Do you love fitness? Do you have a passion for teaching others? If so, then becoming a personal trainer could be the perfect career move for you. Helping other people achieve their fitness goals can be an incredibly rewarding experience, as you are essentially transforming their lives. With summer fast approaching, many people want to get back into shape, which means it is the perfect time to launch your own personal training business. Not everyone is able to achieve their fitness goals on their own, which is why many people will turn to a personal trainer for help.
So, how exactly do you start a personal training business? This article will serve as a step-by-step guide for anyone who is wanting to become a personal trainer, so if that is you, then follow along to find out our top tips.
Set Business Goals And Objectives
Before you start putting your business ideas into action, you should first spend some time setting goals and objectives. As a new business owner, having set goals can help motivate you through your business journey, as it gives you something clear to work towards. Here are some examples of good goals and objectives:
- Have at least five clients by the end of the year
- Make x amount of money within the first few months
- Gain at least 1000 followers
- Help at least five people achieve their fitness goals
The objectives you set are completely up to you, there is no official rulebook you have to follow when becoming a personal trainer, so try to just focus on what you want to achieve and push towards those objectives. All you are doing by setting objectives is giving yourself a bit of guidance and motivation, so we definitely recommend setting goals early on.
Get Necessary Qualifications
Becoming a personal trainer is not something that will happen overnight; just because you have a passion for fitness, does not mean that you can automatically become a personal trainer, you will need to complete official training before that happens. There is a plethora of different personal training courses available, so it would be a good idea to first do some research and figure out which course is best for you. As you are just starting off in your career, perhaps start with an entry-level course, as this will give you all the basic information you need. The Fitness Group has a wide range of accredited online fitness instructor and personal training courses. Once you have completed an entry-level course, you can begin to explore other, more advanced courses and expand your knowledge on personal training.
Choose A Speciality
The personal training industry is fairly competitive, so it is important that you are able to stand out from the crowd. A great way to do this is to choose a speciality and focus on that throughout your personal training career. Having a niche or something you specialise in can be a real asset as a personal trainer, as it means you will be more likely to gain and retain clients. Let’s say, for example, you choose to specialise in fat loss and muscle gain. When a potential client is looking to lose fat and gain muscle, they will likely search online to find a personal trainer that meets their criteria. Your profile will immediately stand out to that potential client as they will be able to clearly see that fat loss and muscle gain is your area of expertise.
Understand Your Target Audience
The whole purpose of someone hiring a personal trainer is to have support and guidance when trying to achieve specific fitness goals. People want a trainer who understands their personal objectives, so it is important that, as a personal trainer, you have a clear understanding of your target audience. For many people, the idea of going to the gym and getting fit can be a little daunting, especially when you are already suffering from a lack of confidence. If you are a personal trainer who can empathise with how your clients are feeling, it can improve client-trainer relationships and will build a level of trust and respect. Your clients want to feel seen and heard, so it is crucial that you are able to provide them with that level of support if you want to succeed as a personal trainer.
Network When You Can
As with any business industry, networking is a useful tool that allows you to develop your client base and push your business further. Within the personal training industry, you should always try and network where you can, as this will give you the opportunity to market your business to new clients. If you are active in your local gym, then you could ask to put some business cards at the front desk or even approach people in the gym and strike up a conversation. Of course, not everyone wants to be disturbed during a workout, so make sure you are always careful with how you approach people and if someone doesn’t seem keen, then back off and give them space.
Create An Online Presence
Launching your own personal training business works the same way as launching any other type of business, in that you must create an online presence. Living in a digital age means that in order for your business to succeed, you must have an active and professional online presence so that clients can find you easily. In terms of creating an online presence for a personal trainer, you should definitely have a website, but, more importantly, you should be utilising social media platforms like Instagram. Instagram is an excellent platform for personal trainers as the visual aspect of Instagram allows potential clients to see your work directly. You can post before and after pictures as well as some training videos as this will give clients a good idea of your work.
