Do you make enough money right now?
For many Americans, the answer is a resounding "NO!" In truth, for all Americans, it's been fairly stagnant over the past decade or so. Especially in the fitness industry, there are often long hours and thankless, tough work.
The Problem
So you work these long hours, both on and off the clock, and then you have to worry about whether or not you have enough clients to keep going. It can be a tall order. The struggle is very much so real.
Most gyms you work at will take a chunk of your fee — which is understandable considering overhead costs like equipment, the building, and maintenance. But, this means that you need even more clients to make a decent living.
But there's a secret that a lot of fitness professionals don't realize:
Your certification gives you the ability to make all the money they want!
YOU Have the Power
Overall, business comes down to supply and demand. Supply represents your services and demand represents your clients. The only limit to your supply is time and space — either for individual clients or fitness class participants. Basically, your ability to make more money comes down to the number of clients or class participants you have.
Whether it's working for a gym franchise or as a lone wolf, the calculation comes down to this. Some right now are thinking, "Well, duh, that's obvious!" and they would be right. But if it were as simple as knowing the problem, everyone would be making money hand-over-fist. So what are the solutions to this problem?
What to Do
Now, there are always going to be obstacles in your way, but they are usually obstacles that you can overcome. Let's go over a few...
1. Finding the RIGHT New Clients
There's a very basic formula that most personal trainers use to find new clients. You might strike up a conversation in your gym. Your company might have people who ask about better workouts and accountability. Someone might respond to a web inquiry. There are a lot of ways to find clients like this. But how often do you go looking for new clients?
In FitFixNow's FREE Continuing Education Course, we go over this concept. Most trainers nowadays are focused on the hottest new thing, intensity from training and workouts, and driving success from their clients. This is all well and good, but if everyone's competing over this same territory, then it gets harder and harder to get these younger clients.
Instead, consider what older clients could offer. Medically speaking, they are in the highest need in the nation for people with YOUR specific knowledge and skills. And, as of 2012, Baby Boomers (the group born between 1946 and 1964) possess over 70 PERCENT of ALL of the wealth in the United States. It might not be trendy or sexy to train aging populations — but it's DEFINITELY where the money is. Think about where such people are in your life. Do many come into your gym? If not, you might want to go seek them out.
Just as a matter of percentage, you could make more money off of fewer clients AND you would be serving a population in desperate need of fitness instruction that only YOU can provide! Just remember that safety is even MORE important with this group.
2. Some Non-compete Agreements
Non-compete agreements can be a lot of things. Some of them are geared at preventing you from stealing clients. Others stipulate that you cannot work for a competing gym within 20 miles or so. But the worst type are the ones that don't allow you to train clients independently of the gym. Basically, you have to make a determination — are you capable of going out on your own? Do you have enough equipment to train clients or have classes outside of your gym's environment?
Sometimes they can last for a while. In some cases, you might want to ask an attorney if your particular situation holds up or not. But this can be one obstacle in your own personal business, so make sure to check first!
3. Groupthink
One of the single biggest problems with finding new clients is groupthink. In many circles, people only know one or two ways of achieving their goal. This shouldn't be the case with fitness professionals, but unfortunately it often IS. Fitness professionals are having to find creative solutions all the time to problems like injuries or limited mobility, yet when it comes to their thinking about their business model, they too often stay on one track that's safe. With all of the other Fitness Pros in the industry following the same playbook, that leaves less demand for your services.
That's why FitFixNow has people from all sorts of backgrounds on their team. They can offer expert business development advice that's been tried and tested throughout the nation, but for some reason the fitness industry hasn't yet adopted. So we'll be here along the way to help out with new tidbits of advice to help your Fitness Business like NEVER before!
Don't forget to check out our FREE course here. You get two full hours of CEUs (certificates and all) absolutely free for a limited time! It's exciting to think about what we can accomplish together. We look forward to the journey.
