How to start a personal training business
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With a growing awareness of health and fitness, an aging population, rising obesity rates, and numerous new training options available, the forecast for personal training success is promising. There have been about 74,200 job openings for fitness trainers and instructors every year over the past decade. Additionally, the U.S. Job Bureau projects 12% growth over the next 10 years, which is faster than the average for all occupations.
Interested? Great. But, before you start your first training session, you need to tackle a few important details, including:
- Getting properly certified
- Handling financial and legal requirements
- Determining where you’ll work
- Planning your marketing
- Understanding what insurance you need to protect your business
If you’re ready to whip your personal trainer business into shape, here are the steps you need to get going.
Lay the foundation
Before you can start helping new clients, you’ll need to hash out the basics, such as why and how you want to help them.
Get certified
Being a certified personal trainer will help establish your credibility as a fitness coach that clients can trust and set you apart from the competition.
You can earn personal trainer certifications from established organizations, such as:
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
- International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
- CPR and AED certifications
Many fitness training facilities and gyms require personal training certifications to work in their facilities.
Identify your fitness specialty
By defining your personal training niche, you can target specific clients and stand out in the market. Here are some sports and fitness areas you can specialize in:
- Weight loss and nutrition coaching
- Strength training and conditioning
- Senior fitness
- Sports performance and athletic training
- Rehabilitation
- Prenatal and postnatal training
- Corporate wellness
- Youth fitness
- Special needs fitness
Create a business plan
You’ll need to draft a blueprint that details how you’ll get your business started and what your plan is to make it successful for the long haul, including:
- Defining your short and long-term business goals
- Detailing services and pricing
- Identifying your target market
A well-rounded business plan also needs a budget with personal training startup costs, including certifications, equipment, advertising, and insurance coverage.
Average startup costs can vary depending on the type of personal training services you plan to offer, where you’ll do your work, and the types of equipment you’ll need. For example, an online personal training business could get started for around $1,000, whereas opening an in-person training studio could look more like $30,000 – $50,000.
Address legal and financial requirements
With a plan in hand, you can get started with the important paperwork that'll turn your idea into a legally verified, fully funded personal training business.
Determine your business structure
Before you can register your business as a legal entity and obtain the proper business license, you need to select a business structure. How you structure your business can have tax and legal implications, so it’s important to understand your options:
- A sole proprietorship is the cheapest and fastest option, but it provides the least amount of legal protection against your personal assets.
- A limited liability company (LLC) requires more paperwork and has added fees, but it keeps your personal and business assets separate, so your personal finances are protected if a customer sues you.
- An S corporation (S-corp) allows you to incorporate your operations the way larger companies do, without being taxed twice. Depending on your income, there can be tax benefits with this option.
Organize your business finances
Once your personal training business is officially registered, you’ll receive an employer identification number (EIN) from the IRS. Having an EIN can help reduce identity theft risk and make it easier to set up your business, such as:
- Opening a business bank account: Most financial institutions require an EIN to open a business account. This is an important step to keep your personal and company finances separate.
- Doing your corporate taxes: Hiring an accountant or CPA who specializes in small businesses can help you streamline your taxes and make sure you’re getting all the tax benefits that are offered for your business structure.
You should also consider purchasing accounting software to help track expenses, run payroll, and handle other bookkeeping tasks.
Protect your business
Between trips and falls, equipment accidents, training injuries, and unsatisfied clients, a lot can happen on the gym floor. And although most of these incidents are unpredictable, having the right insurance coverage can keep you protected.
Here are a few policies every personal trainer should have:
Professional liability insurance
If you’re providing instruction and guidance to clients, professional liability insurance protects you from the substantial costs of a client lawsuit over services they deem unsatisfactory.
Also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, a professional liability policy provides coverage for claims related to:
- Mistakes and oversights, such as forgetting about a client’s past knee injury and telling them to do deep knee squats, can reignite their pain.
- Negligence, including if they get hurt while you’re scrolling through your smartphone.
- Undelivered services, such as promising specific weight loss goals that a client is unable to reach.
Even if a judge rules in your favor, you’ll still need to pay for attorney’s fees and court costs, which makes having professional liability a crucial part of your risk management.
General liability insurance
Whether you’re in a local gym or at your private training facility, working with clients exposes you to many risks that a general liability policy can protect you against. This coverage helps pay for medical bills, attorney’s fees, court-ordered judgments, and other fees tied to a lawsuit over:
- Third-party bodily injuries, such as a client tripping on the steps inside a fitness studio and breaking their wrist.
- Third-party property damage, including accidentally breaking a client’s smartwatch during a training session.
- Advertising injuries, such as creating social media ads that feature a popular song without getting the artist’s permission.
Commercial property insurance
Owning workout equipment, training devices, or even a fully stocked fitness studio makes you vulnerable to property damage, loss, or theft. Commercial property insurance helps pay to replace or repair your property so you can stay afloat if your tablet gets stolen or a pipe bursts, flooding your gym.
If you’re renting a space, many landlords will require this policy to sign a commercial lease.
Save money by bundling insurance policies
Fitness professionals can purchase a business owner’s policy (BOP), which bundles general liability coverage with commercial property insurance. Purchasing these policies in a bundle is typically less expensive than buying the two policies individually.
Set up your operations
Ahead of opening day, you’ll need to determine where you’ll be working, what equipment you need, and how you’ll define terms with each client.
Pick your location
A perk of owning a personal training business is the flexibility that comes with where you can work. Depending on the services you’re offering, you can rent a gym or fitness studio, provide mobile training services in a client’s home, or offer online coaching.
You can run a personal training business from home, but you’ll need to follow local zoning laws and purchase home-based business insurance coverage, since most homeowner’s policies include minimal protection for a business.
Get equipped
To keep startup costs down, you can open your personal training business with just the equipment basics, such as:
- Dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells
- Resistance bands and medicine balls
- Exercise mats
- Jump ropes and step boxes
- Timers and logbooks
- First aid kit
Once your business begins to grow, or you move into a more specialized type of training, you can purchase specific equipment or invest in higher-end gear.
Prepare paperwork
When providing a personalized service, it’s important that you and the client are on the same page about expectations, goals, payment requirements, and your cancellation policy.
Requiring clients to sign a detailed contract and a liability waiver provides a good opportunity to review these terms with them while legally protecting you and your business.
Market your services
Once your new business is ready to open its doors, you need to introduce yourself to potential clients. Here are a few ways to start the conversation:
- Develop your brand identity, including a logo and memorable tagline
- Launch a website that highlights your experience, services, and customer reviews, and lets your clients book and pay for sessions
- Create a social media presence, sharing fitness tips, client success stories, and promotional offers, such as free consultations or discounted sessions for first-time clients
Referrals are a great way to build up business. Connecting with local gyms and wellness clinics can help you build up a network of fitness industry professionals who can recommend you to clients.
To get your name in front of a wider audience, consider hiring an advertising agency or social media consultant to help create a marketing strategy. Online ads are a cost-effective way to find the target demographic of prospective clients you’re hoping to work with.
Earning clients’ trust, achieving promised results, and providing a service they can’t get anywhere else can make having your own personal training business very profitable.
Grow and scale
To make sure your personal fitness business continues to grow, you’ll need to plan for long-term success. Some strategies include:
- Build up a book of loyal clients through regular communication of fitness goals, providing at-home workout plans, and sharing progress updates
- Expand your clientele with online programs, conditioning templates, group training classes, or corporate fitness packages
- Scale up your services by hiring experienced trainers and fitness instructors, and renting a larger studio space
Earning clients’ trust, achieving promised results, and providing a service they can’t get anywhere else can make having your own personal training business very profitable. Depending on your business model, pricing, and client base, successful personal trainers can earn between $40,000 – $100,000 or more.
Get the best personal trainer insurance coverage with Insureon
Get free quotes for personal training coverage from top-rated insurance providers by filling out our easy online application. You can also speak with a licensed insurance agent, who can answer questions and help you find affordable coverage.
Once you find the right policies for your small business, you can begin coverage and get a certificate of insurance (COI) in less than 24 hours.
