Those of you with your own personal training business

[ironhead_88]

I'm revising my business plan and i'm on the budgeting so I have a few questions just to get some ideas for determining how big i want my studio to be to start out and other questions to finalize smaller details of what i'm trying to do

1. If you have your own personal training business are you working out of your own studio, home, contract through a gym, or do you make home/office visits? If not listed please state where you train your clients.

2. If you have your own studio or home how big is your set up and how many workout stations/equipment do you have. If you tavel to clients homes/office what equipment do you transport to each session?

3. Do you have a web site if so what's the address and who did you go through to create it or what program did you use.

4. any advice you would like to add please do so.

[JulianBee]

1. I do in-home visits and work out of a personal training studio where I pay a flat monthly rate based up my number of clientele. However, I've been looking at commercial real estate the last few weeks because I eventually want my own studio.

2. The studio I train at is about 1400sqft. It has 5 treads, 2 ellipticals, cable pulley system, utility rack, dumbbell rack(3lbs-90lbs), smith machine, lat pulldown station, low row machine, calf raise machine, leg press, hack squat, leg ext & leg curl machine, and some free standing weight benches.

When I do in-homes all of my clients have community centers that I can train them at. All I have to bring is myself and intensity

3. Website is Julianbrowntraining.com I used a template through webs.com and basically edited the content/photos. Its very simple and basic, but I think it gets the job done.

4. My advice is baby steps. Don't spread yourself too far out to begin with. I tried to do too much at one time and took a hit financially.

[SageFit]

I'm revising my business plan and i'm on the budgeting so I have a few questions just to get some ideas for determining how big i want my studio to be to start out and other questions to finalize smaller details of what i'm trying to do

1. If you have your own personal training business are you working out of your own studio, home, contract through a gym, or do you make home/office visits? If not listed please state where you train your clients.

2. If you have your own studio or home how big is your set up and how many workout stations/equipment do you have. If you tavel to clients homes/office what equipment do you transport to each session?

3. Do you have a web site if so what's the address and who did you go through to create it or what program did you use.

4. any advice you would like to add please do so.

1. I own my own fitness center

2. My space is 4000 sq feet. I have 1000 sq feet dedicated to small amounts of machines. I use mostly free weights, kettle bells, bars and dumbells. The only machines I use are for cardio (treadmill, expresso bike, elipticals and rowing machines). We also have gravitron (assisted pullup/dip) and a functional trainer. There are other machines but nothing special. My main room is a wood floored open space where I do a lot of my training. Anything bodyweight or plyo I do in here. Finally I have a 1200 square foot terrace outside overlooking the water which has a special gym floor. I do sandbag training and big strongman lifts out here (farmers walks, etc).

3. Website www.sagefit.com
I hired a professional to do it, cost about 3500 for her to design and code everything

4. I have 2 pieces of advice. 1) Always market yourself as a business. Think business first, training second and maybe you'll get somewhere. If you're just another trainer you don't stand out and you never will without an extremely lucky break. 2) When you're figuring out your budget always prepare for a much higher amount than you expected. Put it this way, when I opened I was figuring on about 60k worth of set up money. By the time I was done flooring the gym, paying for equipment, lawyer fees and just about everything else in the world that you don't think of I was up to about 170k. About three times as I first assumed, a HUGE difference. Had I not been lucky enough to have the funds to back it I would of screwed myself right form the start.

[justinslayer]

3. Website www.sagefit.com
I hired a professional to do it, cost about 3500 for her to design and code everything

You serious? $3500 for that site?

I don't know, you can find a ton of web templates flash etc. on torrent sites for free. Then you just learn to edit them, swap out pics and text. Wix.com has excellent templates cheap, very user friendly. I couldn't see myself paying $3500 for a website for a personal trainer.

Just sayin

[SageFit]

You serious? $3500 for that site?

I don't know, you can find a ton of web templates flash etc. on torrent sites for free. Then you just learn to edit them, swap out pics and text. Wix.com has excellent templates cheap, very user friendly. I couldn't see myself paying $3500 for a website for a personal trainer.

Just sayin

All the art and coding is custom. Anything I want to add can easily be done since updates are free. It's a gym, not a single personal trainer. If you can't spend money to make money your doomed from the start. I can do html just fine but there's a lot I can't. For that she's needed and worth every penny.

[Selbona]

Email me at inshapefortmill@gmail.com. I've opened and either re-located or sold 9 studios in the past 20years. I can save you a fortune. My best advice is DO NOT overdo it. Clients don't care about most of the crap I've wasted money on. Don't over buy cardio and don't overbuy equipment. I once bought Ivanko Prostyle Rubber coated dumbells from 5-120 in 5lb. increments for about 5 grand and I rarely ever use anything heavier than a 40. Most of the kind of clients you'll end up training can't handle anything any heavier. Big equipment like Hammer takes up a hell of a lot of square footage, so that means more rent. So, it's things like that that will cost you a fortune and you'll never see any return on it. It also depreciates faster than a mobile home, so selling it is a pain. My current studio is 750 sq. ft. and all I have in it is a plyo box, a Hammer smith, a Nautilus functional trainer, a Star Trac Pro T-mill, a Star Trac spin bike and a rack of dumbells from 5-40lbs. I've got some medicine balls and bars and things, but that's basically it and I make more money in there than I ever have. Like I said, email me and I'll try and help you. Good Luck.

[tovlakas]

All the art and coding is custom. Anything I want to add can easily be done since updates are free. It's a gym, not a single personal trainer. If you can't spend money to make money your doomed from the start. I can do html just fine but there's a lot I can't. For that she's needed and worth every penny.

I think you paid very high for what you got... I charge $3,500 for custom application websites that require custom backend databases and things like tracking systems, custom ecommerce, etc. A basic html website like that shouldn't cost more than ~1,000, I'd probably charge a client no more than $850 personally. I'm not saying you made a mistake, but your designer completely gipped you.

It really irks me that website designers charge such rediculous prices for their work. For 3,500 she should have made you an amazing website... yours is professional definitely but I've seen better websites for less (that's a dig at her work, not yours.) after all, it's just simple html without any breathtaking creative work on her part and doesn't appear to be set up ideally for seo purposes (you have a blogger blog, for instance, rather than her integrating wordpress into your site allowing your blog to help rank your whole website on google, which she could do fairly easily if she knows how). Now, if she also does your monthly marketing for you for free then that may make it worth it. The updates you're referring to I assume are not much more than occaisonal adding of pictures and maybe changing some of the textual information... that can be done in about 5 minutes take it from me.

If you're friends with this person and are doing them a favor by giving them business, then cool but otherwise I would strongly suggest shopping around for a new web developer for any future work.... I did a website of about the same level of detail for $350 not too long ago and still was able to make about $70 an hour on it.

[SageFit]

I think you paid very high for what you got... I charge $3,500 for custom application websites that require custom backend databases and things like tracking systems, custom ecommerce, etc. A basic html website like that shouldn't cost more than ~1,000, I'd probably charge a client no more than $850 personally. I'm not saying you made a mistake, but your designer completely gipped you.

It really irks me that website designers charge such rediculous prices for their work. For 3,500 she should have made you an amazing website... yours is professional definitely but I've seen better websites for less (that's a dig at her work, not yours.) after all, it's just simple html without any breathtaking creative work on her part and doesn't appear to be set up ideally for seo purposes (you have a blogger blog, for instance, rather than her integrating wordpress into your site allowing your blog to help rank your whole website on google, which she could do fairly easily if she knows how). Now, if she also does your monthly marketing for you for free then that may make it worth it. The updates you're referring to I assume are not much more than occaisonal adding of pictures and maybe changing some of the textual information... that can be done in about 5 minutes take it from me.

If you're friends with this person and are doing them a favor by giving them business, then cool but otherwise I would strongly suggest shopping around for a new web developer for any future work.... I did a website of about the same level of detail for $350 not too long ago and still was able to make about $70 an hour on it.

Hmmm maybe you have a new customer in me then eh? If you show me some of your work I may be interested. She also designed all the artwork. I dunno, I probably did overpay. Did a little research and found most things were in that price range but guess I was wrong.

That blog is integrated though, it's hosted on my page, not blogger. It uploads to my fpt. Click the link, you can see it's attached.

[ironhead_88]

Thank you to all who replied to my post its all very helpful once again thank you.

[tovlakas]

Hmmm maybe you have a new customer in me then eh? If you show me some of your work I may be interested. She also designed all the artwork. I dunno, I probably did overpay. Did a little research and found most things were in that price range but guess I was wrong.

That blog is integrated though, it's hosted on my page, not blogger. It uploads to my fpt. Click the link, you can see it's attached.

Actually, you AREN'T wrong, most designers WAY overcharge for their work. I am totally a proponent of charging your worth and being proud to do so in any business, but there is a limit to that and at some point you're simply overcharging, particularly if the work you're providing isn't substantially above average. Webdesign is greatly misunderstood by the masses and a lot of designers take advantage of that fact and overcharge their clients. It's immoral business ethics to me and I refused to do it with my business.

I stand corrected about the blog, i just looked at the button on the home page and assumed at first... but I would still have gone with Wordpress because blogger has that nasty bar at the top and can't be integrated into the design of your website like wordpress. Wordpress can be completely seemlessly integrated so you can't even tell where the site ends and the blog begins... in fact I've made most of my client sites solely on Wordpress.

Send me a pm and let's talk about working together if you're interested! I can send you some of my work.

[jdmalm123]

http://www.ihpfit.com/jcs-message.html

There was a webinar from JC that's not online any more...

It was "1500 sq ft, 4 part-time trainers @ 20 hrs/week each= $500,000 gross per year."
You'd walk away with at least $100k without "working."

It was a simple, efficient set-up. I'm borrowing lots of ideas from it for my planned set up. I suggest you contact IHP and see if they can get you a copy.

[caseykaldal]

First question is who do you want to train? Who are you hoping to work with? Without that info it is difficult to give specific advice.

Cheers,

Casey Kaldal


www.AdviceForPersonalTrainers.com | www.RockStarFitnessJobs.com
Online resource dedicated to the success of fitness professionals. Topics ranging from health and nutrition to fitness marketing, courses, salaries and job opportunities.

[ironhead_88]

First question is who do you want to train? Who are you hoping to work with? Without that info it is difficult to give specific advice.

Cheers,

Casey Kaldal


www.AdviceForPersonalTrainers.com | www.RockStarFitnessJobs.com
Online resource dedicated to the success of fitness professionals. Topics ranging from health and nutrition to fitness marketing, courses, salaries and job opportunities.

Target clients are but not limited to athletes, male and female, from ages 12 and up

[ironhead_88]

What is a good size for a personal studio? Should I start out in a big space (lease to own) and add equipment as I go or should I find a small space and as I gain more clients find a bigger space and then get more equipment? What is a good size (sq ft) for both? My over all goal or vision is to be a gym mixed with a sport complex with a area or room and also a place for your average john and jane doe tp work out at.

[JulianBee]

What is a good size for a personal studio? Should I start out in a big space (lease to own) and add equipment as I go or should I find a small space and as I gain more clients find a bigger space and then get more equipment? What is a good size (sq ft) for both? My over all goal or vision is to be a gym mixed with a sport complex with a area or room and also a place for your average john and jane doe tp work out at.

I haven't opened my own place yet so I'm sure there are trainers on this board more qualified to answer than me. My opinion is that you probably want the least amount of overhead as possible when starting out. Start small then get bigger as needed.

[DontSleep]

I'm revising my business plan and i'm on the budgeting so I have a few questions just to get some ideas for determining how big i want my studio to be to start out and other questions to finalize smaller details of what i'm trying to do

1. If you have your own personal training business are you working out of your own studio, home, contract through a gym, or do you make home/office visits? If not listed please state where you train your clients.

2. If you have your own studio or home how big is your set up and how many workout stations/equipment do you have. If you tavel to clients homes/office what equipment do you transport to each session?

3. Do you have a web site if so what's the address and who did you go through to create it or what program did you use.

4. any advice you would like to add please do so.

#1 I currently do on location/in home training. But in the very near future (hopefully before spring time), I will be contracting/training out of a brand new facility in my part of town.

#2 For equipment I use the Lebert Equalizer, DB's, med balls and bodyweight.

#3 www.dsbodysculpt.com
I use wordpress and had Kaiser's design team (www.super-trainer.com) install my header. I prersonally designed the tabs section. My logo and homepage were designed by my friend Steve (www.esinessdesign.com.) (Use my name as a referral if any of you decide to hire him. He will take care of your business needs in a timely and professional manner.)

#4 Advice:
-Take action! Try not to worry about perfecting every aspect of your business before launching it, b/c you probaly will never feel like it is quite the right time.
-Stay away from negative minded people (energy drainers).
-Another thing I would do is get a Tax ID# (even if you are a sole propriertor) as well as a seperate account for your business.
-Make GOALS on a regular basis (i.e. get 2 new clients every month, increase your google rankings, etc..)
- Be careful who you take advice from.
-Copywrite and/or trademark your legal entities.
-Get liability insurance
- Finally do it for the love and passion for your gift (in this case personal training). If you approach it with this mindset you are guaranteed success!

Keep us posted on your journey..........

Peace

[MVP]

What is a good size for a personal studio? Should I start out in a big space (lease to own) and add equipment as I go or should I find a small space and as I gain more clients find a bigger space and then get more equipment? What is a good size (sq ft) for both? My over all goal or vision is to be a gym mixed with a sport complex with a area or room and also a place for your average john and jane doe tp work out at.

I assume it's just you?
ALWAYS start small with the cheapest rent you can get. If you don't want to rent space at a gym, seriously look at commercial buildings with a roll up door. They're cheaper with no other extra hidden fees like cams etc. You can look to sublease from someone in a commercial building. I would stay away from retail, as they're more expensive. PT is a service business and commercial works great! Most gyms charge some $400-$600 per month, as for an extra $100-$200 can get you a good size sublease around 800-1000sqft if you shop around, probably cheaper since you're up in Tulare. That is plenty of room. If you can, find someone in the health industry that you can sub from. You'll have your own actual place of business, and this sets you apart from other trainers. Can't beat that!

Buy your equipment. Craigslist, ebay, and look at apartment and condo complexes. Some of them have equipment in storage, and will sell equipment to get new equipment, or just because nobody is using it.

When your business grows and you want to move stay commercial, and keep an eye out on your neighbors. Sometimes they may want out of their lease, which you can take over, and you can negotiate with the landlord and get a better price, rather than moving to a whole new location. Landlords don't like empty units.

When your business grows, look to rent space to trainers. Don't hire employees. You want everyone paying you. Money in vs money out. I have it to where i personally don't pay rent, electricity, and phone. None of that comes out of my pocket. My indy trainers, and instructors who i sublease my warehouse to, pay those cost. It's the best way to do it.

[ironhead_88]

I assume it's just you?
ALWAYS start small with the cheapest rent you can get. If you don't want to rent space at a gym, seriously look at commercial buildings with a roll up door. They're cheaper with no other extra hidden fees like cams etc. You can look to sublease from someone in a commercial building. I would stay away from retail, as they're more expensive. PT is a service business and commercial works great! Most gyms charge some $400-$600 per month, as for an extra $100-$200 can get you a good size sublease around 800-1000sqft if you shop around, probably cheaper since you're up in Tulare. That is plenty of room. If you can, find someone in the health industry that you can sub from. You'll have your own actual place of business, and this sets you apart from other trainers. Can't beat that!

Buy your equipment. Craigslist, ebay, and look at apartment and condo complexes. Some of them have equipment in storage, and will sell equipment to get new equipment, or just because nobody is using it.

When your business grows and you want to move stay commercial, and keep an eye out on your neighbors. Sometimes they may want out of their lease, which you can take over, and you can negotiate with the landlord and get a better price, rather than moving to a whole new location. Landlords don't like empty units.

When your business grows, look to rent space to trainers. Don't hire employees. You want everyone paying you. Money in vs money out. I have it to where i personally don't pay rent, electricity, and phone. None of that comes out of my pocket. My indy trainers, and instructors who i sublease my warehouse to, pay those cost. It's the best way to do it.

i was thinking about subleasing space to other personal trainers when i got my own spot but i wasnt sure if that was condidered hiring employees. i don't want to hire people i rather rent out space. thank you for your imput....

[SageFit]

i was thinking about subleasing space to other personal trainers when i got my own spot but i wasnt sure if that was condidered hiring employees. i don't want to hire people i rather rent out space. thank you for your imput....

I rent out to 7 trainers who pay me rent. They are absolutely not employees.

[MVP]

i was thinking about subleasing space to other personal trainers when i got my own spot but i wasnt sure if that was condidered hiring employees. i don't want to hire people i rather rent out space. thank you for your imput....

It's the best way to do it. Having employees is brutal, and you don't want all the crap that comes with it. You just want to be you, and have everyone else pay you. Money in vs money out

[jules_d1]

It's the best way to do it. Having employees is brutal, and you don't want all the crap that comes with it. You just want to be you, and have everyone else pay you. Money in vs money out

I employ my staff

having employees has its pros and cons. It surely is a lot more work but its helps to build their loyalty and your business identity.

When you have staff, you actually have an asset. It builds value to your business. They are working for YOU, not themselves. Independent contractors are usually the ones who will eventually move on to their own place which does play havoc on your business when they leave. You can also have your staff do the small admin stuff that you cant be bothered doing/dont have time for.

Not saying that employing is better by any means, they both have strength and weaknesses

[jdmalm123]

http://www.ihpfit.com/jcs-message.html

There was a webinar from JC that's not online any more...

It was "1500 sq ft, 4 part-time trainers @ 20 hrs/week each= $500,000 gross per year."
You'd walk away with at least $100k without "working."

It was a simple, efficient set-up. I'm borrowing lots of ideas from it for my planned set up. I suggest you contact IHP and see if they can get you a copy.

ironhead, I found some info,,,PM me your email address...

[brspecialists]

I'm revising my business plan and i'm on the budgeting so I have a few questions just to get some ideas for determining how big i want my studio to be to start out and other questions to finalize smaller details of what i'm trying to do

1. If you have your own personal training business are you working out of your own studio, home, contract through a gym, or do you make home/office visits? If not listed please state where you train your clients.

2. If you have your own studio or home how big is your set up and how many workout stations/equipment do you have. If you tavel to clients homes/office what equipment do you transport to each session?

3. Do you have a web site if so what's the address and who did you go through to create it or what program did you use.

4. any advice you would like to add please do so.

I started out with a studio, after years in gyms, and did OK. Then I heard about this other plan and did it. I opened my own small gym, like an Anytime or Snap, but focused on PT. I had to buy some additional equipment and a door monitoring system ect, but now the Gym itself is profitable and I have a large pool to draw more clients from than I can handle. A bit more work in the facility, but a lot less time than trying to drum up new clients to a studio. A gym gets lots of walk-in traffic while a PT studio, at least mine, gets almost none.

My gym is only 3200 sq ft, which is plenty as we have over 700 members now. I initially created my own website for PT, which I still maintain because SEO value, but the company that I go through for the gym has a nice website, so I have 2. I use weebly.com which is free and very easy to use. It is not flashy but can support anything that I want to do. You can see both sites below if you like.

Just know that fitness is about marketing and clients. I have seen lots of great trainers not make it in fitness because they focus so much on the PT side of the business and not on getting their name out there. The company that I license through does a lot of the business stuff for me so that I can run the operation and train clients. Good luck

www.bodyrenewfitness.com
www.brspecialists.net