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An exercise physiologist and Women’s Body Enhancement Specialist, Joey Atlas shares his unique methods and approach through best-selling books, products and programs that have been translated into five different languages and are available around the world. He has been featured in high profile publications including Shape.com, Harper’s BAZAAR, Costco Magazine, The Times Union and OnFitness Magazine.

Joey is the author of the best-selling fitness book “Fatness to Fitness” and “Naked Beauty - The SYMULAST Method” program for women who are challenged by "cellulite," particularly on the lower-body trouble-zones and problem areas.

Q:  Share with us a little about how you transitioned from personal trainer to international influencer. 

I have two degrees in exercise physiology and early on started out my career as a personal trainer in New York. I loved what I did, was very busy and soon had a team of trainers working for me. I really wanted to live in Florida, so eventually I sold my business, moved to Florida, and opened a training studio where I was able to share the unique methods and approach to fitness that I’d developed. Soon I got so busy that I was too busy, if that makes sense. I had trainers working for me, clients lining up, but I was always too busy and couldn’t seem to ever get caught up. Clients were lining up but I had hit the ceiling. People were on waiting lists and I couldn’t help them. I was burnt out in so many different ways. I didn’t want to stop doing what I loved, but knew there had to be a better way.

That was when I started thinking about info products. I wanted to keep doing what I loved, but find a way to help more people instead of the 1-on-1 model I was currently using in my studio. That was a big paradigm shift that allowed me to follow my passion, and help people achieve better bodies, optimal fitness, and a better life. But I also knew I was venturing into an area I didn’t know much about.

In 2005 I started research. I would work all day and hit the internet in my off hours. I saw people selling programs online and that grabbed my attention. The real catalyst was when I noticed Ryan Lee, a friend I attended school with when we were getting our Master’s degrees, and what he was accomplishing online. He was already leveraging the internet to help people with their health and fitness and had established a business online. I realized that what he was doing was similar to my goals, but for a different audience. I thought, “Alright, I can do this too, and in my own way.” My target market is mostly middle-aged women struggling with life’s changes, had kids and dealing with sagging and muscle-tone issues, feeling run down but wanting to get control and confidence back in their life. 

Q:  How did you make the transition in your business model?

It was definitely a slow transition. I knew it would take some time and effort. I had clients who were willing to work around my schedule and pay to keep me as long as possible. That helped, but the transition was still hard. I would work and train all day and then research, learn and plan during off hours.

I started by putting my workouts on video. I found Vervante who produced my DVDs for me. I taught myself to build websites, pulling all-nighters and learning internet marketing. Once I started generating sales from around the world, I realized the huge potential for helping people in a much larger, more profound way. My eyes were really opened. Using info products gave me the opportunity and ability to share my expertise and expand my reach on a global scale. I started moving more and more of my business model to online versus in person.

Q:  How did moving your business online versus in person impact your business and life?

Once I was able to make the full shift to online only, it changed my life in the most profound ways. Back when I was trading hours for dollars, I had a hard time with life. Everything was a juggling act. When my kids were sick I had to cancel client appointments. So many things were a challenge, there was so much stress. Now, by capitalizing on the info product industry, I am literally able to help someone on the other side of the world while attending my kids’ events back home. I’ve created the opportunity in my life to be able to set my own schedule and be where I want to be when I want to be.

The personal satisfaction of helping so many people around world achieve their fitness goals is inspiring and a powerful validation that this was the right choice. I’m able to serve the world instead of just my local community. Now more people can have access to my programs and methods. To be able to do this via the internet has been life-changing. It’s given me a level of freedom that is incredible, and I am truly grateful for the experience.

Also, as a single father of three, (ages 11, 17 and 19), I know that this choice of business and lifestyle has impacted my kids in the best way possible. Everything I do can tremendously impact the lives of the people around you, especially your kids. I’m providing a constant example of living to your ultimate potential and creating a positive, healthy life. My kids have all picked up habits of healthy food, fitness and motivation that will stick with them throughout their lives. 

Q:  What’s the secret for creating books and info products that get attention and sales?

It’s critical to know your target audience intimately. If you don’t understand your target market, you can’t speak their language. They need to believe you know their problems and how to fix those problems. You have to be able to enter the conversations in their heads to create a connection. And the more they hear and read from you, the more they connect with you and trust you.

I know that’s not easy for everyone to do, but it can be learned. Effective communication is essential for marketing and selling. If this doesn’t come naturally to you, there is plenty of free info out there to help you learn about marketing, communication and sales copy. The secret is research and practice; we only get better by actively doing.

Q: Give us a quick peek inside how your info products work.

DVDs are the staple of my business. I also have several spiral-bound manuals that are companions to the DVDs. And my book, “Fatness to Fitness,” is a traditional perfect-bound print paperback that I sell on Amazon and use as a bonus gift we include with orders. Having a book is a key ingredient for my business – it’s sales, lead generation, marketing, trust-building and loyalty-building. When I include it with orders for free, it’s an unexpected bonus that helps them feel value, and a great companion to what they bought. 

Q:  What’s your favorite way to boost creativity and inspiration?

I’ll go do something active, of course, like standup paddle boarding in the ocean or riding bikes with my kids. When I’m out and ideas strike, I use a voice recording app on my phone to save them. Also, when I’m out shopping or running errands and around town I make it a point to listen to conversations that happen normally and randomly around me. Whether I’m in Whole Foods or a fitness area or the coffee shop, I’ll pick up on topics that apply to my business and get ideas. For example, I’ll hear someone talk about a technique that is wrong and I think, “Wow, people still need to learn about this!” Then I’ll go home and write an article or outline an idea for a new DVD or guide. I get endless inspiration this way.

Q:  Any advice or things you would have done differently?

Don’t copy what you see other people doing. Learn from them, model them, but make sure the raw material comes from deep inside you so that it’s genuinely unique and connects with the right people.

Don’t pay attention to people around you who put you down. Let them say what they want, but don’t let them make decisions for you.

Find a good publisher to work with. Vervante has been fantastic from Day One. They’ve been so helpful and I trust them deeply.

Do your research: For the first year or two, I read all incoming email replies and support emails and comments to my articles and blog posts. I wanted to hear from people, enjoyed connecting and I wanted to know how I was affecting them. I was able to get deeper insight into their challenges, want they want, how I was helping them. This was instrumental in the development of future ideas and products for my business. 

Five Fun Facts about Joey

1. Favorite author: Napoleon Hill.  I also admire Tony Little and consider him a source of inspiration.
2. Words you live by:  So many, but here’s one: You’ve been given the ultimate gift of life. It’s up to you to make the absolute most of it!
3. One thing about you that would surprise people:  I’m an amazing cook. I love to create food that is both healthy and delicious – and it’s not all kale!
4. What makes you happy? It’s the simplest things, really. Like hearing my kids laugh.
5. Your favorite meal:  Authentic brick oven pizza. Yes, I eat carbs!

Visit Joey's helpful blog and learn more about Joey Atlas and his programs at www.JoeyAtlas.com.

Today's subject is something that we wish we didn't need to discuss. But the sad truth is that even though the U.S. Copyright Office has issued more than 33.6 million copyrights to date, the U.S. economy loses $58 billion each year to copyright infringement, including $16 billion in the loss of revenue to copyright owners. If you are the author of a book, CD, DVD or other product that contains your intellectual property, you need to take action now to protect your property. And we're sharing how below.

How to copyright your book (or other intellectual property)

"Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression."

That's a fancy way of saying if you are the author of a product that contains your unique content, then you deserve legal protection from those who would copy or steal it from you. This goes for more than just books, including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture, according to the U.S. Copyright Office.

Is it really necessary to copyright your book? Technically, under U.S. copyright law, your self-published work is protected as soon as you put the pen to paper. Official Copyright Registration, however, gives you a higher level of security when it comes to protecting your work. When you register your work with the U.S. Copyright office, you create a public record of your authorship and are officially recognized as the copyright holder in a court of law.

Wait a minute! How did we end up in a courtroom already? You may think that something like this will never happen to you, but as you can see by the statistics we mention above, it can and does happen quite often. Think of the hours and effort you put into your most recent book, special report, coaching CD or fitness information product. Now imagine seeing your very same product for sale on another person's website. They might change the cover image or title to make it seem different, but inside are your words, your programs and your original ideas.

It's devastating. But taking the steps to copyright your content right from the start is the best way to protect yourself and your property from a scenario like this.

Here's how:

If you want to do it yourself, you can submit your copyright registration online HERE. You will need to fill out an application and pay a registration fee. You will receive a packing slip at the end of the process. This should be printed and used to mail a copy of your book to the Copyright Office within 30 days of completing the submission form. In approximately 13 months you will receive a certificate of registration in the mail.

Here at Vervante, we offer copyright registration services done for you. One of our publishing experts will complete the application on your behalf and submit a copy of your book to the Copyright Registration Office.

To get this process started, simply log in to your Author Account on the Vervante website and navigate to the "Copyright Registration" page under the Services menu. If you are unsure if your product qualified for copyright registration, check the list also available on that same Copyright Services page.

We truly hope that you never have to experience the theft of your intellectual property. But we also know the value of planning ahead and making sure that you are protected, just in case.

If you have any questions about copyright registration, or other services we offer for creating, printing, and distributing your products, please email us at [email protected].

Ari Galper, founder of the best-selling trust-based sales program Unlock The Game©, is recognized as the world’s #1 authority on trust-based selling, making the shift from chasing sales to building authentic relationships based on trust, authenticity and integrity – resulting in more sales than ever imagined.

With a Masters degree in Instructional Design, which strongly analyzes the way people learn, and two decades of experience in direct selling in a variety of industries, Ari pioneered his breakthrough sales system through his experience working with iconic companies such as UPS and QUALCOMM over the past twenty years.

Ari has been featured in a multitude of leading sales and business books, is a sought-after international speaker, and go-to media authority when it comes to trust-based sales. He also regularly presents at sold-out sales seminars and corporate training events where he has shared the stage with fellow entrepreneurs including Joan Rivers, Mark Victor Hansen, Dan Kennedy, Harry S. Dent, Christopher Howard, Bill Glazer, Ali Brown and more.

Q: You offer a variety of information products as part of Unlock the Game – books, CDs, DVDs, cards and guides. How have these supported your business model?

I can’t be everywhere physically, so these products are a great way to leverage my time, share my concepts and ideas and give my audience a way to access my intellectual property in ways they can absorb and use at their own comfort level. We are able to help people all around the world by offering physical products they can access at any time. Creating and offering products like these have really helped to support my status as a trusted authority. They’ve elevated my profile and positioned me as THE expert when it comes to my topic, instead of just one among many. 

I originally started with an eBook, then I created a video, then someone told me to that I should create a CD. A book came along later, and now we have a whole range of products as part of the Unlock the Game series. Having these products really helped kick off the business and is a big part of my business model to this day.

The real key is to have different modalities – audio, video, physical products, etc. We offer mostly physical products these days, don’t do much in digital downloads. We’ve found that digital content has become so commoditized now that it’s lost its value and people don’t take it as seriously. We’re trying to hold the line and give readers something tangible, that they can hold, feels more real and offers a much greater perception of value.

Also, we always video tape my events so that they can be turned into products. Any delivery of intellectual property needs to be recorded. At my next event I’ll offer the videos along with other products as different bundles or packages that people can invest in. I also just launched a book on Amazon a few weeks ago called “Unlock the Sales Game,” which is a compilation of my best articles.

Q: What advice would you give authors just getting started?

First of all, pay attention to defining your ideal client – that one client who pays you the most amount of money for the least amount of work. From there, identify what are the key problems they have that you solve. Once you’ve figured that out, gather the information you have for how you help them solve those problems, and that becomes your product. Often authors just talk about the solutions and forget about articulating the problems as they share how to solve those problems and get to the solutions. A lot people get stuck when their identity is so tied to the solutions that they forget to focus on defining the key problems that they solve. It’s a mindset shift that needs to happen and helps you get clear on your products.

Also, if you are going to offer self-published products, look for a publisher that is reliable, works with you as a partner, and you can trust to catch problems and be proactive so you don’t have to worry about it. Having a publisher that offers all the types of products, plus online tracking, customer service, distribution and all the rest is extremely valuable. I found Vervante about eight years ago, through Ali Brown, and have been using them ever since.

Q:  Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I would have spent more time thinking about who my ideal client was, rather than chasing the market and getting caught up in people who just told me they were interested but weren’t really my ideal client. I would have spent more time figuring out who were the ones that I could best serve, and been confident enough to let the others go.

You can learn more about Ari at www.UnlockTheGame.com.