Testimonials

(ON NWPT FITNESS & TRAINING FORUMS) I appreciate the smaller group workshops. It makes it easy to ask questions and it feels more personal. Also, the quality of presenters and information was wonderful. Its a great way to learn and rejuvenate as an instructor.

(ON NWPT FITNESS & TRAINING FORUM) “This workshop was one of the best workshops I have ever attended. Very well organized and great presenters. I have a lot of material to take back with me.

These topics were cutting edge. I derived useful and usable knowledge for my clients. I especially liked the barefoot info if not for running but for increasing foot strength.

(ON NWPT FITNESS & TRAINING FORUM) “I always learn a lot at these forums. Petra was so great. I have practical workouts I can use in my group classes!

I was extremely pleased with the coaching Alex and Sherri provided. They were able to cover a large range of topics that would help any manager or owner take their business to the next level. They provided great inspiration and motivation that will have a large impact on my career. Alex and Sherri have a proven business system that is based on their years of experience in the fitness industry. Thank you Alex and Sherri!

For anyone opening a club or personal training business, this is the absolute best investment you can make. Indispensable to long-term success!

I think everyone who is considering opening a fitness studio should work closely with Alex and Sherri. The McMillans have a complete grasp of the industry. I learned so much and know this will help me launch a much more successful business. Thanks to you both!

Thanks for all the blood, sweat and tears creating the Business of Personal Training manual and for being willing to share it with other fitness professionals.

The McMillans’ marketing, advertising, sales and customer service systems have been invaluable to our personal training department. Our business was losing money and these systems helped turn it around and increased our revenues twofold.

Since implementing the McMillan business ideas, our personal training revenue has increased by over 120%.

Northwest Personal Training was very instrumental in motivating our company to develop a credible personal training department. With their vast experience and extremely helpful attitude, they have provided us with structure, direction and success. Our personal training revenue has increased by 400% over the last 2 1/2 years and we are extremely grateful for all the insight that they continually provide us.

We opened a brand new, state-of-the-art medical fitness center in June of 1996. Northwest Personal Training was recruited to train our staff on how to upsell their personal training services. The program was averaging only $10,000 per month in revenue and today our program has grown to over $70,000 per month! Northwest Personal Training made a huge impact on our team of employees.

The course provided in spades all the content listed in the sign-up flyer. The Business Manual on CD is worth the cost of the course alone. It is the most dense information of any course material I’ve ever received.

I’m speechless. I feel as though I’ve been given a gift. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!I’m speechless. I feel as though I’ve been given a gift. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Sherri increased personal training revenues for our business tenfold, created numerous group personal training programs and activities and implemented invaluable systems that helped us get and keep clients. She helped to bring our personal training program to world-class level.

The Successful Trainer’s Guide to Marketing will provide insight and research into marketing and structuring a successful personal training business. This is a must for the beginning-to-grow company looking to leap ahead of the competition by increasing the bottom line and providing great customer service.

The Successful Trainer’s Guide to Marketing is an easy-to-follow, comprehensive step-by-step program. This book is a ‘must read’ for any trainer who wants to thrive rather than simply survive

I love having the McMillans present at my conferences. They can do everything and anything – choreography, Personal Training, exercise science, muscle conditioning, management and leadership skills. Their versatility make them a real asset to any conference and their personality and love for fitness make them a real hit with all the conference delegates. Their evaluations are always amazing.

Northwest Personal Training presenters are always world-class providing excellent information

This was the most enjoyable and informative fitness event I’ve ever attended. All the excellent tips from Northwest Personal Training have helped renew my motivation and provided me with exciting ideas to improve my personal training business. My training sessions will never be the same! Thanks for the inspiration.

The McMillans are very informative and entertaining. They have an excellent command of the topic areas and an innovative method of teaching.

The weekend was well balanced between practical and theoretical information. I’ve got so many ideas and I can’t wait to get home and try them out.

Alex and Sherri compliment each other so well. They are both entertaining and informative. When I attended school, I literally sat through weeks and studied forever for biomechanics and for the first time, Alex made it make sense. I am a hands-on person and his interactive, teaching drills were so helpful. I’ve learned so much that my brain is in overload!

My head is spinning from all the new information I’ve learned. Thanks so much for sharing such world-class ideas.

I enjoyed Alex’s sense of humor and ability to present highly technical information in a “user-friendly” manner. I loved all his stories!

The information is cutting-edge and practical. What an awesome weekend!

This event was world-class, organized and professional. The door prizes were awesome!

I walked away with so much user-friendly information and I was able to apply it directly to my classes and to my personal training sessions immediately. I was so pumped after the weekend event and I still haven’t stopped talking about it!

Sherri was outstanding! Great cueing, energy and motivation! A true IDEA presenter! Bring her back next year!

Finally… Sherri is someone who appreciates simple, crisp, beautiful movement! I can actually take this back to my students! I was moved by her genuine love of the business and her passion for teaching.

Sherri presented the topic superbly. She has infectious enthusiasm and is full of life. She helped to clear up many misconceptions and provided refreshing, new ideas that can be practically adapted for clients. I can definitely use all these ideas – one of the few workshops that I can apply to my own sessions and classes. Great handouts! There is no stopping of information with Sherri, always more to learn and know.

What a simple approach to a wonderful workout! Sherri is an excellent motivator and extremely inspirational. She is knowledgeable and lectured with her heart. She is absolutely clear, amiable, not ‘condescending’ and able to captivate and teach us her ideas. I found the information really lit my own interest in teaching again, Sherri has got super duper energy and she’s very fun to watch, she makes you want to join in even if you’re tired. Thank you!

Love Northwest Personal Training. They know what instructors need to stay motivated!

(ON NWPT FITNESS & TRAINING FORUM) “I have been coming to NWPT Fitness Forums for 4 years and always look forward to re-energizing my instruction, learning, new content and coming away with ready use material!

Thank you for helping me get to where I am today in my Personal Training business! You are truly awesome and understand the personal training industry better than anyone else! I went from a 1 man operation to a 8 person operation with implementing The Business of Personal Training System. The amount of time it would take to recreate these systems would be overwhelming and time consuming! Why recreate the systems when they work and for such a great price! My first location is out of a church fitness facility and now I am starting my own facility at 2,100 sq ft. Also, after you get the Business of Personal Training System you will have the opportunity to join Northwest Fitness Education’s PT Profits Mastermind Group to get latest tips in personal training industry, review of Northwest Fitness Education’s events, promotions, marketing, staff management, and ask any questions to help you run your business. Thank you Sherri and Kari for all the time you spend helping me change peoples lives and make a profit to enjoy a great life!

The best business decision I ever made was purchasing the Business of Personal Training System! The worst decision I made was taking so long to do it! It’s so much better than before to know that I can provide my employees with the resources and materials they need to succeed as successful personal trainers who can also sell. It’s also great to have employees rather than independent contractors. This is something I always resisted, but now that I have it set up, I feel like we have a much more cohesive team, and I have a lot more control over how the people who represent my business come across to our customers and clients. As an analogy with any legitimate fitness program: The steps to success are pretty obvious in hindsight. There’s no magic bullet in this system, unless you count knowing you can get the answer to pretty much any question from people who have 25+ years and millions in revenues. Now that I know what to do and how to do it, it’s just a matter of showing up every day and putting in the work. Thank you Sherri McMillan and everybody else at Northwest Personal Training & Fitness Education for creating this program!

UPDATED JUNE 2013 I purchased and started implementing the Northwest Personal Training & Fitness Education – The Business of Personal Training System in May of 2010. At that time, our business had been open for 4 years. In the 3 years since implementing these systems, we have rapidly and drastically increased our revenue and profits, and this was visible with-in 6 months of implementation. Since then, we have opened up 2 new training studios, grown our session volume, and quadrupled the size of our staff. In addition to an increase in revenue and profit, these systems have allowed me to get a grip on how we run our business on a day to day basis. The program is equally impressive in the depth/detail of the information as well as the breadth; virtually every aspect of the PT business is addressed. The Business of Personal Training System has allowed us to become larger, leaner, more effective, and happier. MAY 2010 I purchased The Business of Personal Training System at the beginning of the month and we are working at aggressively implementing all of the systems (a truly exciting process – I have never been more engaged and rejuvenated). The systems(and entire process) have already made a huge impact (I only wish I would have invested in this about 2 years earlier). We are a small personal training facility (1,600 square feet) and after one month of partially implemented systems we are looking at about a $7,000-9,000 increase in this months revenue compared with last. I am anticipating that our revenue will grow from the low $600K per year to over 1 million over the next 12 months (I would be shocked if we didn’t exceed 1 million). I can say unequivocally that this is the single best investment I have made.

I have been teaching some form of group ex for almost 30 years and I have not seen this level of professionalism and responsiveness in a long time. Thank you so much for the excellent customer service!! I am very much looking forward to meeting you and attending the workshop!” (ON SPRING FITNESS & TRAINING FORUM)

…Northwest Fitness Education has an incredible concept. Especially for trainers†who want to be involved in the business and not just be a trainer. The information I have received so far has been priceless!” (ON PT PROFITS MASTERMIND GROUP)

I attended Sherri’s Business of Personal Training Seminar at Canfitpro about 10 years ago. At that time, I recently graduated with a Kin degree. This was the first time I attended a business seminar for fitness and it really taught me that I needed sales, marketing, and business skills to build my clientele. Using what I learned from the seminar, I got really busy as a trainer at the health club. Then I made the step of venturing out and opening up my own studio. I couldn’t afford the Business of Personal Training Manual at the time and thought it was way out of my league. But got coaching from fitness business experts and was able to eventually purchase the Business of Personal Training license. So I’m using it to really tune things up! Sherri and the Business of Personal Training System have been a huge influence in helping me build my business!

We have received tremendous value from Northwest Fitness Education’s PT Profits Mastermind Group. Northwest Personal Training is a great facility and you have really done a great job of creating a strong health and fitness business.

I have enjoyed the mastermind group over the last couple of months. I’ve learned alot about what makes NWPT so successful, and not to mention you guys have alot of fun :)(About the Northwest Fitness Education PT Profits Mastermind Group)

Attending the Business of Personal Training course and purchasing the license to utilize all of Northwest Personal Training’s systems was the best money I’ve ever spent on my business. Their online coaching program has continued to advance my business skills and financial success. The Corporate Manual and the fact that they provide all the materials on a CD has saved me so much time and money. The 20 years of their experience condensed into a manual with processes, forms and knowledge is incredible. The chapters on sales systems, customer service and client forms have been the most important chapters that we use regularly. My background has been from corporate culture, and I always knew what I wanted and how I wanted my place to run. But I just got caught up in the day-to-day operations of the business and managing crisis. Getting an entire corporate manual, with systems and templates to work off of, shaved months if not years off that learning curve and allowed me to focus on what I do best. And that was worth the price of the workshop alone. I’ve been able to come home and dig my teeth into the manual and templates and set-up systems within six weeks that have already made our selling process more efficient, guest experiences more enjoyable,and has improved how we deal with client problems. I’m about two to four weeks away from wrapping up what will become our corporate manual. I would not have been able to do that without something to work off of, that gave me direction and most importantly saved me time and a lot of trial and error. The Online Coaching program provides me with weekly programs, contests, marketing ideas and memo templates that I can use at my discretion. The ongoing guidance from the McMillans has been indispensable. I’ve been attending The McMillan’s lectures at IDEA for 3-4 years now and I can still remember every one of their classes I attended and the impact they had on me. I have always been blown away by their energy and commitment. Personally I’m driven by energy, passion and purpose in my life, so I naturally gravitate towards that and soak in whatever comes out of other people like that. So for me, their courses and lecture style have always been inspiring and left me fired up to go home and take up the charge. To inspire that in people is huge in a world where so many things are mediocre. It’s rare to find people who are marching ahead in life and not stepping on people to get there. But instead, are actually reaching back and giving a helping hand to pull others along. That example is something that can’t go unnoticed in my mind. It should be emulated and shouted from the rooftops. What we can all accomplish together in this world is so much greater than what we can do alone.

Northwest Personal Training provided us with the tools to successfully launch a personal training facility from top to bottom, but more importantly, they did so with kindness, honesty and professionalism. We feel very fortunate that we were both able to take the workshop, The Business of Personal Training, with Alex and Sherri McMillan, whom we believe operate the best studio in the nation. Their operational information which they have meticulously organized (and is provided at the workshop) is priceless, has alleviated countless headaches and migraines and has taken the guess-work out of our plan. We truly could not have successfully started the planning and implementation process of our own facility without the insight of Alex and Sherri McMillan & the assistance from their valuable staff. The coaching, guidance and information we received at the workshop is twenty years of success all rolled meticulously into a phenomenal operations manual that the McMillans put together. These practices within the manual are an innovative and creative approach that we believe has already saved us thousands of dollars in planning, training and policy writing. The biggest benefit we received from the workshop was an analysis of the financial numbers of the business. Knowing just how much it took to build the studio, make renovations, how much had to be financed, the compensation for the trainers and the cost of equipment really put into perspective how much we would have to invest to make an appealing studio and have it operate successfully. Opening a business takes an extremely large amount of time and effort. Sure you have the business plan to write if you plan on going to a bank to finance your dream, but then there are the day to day operations that so many people overlook. Things like: telephone answering service, human resources, employee competency testing, etc. All of this is covered in the Business of Personal Training course and what you get is 100 times more than what you pay for. We could not imagine attempting to open our studio without taking The Business of Personal Training with Alex and Sherri. There is a reason that they were awarded International Directors of the Year by IDEA! If anyone is interested in getting into a fast growing business and doing it the correct and professional way, trust us, this workshop is for you. I don’t care if your Donald Trump or Phil Kaplan, when you walk away with the materials and tools from Alex and Sherri McMillan, you will be successful in The Business of Personal Training.

I have been reviewing the information in the Business of Personal Training System and am really enjoying the information. It is actually perfect, exactly what I was looking for. Quite honestly, I cannot believe how much our business’ are similar yet so many of the “little yet big obstacles” I’ve run into are being answered with the insightful information Northwest Fitness Education has provided. I look so forward to working with you in the months to come.

…we are also of course always tweaking our business practices and implementing more and more of the Northwest Fitness Education Business of Personal Training System…I bow to thee the creator of it…it was worth every penny and a million more!

(TO SHERRI ON 2011 SPRING FITNESS & TRAINING FORUM) “First of all, I have to commend you on your choice of presenters because they all brought so much knowledge and energy that it would have been impossible not to expand your training experience. Secondly, the added lunch was very nice…. I also just want to commend you on being such a class act when it comes to sharing your knowledge and expertise. You’ve definitely been a huge part of my ability to continue to offer excellent service to my clients.

Northwest Fitness Education’s PT Profits Mastermind Group helped my business grow by guiding me in the right direction when faced with obstacles and challenges! I strongly recommend PT Profits Mastermind to anyone looking to start or expand there knowledge and productivity in the personal training industry.

(About the Northwest Fitness Education PT Profits Mastermind Group) “…this is way more valuable than my coach of whom I pay $1000/month to help me.

I have gotten invaluable information from the NW Fitness Education PT Profits Mastermind Group. Thanks for the quick replies and tons of great information and resources

What I value most from the PT Profits Mastermind Program that NW Fitness Education provides is its mentorship. Since the Fitness Business is fairly young, there are not many places, or people to turn to for guidance and knowledge on the ëeveryday’ things of running a fitness business. Many of us know and understand the practical application of fitness but struggle with the business side of things. Finally there is a group of individuals who actually care to mentor, care about the growth of the industry and are not afraid to share their experiences and knowledge. I would not be able to move forward and towards the next level of my business if it wasn’t for NW Fitness Education. I simply applaud you and all that you do and more importantly the way you do it! Cheers!

(IN REFERENCE TO OUR FITNESS RESULTS MANUAL) I purchased the manual and sent out the marketing information to our customers. I then did a general mailer to a 5 mile radius (app 8 minute driving distance). We signed 52 individuals up for the challenge. The exciting part of this is that 30% of the participants are new customers. We have 3 full time trainers who have been working with the 52 clients. 40% of the clients purchased the combination class pass with 1 or 2 30 minute personal training sessions per week. Average revenue for PT for the month is about $22,000.00. Revenue for the challenge came in at $32,900.00 Our total weight loss for the whole group is about 360 lbs! Besides the excellent sales etc… We have approached 75% of the participants about staying with Merriott Fitness. Looks like the majority are going to stay. NEW CUSTOMERS! So business is excellent and we are now looking for another trainer! I have worked with NWPT & Fitness Education for the past 2 years. I spoke with NWPT & Fitness Education about expanding to a second location and was advised to wait until we were bursting at the seams. We are bursting. I hope to start a business plan soon for a second location.

(In reference to our Business of Personal Training 2 day Workshop – May 2010) This weekend (and the systems included with it) was by far the most valuable education experience I have been involved with. Far more valuable then all of the IHRSA conferences I’ve attended combined. I can’t wait to go back to my business and start implementing what I’ve learned. The best purchase/investment I’ve made in our business.

We’ve been looking to implement a more “functional” assessment that would showcase the value of personal training to prospective clients. After reading Sherri’s Comp Session/Assessment article in Can-Fit-Pro magazine, we contacted NWPT to see if there was a workshop available on the Comp Assessment. We were even prepared to pay for a presenter to come to us .. but they had an even better idea .. they put together a Comp Session eVideo .. it was perfect .. we could watch it individually or as a team, multiple times, at our convenience and the best part it comes with all the documents needed to turn key the Comp Session immediately into action .. great value .. great price .. and the future of fitness education is here .. eVideo.

I wanted to pass on a huge congratulations on your being named International Presenter of the Year, when you accepted the award you were so genuine and real, it truly speaks to why so many fitness professionals enjoy your sessions and you, you are authentic, and an incredible leader to so many people. Way to go girl!

The Business of Personal Training workshop was a worthwhile investment. I am using the manual to implement my systems throughout my business. It (the workshop) has helped me control the chaos that was running me. I now am getting so much more organized so I can do business. I left the weekend motivated with ready to use material. Just what I was looking for!

Jason Newman from New Body Health and Wellness in Edmonton Alberta explains why the Business of Personal Training systems are going to positively impact his business.

My rookie trainers have grown in their confidence, my master trainers have leaped out of their ruts and most importantly the six trainers that attended the Training Tools workshop are functioning as a team. Since our return to the club, I frequently see trainers sharing new ideas with each other. As the fitness director it is great to see a staff that is functioning as a team. We did $14,500 more this month compared to last year. This workshop was not about personal training sales, but it had everything to do with sales! Rob and Derrick were outstanding presenters. They taught hundreds of exercises, but more importantly taught client/trainer relationship skills. This workshop is a must attend! My only regret is I only took half my staff. Next year the whole team is attending!

NWPT’s PT Profits MasterMind has been of tremendous value to our company. We enrolled with the mastermind group a year ago and have enjoyed a consistently higher cash flow each month and this year will be our best year yet. A lot of that success is due to the tools and support that NWPT has been so generous to share with all of us in the Personal Training profession. We have been implementing many of the tools that Alex and Sherri McMillan use each month and have seen a big difference in the way we manage and run our entire business. We are communicating in a much more efficient way with our staff through weekly memos and team meetings, using the format that the McMillans have provided. I consider Alex and Sherri McMillan to be my mentors in the field of personal training. They have taught me so much about running a business based on your values and dreams. They know what they are doing and have much success to prove it. The best is that they believe that there is enough to go around for everyone and are willing to share it with all of us. I definitely don’t believe in reinventing the wheel. When I see something that has had proven success I want to learn everything possible from it. From marketing and sales to team performance, the Northwest Personal Training Mastermind program is definitely a worthwhile investment for any personal training or fitness company looking to get ahead. I would whole heartedly recommend that anyone looking to improve their personal training business success to register for any and all the programs that the McMillans offer. I can say that everything I have done with Northwest Personal Training from taking their classes at IDEA conferences to attending their Business in Personal Training Workshop, having their company manual and getting their online coaching for the past year has helped us grow our business and reach our highest revenue ever.

At FormWell, our revenues were at about $800,000 per year when I attended the Business of Training course and this year we’re on track to do over $1.1 million. Our average trainer tenue was at about 2 years, and now it is over 3 years since implementing many of the McMillan’s organizational systems. These changes have helped us to select and maintain the best training staff in Atlanta – we now know how to hire exceptional trainers and are able to keep them much longer! And as a result, client retention has increased from an average of about 1.9 years to now, 2.7 years! We have reaped many more times the cost of the course in terms of trainer and client retention, two of the biggest struggles in the fitness industry. Also, as an owner/operator, I am much more organized and I spend less time cleaning up mistakes and more time doing what I do best, marketing and growing the business. I have also found that I now have time to train some clients again, my true love and why I started FormWell!

(In reference to our Business of Personal Training Workshop – May 2010) As a business co-owner, this workshop has been very useful in uncovering weak areas in our current operating model and giving us a very useful template to move forward, which will help improve our systems and will result in profitability.

When I attended the Business of Personal Training workshop nearly 2 years ago, our business was doing ‘good’, but not ‘great’. What became very clear to me in doing the workshop was that we were lacking in something very simple… systems. Without the proper systems set in place, the business was running, but it wasn’t running efficiently, and without efficiency, it’s like spinning one’s wheels without going anywhere – a waste of valuable energy! Learning the information from this workshop, along with retaining the operations manual from Northwest Personal Training, allowed us to utilize the proven systems without us having to re-create the wheel. From Marketing to Customer Service to Human Resources to Programming… we now have the resource that would allow us to take our business to the next level. Because of efficiency through these systems, it allowed us to focus our energy where it really needed to be focused and that’s on our clientele. Revenues and client retention has increased as a result. I can honestly say this was one of the best investments we could have ever made for our business! I have continued working with Northwest Personal Training through their online coaching program for the last 2 years. In being the sole owner of growing business with 3 full-time employees, I have a lot of details and aspects to keep track of. The online coaching helps me because it’s like having another ‘department’ in our business. The weekly correspondence and insight about promotions, events, programming and marketing provides us an invaluable resource for ideas, as well as insight and assistance with personal relation issues amongst staff and clientele. It’s nice to know that if I have questions about any aspect of the business, I can email or call Northwest Personal Training for ongoing and continual support.

I am very impressed with the Business of Personal Training manual. It would have taken me forever to develop this on my own. This manual gives me a huge head start on implementing the systems I need in my business.

This (The Business of Personal Training) course was very helpful. Being involved in a studio from the beginning has meant developing everything from scratch. The manual itself was excellent; it gave me ideas of forms I wouldn’t have thought of, and the ones that I had thought of it was helpful to see how someone else wrote it out. The weekend course was great as well; packed full of helpful hints & tips. It is a great starting point and no doubt will be a great reference throughout this entire process.

(In reference to our Business of Personal Training Workshop – May 2010) Thankful to have had this opportunity to learn from such an experienced and personable “coach”/”expert” in our field. Great networking opportunity with peers in a non-pressure and more real environment. Thank-you!

Last year I traveled to Vancouver Washington to participate in ‘The Business of Personal Training’ with Alex and Sherri McMillan. I was ready to take my business to the next level and my attitude was – Don’t re-invent the wheel. I had learned in the past to model what you want to do after the best! I have watched the growth of this company in the last 10 years and have seen Northwest Personal Training become and stay on top as a leader in our industry. It has been just over a year since my participation in the course. I have implemented many of the principles, systems and programs recommended and spoon fed to me via the course, and from the in depth, comprehensive systems manual on CD included with course material. This course was the catalyst for a forward thinking action plan to grow my business and grow it has. Our revenues have doubled this past year. We have outgrown our space and are looking to expand and see only future growth ahead. The support from Northwest Personal Training after the course has been timely, efficient and effective and I would not hesitate to recommend it to those who take their business development and growth seriously. It’s a win/win all the way – for you, your team and your clients.