self employed

Probably best known to most people as one of the trainers on NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels is also a successful entrepreneur in her own right. Author of Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life (Harper Colllins Press) and Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You (Crown), Michaels has established her niche in the fitness world. She also offers fitness routines online, on the radio, and on DVD. Her high-energy, no-nonsense approach to fitness stems from her 17 years of training in martial arts training in Muay Thai and Akarui-Do, in which she has earned a black belt. She is certified by the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association and the American Fitness Association of America and recognized by the American College of Sports Medicine.

                   Recently, Home Business® Magazine caught up with Michaels to talk with her about entrepreneurship.

Home Business® Magazine (HBM): What element of your background was most important in preparing you for your business endeavors today?
Jillian Michaels (JM): I would definitely have to say my martial arts background. It literally gave me the skills to do my job and the passion for fitness as a means to change peoples’ lives. Even more though, it taught me that nothing comes without hard work. You can visualize and "secret" things into your life all you want, but unless you are willing to put in the work and bring action to your intentions, nothing will change.

HBM: How can home business owners use their experiences to enhance their
businesses?
JM: I know that with my business I apply Gandhi’s advice and "become the change I want to see in the world." Look to where you have been dissatisfied and create a niche that fills that gap. Take what you love and then improve upon it.

HBM: What is your most effective means of self-motivation?

JM: My dreams. I believe that our dreams are our destiny, and all we have to do is be determined and believe in our abilities to achieve them. I use my inner desires to motivate me through hard times and I weather perceived failures by finding the opportunities hidden within them. Learn from them and move on stronger and even more focused.

HBM: What is the most common reason that business people don't reach the goals they have set for themselves?

JM: Three things: 1. They don't really truly identify what they want. They are so caught up in what other people want for them or they haven't really identified their passion in life. 2. They don't believe in their ability to achieve their dreams. What is the difference between you and Oprah? Nothing, except that she believed in herself and asked, "Why not me?" where most of us ask, "Why me? Why do I deserve great things? etcetera.” 3. Most people are not willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices. You can't just wish for things; you have to work for them.

HBM: How do you maintain balance between your personal and professional life?

JM: Uhhhh…I am still working on that. I am absolutely obsessed with my work. I love my work, and it is my passion. For that reason, other things in life can seem burdensome when they distract me from my job. That said, I am really working on scheduling in time with friends and loved ones.

HBM: What is your home office like?

JM: It's literally floor-to-ceiling books, articles, and magazines on fitness, health, diet, hormones, you name it. A computer, printer, modem, i-pod radio, and a dog bed. I write all my radio shows, articles, books, etcetera in here. It is almost like my own personal research library. I can be quiet here—not distracted—and productive.

HBM: How does technology help keep you organized?

JM: It makes me much more efficient. I can get information I need fast. I can organize all my contacts so I don't lose them again. I can access my previous work instantly when I need to refresh my memory on something.

HBM: What has been the biggest factor in achieving what you have?

JM: I love what I do. Oscar Wilde said, "if you do what you love, the universe will conspire on your behalf." Boy, was he right!

HBM: How do you define success?

JM: Happiness. For me personally I don't visualize money. That is a byproduct of success. I visualize people coming up to me on the street and saying, "Your work has really educated, motivated, and inspired me to change my life." That is my personal definition of success. That is what I live for. HBM