I have been thinking about personal training for some time now and have finally decided to take the leap and get my certifications done to start working. Before I start, however I was wondering if I could pick some experienced brains on some questions that I have before going into a new field of work.
My biggest question concerns the home studio (or professional studio) vs. employment. Now, I have a full time job as a firefighter already, so I'm not looking for something to be a primary source of income, or another full time job for that matter. I'm more looking for something to supplement my income and something that would be rewarding to do in my off time. Having said that, one thing I have been kicking around is the idea of an at-home gym to work out of, or going to a 24 hr fitness or golds gym sort of place and being employed by the gym to train. Some pro's and con's are obvious, at home means I am at home and during down time between clients, I will be able to take care of things around the house, still have my own schedule, earn more for my services, and be my own boss. In a more "professional" gym setting, all I would have to do is show up for work and I get clients to train and top notch equipment to work with. Some cons I see on both sides are the fact I would have to buy the equipment to start a gym myself. I could do this, but it would not all be top of the line. In fact, most of it would be bought used off of the internet until I had enough money set aside to upgrade the equipment. Then, in the gym setting the gym will obviously take a cut of what I would earn per hour on my own, and I'll have to be at the gym between client meetings. Not that I am against being at work, but when the other option is considered it is favorable. Those things considered, how realistic is it to have a job as a "part time" personal trainer? I understand the study that goes along with a job like this, that's not the issue I am concerned about. What I'm more worried about is the logistics of it. If I go out of my own is it realistic to expect to have enough clients to make it worth my while to buy the equipment myself? And how does a part time position as a trainer work at a gym (if such a position in fact, exists). Before I make a leap and get into something like this, I want to make sure I have my bases covered and have an idea of what to expect from people who have been in the field for a while now, so any other help/tips/advice that you can give would also be a great help.
Thanks for your time.
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04-12-2014, 05:25 PM #1
Looking to learn from the experienced
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04-14-2014, 11:22 AM #2
Ideas are not reality. Often you'll find yourself contemplating ideas that have no real chance of becoming viable business structures. In other words, in your mind you may have all these options but the truth may be far more limited.
To succeed at doing what you love, you often must do many things you hate.
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04-14-2014, 12:28 PM #3
Another thing to consider for working out of your house is your HOA agreement. My wife is a commercial and residential property manager and had to explain to a personal trainer in our area why he could not train clients out of his home (his HOA prohibits in-home businesses with customers/clients coming to the home). This is actually very common and could get you a fine. Also consider the need for a business license and liability insurance (insurance isn't expensive, but necessary).
One advantage of working at a gym is you don't have to work as hard to gain clients. If you are independent, you have to do all the marketing yourself either by word of mouth or advertising (which costs $$$). At a gym, you have access to all of the members and the fitness manager will help set you up with first workouts to help grow your business.Joe King MS, NASM CPT, PES, CES, SNS
Exercise Physiologist, Personal Training Director
joeking.trainerize.com
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04-19-2014, 06:04 AM #4
Thanks for the input, man. I honestly hadnt even thought of the HOA messing things up for me, Ill have to look into that one.
I do have another question if you dont mind.
How do "shifts" work at a gym with personal trainers? Do you have a shift from open-noon and then the next group of trainers come in? Or do you get a series of clients and come in and work with them during their training hour? This isn't a "make or break" for me, but I need to know with it being more of a second job.
Also, something else I had considered doing was going to apartment complexes around town that have a gym in the offices like most do an offering to train the residents of the apartment complexes. Now, I'm sure that would have the same liability issues as being an independent PT would, but has anyone done this before? I had this option at a complex I lived at several years ago and never remember seeing anyone working with a trainer in the gym, so I dont know if I just didnt work my way down there at different times or if thats not the best option.
Thanks again.
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04-19-2014, 04:00 PM #5
- Join Date: Apr 2011
- Location: Colorado, United States
- Posts: 143
- Rep Power: 383
You will need to have your own liability insurance if you work independently but at a commercial gym they will insure you. Also, clients throw the craziest **** at you. No matter how prepared you think you are, they will come up with the weirdest crap, and it is nice to have a full team of trainers to bounce ideas off of, not to mention a giant amount of space and equipment that would cost tens of thousands to have on your own.
Start at the commercial gym, get experience, then find a gym you can pay a flat rate to and train clients there and also take on clients who want to work in their own homes, then consider having your own equipment and space.
As far as the part time thing, that'll depend on the gym. Some don't like that, some prefer it because it frees them from things like providing you benefits, etc. I have a second interview at Bally this week and I made it super clear I can only work weekends and their manager was fine with that.
Training in apartment and gym offices is nice in the sense that there aren't other trainers employed there which forbids you from training there (like how you can't just stroll into 24hr with a client and expect to train there) but the legal issues get fuzzy. It'll depend on the laws for your state, but basically most apartments that have a gym have pretty clear at-your-own-risk policies which free them from liability, which most likely means that it'll all fall on you. Which is probably no better or worse than training in the client's home or in your own space. I could be wrong here and maybe someone with more experience has a better answer.
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04-20-2014, 07:13 AM #6
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07-12-2014, 01:19 PM #7
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