The global health club industry is expected to touch $20B by the end of this year. Worldwide, when it comes to 2020, the overall health club memberships come around 183 million. The personal training industry is also expected to have a good growth rate. More and more people are concerned about the importance of having a personal trainer and the money spent in this sector is also increasing. More than 380,000 personal training jobs are there in US alone. According to US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the personal training industry is expected to have a growth rate of 13% till 2026.
So what all things you need to consider before starting a personal training business? Let’s have a look into the personal training checklist which you need to have before starting a personal training business.
1. Finding the right venue
One of the most important aspects of starting a personal training business is finding the right venue. You can rent a gym, or even train from your home. It all depends on how you want to take forward your personal training business. Generally, for people who are starting out their personal training business, the best thing to do would be renting a space in the local gym so that you have access to all the gym equipment at an affordable cost.
2. Do your market research
Make a list of the top personal trainers in your local area. Analyze how you can stand out from them by offering new plans and more quality so that you can attract clients to you. Try to get feedback as much as you can to improve yourself. There might be lots of problems in the personal training industry in your area, try to solve it one by one and you can excel as a credible personal trainer.
3. Take the necessary certifications
You have to take personal training certifications in order to run your fitness business. This certification can teach you the basics of science, professionalism, and safety measures you have to take as a personal trainer.
- First Aid/CPR/AED Certification – You should be fine with first aid and CPR certification alone. This is mainly about the safety of the your personal training business and your clients. Anyhow it is best to have all the three certifications (first aid, CPR and AED(automatic defibrillator)).
- Personal Training Certification – This certification helps you to have a scientific approach to your personal training business. There is a lot of difference between a certified personal trainer and a normal trainer. These certifications not only makes you a professional but also helps you in improving the safety of your clients. The rate of personal training certification vary based on the type. Normally it cost around $200-$1,000 every 2 years.
These certifications are highly important in starting your personal training business.
4. Setup the proper legal foundation
Setting up a proper legal foundation for the safety of your personal training business and to avoid unnecessary legal actions. You have to get the proper license and permits required by your state or city.
Forms
Forms cover you legally and help you look more professional. One of the smartest movement you can do while starting your fitness business is by having a liability waiver and health history form. Apart from these forms, you can include fitness assessment records and health screening as well.
Business tax license
A business tax license is highly important before receiving money from your clients. This actually helps you to be on the safer side keeping track of how much money you owe by the end of 3 months rather than by the end of the year.
Liability insurance
You have to take a liability insurance for yourself before starting your personal training business.
5. Your personal style and fitness
Your personal hygiene and fitness are highly important in starting your personal training business. Make sure you look fresh, healthy, and well dressed{wearing good shoes, clean shirt/tshirt} etc. A personal trainer should be an ambassador of health and a better lifestyle and your clients are going to judge the way you look.
6. Branding
Your branding plays a key role in the success of your personal training business. You have to print your branded t-shirts, business cards, etc for your clients to recognize you.
Right personal training plans
Come up with the right plans for your personal training business, for example,
- Per week session
- Daily sessions
- Weekend sessions
etc
You need to do a local study of what other personal trainers in your city/area are providing and you can provide a plan better than that. You can also add launch offers for your plans so that you can get more clients initially.
7. Setup a business bank account
You have a to setup a business bank account for your personal training business. Having a business bank account open, you can also think about credit cards, internet banking etc as well.
How the clients are going to pay?
Even though conventional, you can still use direct cash payment method. But, it will be hard for you to track the records. Other payment options are
Direct payments to your bank account – You can give your account number to your customer and they can deposit directly to your bank account.
Set up a payment gateway on your website and the customer can pay through the website selecting the preferred plan.
Payment apps in google play store , like google pay can also be used receive money from clients.
8. Start a website and Blog
Having a good looking and credible website is one of the most important aspects of the success of your personal training business. Clients for sure are going to check out your website and your profile. Nowadays, most people judge or make decisions based on what the business provider has listed on his website. This goes on from creative designs, testimonials, and reviews, videos, photos, etc. You can also write fitness articles in your blog, this can help you to drive traffic from Google, social media, etc. Websites like LiveStrong became huge success mainly through fitness blogs.
9. Facebook Page and Instagram
Facebook page is as important as a website. Just think of this, you are planning to join a fitness club or like a firm, you will definitely check out the Facebook page of the firm right? Why? You want to see what all things are happening inside that firm. Having a regularly updated Facebook page with client testimonials, workout videos, fitness tips, personal branding, etc can take your credibility to a next level and increases the chances of client signup up for your personal training program.
Instagram is as popular as Facebook so as Instagram marketing. You can start an insta page for your personal training business and do regular updates. You can add 1-minute fitness videos, fitness tips, and photos through your Instagram page. This is highly important for personalization. You’ll get more followers eventually, and you know how much credibility and trust you can get through a good number of Instagram followers. An Instagram page with 5000 followers or more is considered credible. This increases your chance for client signup for your personal training program.
You can also allocate a budget for instagram and facebook ads to reachout to more clients
10. YouTube channel
We are living in an era of video content. Video content is gaining more trust and interest than written content nowadays. You can start a fitness YouTube channel through which you can provide fitness tips to your audience. This helps you to build your brand as a personal trainer. HasFit is a good example of building a brand through YouTube Channel.
11. Become a part of a personal trainer trade organization
By joining the personal trainer trade organization, you can understand the latest trends in the personal training industry. As said, your network is your net worth. This will be a great opportunity for you to network, connect, and make friendships with other successful personal trainers. You can always ask them for help or advice. Most of the people who are part of a credible association might help you to take your personal training business to another level. IHRSA ,Clubindustry, ACSM are some examples of good fitness trainer organizations.
