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The Business of personal training

SpyWizard

SpyWizard

Elite Mentor
EF VIP
Greetings one and all..

I am going to be posting a few articles as i get time on the actual development of personal training as a business..

It will be more business and legal directed as opposed to the training of clients but I'll speak on that as well.

The purpose is to shed some light on "should and how" to create a company doing something we love. I say should because sometimes it gets to the point where we stop training because it seems like we are doing it all the time.
 
SpyWizard said:
Greetings one and all..

I am going to be posting a few articles as i get time on the actual development of personal training as a business..

It will be more business and legal directed as opposed to the training of clients but I'll speak on that as well.

The purpose is to shed some light on "should and how" to create a company doing something we love. I say should because sometimes it gets to the point where we stop training because it seems like we are doing it all the time.
Click to expand...
Ill be interested to hear what you have to say.
 
One option and is basically at the starting point that many people go to is a large commercial gym, example is LA Fitness...

La Fitness is a business, it's owned and run by businessmen with a minor in accounting/bean counting, you'd have to be from the east coast to get all that that means, but lets just leave it at if a process or piece of equipment was requested and does not make the company more money, then the answer is no..

LA Fitness will hire a trainer with just about any certification.. the low end training package that they offer is $25 per session (that's a 30 minute session) with recurring charges (monthly fees) so that the client can achieve their stated goals .... January is a very busy month for them.

They compensate the trainer $6 per session on a w-2 employment basis...

advantages to this is that you as a trainer show up, train and go home, you can up sell the client training and get a commission but it's nominal.. as in the client is training with you 1x per week and they want to train with you 2x week instead or an hour session... you get the idea


All other clubs will hire and split the training that is sold to the client, but often times it favors the club, and you have to bring your own clients to the club and they join the club you work at..

Some clubs will charge you a fee per client or unlimited use per month.. this can be good and bad, you still provide your own clients, however an example of this would be $13 per hour session that you charge a client goes to the gym and whatever else you charge the client is your fee... that same club could offer you $350 per month with unlimited access for you and your clients with no membership dues to the client, this is nice because if they are not with you, they don't train there..

You have to have your own liability insurance but this is normally $125-300 per year and is really nominal..

So as we can see there are many different ways to have a JOB with a club, either employer/employee, sub contractor, or contracted space (much like a hairdresser will rent a chair, or a stripper will pay to be in a strip joint, then she keeps all the $$$ she gets)..

I'll post more in a bit..
 
Some gyms put in a compensation schedule that basically uses the training staff as their sales staff, that can be both good and bad for the trainer..

What we really need to get to is...


WHY DO YOU WANT TO TRAIN OTHER PEOPLE???


Before you can really decide what's going to be a good fit, you need to answer that question..

is it for the money?? then don't do it, you will totally whore yourself out and burn out..

is it because you are in good shape and think you can help others get just like you?? don't do it

is because you believe that you possess the ability to motivate and educate people, a good communicator, now we're getting to something..

is it so that your ego gets a boost from those that look up to you.. (what happens when you injure yourself?

If you are a sales person but hate sales people, if you are a giver, meaning at christmas time do you really get a great feeling by making people happy with the things you can share with them then you may be on the right track..

If your desire is to help and that in itself is fulfilling for you and the time you spend with clients is fun and goes by in a quick manner, if you actually care enough to listen to people and do research if they are not improving, then you may be on the right track.. If the money is secondary to your goals then you will be rewarded $$$$..

Good things do come to those that try to help others, no matter which vein of training that you end up in, personal training is one thing, team training if that's your thing is more financially rewarding, teaching others to be in the business is yet another avenue that I've found to be very fulfilling. We will discuss all of these in more detail..
 
The federal tax ID # and business licenses..

Different states have different licensing issues when it comes to businesses, and the collecting of state taxes, find an accountant that does payroll and tax returns for small businesses.. You won't need to run a payroll at 1st so don't bother..

You do want to create a business.. you will need to create a C corporation, then after that change it to a sub s corporation that way you don't have to pay corporate taxes but you get to keep all of the benefits of owning a company..

If you talk to an attorney they will advise to create an LLC (limited liability company) the man advantage in an llc is you can screw over people more easily...

Go with the sub s... NOT AN S CORPORATION an s corp stands for sole proprietor and does not have the ability to shelter income or assets as well as a sub s does...

you can spend a lot of money and time with an attorney and with accountants to learn this simple item, but an accountant wants to protect you cash and assets.. an attorney wants to protect your company entity... from my position if you are sued they will get you either way, that's what insurance policies are for.. to protect you..

more to come
 
Good info so far. Question - if someone is going to train individuals at their home, or in a neighborhood gym (non-commercial) do you think certification is important or even necessary? This assuming the trainer has years of experience at training? After all most certification programs dont teach you how to train people. They teach you muscles so that you can pass a test and get a certificate. Most people dont even know what each different certification stands for.
 
^^^very true... "most people" don't have the $$$ it would take to pay for a regular training program that would last 3-6-9 months..

It goes back to what are you trying to accomplish???
are you trying to help people around you?
are you trying to create or replace an income??
are you trying to create a business??

Now remember there is a big difference in owning a job and owning a business, the difference is if you are not there, if you do not show up to work for 3 months will that business continue to make you cash?? if so, they you have a business, otherwise you have created a job for yourself..

Best advice I have ever gotten since starting to teach is this... "Just have fun with it" and that's good advice..
 
So, lets put aside a moment the legal path to ownership, lets even put aside should you be in the business and concentrate more on how you should be in the business..

One on one training, this can be very rewarding and very frustrating at the same time, imagine not only do you need to keep yourself motivated but now you have to keep people that basically don't like the way you make them feel, but at the same time they are paying to come see you.. (or at least paying you) my advice on this is to get paid up front and for a package. Hmmm.. i should post up more on contracts and what they need to have in them to protect you and the client... (side track) so these people don't want to be there but they are so lets make the best of it..

Group training, this is duplicating your effort to the point where you are getting paid by many people for the same time.. do you want $70 hr from one person or $20 per hour from 20 people?? point being if one drops off it's not a big deal to get another to take that spot, and then it's about marketing, and those in your class, getting good results are your best advertising..

Pushing pills/water, option #1 a brick and mortar gym/lifestyle facility (fancy words mean bigger $$$) or option #2 internet consulting and selling of products... but where is the duplication of effort here?? remember we want to create a business that can either be "sold" or will create a revenue stream with or without your participation..
 
pbhardbody said:
Good info so far. Question - if someone is going to train individuals at their home, or in a neighborhood gym (non-commercial) do you think certification is important or even necessary? This assuming the trainer has years of experience at training? After all most certification programs dont teach you how to train people. They teach you muscles so that you can pass a test and get a certificate. Most people dont even know what each different certification stands for.
Click to expand...

The certification is only necessary if 1) your employer requires you have one or 2) you feel you need the education.
A client may ask you if you are certified because that is what they are told to ask from the news media and other outlets. They will particularly be concerned if you do not physically represent their idea of fitness.
 
^^^ Yea, the best resume you can have is your body, and a good personality is a big plus...

But training someone in their home is the way to go, or better you have clients that want to train in your "Style" and you have 2-3 trainers that assist you in that effort..

you get paid $100 hour, you pay the trainer $25 hour and you take the headaches..

It's more difficult and can be very time consuming to build up this type of business, but it's the only way to build a "revenue stream"
 
I wouldn't say it's the only way. Another good way is to do corporate training. The only obstacle is finding a company that maintains a workout facility on site. Once you are in with a couple of clients, you will grow very fast because it's so convenient for everyone.
 
Dang Spy.... first I thought you had an agenda against LA Fitness, but then when you wrote....


If you talk to an attorney they will advise to create an LLC (limited liability company) the man advantage in an llc is you can screw over people more easily...


I realized you have nothing to say, but saying anyway.....
 
Jennsfitness said:
Is LA fitness as big as 24 hour fitness? Just wondering...
Click to expand...

No, because they seem to have 24 hour fitnesses everywhere, like in Nevada where I live now, but they don't have LA Fitness, they don't have it in Sacramento either, but have 24's all over the place, so 24 hour fitness is definitely a bigger company overall, as far as I can tell.
 
How would I go about starting my own job and training clients on my own, without working for a gym? Is liability insurance the only thing I need to worry about when working on my own or do I need more stuff?
 
Liabilty insurance is really the only thing you need and that's pretty cheap to get. Million dollar coverage should run you around $200 for the year. Once you have your professional insurance, then you will need to get your clients anyway you can. Keep in mind, the major gyms have restrictions against people, other than those employeeed, training clients at their facilities, but they don;t have any rules against memebers talking to one another. Nor do they set any sort of limits on visitation. Go to your club/s and market yourself the same way you would if you worked there and then figure out where you are going to train these people (i.e. at their home, office, etc.)
 
Assuming you are American, there is no law against training without a certification. That is why it is not called a license. Licenses are issued by your state department, under the direct influence of local/state codes.
 
Been a bit since i touched on this subject..

Teaching CEC continuing education credits and CPR/aed certifications can be a very good way to augment your training clients..

If you get your start in a commercial gym, you already know that's not the place to make money, but there are trade off's.. if you expect to charge $90 an hour 2x week to a client you have to adjust your schedule to accommodate them in many cases.

If you are offering combat, or HIIT training or some other type of specialized training you need people make referrals to you, so remember that personal references and associating with people that are in the industry can make or break you..
 
Personal training certification in Australia at least, associates you with a fitness organisation and therefore offers benefits in terms of insurance and opportunities for further education. Certification will definitely help you appeal to the general public, however most of the time they don't know what certifications mean what anyway. Sometimes a good physique is all you need to generate a client base.

You don't need to be certified to be a personal trainer here either if you're not instructing in a fitness center, though insurance can be a killer. The argument can be made that the industry sucks you in with over priced continued education courses and you may well break even without the subsidised insurances.
 
Hello everyone
My name is Robert and I have been providing personal training services to clients in London for many years. My introduction to training was at sixteen years old when I started boxing in South East London. I then moved onto martial arts before starting my career as a fitness instructor. I therefore have over thirty years of fitness training experience and am fitter and stronger in my forties than I was in my thirties. People sometimes ask “what’s the secret”. I explain there is no secret, it’s just a healthy diet and regular exercise. Something that is attainable for almost everyone, you simply need to 'find' the time and 'make' the effort. I am a fully qualified and insured instructor with a unique range of fitness training disciplines. These include; aerobics, circuit training, weight training, speed development and massage to mention just a few. I have written fitness advice articles for the ‘Daily Mirror’ and a number of national health magazines.

To know more you can visit YourLondonPersonalTrainer.Com
 
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