplement company, you'll be a long way from easy street. Regardless of the way things may appear, we as bodybuilders make very little money from endorsement contracts. Whether you are the very best, worst, or somewhere in between, it doesn't matter when it comes to earning money from your accomplishments with supplement, exercise equipment, or workout clothing companies. In fact, many of the bodybuilders and fitness competitors glamorized in the magazine ads don't even get paid cash. Those select few only get free supplements for their outstanding achievements!

It's all comes down to the simple laws of economics. The "supply" is outrageously disproportionate to the "demand." Too many bodybuilders with pretty darn good physiques would jump at the chance to appear in a magazine ad-absolutely free! Remember, those garbage cans at the supplement companies are full of letters from aspiring bodybuilders and fitness competitors.

The bad news is that you must make things happen for yourself if you are going to make in the bodybuilding and fitness industry. The good news is that you already have what it takes to create your own destiny!

There are two important qualities you must have in order to earn cash from what you bring to the world of bodybuilding and fitness. Those two qualities are passion for what you are doing and the sincere desire to help other people.

If you ever expect to become outstanding at anything you do in life, you must absolutely love what you do. You can't simply "really like" what you do and still expect to be extraordinary. You are going to have a lot more going for you than a "keen interest" to achieve greatness and all the rewards that come with it. You must be passionate about what you do if you plan on being exceptional.

Passion is a lot more important than merely working hard. Hard work is not enough. Many bodybuilders and fitness competitors are working hard but have to quit long before they reach their full potential simply because continuing to give there all doesn't make sense financially. Pursuing their dreams and doing what they were put on this earth to do no longer seem practical. Personally, I think that's a real shame.

Passion for what you do drives you to raise your standards, makes the long hours required to achieve outstanding results seem like minutes, and motivates you to continue working hard when times get tough. Almost everyone can continue to work hard when things run smoothly and your efforts are being handsomely rewarded. However, your journey will never be easy. Every path you take in business (and in life, for that matter) will have its inevitable highs-and-lows, ups-and-downs; and trials-and-tribulations. What will give you the fortitude to keep pushing forward during those challenging times? Passion!

You must also have a sincere desire to help others achieve their training and fitness goals. If you do not have a sincere desire to help others, I suggest you stop reading this article immediately and find another way to earn cash. People will always figure out who is sincere and who is not. Don't mistakenly believe you can fool them. Even if you do fool them for a little while, you won't do so for very long.

You Don't Need to Be A Champion Bodybuilder or Fitness Competitor In Order To Be Effective Or Successful

I'm willing to bet you have people coming up to you all the time asking for training and nutrition advice. Am I right? Because of the way you've sculpted and maintained your physique, I'm sure people want to know how you train, eat, and stay disciplined.

Right now, your level of passion and knowledge probably exceeds that of 95 percent of the people in the general public-and more than likely a whopping 100 percent of the people who are coming up to you for information.

Unfortunately, we as bodybuilders and fitness competitors don't always appreciate our expertise. "I'm not big enough for anyone to care about what I have to say. I'll wait until I win my upcoming show to earn more credibility. I'm not as popular as so-and-so is and I don't know as much as that other guy," are a few of the excuses I hear from those who are a little tentative about chasing their dream of consulting others for pay. That type of thinking discourages many people from going after what they are really capable of achieving.

We all have a certain level of passion and knowledge for bodybuilding and fitness. That passion and knowledge can provide an outstanding value to others-but not until you appreciate the gifts you have to offer them.

Yes, we can always learn more and know more. And yes, we should continually strive for more knowledge. The fact of the matter is, however, we already have plenty of power within us to change other people's lives for the better-at this very moment. Our problem is not that we don't have enough knowledge. Our challenge is acknowledging and appreciating the true value of our ability to help others.

I know what you might be saying to yourself right now. "But Skip, I'm no expert! I need a master's degree or some kind of special certification before I can get started. I don't have a clue about a lot of things in bodybuilding and fitness that other people in the industry already know. Besides, the things I know are so simple to me. I've been doing them for quite awhile. How can anything that comes so easily to me be valuable to others?"

Here's a regular life situation to illustrate what I'm trying to explain:

If your computer "crashed" and an enormous amount of information, hard work, and time invested were seriously threatened to be lost forever, how much money would it be worth for someone to retrieve the data for you? $100.00? $500.00? $1,000.00? Maybe more?

I don't know about you, but if my computer went out of commission today, I would gladly pay-and even expect to pay-a hefty fee for an "expert" to recover my information, hard work, and time invested!

What if this so-called expert was really no "certified specialist" at all? Instead, he only worked in an entry-level position for a major computer company like Microsoft? What if he told me that, although he worked for Microsoft, he really didn't actually work with computers at all? Instead, he worked in the mailroom.

Would his credentials really matter if he could rescue the mounds of data I was desperate to get back? Heck no! All I want is my information back. I don't care what he doesn't know-as long as he does know how to get the job done!

What if retrieving my important information only took him a few simple steps and a grand total of five minutes? Would I still be willing to dish-out that hefty fee? Well, if I couldn't retrieve the extremely important information myself, you bet I would!

Wouldn't it be ridiculous for the mailroom clerk at Microsoft not to take advantage of the opportunity to help the novice computer users in his city who could really use him? Wouldn't it be a shame if he said, "Well, I just don't think know enough to help you. There are quite a few guys on the tenth floor where I work who are computer programmers and know a hundred-times more than I do. You should go to them for advice and give them your money."

That would be foolish of him to say, wouldn't it? Let me ask you a question. What message do you think you are giving to all of those people you are currently inspiring to get into shape? Whether you realize it or not, you are sending them off to the supplement companies and magazines to buy more information and products that will help them meet their newly established fitness goals. You were the person who influenced those people to improve their bodies-then directed those people to the supplement companies and magazines and watched them hand over their money to them.

I don't care where you live, how many contests you have competed in, or what place you have come in during those contests, there are people who admire and respect what you do know in the same way you respect and admire the computer guy who is really only a mailroom clerk-simply because he knows more than you do and can help you.

If you are good at what you do and can produce results that make differences in people's lives, then there is the potential to earn money doing so. People put a tremendous value on what you know and what your knowledge can do for them. You may take your value for granted because you can always know a little more or what you already do know seems too simple to you. People will pay to get the results they desire.

Getting "certified" by a certain fitness organization is great-if that certification gives you the certainty and confidence to see yourself as a worthwhile commodity. Look, people wouldn't be coming up to you now if they didn't already respect what you've achieved.

At this very moment, you could have the same confidence level that earning a degree or winning a contest would bring. And, until you do, you will never start earning cash from your passion for bodybuilding and fitness the way you want-and deserve.

There is something unique and special about you. That's why you have people approaching you. Maybe they admire you because of the tremendous discipline you exhibit week after week. Maybe you are looked up to because you are in unbelievable shape for an older man, younger man, an older woman, or younger woman. Maybe people come to you for training and fitness advice because you represent their ideal of the perfect role model because you are white, black, yellow, red, or purple like they are. Maybe they connect with you in a special way because you remind them of the football coach they learned so much from back in high school or their cousin Ernie who they love and respect.

Who are you? What makes you unique? What gifts do you bring to the bodybuilding and fitness world? Now is the time to discover and appreciate the special gifts you have to offer. Knowing what you are all about in the eyes of other people will be a vital part in successfully marketing yourself and/or your services and products.

The very best business and marketing advice I was ever offered was from Bill Phillips, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the supplement industry. What profound words of wisdom did the EAS sports nutrition mogul and New York Times best-selling author have to say to me?

"Ink and Paper"

Those three simple words have allowed me to connect with people around the world. They have allowed me to focus my time, energy, and passion in what I love to do in life-instead of working at a job I'm forced to do only because I need the money. Without even being slightly overdramatic, those three words have literally changed the direction of my life.

What Bill Phillips meant by "ink and paper" was to get my theories on the different aspects of physique development down on paper then offer them to those who are interested. With all the experience, knowledge, and passion I had for bodybuilding and training, Phillips convinced me the only way I could use what I had to make an impact on my life and the lives of others was to offer printed information to my fans and fellow bodybuilders.

Since that time, I've created over six different publications-and have loved every challenging minute doing so. I'm proud to say I've help hundreds of bodybuilders around the world with my written work. I feel fortunate to say they've allowed me to earn enough money to concentrate on becoming the very best bodybuilder I can be.

The only way I've been able to survive financially and focus my passion and effort into bodybuilding is because of those three magic words "ink and paper."

Computer technology has made creating and distributing your message even easier than printed books, special reports, and other publications. The personal computer and Internet have spawned more efficient and faster ways to distribute information and market written materials. Downloaded computer files of my written work, or INSTANT BOOKS! as I call them, now generate at least one-third of my business revenue. It's my same high-quality written work that I'm extremely proud of-sold at a reduced price and without all the time delays and printing and shipping costs. An ambitious bodybuilder from the other side of the globe can now read my information and inspiration within minutes after ordering one of my INSTANT BOOKS!

You Say You Don't You Have the Skills to Become an Effective Writer, Huh?

So you don't think you can write very well, do you? You say you weren't very good at writing back at school, huh? Remember, passion will help you become as good as you want to be-as long as you are willing to work really hard at becoming a better writer. You are not under the same limiting conditions that you were under back in school. Now, you are writing about things you love to think about-and can potentially earn money writing about them.

What would you tell people who come up to you and complain that they don't have the kind of body they really want right now? Wouldn't you tell them something like, "Do you think I was born with this kind of body? I worked hard, kept learning more about how to take my physique to a higher level, and was patient"? Hmmm, think about those words for a moment.

Here is tip that will fast forward your writing abilities twelve years closer to my current level of experience. Don't even waste your time and effort trying to do all the typing yourself. You simply can't take the chance of letting your creative thoughts get lost between your brain and the keyboard because you type too slowly.

You are already talking to quite a few people about the different aspects of physique development, aren't you? During those fifty or so times a week you are asked what foods are right to eat, carry a tape recorder with you. When you are caught up in the right mood, enjoying a perfect moment of passion, and sounding off in the "heat of the battle" record your helpful advice, thoughts, and opinions. Then, send the audiocassette tape to a professional transcriber.

All you have to do is drop your audiocassette in the mail, have the transcriber type it up, and get a transcribed version of your theories on a computer file, computer disk, and/or paper version in a couple of weeks or less. They can be mailed or even e-mailed to you. Then, you're ready for business!

Because of the tremendous profit margin in "ink and paper," you will probably pay for the cost of the transcriber after selling your first 10 books. The bottom line is, you'll be in the self-publishing game. You'll have a real "product" to offer to those who are interested. I wish I had gotten in "the game" of ink and paper a whole lot sooner!

You know, personal training is okay, but your moneymaking potential is extremely limited by time. What do I mean by that? Let's just say you get $50.00 per hour training a person one-on-one in the gym. It sounds good, but you can do much better. Going that route, $50.00 is all you can earn during that hour.

What if you had a book that had your best strategies for bodybuilding success? You could continue doing your personal training (or working at your job) if you wish while selling books at the same time. You can even sell it to your personal training clients to augment their efforts in the gym. It could be sort of like a "package deal." Although you may have written that book months ago, you could sell it over and over again for many years to come.

Let's say your book sells for $25.00. You wouldn't need to sell a whole bunch of them to significantly cut your food or supplement budget. If you have your own Internet website, you can literally sell books while you are sleeping. You can also sell your book over the Internet while your training someone one-on-one in the gym.

When You Market Your Thoughts Through Your Written Words, You Market Yourself More Effectively.

There is no better way to let people know who you are and what you are really like than through your written words. You already have the knowledge. You've obviously got the passion. Because you've been so willing to share what you know in the past, it's apparent you have the sincere desire to help others achieve their fitness goals. What are you waiting for? Now is the time to let people know the value you have to offer them and start profiting from your hard-earned talents!

Start getting your thoughts down on paper today. Better yet, get your thoughts down into your computer's memory today. That way, you can share your philosophies and, if what you feel a better theory comes along later, you can immediately update your work. You won't waste any money on out-of-date printed material that you can no longer proud to sell. You can create a new version of your work quickly, easily, and inexpensively when it's on a computer files.

If you don't have the expensive, high-quality computer and printing equipment, go down the street to Kinko's, OfficeMax, or Office Depot. They can print them from your transmitted computer file or diskette you bring to them in minimal quantities-with minimal cost. That way, you'll feel a lot more confident with your bodybuilding and training philosophies and jump right in to creating your own literary masterpiece if you know you have the flexibility to build upon, change, or selectively eliminate what you've written later. Whatever you do, start today!

It takes courage and belief in yourself to earn cash helping others achieve their training and fitness goals. Unfortunately, there is no one who can give you a set of secret strategies or ways for you to develop the courage you'll need to achieve your dreams. You've heard plenty of examples of people who have become successful in business and had fewer advantages and more obstacles in their way than you, haven't you? The people who succeed in life are the ones who keep on trying and manufacture faith and courage within themselves.

Your road to success will be challenging at times-just as it is for the person sitting at a boring desk job all day long. At least you'll have the advantage of going through your challenges doing what you enjoy doing.

If you are determined to earn extra cash from your passion for bodybuilding and fitness, these are just a few of the very best business strategies I can give you. I sincerely hope you find them helpful in your journey. Good luck-and think BIG!

By Skip LaCour, February 2001