Laid Off, Leveled Up: Building a Thriving Online Presence After Setback

Sharing personal stories can be inspiring, provide opportunities to learn and gain new perspectives. I would like to share the story on how I went from discovering TRX home gyms to becoming part of the company and how that propelled me to do what I do today.

During Covid my husband asked his buddy who at the time was the CEO of TRX  and obviously well informed about all things fitness, where he should by a home gym. His answer was that we should look into a TRX home gym- we didn’t know TRX had home gyms, we just knew about the TRX suspension trainer, the black and yellow straps that hang in every gym and most people are familiar with.

We ordered, an awesome wall unit with racks filled with slam balls, kettlebells, dumbbells, straps and pretty much all their functional training tools. I was amazed that TRX sold all these fitness tools. When friends and clients came to the gym they all had a similar reaction; TRX sells more than straps?! I didn’t quite understand why this wasn’t advertised heavily on their website. This had to be marketed better. I had an idea 💡.

I asked my friends if someone knew a videographer. One friend said she knew a wedding photographer that can probably shoot video. That didn’t seem like a good fit but I didn’t have any other options. I created a storyboard and only needed one hour of his time. We shot me in action in the gym and in our yard with the fitness tools. I asked him if he could edit 🎞️; he said he would give it a shot. I honestly didn’t expect a wedding photographer to know what he is doing with a video edit, but when I received the first edit I was surprised; with a few tweaks this actually looked really good. I shared the final version with the CEO of TRX to show him and example of  how they could do a better job marketing the home gym.

The video 🎥 went viral within the company and the marketing department reached out and wanted to buy the video for promotional use. And then they asked if I could produce a photoshoot as well. Wow, ok, yes absolutely! 🥳 I flew in a friend photographer who I love working with and we delivered high quality photography.

I noticed a lot of other things on TRX’s website and email marketing that was not done well and I pointed out the weaknesses and things that I thought needed improvement. The CEO said: You know Jill, you are right, all these things do need to be addressed. I am going to hire you to be a mystery shopper and performed an audit and wrote a report on all consumer facing communication. In the report I addressed all the issues and offered simple and effective solutions. It was easy and fun to do. I knew I added a lot of value and wanted to see if I could maybe take on a more permanent role at TRX. I could see myself working there. I asked but didn’t get a bite.

Until.. A year and a half later. I receive an email 📧 from the new CEO of TRX, my name had been passed on as someone that could help push forward new projects. After a few meetings I learned that their priority was to build a new ambassador program as the one that was in place was not working any longer.  I jumped on the opportunity; I frankly did not know how I was going to make it happen but when I found the right platform it only took me a few months of hard work to build and launch the program.

The ambassador’s program success relied on referral sales. I put incentives in place for the ambassadors (The TRX professionals) to take part in social media request to promote TRX and their products. For every sale the trainer received a nice commission 💰. We encouraged the use of Instagram, but there not a lot of trainers knew how to use Instagram effectively. The quality of the posts was pretty bad.

The trainers are in the 35 to 50 age rang, the vast majority had no idea how to shoot and edit great reels because they never learned how to use the features. Therefore I created a step-by-step digital course 💻 ; an IG playbook for our TRX professionals. It was so appreciated, the practical tips were easy to implement and the quality of the IG reels improved tremendously. I received great feedback and it felt so good to help, support and see the progress unfold.

Like many other companies during Covid, TRX filed for Chapter 11 (bankruptcy) and was acquired by founder and former CEO Randy Hetrick. The new leadership were cutting costs and unfortunately my position got absorbed into the social media department and I got laid off. It was not totally unexpected but it was sad, I enjoyed my work and felt like I was not done yet- I could do so much more.

And that is my friend is what lead me to become an Instagram coach, Podcast host 🎙️ and Course Creator to help fitness and health and wellness professional grow their online presence and elevate their careers 😃🙌🏻.

Now let’s reflect on 3️⃣ takeaways from this story:

➡️ Your opinion matters. Health and wellness brands love hearing from their fans and customers. If you have valuable feedback for the brands you use, love and recommend, reach out! They are very appreciative of feedback and suggestions. And if you can help where they need improvement, offer your service- they may hire you to get the job done.

Create your own job opportunities. I have done it many times and will continue doing it when I have a vision for a collaboration. And it certainly helps if your Instagram page represent you well; another reason to keep investing in your online presence.

 ➡️ A not now does not mean a no forever. After completing some projects for TRX, I was looking for a more permanent role. I did not get hired right away but a year and a half later they reached back out and recruited me for a new position.Timing is everything!

If things are not working out the way you envisioned you may get re-directed to a place that may be an even better fit. Other times we just need to be patient and keep putting in the work, and trust that your time will come.

 ➡️ When one chapter ends, a new one begins.

My job at TRX was gone but the knowledge, experience and desire to do more was still mine. I turned a career shift into a chance to build my own business. It’s great to push things forward quickly and not have to wait for permission to pursue an idea or improvement. I am effective with my time, get to enjoy more freedom and I’m less stressed Yeah, it feels like I am on the right track!

And here is a reminder for you: What you are doing now is prepping you for what is next. No time is wasted!

Keep investing in your online presence, stay patient, and trust that your time will come.

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