There are so many business books out there, it will make your head spin.

Every, single one promises riches beyond your wildest dreams and evening massages with (the late) Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.

I’ve done my fair share of reading these books, and many of them have a few nuggets of wisdom or inspiration.

There are a few “must reads” on my list of business books.

• “How To Win Friends And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
• “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell (not entirely “business”, but certainly applicable)
• “Switch” by the Heath brothers

This is just a few of the more memorable business books I’ve read. These books are on every list you will EVER read about owning your own business, though. Although they are all excellent reads and highly recommended, none of those titles will surprise you.

Truth is, these “classic” business books are nowhere near as influential to me and to my business as what is easily my “all-time favorite, small business blueprint for success”.

The “Go-Giver”

About a year into my business venture, the snowball began to roll.

I was starting to raise some eyebrows with our before and after pictures. Our online clients were beginning to kick ass and take names.

I had just began online group training, which had given me the opportunity to reach more people.

Demand had started to pick up, and things were beginning to get interesting.

Around this time, a friend and colleague of mine, Mike Yanda of Fast Lane Fitness, recommended a book to me:  The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John Mann.

He promised me the book was just up our alley. We were both aspiring small business owners who were looking for the best means to success. We were both wet behind the ears, and looking to make a difference. We both had an important message we wanted to get out to the masses.

I jumped onto Amazon and purchased the book.

The Go-Giver is about a salesman named Joe.

Joe has been having a tough time lately. His sales numbers are tanking, and the future doesn’t look good for him in his current company.

Joe is a typical salesman. He tries hard, but he can be pushy and aggressive. He has a “scarcity mindset” and is always worried about where his next customer will come from. He’s anxious that he won’t be able to make ends meet each month, and he’s at his wits end.

Joe decides to reach out to a consultant named Pindar, who is otherwise known as “The Chairman”. The Chairman is a consultant who has had an unbelievable career in business and sales. Joe turns to Pindar for advice, as he’s sure to have some “sales tricks” up his sleeve.

What Pindar teaches Joe isn’t a fancy sales funnel, a slick marketing tactic, or access to any “hot leads”.

Pindar teaches Joe his “rules for stratospheric success”, of which there are 5.

I won’t spoil the entire book for you, as it’s an exceptional read and a must-have for any small business owner’s collection, but I will give you my two favorite rules.

These are the rules I have lived and died by in order to grow my business to where it is today.

Rule #1 For Stratospheric Success:

Your true worth is determined by
how much more you give in value
than you take in payment.

This rule is quite simple.

If you have a business, you need to be worth more than you charge.

Have you ever made a purchase and thought, “That wasn’t worth it”?

Whether it’s a meal, a pair of jeans, tickets to a movie, or one of America’s biggest money wasters, if you feel like you paid too much for something, you will not purchase it again.

On the other side of the coin, if you purchase something and what you receive far exceeds the perceived value of your purchase, you will likely repurchase.

Or in the service industry, you will be a recurring customer.

It’s a simple concept, but it’s a concept so many of us forget.

Give, give, give, give, give. Once I began giving away – for free – a fantastic fat loss course to the general public, lots changed for us.

We continue to write numerous articles each week on our site.

I return EVERY email personally (without an assistant) – from aspiring fitness entrepreneurs, to frustrated soccer moms who want some quick, dietary advice.

People want to be respected, valued, and treated like they matter. If you give all you can to your clients and your non-clients alike, you will be blessed beyond belief for as long as you run your business.

Rule #2 For Stratospheric Success:

Your income is determined by
how many people you serve
and how well you serve them.

This second rule really hit home for me when I read it.

Remember, when I read this book, I was right at a bubbling, snowballing point in my business.

I had started to move from asking myself, “How do I find clients?” to “How can I maximize revenue?”.

Of course my goal is to help as many people as I can, but it is a business. Increasing sales numbers is an important metric, no matter what way you look at it.

When you’re trying to increase revenue, there are exactly two options:

Option #1:  Charge more.

Option #2:  Sell more.

Of course, this is a massive simplification, but you get the idea.

I had contemplated raising my rates. Client inquiries were flowing like the Nile. Increasing prices is what any sane, rational person would do, right? This is America. Demand goes up, prices go up.

After reading The Go-Giver, and reflecting upon this second rule, I decided to buck the trend.

I decided I would focus on giving people immense value, and getting in front of as big of an audience as I could.

I would be truthful, honest, open, understanding, and speak from the heart.

I would be responsive to others, open to new ideas, and treat everyone with respect.

I would be giving of myself.

I would write guides to help others and give away all of my secrets:

• I would be open and honest about the deceitful tricks used in fitness photo shoots.
• I would give detailed accounts of how we measure fat loss in our clients.
• I would write about the various macro protocols we use to match our clients’ diets to their lifestyle.
• I would tell the intense, personal stories and struggles of my own life and let others “in”, so to speak.

In short, I would give. Sometimes I would receive a return on my kindness, other times I would simply get a “thank you”. Other times, nothing.

Not only did I give, but I did something almost unheard of:

I kept my prices exactly the same today as they were when I began accepting clients in October of 2013.

I have every right to charge 3-4 times what I currently charge for fitness consultations.

I have had well over 1,000 clients under my belt, and the real-life experience to help anyone lose fat and gain health.

My colleagues are charging substantially more than me.

And I don’t care ONE. SINGLE. BIT.

The Mission Of Anyman Fitness

I chose my business name carefully.

I thought it was “catchy” – “Anyman Fitness”.

Cheesy, sure, but catchy.

My mission is to show people that fitness shouldn’t be intimidating or scary.

Fitness should be enjoyable, fun, and accessible to everyone.

If I were to raise my prices, I may increase my revenue.

I may even increase my revenue while decreasing my workload.

But I would reach less people.

And reaching as many people as I possibly can, and helping those people improve my life is what I’m all about.

After all, I’m a teacher. I’ve taught in the classroom for the last 12 years.

And I’m planning on teaching in the fitness world for the rest of my life.

Yours in “Go-Giving”,

Jason Helmes

P.S. – To pick up a copy of this exceptional book to help you grow your small business the right way, here is a link.