In my past professional life I worked (part time or full time) in half a dozen gyms for about decade, along with training clients in their homes with my side business Results Private Fitness personal training. While the gym can provide you with a large membership base of prospects and maybe some consistent non-training hours (customer service, maintenance, or group exercise class instruction for instance), the gym charges high prices for personal training and only pay you 25-50% of what they receive. If the gym does in fact help promote your services as a personal trainer then maybe they've earned that fee.
But if you are the one marketing yourself and going above and beyond, it can definitely feel like the gym is just taking too much of a cut and you'd be better on your own. That's where the personal training side hustle comes in.
First of all make sure that it’s alright with the management at your gym. There could easily be a major conflict of interest here and you might even be signed up for a non-compete arrangement. You probably wouldn't get sued or anything if they found out, but you could certainly be terminated from your position and even get sent a Cease & Desist letter if you reach out to the gym's clientele or old clients.
If there is no professional issue or you make a deal with gym management, then you’ll need to do plenty of networking and advertising to get your services out there. Digital advertising like social media marketing can often times be the most affordable and versatile. Donating to raffles, volunteering for schools, and attending professional networking events are all free or low cost methods of growing your brand offline.
Some clients that do not want to work out in a gym setting, or can’t afford the gym’s high personal training rates, are good candidates for your side business. Focus on these individuals unless you think it's time to break free from the gym and go all in on your own business.
Now Read: Overcoming Obstacles With Surfing Cat Kuli
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about lean startup living.
Interested in more articles from Lean Startup Life?
Read Related Resources:
• How To Keep Company Culture Consistent
• Positions You Need To Fill To Have A Successful Startup
• The Importance Of A Company Recycling Program
More Lean Startup Life Below
