James Patrick: Combined Fitness Photography With Marketing And Business Skills To Create ‘FITposium’
Our audience consists of keen readers of inspirational and success stories like yours. Please tell us about yourself and your work.
My name is James Patrick, I am an internationally published photographer with more than 500 magazine covers to my credit, I am the best selling author of Fit Business Guide: The Workout Plan for Your Brand, I am the host of the entrepreneurial podcast Beyond the Image and I am the founder and creator of the annual FITposium conference and online education network.
Please share your journey with us about the establishment of the FITposium.
In 2015 I combined my work as a photographer in the fitness industry with my background in marketing and business development to create FITposium, an annual conference for health and fitness professionals to teach attendees how to build, market, and profit from their brands. Throughout 7 events we have had more than 1500 attendees from seven different countries attend our events to launch or grow their businesses. It is my mission to ensure that our attendees have all of the tools, the resources, the knowledge, and the connections needed to grow their brands effectively.
You are engaged in lots of activities that require lots of energy and time. How does one manage your work and private life?
I am a firm believer that routine and habits are a requirement for any entrepreneur. It is so easy to get trapped into the hustle mentality where you feel like you have to work harder to get to where you want to go in life. The truth is that although hard work is required, smart work is more effective. Today as a business owner of more than half a dozen brands, my priorities begin with my health through daily exercise and proper nutrition. From there I honor my mind through meditation and journaling. I then invest in relationships with those in my family as well as with colleagues and clients. Last comes my devotion to my business and although it is my lowest priority, by honoring my body, my mind, and my relationships first, I have more time and energy to grow my businesses.
Would you like to share any three biggest challenges you have faced in your journey so far?
Entrepreneurs are always faced with challenges as that is part of the territory naturally. I launched my photography business at the peak of the recession back in 2008 and was confronted with changes in technology, communication, trends, and more. So although 2020 was a year of massive shift and change that no one could have predicted, what I did get good at doing was adapting quickly. From pivoting our large conference online to shifting how we interacted and showed up for clients quickly. Our job as entrepreneurs is to keep our heads on a swivel, notice trends, and anticipate how we need to show up for our clients in the future as opposed to relying on what worked in the past.
Would you like to give any advice to the beginners on how they can create a great personality and skills while achieving their goals?
A mentor once told me “you live and die based upon your style.” Your style, your brand leave an emotional aftertaste with your audience. Your first step is to determine your unique position in your industry. Why are we needing to remember you? This is not about being a generalist. This is about peeling back the layers to determine what makes you stand out. Perhaps it is your niche, or your workflow, or your energy or persona. All of it is about creating a unique platform in the industry. From there it is about proactively (not reactively) finding the audience with who you wish to make an imprint. Your goal is to know where your audience is right now, what they aspire to become, what is in their way (obstacle or struggle) and how working with you will bridge the gap between where they are, where they want to go, and overcoming the obstacle in front of them.
Where can we connect with you?
Instagram @JPatrickPhoto
Website JamesPatrick.com
