The Business of Personal Training – How to Become an Elite Personal Trainer

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   Part 1: What is the Fastest Path to Private Training Clients and My Own Successful Personal Training Business?

Have you ever wondered:
a) How much many can a personal trainer really make?
b) How long does it take to build up a client base?
c) How do I find clients that are a good fit for me?
d) What is the best way to build a successful personal training business fast?
e) How can I become one of the best Personal Trainers in the world?

I gotta admit, that last question is my favorite.

Recently, I was asked a bunch of questions by a trainer who is just getting started.  He is a really nice guy, and I think he has a lot of potential, so I thought to myself “how can I help myself and this guy at the same time?”

I love trying to think in terms of “Both”, instead of “either/or” (which is what we are taught from our education system, parents, and popular culture like “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

That is PURE NONSENSE.

So I wanted to help this trainer and help myself.  Then it hit me.  I asked him to write down his biggest questions about growing a personal training business from the ground up!  He will get good answers and info, and I will get a cool and helpful blog post. This post is the first in a series of articles that address trainers' questions about the business of personal training.

What are your questions about building your personal training business?  Leave them in the comments and I will answer them!!! How can I help you?

His first question is below and will be followed by other posts to address the rest of his questions.

Question # 1

1) As someone who is new to the business, is it possible to develop a good practice as a private personal trainer, or is it essential to start at a commercial gym first?

This is a great question!  Personally, it took me 5 years before I felt comfortable “taking my clients private”.  I thought about it seriously about 3 years into the game, but decided that I wanted to get more experience before pulling the trigger.

For myself, I am glad I waited. With the support of a name brand gym, in two years, it allowed me to build my technical skill set (increased exercise knowledge) and increase my rate without having to worry too much about where my next client was coming from.  I am sure I could have moved sooner, but I doubt that my business would have been such a success.

HOWEVER, this does not mean that every trainer needs to wait 5 years before “going private”.  I was PAINFULLY SHY when I first started working as a trainer, I worked a floor shift 4x/week at World gym in NYC for 6 MONTHS BEFORE PICKING UP A SINGLE CLIENT!!!

Thank god I overcame my shyness (actually, personal training helped a lot in this regard, and ever since I have always thought of personal training as a way to develop oneself and one’s clients.)

So how do you know when you are ready?  For most new trainers, I think the following goals should be achieved before venturing out on your own:

1. At least 1-2 years of experience in a gym.


2. A combination of at least 2-3 certifications or degrees (to help develop critical thinking skills and increase perspective you utilize when training).


3. A solid client base and contacts.


4. Confidence in your ability to achieve results.


5. Confidence in your ability to promote, market and sell yourself.

Of course, these are just general guidelines.  If you know and have rapport with a lot of people in the area you will be servicing, have developed a skill set that will help you get exposure (worked as an advertiser, internet marketer, etc), and are confident using those resources to generate business, you can probably pull the trigger and “go private” in under a year.

Also, some private training studios will provide you with clients, which will make the transition from being a gym personal trainer to a private personal trainer easier and faster.  Be sure to ask them about how often you can expect a new lead from them.

If you don’t have the preceding requirements, I think you are better off leaning on the gym to help you build your business, so you can focus on developing your exercise skills and confidence.

Then once your business and exercise skills are built up, you can shift to a private facility and start working on your marketing skills.

Having to work on business skills, exercise skills, and customer service skills all at once is not ideal for most people (although I would imagine some trainers would thrive under this pressure).

So ask yourself, honestly, what is the fastest way to become a big success in the training industry?  What skills and resources have you developed and are confident using?  Are you ready to go out on your own?

Still not sure?  We provide a step by step plan for “going private” in our Personal Trainer Marketing System ( click here: http://www.personaltrainingbusiness.com/marketing-system.php), which includes software to help you grow and manage your business. We make it really simple! There a lot of experts out there talking about a lot of cool stuff, but our system is the only one that comprehensively addresses everything you need to take your fitness business to the next level, step by step, in a very simple way.

We break down skills into 3 mega-competencies (exercise science, business skills, interpersonal skills) and then break down each mega-competency into several competencies and sub competencies:

Exercise Science

1. Career & Educational Path


2. Biomechanics


3. Physiology


4. Anatomy


5. Program Design


6. Nutrition

Interpersonal Skills

1. Communication Skills


2. Customer Service Skills


3. Psychological/Motivational Skills


4. Leadership Skills

Business Skills

1. Marketing Skills


2. Organizational Skills & Systems


3. Sales Skills


4. Professionalism


5. Entrepreneurial Skills

Each of the above competencies are an opportunity to get better at your craft, help more people, and make more money!

There are many paths to success, and personal training allows a lot of freedom and creativeness regarding the skill sets that can be utilized to build a career.  This is why entrepreneurs love personal trainer.  But there are a lot of good trainers out there with potential who would grow faster with a little more structure.  That is what our system provides; a little structure to help you create your own path to ultimate success.

You don't have to master every skill above.  In fact, you can't master any subject above; a person can study exercise physiology for years and still argue about the details with someone else who has spent their life studying the same topic.  The point is not to master all the skills above, but to find and focus on the unique combination that will excite you and allow you to realize your full potential.

Our marketing system will help you to do this step by step, as well as help you find ways to delegate or outsource skills that you are not passionate about and not interested in.  (Of course, basic knowledge of every skill is essential, at least.)  You still have to do work, but our system will help you define a path that suits your specific dreams and takes you along that path step by step.

*Please leave me comments and questions, I love hearing from you guys.  Just scroll down and write me a comment.  Are there any skills that you think I am missing?  What is your biggest problem with building your personal training business?  What skill are you great at?  What skill are you most passionate about or interested in learning about?  Let me know and I will get right back to you.

Until Next Time, Keep your business fit!
Johnny Fitness