Editorial by Juan Carlos Lopez

After a overwhelming experience at the Arnold Classic things have slowed down a bit. June and July will be total chaos but they will pass soon and we know exactly what to expect from huge shows such as Jr. Nationals, USA's and Team Universe. The next bigger one is the Emerald Cup which introduced a G height class in figure. The only detail to watch is that it may even have more competitors this year.

The Logic Behind Sponsors

I was asked to speak about this regarding some recent events that took place at the Arnold and Ironman Pro. Its a very common question to ask how to get sponsored for a show or for your whole career. Many figure competitors are looking for this specially as their portion of the events takes a huge precedence over fitness and female bodybuilding.

The basics for a competitor to be sponsored is that the sponsor can get a return from the money they have spent. First obtain the money you have spent and then generate some extra money. Say you spend $500 getting $1000 back in the long run would be a clear example. Most supplement companies limit themselves to flying in competitors/models to a show and have them work a booth. Some will pay both flight and hotel and even pay them to work the booth. Others will only pay them to hours they work and worst case is that you go work the booth and get paid not even your room/flight and then not get paid for your time there. One large booth at the Arnold did such a thing and doesn't really sit well specially if you have the money to do it. Unless you are a top competitor you can get a contract that pays per year but still the supplement company you are with will then decide what you do. Surely you can't advertise another company or you have restrictions on what shows you compete at.

There is another scenario which is the sinking ship scenario. Company A has no funds and takes out many loans in order to build up something and in the future make the money back. There is nothing wrong with this principle but what usually is wrong is the way to make the money back. The key factor is how does company A profit from you? Selling photos of you online or a supplement store won't do, or even trying to operate a simple member site with no target audience or at least a small one. Many competitors or models fail to see this and embark in sometimes useless and time consuming affairs that end up nowhere. One deciding factor is money, which can be a big enticement for anyone. So if handed a fair amount of cash by Company A they will take it and ask no questions. But again you have to look at Company A that might be paying for your room and flight and then think how is that money being generated to justify that expense. If there is no return being generated Company A will sink sooner or later... and its sinking now ladies...

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