Starting A Personal Trainer Business: A How To Guide

So you’ve got the experience and qualifications and now you’re ready to start a personal trainer business. We salute you! To give you a helping hand we’ve provided a helpful guide to get your business off the ground. By following these steps, you’ll have clients flocking to you in no time. Just do what you do best: stay focused and motivated, but most importantly, keep up the hustle!

Ben Carter

min read

Today, the fitness industry is extremely competitive and one of the most searched-for subjects online. If you’re a personal trainer who wants to set up your own business, bear in mind you will be a small fish in a very big pond.

However, this doesn’t mean success is out of your grasp. In fact, given how popular and wide-ranging the fitness space is, there are still countless opportunities and gaps in the market just waiting to be exploited.

The guide below will help you build a solid foundation of useful knowledge. From this, you can grow your brand, procure new clients, and develop a successful personal trainer business. So let’s get to it!

What qualifications do you need to be a personal trainer?

In the United Kingdom, there are no formal qualifications required to become a personal trainer. However, most gyms and fitness clubs will require applicants to have some form of certification, such as a first-aid certificate or a Level 2 certificate in fitness instructing. Additionally, many personal trainers choose to pursue further education and obtain additional qualifications, such as a Level 3 diploma in personal training.

This higher level of qualification can make it easier to find work and potentially lead to higher pay. In general, personal trainers need to be physically fit and have a good knowledge of exercise and nutrition.

How do personal trainers generally get new clients?

There are a variety of ways that personal trainers can acquire new clients, including word-of-mouth referrals, online directories, and social media. One of the most effective ways is through personal networking. By meeting people and getting to know them, personal trainers can build trust and credibility, which are essential for developing long-term relationships with clients.

Another effective method is to offer free consultations or trials. This gives potential clients a chance to see what working with a personal trainer is like before committing to a paid program. By using a combination of these marketing strategies, personal trainers can build a successful business by helping others reach their fitness goals.

Is being a personal trainer a good career?

There are a lot of reasons to become a personal trainer. For starters, helping people achieve their fitness goals is incredibly rewarding. It’s also a flexible job that can be done around your own schedule. And, last but by no means least, if you apply the effort it can become lucrative.

But is being a personal trainer a good career? That depends on what suits your needs. If you want a stable 9-5 job with benefits, then you might want to look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a challenging and fulfilling job that allows you to help people achieve their potential, then being a personal trainer is the career for you.

9 steps that can help you create a successful personal trainer business:

It all starts with research
Hustle, hustle, hustle
Invest in liability Insurance
Choose the right facility
Ensure you have appropriate equipment
Use an online booking software
Who’s your target market?
Create and develop your brand
Choose your payment method

1. It all starts with research

The fact you’re reading this article is a step in the right direction. No matter how experienced you think you are, you should never stop learning about the dos and don'ts of personal training. Fortunately, myriad online resources can help you tackle any issues you might encounter.

First and foremost, you must gain a detailed understanding of your chosen sector, along with its attendant legalities. You’ll no longer be working for an employer, and instead will be an entrepreneur. Because of this, you may want to look into whether it's advantageous to set up a limited liability company (LLC) or LTD company if you are in the UK. Doing so can separate your personal assets from your business. The rules vary depending on where you’re based, so make sure you research thoroughly.

2. Hustle, hustle, hustle

‍Today, the internet has brought the world to your fingertips, and everything has become much more fast-paced—but this doesn’t mean all the promotion and networking are easy.

Becoming your own boss and setting up a business requires a heck of a lot of drive and motivation. Gaining clients and promoting your fitness business will take time and effort, but if you keep at it, your work will pay dividends.

That being said, you should ensure you have a financial cushion to support yourself in the initial stages. Take a minimum of 3-6 months to build a client base. Eventually, you’ll establish a revenue stream through your business that can facilitate more growth.

Always sell yourself as much as you can, leveraging social media, and building good relationships to help get the word out. Remember, clients won’t just flock to you; you have to go out and find them.

3. Invest in liability Insurance

Whether you pay for a place in a gym or work in clients’ homes, you will need to invest in liability insurance. Public liability is a form of insurance that covers you if a client or member of the public claims they have been injured, or had their property damaged, as a result of your business activities. Essentially, it safeguards you against claims that could result in legal proceedings.

Liability insurance varies depending on where your business is based, so make sure you check out the available option. The good news is It’s often affordable and easy to set up.

4. Choose the right facility

There are several key factors to consider when choosing your facility, so make sure you weigh these up before opting for one.

Ultimately, the facility you choose needs to satisfy your clients’ needs. One that is convenient, has the right equipment, and offers the amenities they’re looking for. Most importantly, you must find a gym that’s safe, clean, and well-maintained.

There should be adequate lighting and security, and you need to be sure the staff is properly trained and that the equipment is in good working order. So, when scoping out a gym, keep a checklist and tick off all the factors relevant to you and your clients. This will make your life a lot easier, and avoid any awkward problems down the road.

5. Ensure you have appropriate equipment

The world of fitness is brimming with gadgets and gizmos, so it can be a bit daunting figuring out which equipment you should invest in. For example, if you're mainly working in clients’ homes or at the park, you’ll want to make sure the accessories can be easily transported. You’ll also need to keep them within your budget and ensure they’re appropriate for your fitness program.

Kettlebells, medicine balls, rubber resistance—there are myriad options, and it all depends on your expertise and the needs of your clients. Park workouts don’t tend to require a lot of equipment and have been proven to be a lucrative form of personal training. Many fitness entrepreneurs have achieved success by scaling group sessions, and the humble park workout shouldn’t be underestimated. But if you do decide to run park sessions, just ensure you notify the local park department, and check if you need a permit.

6. Use an online booking software

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Today, most leads are generated in digital space so, to keep abreast of the competition, businesses must develop an online profile. Using booking software can help to manage and streamline your workload, access marketing tools, collect useful customer data, and, of course, take bookings online.

There are many different booking software available, so to help you out, we wrote an article listing the Best 6 Booking Systems for Personal Trainers. Our top choice is Baluu.

Baluu is an all-in-one software solution that’s perfect for personal trainers. It can help you create a fully branded website in as little as a few hours. It’s affordable, requires zero finicky coding, and will also allow you to process bookings with ease.

If you do decide to make use of Baluu’s free trial, this step-by-step guide will help get you started.

7. Who’s your target market?

One of the first steps to creating a successful personal trainer business is to identify your chosen demographic. Ask yourself, given your expertise, which clients will be best served, and to who do you market your services?

This isn’t to say you can't offer a variety of different workout programs, but you should be realistic about what you can provide. For example, if you live in an area with a high population of elderly people, resistance training may not be the best choice.

You need to ask yourself some important questions. Who resides in your location? What type of clients do you want to focus on?

Figure out your target demographic—whether it's pregnant women, children, or professional athletes—then work out the most effective way to communicate with them to earn their business.

8. Create and develop your brand

After you’ve identified your target demographic, you’ll need to create a trusted, memorable brand identity that can enable you to foster trust with existing clients, and draw in prospective ones.

Developing a recognizable brand identity is extremely powerful. Notice how names like “Coke” or “Netflix” come to the forefront of your mind instantaneously. This is what’s called “top-of-the-mind” brand recognition, and shows how effective a memorable brand can be.

If you're struggling with establishing your business identity, Baluu has in-built tools to guide you in developing and refining your brand.

9. Choose your payment method

Okay, so we’ve covered facilities, target demographics, and brand identity—but how will you actually get paid for your services?

Well, be thankful we live in the digital age, because taking online payments today is extremely easy, and there are many options available, You could start an account with Venmo, PayPal, Square, or various other services.

You could also use booking software like Baluu, as it comes with an integrated payment system, meaning you don't have to fiddle about with other platforms.

Conclusion

Setting up a personal trainer business isn’t easy—far from it. Luckily, ambition and motivation are core traits of fitness practitioners, so all that’s needed is to transfer that drive to entrepreneurship.

Ensure you have all your ducks in a row, hustle, network, and put in the work. There’s never a guarantee of success, but if you do your research, and follow the steps above, you’ll be in a great position to build a business that lasts.

We recommend seeking advice from more experienced personal trainers and gaining insight into their business models. See what makes them effective, and apply it to your own business.

If you do decide to work for an employer in a gym or fitness studio, they will likely have developed programs that can educate you on what’s required to run an operation successfully.

Whatever your training models or facility of choice, we believe that hard work always pays off, and are confident you have what it takes to create a flourishing personal trainer business!

Need more advice on your booking setup? Read some of our related guides below:

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