What You Need to Know Before Starting a Personal Training Business

Do you spend all of your free time at the gym? Do your friends all look to you for advice on how to perform exercises correctly? Do they ask you to make them work out plans? Maybe you have thought about transitioning into a career as a personal trainer and starting your personal training business.

Personal Training can be a very exciting career! Often people believe that getting into a career as a personal trainer will be easy. But, unless the course is taught in a student-friendly manner, students can easily become overwhelmed with the course material. That is why Infofit uses creative and innovative teaching techniques to both engage students and accelerate your learning. Our classes are very hands-on providing you with a fun and interactive learning environment.

Once you have finished your personal training education, you need to decide which certification will be appropriate for your career goals. There are many fitness certifications from which to choose. Infofit trains and prepares you to write any of the elite certifications that are right for you. These include ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), BCRPA (British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association) and NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).

You will also need to learn the preliminary work about starting a personal training business in regards to running a basic website and starting and maintaining social media platforms.  Infofit has courses to help you do this so you can be successful with your personal training business.

Where to Start Your Fitness Career!

The first step is to pick a reputable institution that is part of the National Association of Career Colleges or the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB), these courses all meet the highest of regulatory standards, ensuring you get the best possible education.

Expect to dedicate a minimum of three to six months for the Personal Training Certification Program. Once you are finished with your Personal Training Certification Program and self-study, there are several choices for exams. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer exam is 3 hours, The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Personal Trainer exam is 2.5 hours, and The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Personal Trainer exam is 3 hours. The British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA) is the only association that has a different examination process. They have a total of 4 exams (2 theoretical exams and 2 practical exams), these exams are a minimum of 60 minutes to a maximum 3 hours.

Once You Have Completed Fitness Exams

Once the exam(s) have been completed, and the registration process is finished, a decision needs to be made to either work for a company or start a personal training business. Some people feel, after initially completing their certification process, they require more supervision for a period of time. While others come out of the certification process wanting to start a personal training business immediately.

Before Beginning with Clients

Before starting to take on any clients, register your business with the government as a sole proprietorship. Each city will usually require a business license. It is always a good idea to check with city hall and obtain a license if required. The city will require you to have copies of certification papers and also the appropriate liability insurance. Be sure to check with a reputable insurance agent who will direct you to the insurance you will require.

Facilities will also need certification documents and liability insurance when you train your clients out of their gym. Some gym may offer liability insurance when working as an employee. However, when working as a contractor,  gyms will require your Personal Training Business to maintain liability insurance.

Most cities also require separate insurance and a separate business license for training boot camps in parks. The gym’s insurance won’t cover any work outside the gym.

Learn to Promote Your Personal Training Business

When working independently of a gym, trainers often work in a home studio or do mobile training and go to clients’ homes. As an independent personal training business owner, it is imperative to be more creative about your marketing strategies. Word of mouth is the way most trainers attain clients and is one of the best tools in the trainer’s arsenal. That being said it is important to learn to promote a business.

Professional Website

Personal trainers need to learn how to make a website.

When people want to find a personal trainer, or check out one they have heard about, the first place they look is online. A major part of any marketing plan is a website that will highlight your education, skills and experience. Your website should feature a blog that will help to establish you as an expert in your niche market. There are several “drag and drop” sites that are easy to work with and easy to navigate for a potential client. Infofit has many companies we can direct to you for help with your web site.

Social Media Platforms

Social media is a major component of any successful personal training business. Social media is used in multiple ways for marketing a business. Initially, the first thing that needs to be done is to make a business page on all chosen platforms. Your brand needs to have a clear and concise look that people will recognize instantly. A business page doesn’t need to be made on every platform, just the ones that are relevant to the client base that you are trying to reach.  It is important to remember, in today’s day and age, that people don’t like the “hard sell”. Offer free information through articles, before and after pictures of clients, and point them towards your website for details on services for your personal training business. Remember to keep all pages professional.

Success Comes from Passion and Knowledge

In the end a successful personal training business comes from having passion and a strong belief in what you are doing. Clients are successful when you are excited and engaged, and when you help them meet their goals. Desire coupled with education is unbeatable in you personal training business!

Cathie Glennon – BCRPA/SFL