When starting any new business, there can be a lot of things that you need to consider. And when starting a personal training business, there’s even more that needs to be kept in mind. Now is a great time to start a personal training business, as many people now understand the importance of being fit and healthy. If you want to get started with helping others reach their fitness goals, be sure to consider a few things first.

Get a reputable qualification

Before you even start considering running your own business in personal training, it’s important that you’re qualified, and not just with any qualification you can find online; it’s important to get a reputable and recognised qualified. This ensures you get the best education possible that, not only teaches you new things about health and exercise, but also how to teach others the correct way to exercise and get fit.

A reputable qualification ensures that people take you seriously and are confident knowing you have all the understanding necessary to be a professional personal trainer. Reputable fitness courses should also give you the basics in marketing your own personal fitness business, so it’s well worth searching around for the right qualification.

Join a fitness association

Customers will be more inclined to ask for your services if they can see that you are linked with a fitness association. It gives them peace of mind that you know what you’re doing in your role, and they’ll also know that you have the backing of a recognised association. Take a look at some reputable and professional associations in your state or territory, and become a member. Some fitness associations you can look at include Fitness, Physical Activity Australia, and the Australian Leisure Facilities Association.

Make sure you’re insured

As careful as you may be when running your business, it’s always possible for the worst case scenario to happen. Make sure that your business is appropriately covered by insurance so that if anything ever happens to you, your clients or equipment, you can be sure to get your business back up and running as soon as possible. And as a personal trainer, you should make sure your insurance policy covers business use and public liability cover. Fitness Australia offers fitness insurance, however you can find several others providers who can offer you different rates on fitness, public liability, and professional indemnity insurance. Look online to get a good idea of what’s available and most suited to you.

Get an ABN and business name

An Australian Business Number is a must for any business. One of the first steps to registering your business name is to get yourself an ABN, and make sure that you’re registered properly in your state or territory. When registering your ABN, you will also need a business name. Your name should be original so that it is not confused with another business, and able to be remembered easily by clients and potential new ones. Also think of names that will easily be able to be printed on business cards, letterheads, merchandise, and other items.

Think about costs and charges

When thinking about the running of your business, you should spend some time working out what you will charge for your services. One way to get started on this is to look at what the competitors in your area charge for the same service. This will be a good starting point for your business. You want to ensure that what you charge is not more expensive than the competitors (otherwise you risk not getting any clients), and you don’t want to have your rates a lot lower than others as this may be seen as “cheap”.

Choose your hours

One of the best things about starting your own business is choosing your own hours. When you start a business, you may be willing and wanting to help as many clients as possible at whatever times suits them. However, you need to ensure that you provide set times for clients to choose from, and you need to be able to leave enough time for yourself and your family. You may not please everyone with the times you set out for them, but it’s important that you don’t try to do too much at the start and so burn out in the first couple of years.

Find a good venue

When running a fitness business, you need a place to train your clients. Check out some great locations in your local area, and see if they are suitable to run workouts. There may even be some great open, public areas such as parks and beaches. This means that you may not need a building, but rather a business vehicle. A car or van can be covered with your business logo and name to help spread the word about your business. This will also be great for storing and moving equipment for your clients.However, when researching appropriate venues it’s important that you check with the local council for any regulations or restrictions they may have regarding operating a commercial business on public property.

Understand your clients

You may be fit, healthy, and willing to go the hard yards each day during your workouts, but a big mistake personal trainers make is not understanding their clients well enough. It is best at the beginning of your association with a client that you take the time to talk to them about their goals, any restrictions they may have, and setting realistic expectations on the progress they can make.Tailor a suitable work out each session for them based on what they need and remember that their fitness level will likely be very different to your own.

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