From Broken Ankle to $100K Months — How Ted Stern Turned Police Work Into a Fitness Empire
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
Former police officer Ted Stern shares his remarkable transformation from an 11-year law enforcement career to building a multiple six-figure fitness coaching empire after a career-ending ankle injury in 2019. Ted details how he scaled Fit Responder, his online coaching business for first responders, from making just thousands a month to consistently hitting $100K+ months through strategic niching, team building, and social media mastery.
- The episode focuses on overcoming limiting beliefs, leveraging adversity for opportunity, and the critical importance of surrounding yourself with the right environment for entrepreneurial success in the digital age.
Speakers
Ted Stern
Ted is a former law enforcement officer who served for 11 years in Ventura County, California, starting at age 21 in 2010. After breaking his ankle on duty in 2019, he pivoted his side fitness coaching business into a full-time venture, building Fit Responder into a multiple six-figure business serving first responders. Ted now operates both as a fitness coach and business mentor, having scaled his team to 25 employees at its peak while maintaining consistently strong client results.
Paul Alex
Paul is a former police officer turned entrepreneur who hosts the Level Up podcast. He has successfully built multiple businesses and recently sold his Miami home for over $3 million. Paul focuses on helping ambitious professionals achieve mastery through strategic investments in themselves and surrounding themselves with high-performing individuals.
Key Takeaways
Leverage Adversity as Your Greatest Opportunity
Ted's career-ending ankle injury became the catalyst for his entrepreneurial breakthrough. (04:21) While on medical leave, instead of dwelling on the setback, he doubled down on his side fitness coaching business, putting more effort into social media and client acquisition. This forced pause from law enforcement allowed him to focus intensely on business development, ultimately leading to explosive growth that exceeded his police salary. The key lesson is that setbacks often create the perfect conditions for pivoting into something greater if you're willing to see opportunity where others see obstacles.
Niche Down to Stand Out in Crowded Markets
Ted emphasizes that successful coaches must find their specific niche rather than being generic fitness coaches. (24:39) He uses the analogy of choosing between a general orthopedist versus one who specializes in snowboarding knee injuries – customers will always gravitate toward specialists who understand their unique challenges. For Ted, focusing exclusively on first responders allowed him to understand their specific schedules, stressors, and lifestyle challenges, making his service irreplaceable to his target market.
Social Media Success Comes from Finding Your Authentic Voice
Ted discovered that his silly, comedy-focused personality performed exceptionally well on social media, leading to viral content and massive follower growth. (25:37) He advises using data as feedback to determine what resonates with your audience, then doubling down on those successful elements. The strategy involves experimenting with different content types, observing what generates engagement, and amplifying your natural personality traits that connect with your target audience.
Invest Heavily in Business Coaching and Mentorship
Ted invested $13,000 in business coaching and scaled from $2,000-3,000 monthly to over $100,000 monthly within months. (13:45) He emphasizes that quality business coaching isn't cheap – expect to invest $5,000-10,000+ – but the ROI is exponential when you find the right mentor. The key is putting skin in the game, which forces you to take the investment seriously and implement the strategies rather than just consuming free content without action.
Build High-Performing Teams Through Strategic Delegation
Ted grew his team to 25 employees at its peak by recognizing his limitations and hiring people who complemented his skills. (33:00) He acknowledges he's not great at the relationship-building aspects of management, so he hired a manager who excels at connecting with team members. The principle is that founders should focus on their zone of genius while delegating everything else to people who can perform those tasks better than they can.
Statistics & Facts
- Ted scaled his fitness coaching business from $2,000-3,000 monthly to over $100,000 monthly within just a few months after investing in business coaching. (13:45) This represents a 30-50x revenue increase, demonstrating the exponential impact of proper mentorship and business systems.
- Approximately 70% of first responders are overweight or obese according to Ted's data. (46:27) This statistic highlights a critical health crisis in the first responder community and represents a massive market opportunity for specialized fitness coaching.
- Ted's team peaked at 25 employees before streamlining to 7-8 team members. (34:59) This demonstrates the importance of optimizing team size and structure as businesses mature, focusing on efficiency rather than just growth.
