The fitness industry is growing rapidly and as a health professional there are unlimited career options. From selling products, to bootcamp classes, to 1 on 1 training, to online training there are so many different directions you can take your business. I know from experience that going solo and making the transition to entrepreneurship is a scary thought. You can’t help but to ask yourself these questions: How can I make a living from training clients? How do I find my niche market? Should I hire a business coach and build a website? Where should I be spending my time when I’m building my business?
I started my training business just under 3 years ago, before that I was working for a small training company, working crazy hours and making a very small percentage. I felt like my vision and core values we’re not aligned with the company anymore, I wanted the freedom to create my own brand, and inspire as many people as possible. My passion for empowering and helping others with my knowledge and expertise is ultimately what gave me the courage to start my own business. In a short 2.5 year time frame I built up a solid client base with no business or marketing background, I was in the trenches left to my own devices to turn this into a successful and profitable business. I want to help other trainers and health professionals succeed in building their business by sharing some key things that helped me
- Have a vision – This was very key for me when I was in the early stages of building my business, creating a solid vision motivated me to wake up every morning with purpose and excitement. Once you have a clear idea of what your vision is, it will help you stay on track an when things are tough, you will revert back to it and remember why you are committed to the process. First of all, you have to ask yourself a few key questions: Why do you want to be a trainer? How will you impact other peoples’ lives? My vision was to use fitness as a tool to build my clients confidence, strength and inspire them create the best versions of themselves. That is my vision, it will be different for every individual, but you should spend time thinking about this because without a vision you’ll be wondering why you’re doing what you’re doing.
- Create personal experiences – If you’re putting all your clients on the same workout and meal plan, you’re not giving them a personalized and unique experience. Every client is different, even if you are working on a muscle building program for 2 males, one may be an ectomorph body type and the other an endomorph, their programs are going to look different. Some clients may have movement restrictions, you need to tailor and create a program that works for them. With so many products, programs, diets and information coming into the market people need trusted advice and guidance from you.
- Build a website – A lot of trainers and health professionals overlook the importance of having a clean and informative website with great content. You may be an amazing trainer but if you haven’t updated your website in years or aren’t on any social media platforms your clients are going to call someone who has a professional website with clear contact info, resources, testimonials and credentials. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but you should have your services, a testimonial page, a mission statement and a blog section so that visitors to have a better idea of what you are offering them. It’s an investment to pay for web developers but its well worth it. Whenever a new client would contact me I always made sure to ask how they found me and a lot of them found my website via instagram, facebook or google search.
- Create great content and tell your story – It’s important to be sharing content on your website blog, by sharing inspirational and education through writing, transformation stories, before and after photos you will attract your ideal clients. By doing this, you begin to create your brand and a name for yourself in the industry. I told my story and put it out there, when my clients heard that I started somewhere too, I became someone that they can relate to. My personal fitness journey was rocky with many ups and downs, I worked through many personal struggles before I was ever able to help and empower others. The bottom line is, don’t hold back, tell your story, you will inspire others and find your tribe.