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You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as personal training for new mothers.
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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young has over 25 years of experience in business in various roles, including bank management, marketing management, and business education.
Published on February 5, 2022
Updated on October 7, 2022
Investment range
$4,350 - $9,800
Revenue potential
$55,000 - $110,000 p.a.
Time to build
3-6 months
Profit potential
$50,000 - $100,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Flexible
Is there anything you can’t do online now? Even personal training has gone virtual. Instead of going to the gym, many people now work out at home, but still want the push of a personal trainer. As a result, online fitness is expected to expand ten-fold — from $6 billion in 2019 to nearly $60 billion by 2027.
The pandemic has presented many challenges, but it’s also created many opportunities. If you enjoy fitness, you could start an online personal training business, help people around the world feel stronger, healthier, and more confident, and grab a share of this booming market.
Jumping in, however, requires a bit of education. You need to fully understand the ins and outs of launching and running the business, as detailed in this step-by-step guide. Once you absorb all the info below, you’ll be ready to take the leap and start your online personal training business.
Starting an online personal training business has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s the right path for you.
Even brick-and-mortar gyms are offering hybrid fitness classes, with some virtual and some in-person.
Trends in the online personal training industry include:
Challenges in the online personal training industry include:
Startup costs for an online personal training business range from about $4,000 to $8,000. Your main expenses will be a computer, website, equipment, and personal training certification.
It’s not required, but being certified is one of the surest ways to attract clients; without it you’ll struggle to compete. You can get certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) in 12 weeks for around $700.
You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your online personal training business, including:
Startup Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
---|---|---|
Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
Insurance | $100 - $300 | $200 |
Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
Computer with audio, video, and lighting equipment | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
Fitness equipment | $300 - $700 | $500 |
Personal training certification | $1,500 - $2,000 | $1,750 |
Total | $4,350 - $9,800 | $7,075 |
Pricing for online personal training is generally done as a subscription model. A basic monthly plan, which includes one session per week, might cost about $200. You can increase the price based on the number of sessions. These calculations assume your clients will pay an average of $300 per month and that your profit margin, after marketing costs, will be 90%.
In your first year or two, you could have 15 clients, bringing in nearly $55,000 in annual revenue. This would mean a profit of nearly $50,000, assuming that 90% margin. As your brand gains recognition and you start to get referrals, your client numbers could climb to 30. With expected annual revenue of almost $110,000, you’d make close to $100,000.
There are a few barriers to entry for an online personal training business. Your biggest challenges will be:
Now that you know what’s involved in starting an online personal training business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Research online personal training businesses to examine their services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing an online personal training business for senior citizens.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as personal training for new mothers.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
You’ll need to determine if you want to specialize in certain types of workouts, and what levels of workouts you want to offer. Then you’ll need to decide how to package various training plans.
Prices for online personal training subscriptions range from $200 to $600 based on the frequency of training sessions. If you decide instead to charge by the hour, prices range from $50 to $75. You should aim for a profit margin of about 90%.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your markup and final price point. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will be broad, unless you decide to specialize in a certain type of training, like personal training for senior citizens. If your target market is broad, you should spread out your marketing to include TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and even LinkedIn. If you target a group like seniors, you should just focus on Facebook.
You can run your online personal training business from home, but if you ever decide to open a studio for in-person personal training and fitness classes, you can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist, Crexi, and Instant Offices.
When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:
Your business name is your business identity, so choose one that encapsulates your objectives, services, and mission in just a few words. You probably want a name that’s short and easy to remember, since much of your business, and your initial business in particular, will come from word-of-mouth referrals.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that set your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Every business needs a plan. This will function as a guidebook to take your startup through the launch process and maintain focus on your key goals. A business plan also enables potential partners and investors to better understand your company and its vision:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist at Fiverr to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you are planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to online personal training businesses.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your online personal training business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using ZenBusiness’s online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you are completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best options, other than friends and family, for funding an online personal training business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept.
Starting an online personal training business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.
If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your online personal training business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use industry-specific software, such as mypthub, or Trainerize, to manage your sessions, client communications, billing, marketing, and client nutrition plans.
Some of your business will come from online visitors, but still, you should invest in digital marketing! Getting the word out is especially important for new businesses, as it’ll boost customer and brand awareness.
Once your website is up and running, link it to your social media accounts and vice versa. Social media is a great tool for promoting your business because you can create engaging posts that advertise your products:
Take advantage of your website, social media presence, and real-life activities to increase awareness of your offerings and build your brand. Some suggestions include:
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism. They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your online personal training meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your online personal training business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running an online personal training business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in personal training for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in online personal training. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. Online businesses might also consider affiliate marketing as a way to build relationships with potential partners and boost business.
It’s unlikely that you will ever need employees for your online personal training business, but if you do, free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
The online personal training market is exploding, and now’s the perfect time to get in on the action. Some trainer out there is going to be raking in some of that multi-billion-dollar pot — why not you?
People are increasingly health-conscious and still spending a lot of time at home, so your services are likely to be in high demand. You’ll just need to set up some live streaming equipment or make workout videos for your clients. Now that you’ve gotten all the relevant information, keep that momentum going by launching your new online personal training business!
You can start an online personal training business for about $4,000. Costs include a website, fitness equipment, a computer with a camera, and personal trainer certification. If you already have any of those things, your costs will be significantly less.
Yes, you can charge monthly fees for fitness plans ranging from $200 to $600. Your ongoing expenses will be very small, so you’ll keep most of that as profit. If you have only 20 clients, you can bring in a nice chunk of change.
You may need various business licenses and permits at the state and local levels. Check with your local governments for requirements or visit MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance page.
Prices are generally charged on a monthly subscription basis and are based on how many personal sessions are done. Those subscription fees can range from $200 to $600.
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