Case Study #01 – The World of Soccer

A day off the blog yesterday, while reflecting on the just completed 12 Steps That Lead To A Financially Successful Career as a Teacher of Alexander Technique. Friends from Sweden are in town, and we headed off to a Xmas get together at Amriel’s in Brunswick Heads. There I met an old friend and fellow Alexander Technique teacher Jonathon. I unexpectedly worked the 12 steps with him, along the way designing an alternative life…

Step 1 – Motivation

Jonathon is passionate about soccer. He also knows how to make money – having successfully built a local company selling fresh organic greens – and he completed an Alexander Technique Teacher Education at a STAT certified school in Sydney more than 15 years ago. All ingredients that demonstrate he has the success drivers in place to make a new career teaching…

Step 2 – Who to Teach?

Soccer players, coaches, organisations. This is a huge industry, worth billions, so the notion that there is no money to make is not tenable. There is money flowing in great amounts in this industry, the question is…

Step 3 – Where to Start?

Obviously small – Jonathon leads a club in a network of 22 clubs in the area that handle the coaching, scheduling and competition between teams. He is known there, he knows others, so what can he do in that small pool to bring attention to Alexander Technique’s relevance to soccer…

Step 4 – Service Product

Obviously taking soccer players in and out of chairs won’t interest players – what does? Is kicking a problem? Or power? What kind of “workshops” or “info products” that are full of helpful tips from the revolutionary Alexander Technique perspective can Jonathon sell? Does he do workshops, or sell coaching sessions, or work on rehabilitation? Creating a service that people will pay for is built on deep, insider knowledge of what people want…

Step 5 – Industry Guide

Who’s a go-to person who could help Jonathon figure out a way to build his reputation within this soccer industry? Or look to other sports – are there examples of coaches or teachers arising that can influence and build a reputation? Finding a person with the right mix of experience could hasten the journey considerably… Who is Jonathon going to find as his coach?

Step 6 – Communication

In building his presence, the first step is to start talking with people – where are people going now get new ideas? Who does he already know that could team up with? What forums are available for presenting his ideas? This is the time to think through the ways that he will reach people, which media and methods…

Step 7 – Make A Blog

Starting a blog is the simplest way to leverage his information to attract followers. It takes time, and it gives an opportunity to express what he knows… It is the true test of what he has to offer, and he can use the blog to build content for new service products. To find out the interest of the market: is he able to build a following to his blog?

Step 8 – Back-End Business

Perhaps his market is coaches – dedicated individuals like Jonathon who want to improve their ability to be effective? Or are there individual players at a professional level who might seek his advice? Another vision is as a successful coach, but that is a very tight income opportunity – very few make it there. Or in the longer term, would he start a sports training school that produced great players? It is hard to know what the back-end business can be, but as he attracts fans to his blog, this is the question to keep asking…

Step 9 – Undoing Stories

The biggest story is “I can’t make money from Alexander Technique in the world of soccer.” So is this true? How do you know? The truth is, no-one has ever tried. Alexander Technique itself is a powerful tool which can deliver spectacular results. The challenge Jonathon has, is to demonstrate this to soccer devotees. Alexander Technique is a tool that no-one knew they needed until they had it, and now they can’t do without it. Any story that would stop the progress of this great discovery leading to support needs to be unknotted…

Step 10 – Launching…

The first launch is the blog – telling people, announcing it on soccer forums, handing out mention of it at his club matches. The second is having information available for downloading, the next is writing a book. Or… What is the plan?

Step 11 – Becoming an Authority

Jonathon’s plan needs to include becoming a “someone” in the industry: that can be done in many different ways. Writing for magazines is an obvious start, being a speaker and coaching a winning team are others. In the world of soccer, what speaks loudest is a career of wins: backing and coaching a successful team. Jonathon needs to team up with winners, associate with the best. Tangible results. When that is achieved…

Step 12 – Making deals

Opportunities start to appear to grow outside the small pond and go national, go international, go professional.

All the above is a bit loose, yet it does show that with the right mix of dogged persistence, great content and some daring and bold moves, Jonathon could position himself as the first Alexander Technique teacher in the world to break into the soccer niche, and make a great living doing what he loves. It is a lifetime plan, and it's a life worth living…