Ryan's Q&A Thread - Building Successful PT/Coaching Businesses

[2020Wellness]

What's up everyone? Whether you know me or not, I've been on the bb.com forums for years. My main threads revolve around my GST program and I've managed them for the past five + years. Feel free to browse them so you can get a feel for who I am and how I operate.

First Thread: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121353501
Second Thread: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=149512053

This thread isn't about my program in particular, this thread is about helping anyone who is seeking advice on building a successful PT/coaching business.

I believe in learning from those who have accomplished goals similar to your own goals. I have succeeded in creating a successful business that allows me to travel without leaving my office behind, ensuring income continues no matter where I'm physically at in the world. Many people don't understand the feeling of raw freedom that comes with this type of accomplishment, but they should, and can. As someone who has done this, I want to be a person you can look towards for advice in doing the same. My passion for this field is real and that makes me want to share it. This thread is the place for me to do so, and I hope it proves useful for anyone who chooses to utilize me as a resource.

As someone who refused to follow the beaten path of graduating from college and going right into the corporate rat race, I took the riskier road. Instead of taking that lab job where I'd be working to make someone else richer, I started working for myself, using others' existing gym businesses as tools to propel me forward. I eventually reached the point of owning my own business, as well as providing work for other trainers and coaches around the US.

Now that I've introduced myself, I want this thread to shift to a focus on you, the entrepreneurial trainer/coach.

All questions are welcome and I'd highly prefer to keep this thread positive and focused on improving PT/coaching businesses around the world.

Thank you for your time!

Ryan

BTW, I fully realize that this type of thread comes off 'salesy,' but the way I carry myself and continue to provide you with the best advice I can should eventually calm your nerves and build trust.

[ironwill2008]

It's great that you're taking time to do this, Ryan. You have a great deal of practical knowledge to share.

[beardb]

Ryan,

This is a great thread and is much appreciated. I have a couple of starter questions:

1. What are your biggest mistakes, and what did you do to correct them?

2. How did you generate clients at first? That is my biggest struggle. Most gyms already have trainers on staff. I'm lucky enough to go to a gym that will allow me to train there, but it's a smaller gym without many members. Has your emphasis been on online coaching, in person training, or both?

3. How has your price point changed over time? Did you start lower and gradually increase your price as you proved your worth as a trainer/coach?

Thanks in advance.

[2020Wellness]

Ryan,

This is a great thread and is much appreciated.
Thanks Beard, happy to have you as the first person asking questions.

I have a couple of starter questions:

1. What are your biggest mistakes, and what did you do to correct them?
My biggest mistake was being egotistical and thinking that I could do this without relying on at least some outside resources, such as a mentor like what I'm trying to be right now or local gyms, which are great for getting in front of people and building a reputation. I think this way of thinking changed over time, due to me maturing and also by listening to my wife, who is great with business-building.

2. How did you generate clients at first? That is my biggest struggle. Most gyms already have trainers on staff. I'm lucky enough to go to a gym that will allow me to train there, but it's a smaller gym without many members. Has your emphasis been on online coaching, in person training, or both?
I generated local clients by getting hired at a small gym in the beginning. I would drive 60 minutes to this gym, no matter if it was for one appt or five appts. The point is that I was present at the gym and it's members saw me working with my clients. Creating that visual is key in obtaining more clients. And by visual I don't mean a picture on the wall, I mean being there in person, whether it's doing free consults or training clients. To give you an example of numbers, I was hitting 30+ sessions per week in a gym with 400 members tops. I reached this over the course of my first 6 months of putting in effort. Free consults were key for getting in front of people. Eventually I started becoming available at another local gym, pulling from two pots of people. At that point, I also built my own personal studio, which was at my home. More on that eventually, I'm sure.

My online/local training split has morphed over the last five years. It initially started out 100% local clients meeting me face to face, but currently is roughly 70/30 in favor of online clientele.

3. How has your price point changed over time? Did you start lower and gradually increase your price as you proved your worth as a trainer/coach?
Definitely, but the biggest change has been in my agreement lengths. I went from a tiny four session package option to an agreement length of 12 months! As far as pricing, I have increased that as well, but not on the same level of how much I've increased agreement length.

But yes, my prices have increased over time. Still though, I don't recommend starting lower than your local market's pricing. You believe you are as good as the others in your area, so why not charge their same rate. You may be just starting, but you're still quality, right?

Thanks in advance.

See Bold.

[beardb]

Great information.

I am currently working on surrounding myself with knowledgeable people. This has been a process over the last year, and I am getting closer to those very knowledgeable in this industry, so that is good.

As far as training packages, I am using a similar approach. I am starting with 6 sessions to begin but offering some discounts for larger packages.

I have been bouncing the idea around in my head of offering complementary sessions. Stick around on one or two days a week and approach people and offer them a session. I think what has also helped lately is having a workout partner that I also coach as we train together. It is creating that visual for people like you described.

I am glad I seem to be on the right track with this.

I agree with you that you charge what you think you are worth. I won't discount myself or my knowledge. I don't know it all, but it's taken a long time and a lot of research as well as trial and error to get here.

[Trainee963]

Yes, trainers unite! So happy to see this. It is so great!! I am 100% online coaching, but off to slow start. Generating leads and marketing/ sales is where I struggle. I've used FB ad somewhat. Have a landing page on my website. and currently getting set up with a membership website for virtual sessions. So far its simply trial and error. Any thoughts or advise on my struggle areas would be greatly appreciated.

[2020Wellness]

Great information.

I am currently working on surrounding myself with knowledgeable people. This has been a process over the last year, and I am getting closer to those very knowledgeable in this industry, so that is good.
That's definitely something that will help propel your online career. It won't do much for you in your local gym, but it's always a good idea to network.

As far as training packages, I am using a similar approach. I am starting with 6 sessions to begin but offering some discounts for larger packages.
Are you getting a good amount of renewals after those 6 sessions are used up?

I have been bouncing the idea around in my head of offering complementary sessions.
I can honestly say that I've done very few free actual training sessions. I actually made my sales during the sit-down consults, believe it or not. In the beginning I used Snap Fitness' consult protocol, but eventually ditched it because the 'Fit Tests' they designed were rigged to basically make it so everyone needed training based on the results. Also, those tests took up too much of the 45 minute consult time and I made more progress through discussing things with the potential clients.

Stick around on one or two days a week and approach people and offer them a session. I think what has also helped lately is having a workout partner that I also coach as we train together. It is creating that visual for people like you described.
Actually, the less invasive and more efficient way to get these consults is through two ways:

1. New members that sign up at the gym are offered the consult by the manager. Or, if you're present, you can offer it to them when they are done signing up.

2. This works VERY WELL; place a fish bowl on the front counter with a pen and paper next to it. Make it clear that if a person puts their name in the fish bowl, they will get either a free consult or free session with you. That will generate plenty of people in front of your face, I promise.

I am glad I seem to be on the right track with this.

I agree with you that you charge what you think you are worth. I won't discount myself or my knowledge. I don't know it all, but it's taken a long time and a lot of research as well as trial and error to get here.

See Bold and keep those questions coming when you feel like you need help!

[dmoss64]

I just received my CPT through NASM in Feb. I have been doing some online training since January and I got my first PT job at a small local gym training part-time at night. When I took the job, i was under the impression that I would just be training. I told them that it what I wanted to focus on. Now, I am being told I need to get people to sign up. I struggle with selling myself. Any tips would be greatly appreciated on how to approach this. I feel like it would be better to focus on the clients they have already given me and people in the gym will see me with them and realize that I do know what I am doing instead of just sufficating everyone in the gym asking if they want free assessments. If that is what you think I should be doing, any tips on approaching them?
Also, I have to go by the pricing they set which makes what I get paid per session not ****. So my question would be should I stay here where I am not getting paid worth a **** and work on building up my clients and gain experience or find somewhere I can train my own clients with the prices I have set on my own?
I know im all over the place. Sorry! Thanks in advance

[djsebg]

Bookmarking this thread!

I'm starting out as a PT at a local gym in the next couple of months having just graduated with a sport sci degree. My long term aim is to shift this to online coaching and have the freedom that you describe above. I've already started to lay the foundation for this with a website and building a social media presence on fb/twitter/ig. I've also been coached by John Romaneillo over the last few months so I can learn from his methods (and make sweet sweet gains) as he's extremely successful and where I'd like to be. Pretty much like a mentor as you mentioned as I really think the quickest way to the top is to learn from those that are already there.

My questions to you are -

Would you change anything from the plan outlined above? Obviously I want to start online coaching ASAP but I feel like I need some more experience in the field and want to get systems in place to streamline the process.

How do you generate online coaching leads? My main thoughts on this right now are social media+looking awesome myself and giving a large value product to bring people to me (getting a shoot done in a month to promote this). Do you pay for advertising or rely on social media/word of mouth?

What do you think of ebooks (free or sold) as a way to generate potential leads and add value to people following you?


Thanks in advance for taking the time to do this, your career path looks very similar to the one I would like to take

[2020Wellness]

Good morning everyone. If I haven't answered your questions above, I will be shortly. I'm off to a local competition to help out a client this morning with her first bikini contest. When I have a chance to sit down again, I'll be getting on here.

[Turtora]

My background is in biophysics (4 classes left to complete my undergraduate degree). I have a reasonably comprehensive understanding of biomechanics (non-clinical) and nutrition (non-clinical). I have no formal certification within the realm of personal training.

Is a certification required to train someone? I know of quite a few powerlifters that train people online, and I'd be surprised if they have any formal credentials aside from "I squat/bench/deadlift X # of lbs".

Thanks for taking the time to do this, by the way. I really appreciate it!

Cheers.

[2020Wellness]

Yes, trainers unite! So happy to see this. It is so great!! I am 100% online coaching, but off to slow start. Generating leads and marketing/ sales is where I struggle. I've used FB ad somewhat. Have a landing page on my website. and currently getting set up with a membership website for virtual sessions. So far its simply trial and error. Any thoughts or advise on my struggle areas would be greatly appreciated.

The first thing coming to my mind is that you simply have to hustle harder than the next person. You have to get those clients, not just put an ad in place and hope they come to you. Put yourself in their shoes. They are confused, looking for help, and are constantly immersed in a sea of ads dealing with fitness and nutrition. Which one do they pick?? I'll tell you one thing, they'll pick the one that actually pays attention to them and reaches out offering help. Forums and FB groups are full of people asking questions that can be answered. If they like your answer, they'll start to view you as someone they can trust and possibly work with. Bottom line, you need to get out there and hustle, be it in a local gym or online in a popular Q&A setting.

One other thing comes to mind here, as I think back to how I initially generated leads online. The problem is that you can't exactly go knocking on literal doors or be tangibly in front of a person to gain their trust and show them who you are and what you're about. However, you can create resources that potential users can view and it will help them get to know you as a person and not just a picture with words behind it. That resource can be YouTube and you should consider making video blogs related to training and nutrition. There are a sea of them out there, but if people see you as more of a person than a picture, it's better.

When it comes to FB ads, I've found that they're good for boosting the number of likes on your page, but that doesn't translate to $$ in your pocket. You may be able to get your services in front of more peoples' eyes, but I've honestly found that unless you're actually having a talk with the potential client, they're not likely to pull the trigger and work with you.

[2020Wellness]

I just received my CPT through NASM in Feb. I have been doing some online training since January and I got my first PT job at a small local gym training part-time at night.
Right here, this is good news. Your employer is small time and local, so they can do what they want with their training agreements, which includes changing them based on some points you can present to them!

When I took the job, i was under the impression that I would just be training. I told them that it what I wanted to focus on. Now, I am being told I need to get people to sign up.
I'm not trying to offend you here, but don't be the trainer who thinks they can just be hand-fed clients by a gym. That doesn't work well, ever. Converting members to clients should be your responsibility, 99% of the time. Like I told the poster in my above post, put yourself in a member's shoes. They've just signed up at your gym, they would like a trainer, the trainer has an added cost (which is a big deal for many people), and you're expecting that member to sign into a training agreement without actually meeting their trainer first? That's not a good recipe for building your client list, as 99% of people aren't going to just sign onto a training agreement without meeting the trainer. Make sense?

I struggle with selling myself. Any tips would be greatly appreciated on how to approach this. I feel like it would be better to focus on the clients they have already given me and people in the gym will see me with them and realize that I do know what I am doing instead of just sufficating everyone in the gym asking if they want free assessments. If that is what you think I should be doing, any tips on approaching them?
I 100% think you should be focusing on your existing clients, when they're in session. When they're not in session with you though, why are you not able to focus on potential clients through complimentary consults? The only time you should avoid consults and focus on existing clients only is when you're full and not interested in taking anyone else on.

As for cold-approaching gym members, I've never done it and I never will. I think it's an annoyance for the majority of members and is pretty uncomfortable for you too. I've never felt right about doing it, so I never have. I'm copy/pasting this method of getting consults from above:

Actually, the less invasive and more efficient way to get these consults is through two ways:

1. New members that sign up at the gym are offered the consult by the manager. Or, if you're present, you can offer it to them when they are done signing up.

2. This works VERY WELL; place a fish bowl on the front counter with a pen and paper next to it. Make it clear that if a person puts their name in the fish bowl, they will get either a free consult or free session with you. That will generate plenty of people in front of your face, I promise.

Also, I have to go by the pricing they set which makes what I get paid per session not ****.
What is the pricing and what are the package options? Also, what percentage of the session price are they paying you?

So my question would be should I stay here where I am not getting paid worth a **** and work on building up my clients and gain experience or find somewhere I can train my own clients with the prices I have set on my own?
It feels like you answered your question for yourself. If you were getting paid more at another gym, you'd also be building up clients and gaining experience there too. No matter where you go, you're going to be at the same experience level and building that level up through training sessions with real people. Why not be getting paid more to do the same thing at another location??

But consider this, perhaps the gym you're at would consider changing their rates so you could make more at the place you're already 'in' with.

I know im all over the place. Sorry! Thanks in advance

Let me know what you think about the things I've said above. See Bold!

[timk81]

Subscribing

[2020Wellness]

Subscribing

Thanks Tim. Now your next step is to ask some questions!

[2020Wellness]

Bookmarking this thread!
Thanks sir.

I'm starting out as a PT at a local gym in the next couple of months having just graduated with a sport sci degree. My long term aim is to shift this to online coaching and have the freedom that you describe above. I've already started to lay the foundation for this with a website and building a social media presence on fb/twitter/ig.
The social media presence will certainly not hurt. From what I can tell you, twitter and IG don't seem to be too promising for obtaining clients. However, FB is. This could be because I don't work twitter and IG too hard, but I, without a doubt, have more success with FB.

I've also been coached by John Romaneillo over the last few months so I can learn from his methods (and make sweet sweet gains) as he's extremely successful and where I'd like to be. Pretty much like a mentor as you mentioned as I really think the quickest way to the top is to learn from those that are already there.
It's helpful. I didn't do it, to be honest, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be a part of growth. I realize that I probably should've done it, and it's one reason why I made this thread. I never had anyone to ask questions to, but I aim to be that person for anyone who chooses to use me as a resource.

My questions to you are -

Would you change anything from the plan outlined above? Obviously I want to start online coaching ASAP but I feel like I need some more experience in the field and want to get systems in place to streamline the process.
I'm the type of person who gets an idea, goes hard to bring it to reality, and adjusts and streamlines as I go. It seems like those who put a lot of time into making sure everything rolls out perfectly end up making changes anyways. As a rookie, you can't predict exactly how your process should work. There isn't anything wrong with being prepared, but don't get so caught up in every little detail that you put off actually gettin that hustle on!

How do you generate online coaching leads?
Make sure to read my response to Trainee above.

My main thoughts on this right now are social media+looking awesome myself and giving a large value product to bring people to me (getting a shoot done in a month to promote this).
There is no doubt in my mind that you need the look to reach a high level of sales/success. People don't want to take advice from a bum, especially when the service you're selling is about being the opposite of a bum! So yes, looking awesome yourself is a necessity. As a tip, being lean is more important than being big as a house. The average client doesn't want to be a bodybuilder, they want to look good naked and feel awesome. Lean sells that goal.

Do you pay for advertising or rely on social media/word of mouth?
I have actually paid for ZERO local marketing in terms of my face to face sessions. Word of mouth has been king. As for social media, I've spent less than $1000 over the past couple of years boosting posts on FB. If you're trying to build a page on FB, you can always spend something like $2.00 per day on a consistently running ad. This will build your page up slowly, but surely.

What do you think of ebooks (free or sold) as a way to generate potential leads and add value to people following you?
I actually have one that I've been selling for 5 years now. It's passive income for me, and it also generates added sales of online training. Here is the link to it and you can feel free to read it yourself to see what it's all about. Read it, learn from it, etc: http://www.amazon.com/Growth-Stimulu...rowth+stimulus

Thanks in advance for taking the time to do this, your career path looks very similar to the one I would like to take
You're welcome. I'm find that as I grow, my role is changing from pure coach to coach/motivator/business builder and it feels good to be helping others grow too. What goes around comes around and I'm planning on massive karma from this thread, lmao.

See Bold.

[2020Wellness]

My background is in biophysics (4 classes left to complete my undergraduate degree).
Congratulations and nice work on seeing your degree to the end. Not everyone does that these days!

I have a reasonably comprehensive understanding of biomechanics (non-clinical) and nutrition (non-clinical). I have no formal certification within the realm of personal training.

Is a certification required to train someone?
The best thing for you to do is research the answer to this question for your home state. Laws vary from state to state.

I know of quite a few powerlifters that train people online, and I'd be surprised if they have any formal credentials aside from "I squat/bench/deadlift X # of lbs".
That's certainly true. Some people will be working without a certification and some won't.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, by the way. I really appreciate it!
Well, I didn't give you much for answers, but I know that you can find your answers through researching your home state's website. Forgive me if you're not in the US, I'm just using the word state because it's what I know.

Cheers.

See Bold.

[Knight1000]

Hi Ryan

How did you go from being a rental trainer to opening your own studio or box?,

[rdferguson]

Hi Ryan. This is looking to be about the most valuable thread in this section in a long time. Repped and would rep again.

I have a question. If you've already answered, my apologies for skimming.

You mentioned in one post that facebook ads get likes, but that doesn't necessarily equate to clients (I've certainly confirmed this the hard way). But you also mentioned in another post that you have had success obtaining clients through facebook. What have you found to be the most effective use of facebook to gain clients?

Signed...also Ryan.

[2020Wellness]

Hi Ryan. This is looking to be about the most valuable thread in this section in a long time. Repped and would rep again.
Thank you Ryan. My goal with this thread is to help out as many people as possible, as I believe what goes around comes around. Those who are willing to reach out and ask for help will only do better with their own businesses.

I have a question. If you've already answered, my apologies for skimming.

You mentioned in one post that facebook ads get likes, but that doesn't necessarily equate to clients (I've certainly confirmed this the hard way). But you also mentioned in another post that you have had success obtaining clients through facebook. What have you found to be the most effective use of facebook to gain clients?
I suppose that was a little confusing. Here's my explanation; I have a business page and a personal page. The business page has 6000 likes and I display client testimonials, training tips, nutrition ideas, and promote my book on the page. The page obviously works for making people aware of my business, but it doesn't seem to convert likes into sales. I think when a person likes a page, it's just a meaningless click and then they just scroll by it in their feed. If the content interests them, they read it right there in their feed and move on, forgetting about it. People don't go on FB to research and learn about products and services, they go on it to pass time, IMO.

However, people also go on FB to talk to others. If someone is tagged on FB or if someone comments in their thread, they love it and pay attention. Someone is giving them attention, and people love that. I'm mentioning this because FB works great for actually interacting with people and manually telling them what you do, who you are, and answering their questions in general. This is really no different than approaching someone on a gym floor, but you're doing it over the internet instead. At that point, you're not just a page they scroll past anymore, you're an actual person talking to them about their goals and also providing them with some free advice towards those goals. In the end, this type of FB marketing wins out over the business page route.

I still believe it's good to have both in place though. If you can refer them to your page and it's popular, that only helps improve your credibility in their eyes. So while the business page doesn't do a great job at selling people by itself, it's a great asset to add to your credibility and complete more manual sales.

I hope this helps you out!

Signed...also Ryan.

See Bold.

[2020Wellness]

Hi Ryan

How did you go from being a rental trainer to opening your own studio or box?,

Knight,

Do you mind being a little more specific? I only ask because when it comes down to it, I just took the risk and did it. The secret for me, and I recommend this to others, is not to have all of your clients in one basket. You see, I'm still independently contracting at two other local gyms. Granted, I haven't taken new clients at these gyms for a long time, but I train a few clients at each one per week, keeping my presence known. If I wanted to train more people at those gyms, I'd fire up my 'client-getting' method and get some new clients.

My point is this, you can open your own studio (I recommend it being part of your home for convenience and costs) and still be a trainer at an actual membership-based gym too. Unless you're forced to, don't put all of your eggs in one basket when it comes down to it.

Like I mentioned above, if you have some specific questions on this, feel free to ask them.

[Knight1000]

Hi Ryan

A massive thank you for your response!, sorry I wasn't more specific.

Basically I'm a independent trainer at a gym, I have a really good deal with the owners for the area I'm in.

I'm currently fully booked and have been for a while now. Obviously we all want to continue to grow, so I'm just looking for the next step.

I have looked at opening a small studio/warehouse gym, but after crunching some numbers together, unless I'm missing something I carnt see how I would be more profitable? Just training clients.

Training out of home is definitely an option, and I like the idea of still being in a gym.
I'm just not sure How I would deal with
-Bringing strangers to my home
-getting clients to leave after their session (some are very sociable)
-do you get more cancellations because your at home?
-early morning noise with neighbours lol
-any tips or obstacles you that you experienced would be awesome!

Once again, a massive thank you for this thread. Once I can workout how to "rep" I def will.

[2020Wellness]

Hi Ryan

A massive thank you for your response!, sorry I wasn't more specific.
You're welcome.

Basically I'm a independent trainer at a gym, I have a really good deal with the owners for the area I'm in.
Are you in a smaller town? How many gyms are in the area? Also, why is the deal 'really good?'

I'm currently fully booked and have been for a while now. Obviously we all want to continue to grow, so I'm just looking for the next step.
Congrats on being fully booked. It's a good feeling, huh? The reason why you'll continue to grow, no matter which route you take, is because you're actually looking for the next step. The average trainer isn't as motivated as you and they'll continue to be content with a situation similar to yours. You are not 100% content though, and that'll be the force that pushes you forward to something more.

I have looked at opening a small studio/warehouse gym, but after crunching some numbers together, unless I'm missing something I carnt see how I would be more profitable? Just training clients.
You're right. Why would paying rent, building out a location, and supplying that location with equipment end up profitable if you're just training clients there? You lose some of your session cost to the owner of the gym you work at, but the process of renting, building, and equipping a place of your own can cost thousands of dollars. The financial risk is there and so is the risk of hurting your relationship and standing at the local gym you have the deal with. If you open up a place of your own, you will only train less people at the gym you currently work at.

While I've listed some downfalls to opening your own place, they're only really temporary. Once you work back the cost of the equipment and build-out, that's no longer an issue. The rent will always be there, so it sticks around. One major benefit of owning your own place is growing enough to actually have trainers working FOR you. In other words, you'll be making money for work that you're not actually doing. Imagine if you had 30 sessions per week being performed by someone else and you took 30% of that income as your own. Say your business charges $50.00 per session, you would be making $15.00 for every session just because you own the place. That's $450.00 per week and probably enough to pay your rent. Imagine if you had two trainers working for you doing that.

In the mean time, you're hitting your usual booked schedule and keeping 100% of your session costs, making more than you do now. Sounds like a benefit to me! The best thing for you to is to run an income vs cost analysis. Figure how much money you'd like to be making per year. Figure your costs of opening your business. Then figure how many sessions you need to be doing to make it happen. Don't factor in the sessions of other trainers yet, just yourself. What do you come up with?

Training out of home is definitely an option, and I like the idea of still being in a gym.
This is what I do and it works out well. The concept here is that not all of my eggs are in one basket and I'm always giving myself the ability to pull potential clients from more than one pool.

I'm just not sure How I would deal with
-Bringing strangers to my home
Well, I personally have no problem with it. I've never felt endangered or anything like that, but I'm not the same person as you. For me, it's just never been a problem. The clients don't make it farther than my entry way, as the door to my gym is right there when you walk into my house.

-getting clients to leave after their session (some are very sociable)
Clients realize that you're running a business and if you tell them you have another client coming shortly and you have to prepare, they'll leave. If they refused to leave your house after you mentioning that they have to go, that would be very odd. Ya know?

-do you get more cancellations because your at home?
No.

-early morning noise with neighbours lol
There is no more noise than a person pulling up in their car and walking to my front door. The music I play isn't loud enough to carry through the neighborhood and all doors and windows are closed for privacy anyway. It's just not an issue for me.

-any tips or obstacles you that you experienced would be awesome!
This is actually a very smart way to test the waters on how you'd do with a rented and built studio. The cost to convert an area of your home to a gym is much less than the cost of opening your own storefront. I didn't experience any obstacles at all with this method, as the risk is so much lower. Here are a few pictures of my studio, which is part of my home:











Once again, a massive thank you for this thread. Once I can workout how to "rep" I def will.
You're welcome! If you want to keep this going by following up to things I've said, feel free.

See Bold.

[djsebg]

Let me know what you think about the things I've said above. See Bold!

Thank you! Got to work and have started implementing some of those ideas now rather than waiting, intending to start pushing my online coaching next week and already got a few people interested. Will be back with more questions and an update on how things are going soon

[2020Wellness]

Thank you! Got to work and have started implementing some of those ideas now rather than waiting, intending to start pushing my online coaching next week and already got a few people interested. Will be back with more questions and an update on how things are going soon

One of the best parts about this thread is going to see people improve their businesses and talk about it. What have you implemented already? Action is what it takes. Even one simple action step per day will move you forward rapidly. It seem like it wouldn't, but it does. We normally can go days, weeks, or even months without doing more than the bare minimum for our businesses. When you think of it like that, you can see how making a goal of doing one little 'over and above' thing per day can add up!

[djsebg]

One of the best parts about this thread is going to see people improve their businesses and talk about it. What have you implemented already? Action is what it takes. Even one simple action step per day will move you forward rapidly. It seem like it wouldn't, but it does. We normally can go days, weeks, or even months without doing more than the bare minimum for our businesses. When you think of it like that, you can see how making a goal of doing one little 'over and above' thing per day can add up!

Sorted consultation form, basic information that I'll be using with all my clients, templates with which to design programmes and started advertising and following up the leads that showed initial interest over the last few weeks. Should get it all finished up today so I'll be ready to take on clients including the ones lined up and start a big advertising push on social media and with fliers/business cards once I've had my shoot done in a couple of weeks. Ahead of schedule for my target to come in at 5-6% and dry for this so that's looking really good too. Not actually starting work in the gym itself til around the end of June so using my time now to make sure as many people know this as possible while sorting my online side. Definitely going to give that fishbowl idea a try too once I start work.

Should have a few people starting by the start of June so it's all looking rather good atm!

[2020Wellness]

Sorted consultation form, basic information that I'll be using with all my clients, templates with which to design programmes and started advertising and following up the leads that showed initial interest over the last few weeks. Should get it all finished up today so I'll be ready to take on clients including the ones lined up and start a big advertising push on social media and with fliers/business cards once I've had my shoot done in a couple of weeks. Ahead of schedule for my target to come in at 5-6% and dry for this so that's looking really good too. Not actually starting work in the gym itself til around the end of June so using my time now to make sure as many people know this as possible while sorting my online side. Definitely going to give that fishbowl idea a try too once I start work.

Should have a few people starting by the start of June so it's all looking rather good atm!

I'm loving those action steps. Nice work and make sure you don't try to do too many things at once! Check back in when you've added some fresh clients to your roster.

[DeAntonio]

great post! I have a question,which are the best personal trainers out there that we can learn from? thanks!

[2020Wellness]

great post! I have a question,which are the best personal trainers out there that we can learn from? thanks!

DeAntonio,

I really can't say too much about other trainers from a personal perspective because I haven't actually used their services.

Of course, this thread is meant for you to learn from me. I'm a great resource, as I've started from the ground up and built my business VERY efficiently (meaning spending very little to make very much). You have a great resource right in front of you, so feel free to ask any questions you might have about building your PT business.

In the near future I'll be able to share my experience in working with Cliff Wilson of Team Wilson Bodybuilding, as I've hired him to coach me through a contest prep-style fat loss phase.

You might wonder why I've done this if I'm already an established prep coach and know how to do it myself. Well, it's because I believe in always trying to improve and I respect Cliff's testimonials and the way he carries himself. Not only am I opening myself up to learning things that I may not already know, I'm supporting another respectable trainer in the process and also creating a business write off expense. I'm practicing what I'm preaching in terms of how important mentors can be!

Thanks for your question,

Ryan

[jimmyk21]

Cool thread, thanks for doing this Ryan. I've owned your GST ebook for years now, great stuff.

Where in your home is your studio? A garage, basement, bedroom?