We wanted to share some big news with you. When FMI originally started, the initials stood for, “Fitness Model International”. As the scope of the production started to expand more into business education, the acronym was dropped but was never really able to shake off with our consumer. So in our 6th year, we have revived and modified the acronym to Fitness MBA® International (FMI).
Why the name change? Great question. FMI has been in business since 2006 and hosting live conferences since 2008, borne from a failed fitness show production (literally). Those who were competing in this show all wanted to know how to become a fitness model and thus, FMI was born. FMI was successful of teaching how to accomplish this goal and thus attracted this audience for years. As the years went on, our alumni have grown from being fitness models to fitness personalities and now fitness entrepreneurs. Likewise, FMI’s curriculum and focus has grown in suit.
Since my acquisition of FMI in April 2013, our team has worked hard to provide solutions to continue to support our audience of fitness entrepreneurs but struggled with explaining what we do because of our original acronym name. The name change best reflects the organization’s goals and benefits that we provide to our clients.
Are you excluding Fitness Models then? Not at all. With FMI's focus of targeting Fitness Entrepreneurs, fitness modeling is merely a segment under this bigger umbrella. With the term Fitness Modeling, it's very limiting and people don't understand how can FMI benefit them if they wanted to, for example, be a fitness/wellness professional who is not a model but wanted to expand their business online. I want to keep the term FMI because it's a registered trademark but wanted to clarify that we are a bigger scope than just fitness modeling.
Also, people who read Fitness Model International thought we were an agency for models or can manage fitness talent. Others thought that FMI was a fitness competition. We are neither of these and a name change will help clarify what FMI really does.
That being said, our online membership contains a library of educational modules that include topics related to fitness modeling, in addition to fitness entrepreneurism. Fitness modeling education is a part of our history but we offer so much more today.
Fitness Model International is a great name and has carried us successfully throughout these years, building out an amazing network of like-minded enthusiasts and professionals who have went on to amazingly successful careers. …But it is only a name (great as it is). The heart and soul of our company – the culture and the quality – remain. At the end of the day, our people are what make us great, and all of us are still here.
We are a little older, wiser, and are ready to fill the expanded role that our new name, Fitness MBA International, sets forth. Hopefully, our new name will earn a place in your heart next to the old name. We promise we’ll work our hardest to make that happen! Please feel free to reach out and ask us a question at [email protected].
Best regards,
Natalie Minh
CEO, FMI Guild – The Fitness MBA®
