In addition to being a small-business owner, cyclist, and triathlete, Shayne is a proud father who is working to increase awareness around congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). We spoke to Shayne about the transition from physical therapist to a full-time Endurance Sports Coach, and how he's continuing to grow his business.
Tell us a bit about the work you're currently doing and how you got started.
I'm currently a small business owner focused on endurance sports coaching and I absolutely love it.The transition from physical therapist assistant to self-employed Coach took about 5 years in total, and I was fortunate to be able to gradually reduce my hours at my day job as the coaching side of things ramped up. A usual week was typically working at the clinic 4 days a week, then doing business-related things nights and weekends.
I also created the business to be purely remote-based so that the overhead costs would be low, I could gradually grow it, and I'd be able to remain debt-free and also not be tethered to anything. I simply need a cell phone and internet connection to run the business. This allowed me to be able to answer emails/phone calls on lunch breaks, coffee shops, or whenever I had a spare moment.
What are some of the ways you've worked to grow your business?
The biggest growth vehicles for me have been leveraging social media (mainly targeted ads through Facebook), blogs/podcasts, and referrals from existing athletes. Building healthy relationships and good rapport with the people you are fortunate enough to do business with is crucial to success and continued growth - I wouldn't be anywhere without the athletes I have the privilege to work with. I also try to be the face of my business, which I would highly encourage all business owners to do.
What do you love about the work you're doing and what are some of your goals?
Being an endurance sports coach has lots of positives, and I am literally living out my dream, but if I had to narrow it down to one thing I love most, it would be helping others achieve their goals and forming lasting relationships with them.
My goals over the next 3-5 years are to continue to learn and develop as a coach, continue learning from my peers and "stand on the shoulders of giants", and also continue my work increasing awareness for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) which my daughter was born with.
How does Catch help you in working to achieve your goals?
Catch has been an absolute blessing being a small business owner. It's comforting to know you are indeed setting enough cash aside for taxes and the simple UI makes changing the percentage, seeing what you have saved, what's coming out, etc. super easy. I'm able to use Catch to help me manage my finances because everything is done automatically and quickly. Once a customer pays me, I know I am withholding enough for taxes and also saving for a family vacation - and it's even easier now with the new Autopilot feature.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out in your field?
My advice to new coaches would be to embrace the process of creating and nurturing a business. It took me 5 years of hard work day in and day out to make this my full-time gig, and I wouldn't change that for anything. Sometimes it takes months and months of hard work for a little progress, and sometimes you get a huge break and make a big leap forward, but as long as you're moving forward toward your dream, that's what matters.