It’s happened to all of us – we hire a new employee who later turns out to lack knowledge vital to our health club, yoga studio or wellness center –  such as the latest conditioning research, healthy nutrition principles, or even basic customer service.

Making a decision to end an employee’s tenure can be painful and emotional.   Use this flowchart to make a clearheaded decision on your employee’s future.

Post your comments or questions about difficult employee situations below and we’ll give you our take.

Thanks for the great feedback on the H1N1 article and free posters.  By now it’s clear that vaccine output is much lower than predicted, making old-fashioned prevention is even more important.

So, this week we’ve added free evidence-based handwashing posters.

Display them as follows, based on research into which messages work best for women vs men:

• The first poster goes next to the entrance of both restrooms.

• the second poster goes on the mirror in the women’s restroom

• and the “eat it later” poster goes in the men’s room.

How are you encouraging customers and staff to stay home if they feel sick, and wash their hands throughout the time they spend in your business?

This week, we analyze the marketing strategies of five popular retailers to help your wellness business look at its marketing with fresh eyes.

PS Don’t miss watching Duluth display their signature brand of humor in thisYouTube video when a giant beaver takes on a pair of their fire hose canvas pants.

Yeah, it’s funny – but it’s also completely consistent with their brand and image.   That’s why it’s great marketing!

Good examples and horrible warnings from other businesses or industries?  Pile on in the comments, below.

The old rule:  Your business could feature an unusually successful customer testimonial as long as you included a disclaimer stating “these results not typical”. 

Thus, a testimonial from a client who lost 150 pounds was perfectly acceptable as long as the marketing materials carried a statement that their results were not the norm.

The new rule:  Ads that feature testimonials from customers whose experience is not typical for your business must also disclose the typical results that consumers can generally expect if they use your product or service.

Other FTC development that affect some health and wellness businesses:

1)  Bloggers and other word-of-mouth marketers who receive cash or in-kind payments in exchange for product reviews must disclose these connections. 

What it means:  It’s fine if you receive a single product sample for review purposes (assuming it’s not inherently extremely valuable).  The FTC’s concern is with someone who reviews Company A’s nutritional supplements favorably while receiving a shipment of supplements for his or her personal use every month.

2)  If your wellness business refers to research results from a study that you funded, you must disclose this connection. 

What it means:  If your business pays a doctoral student at a local university to compile data from your customers and draw conclusions, you have to disclose the fact that you sponsored this study.  You can’t present it as an independent study prepared by “Joan Smith, Department of Human Nutrition, State University”.

3)  Celebrities who endorse products can be penalized if they make statements indicating that they use the product when, in fact, they don’t actually use it. 

What it means:  Don’t pay a celebrity to say they follow your diet plan unless they really do use it consistently.

4)  And celebrities must disclose their relationships with advertisers when endorsing products outside the context of traditional ads.

What it means:  Sally Field has promoted an osteoporosis drug on news and talk shows without consistently disclosing that she was paid by the drugmaker to make these statements.  She did use the drug, so her statements about its benefits for her personally pass the test in #3 above.  However, going forward, she’d have to disclose the financial relationship.

Health clubs, yoga studios, and other health and wellness businesses tend to serve large numbers of people in relatively small and enclosed spaces.

That makes your business susceptible to a revenue hit as people get more and more worried about swine flu after pretty much forgetting about it after the initial scare last spring.

We’ve laid out the actions you can take to keep customers coming, plus four free posters you can download.

More questions about what you should do? Post in the Comments below and we’ll respond.

And we’d love to hear any other tips or suggestions you have for managing the effect of this year’s flu season on your business.

The NY Times just released a listing of Michael Pollan’s top 20 favorite food rules from thousands of reader suggestions.  Some are quite helpful while others are silly and fun.

Do you have any “food rules” of your own?  What do you think of the top 20?  Share with us in the comment section!

Yep, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. And of course it’s a natural PR opportunity for many health and wellness businesses.

If you didn’t plan anything in advance, consider one of these last-minute promotions to boost the image of your health club, yoga studio or wellness center as a business that gives back.

Get the full list here.

And add your ideas below to enter our drawing for a free review of your health or wellness newsletter.

If you’re like most business leaders, your project list keeps getting longer…but your days are still only 24 hours.  Delegation to others – whether it’s to employees or outside professionals – is a key tool in expanding your ability to get business results because it lets you tap into the capabilities of others.

From the School Nutrition Association’s Summer Convention in Las Vegas.

Write a funny or clever caption in the Comments section and win something small, but fun!

Check out our list of top books on prevention and self-care, some from subscribers and a couple from me.  And, if you have any health and wellness book recommendations, leave them in the comments section and we’ll send you a tiny (but fun!) freebie!

Don’t Swallow Your Gum!: Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health
by Aaron Carroll and Rachel Vreeman

Get the real facts when it comes to myths and old wives’ tales about your health and well-being in a fun and enlightening way.

Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms…How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective by Joan Liebmann-Smith & Jacqueline Egan

Liebmann-Smith and Egan created a comprehensive manual to help us all identify symptoms we may run into and how to tell if we should get to the doctor.

Your Life in Your Hands: Understanding, Preventing, and Overcoming Breast Cancer by Jane Plant

Dr. Jane Plant is the chief scientist of the British Geological Survey and a breast cancer survivor.  In her book, Dr. Plant takes the reader on her personal journey through breast cancer and the life changes she made to help heal herself and maintain her newfound health.

Take Care of Yourself: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Medical Self-Care by Donald M. Vickery and James F. Fries

Take care of Yourself allows the reader to do just that – take care of themselves.  When a medical issue arises, the book guides the reader to the “Emergencies” section to ensure it isn’t a medical emergency, then provides a flow chart which guides to a probable cause and whether a visit to the doctor is necessary or it can be managed with home care.  In addition, there are descriptions and treatment methods for over 175 health problems provided, as well.

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky

Stanford University professor Sapolsky explains how animals in the wild suffer far less from diseases compared to the average human, which is very possibly due to the difference in levels of stress.  Sapolsky insists that, as has been proven, constant stress is incredibly detrimental to our health and that we were not designed to handle these increasing amounts of stress every day.  This book educates on the biology of stress as well as self-care to manage, relieve, and reduce stress in our daily lives.