Getting started as a new personal trainer

[Koon Boat]

Hey Joe im a younger (19) recently certified PT who has decided to start their own personal training business to train under vs working under somebody else like a big box gym or another personal trainer. My girlfriend currently runs her own massage therapy business run out of the same gym ill be training out of and is very successful so shes given me some guidance on running my own business. I have no interest in working for a big box gym or under any of the mediocre personal trainers that operate inside my workplace. Would working under one of these two be beneficial? Yes, but that’s not the person i am. With how passionate i am about health/fitness and helping people i know i can amount to great things. My question is HOW DO I GET PEOPLE IN THE DOOR?!? I look and play the part. I’ve put in great amounts of time creating and branding my business. I’m trying to grow my business’s social media pages as well as my own. I have business cards placed at 2 different locations in my gym, a few at the front office of my apartment complex, and a few on my person for those interactions that could potentially turn into sales. I am also in the process of running a Groupon deal for $10 (basically free) PT sessions something no other local trainer or deal on Groupon offers just to get people in the door and hopefully during that one consultation and session i can turn them into a long term client. I’m working on continuing my education so I’m always learning. I currently work inside the gym i plan to operate inside of as a employee so i use that to my advantage when i can. What am i doing wrong? What am i not doing? What could i be doing better? Not to bash them too much but the personal trainers that operate inside my gym aren’t special and most of them have no real idea what they’re doing yet they have full schedules and I’m still stuck here a month and a half in with nothing. I’m beginning to get a little discouraged so any information would help. Thanks!

[Joe]

I’ll do a video on this today.

But the short answer is: Why do you feel so strongly against working for someone? I could be entirely wrong, but for a lot of people it stems from ego. And to some degree, the evidence you need help from someone else is right in front of you: you don’t have clients.

I trained for 3 different companies, totaling 12 years before doing my own thing.

I spent the first 5 years mastering the business of training. Then dug deep into my continuing Ed. I needed the “hot lead” people the gym provided to learn how to build/maintain my clientele AND hone my craft (actually train a shit-ton of people).

The marketing you list is all passive, and will generally get you nowhere.

And for all trainers, unless your “calling” or “gift” is for business/marketing, you need to spend time learning it. I highly recommend you start at “the big box”, for a lot of reasons. Mainly, I’m not sure why you think that would limit your ability to help people anyway?

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