My advice is to obtain the SSC credential, the presence of which will generate clients. Unfortunately, you'll have to travel. When you open your gym, keep your overhead down, i.e. do everything you can do by yourself.
Member
Going into business for myself
Hey Rip, about a year ago I posted a thread about becoming a university S&C coach. Low and behold, a year later, I am still sending applications and being told I need 3 years minimum volunteering with a D1 school. I'm done, hell no, it's not worth the effort and I am interested in going into business on my own and getting the SS certification in the future.
Do you have any advice for people in this position? I am currently training 1 client out of my basement, it looks like a serial killer's lair so it's not exactly enticing to the general population but I will be finishing it soon. I have the equipment and insurance, now I just need the clients, how did you begin? I am starting to post on CL, make cards, and etc. any tips? Do you have a SS cert planned for Philadelphia any time soon?
TMPHBITEU
My advice is to obtain the SSC credential, the presence of which will generate clients. Unfortunately, you'll have to travel. When you open your gym, keep your overhead down, i.e. do everything you can do by yourself.
Starting Strength Coach
A few tips:
1) Follow Rip's advice - keep your overhead down. #1 killer in my experience for new fitness businesses.
2) Become an awesome coach. If you are really good and get good results then people will find you even if you have shitty marketing. Go to a Seminar.
3) Provide your clients with a great experience when they come and see you. Be a professional business person. Imagine each client has a sign hanging around their neck that says "make me feel important." Best advice I ever got. It's cliched but make sure each client feels like they are your only client when they are with you.
4) Keep prices high. New trainers always think they need to enter the market with low prices.
5) Set a training schedule that doesn't killl you. Decide whether to focus your time on mornings or late afternoons/evenings. TRUST ME you can't do 5 am training and 8pm training for very long. I'm a morning guy so I cram the majority of my clients in between 530 - 1030 in the mornings. I do a few in the afternoons, but nothing after 5. I used to burn the candle at both ends and it almost killed me.
6. Start with one on one but slowly move into small group/semi-private training as your client base grows and your skills grow. It leverages your time better and is a better value for the customer.
7. Who is your niche market? Who do you want to train? Seniors? Athletes? 30-40 something women? Any of these can be great markets. When you know your market it's 100x easier to find customers rather than trying to market to everyone. It doesn't mean you can't train people outside of your target market if they present, and they will. But you need a focused message.
8. Get people into monthly EFT payment plans. DONT LET CLIENTS DECIDE HOW THEY WANT TO PAY YOU. You decide your terms of business.
9. Develop your elevator speech that you can give to anyone on the spot. Again, sounds cliched, but it's important.
10. General advertising sucks. Put yourself in front of your target market.
11. Capture contact info. It's more important that you have their contact info than they have yours. Start building a database of email addresses for clients, former clients, prospective clients, and other businesses/people that might be good sources of referrals for you. This is your most powerful marketing tool.
12. Understand that not everyone will be able to afford you. That's okay. Not everyone can buy a BMW and BMW doesn't lower their prices or try to appeal people who can't afford a $110k car. Private coaching in a private gym is expensive. Your good clients know this and won't mind paying $500+/month for private coaching. Good clients are not shopping by price. They want quality. Don't try to appeal to the masses on price.
This is NOT a comprehensive list. Just a few thoughts off the top of my head.
Member
Well right now, I have no overhead. I moved in with my girlfriend's family and their home(mansion) has an unused unfinished basement that I have one platform, a rack, complete barbell and weight set, olympic rings, and a few kettlebells. They want me to succeed and turn it into a business so I am very fortunate there. My current only expenses are my student debt and buying a few more pieces of equipment.
As for who I want to train, boy that's changed a lot this past year. Both of you told me you wouldn't want to work with elite athletes in the thread I mentioned, well this past year I worked with a local high school volunteering as their strength coach and it was way more fulfilling than when I interned for a university. I took guys who never squatted, were taught to squat wrong, or only used machines and in 10 months turned them into my minions preaching the word of the barbell and watched a guy who's 5rm went from 195 to 300 in about 8 months. That is the population I prefer now, 14+ because I set the foundation for them and it's awesome. My issue is not knowing where to begin though, do I print out flyers? Continue using CL?
TMPHBITEU
You cannot make a business like this work at home. Asking clients to come to a house indicates that you're not doing this professionally. Make up your mind what you want to be -- a kid working out of his parents' basement, or a professional. Overhead is required.
Member
I agree, I'm just starting this out though and I am already paying loans on school so I don't have the option yet. I have my cards aligned for possibly becoming a police officer in the next few months or the option to join the military but being a strength coach is my goal and I'll get there eventually, just need the coin first to pay off debt and actually open a spot.
Member
Times being what they are in many parts of the country, you might be able to find some reasonable commercial space, like maybe in a small strip mall that has a few vacancies but is NOT empty. Think small dojo size space. Better would be one that is anchored by something like a popular sandwich franchise, so there's a little assurance that there will be sustained traffic there for a while and that part of town won't drop out from under you. The traffic might not be important for your marketing, but it could be for the professionalism aspect of your business (your client's comfort level and ease of access).Originally Posted by PhillyMike
Back when CF was gaining steam and before I knew better, I drove to the address on the website. It turned out to be a residential area and the guy and a "client" were working out w/ the garage doors open. I just kept driving.
TMPHBITEU
When you decide what you want to be when you grow up, let us know.
Member
Well, I want to be a strength coach but there's barriers in front of me(money.) How did you do it? I am paying for school on my own so I have 40k worth of debt to worry about, I can't just go take another loan out and start a business which is why I have to bite the bullet and work elsewhere for the time being Wish that weren't the case but it is.
Woe is me, plays violin.
✓ Member
mike,
With respect to you here. The demands and commitment required of cops (and I suspect the military even moreso lacking the personal experience myself) will require all you have. You can't do both the trainer role and either of the other and give justice (you should forgive the expression) to both. Commit to your primary objective. Trying to use either of the other two as the basis of your foundation for where you say you want to be.
This assumes your girl friend and her parents will put up with your dichotomy of objectives. She just might. Don't count on her parents to do so for more than a few months. Especially her father. You will have to prove yourself worthy of supporting his little girl. You underestimate the importance of this at your own peril, so get your shit together.
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