As a personal trainer, you know that your clients need to continually push and challenge themselves to achieve better results. The same applies to you and your business!
Whether you’re looking to expand your client base, increase your income or simply improve the way you do things, there are strategies you can try that are particularly beneficial for an online-only business. You don’t need a traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ set up to take it to the next level.
Every business needs something different, so your task is to work out what you want, why you want it, and what approach is best for your unique business – and then you can develop the tactical steps to follow through. The key to all of this? Developing a growth mindset. That might sound a bit daunting, but read on to see how easy it is to think and plan big.
You’ve already started the growth mindset journey
If you’ve had any thoughts about how to expand and improve your business, then you’re already developing a growth mindset. You’ve invested time to read this, after all.
A growth mindset is all about intentionally focusing on improving your business by drilling down into the way you operate. Ask yourself the hard questions and answer honestly. What’s working, what could be done better? When you’re failing, are you also learning? Do you embrace challenges to strive for greater success?
A business owner who is willing to pivot and try a different approach, expand into new areas, or learn from their mistakes is on the right path to creating a reliable and fulfilling experience for their clients.
Speaking of your clients, there are plenty of ways you can utilize them to spread the word about your amazing skills as a health and wellness coach… to attract more happy clients!
Give your business plan a zhuzh[1] [2]
Regardless of whether you created a formal business plan or let your business develop organically, it’s time to take another look at your overall objectives. Now that you’re established, it’s a great time to look your plans with fresh eyes and a red pen. If you don’t have an existing business plan, download our free business plan template[3] for personal trainers.
Considering your new scaling goals, apply a growth mindset and overhaul any areas that aren’t pulling their weight. Everything in your plan should be current, reflective of your aims – and most importantly – trackable and measurable. Have full awareness of all aspects of your financials and how they affect your new plans to scale.
Hold up – before you file that business plan away, schedule a weekly time slot to revisit your goals and track your progress. Make it a non-negotiable priority.
Expand your brand
Your current offering is seeing results and satisfying clients – but is that all you’ve got? Flex your business muscles and think about how you could offer more. More what you might ask? Well, that depends on your specific business and your passions, strengths, and ultimate goals.
You may find other personal trainers inspiring, but tap into what YOU love the most about being a certified fitness coach and build on that. Tune in to your clients to gather [4] clues about what they want and need from you and your business – or go ahead and ask them directly. Most people are all too happy to provide feedback (just remember – what can you learn from any negative comments?)
You’re only one person, so to successfully expand you may be ready to recruit a skilled, loyal and experienced team. Fellow wellness warriors who will provide your clients with the stellar training and support they’ve come to expect from your business.
Embrace technology: it knows what to do
It may seem a bit obvious that an online business needs to use technology. However, there’s a big difference between ‘being online’ and harnessing the power of an intuitive, efficient, feature-packed coaching platform.
As a certified (and busy) fitness coach, you need to focus your attention on your clients and growing your business, not on admin tasks, spreadsheets, multiple platforms and software, and laborious payment processes.
A single coaching platform with growth-focused features – such as TrueCoach – should empower you to service all of your clients easily and quickly, while offering you solutions and options to expand and improve.
Shout it from the rooftops
Sometimes it feels like you need a degree in marketing to navigate the world of social media, advertising, and self-promotion. But by following a few simple steps, you can take the mystery out of finding, captivating, and attracting new clients and establishing a solid online presence.
Think about what makes you pause mid-scroll and consider how you can integrate those elements into your own strategy. Analyze your current social media activity with a growth mindset. What can you create, repurpose, give away or improve to combat the short attention spans of social media users. Are you making them an offer that they can’t resist?
Don’t overlook email marketing as a classic and personal way to reach your audience. A well-crafted, attention-grabbing email is a flexible way to offer exclusives, announce news and updates, collaborate with partners, and engage with existing and potential clients.
Finesse your finances
This doesn’t mean you need to become a finance wiz – but with sensible and shrewd financial management, your business stands the best chance of success and longevity.
Thankfully, there are experts out there who are as passionate about financial management as you are about health and fitness. Lean into their knowledge and experience to help you confidently manage your income and expenses, budget, and financial goals.
Consider a banking app such as NOVO for help with taxes, payments to vendors and other financial matters.
Now be honest: are your prices a true reflection of your experience and offerings? Will they allow you to meet your profit goals? Some people would rather do 1000 push-ups than have a price rise conversation with clients. But it’s crucial that you carefully consider what you charge clients and account for things like inflation, new certifications, and your expenses.
There are many ways to revise your pricing to ensure you are competitive in the market, taking advantage of your location, and reinforcing your true value. Announce it with confidence and conviction!
What are you waiting for?
Now that you know how adopting a growth mindset can improve your online personal training business, you can apply it to every part of your planning and operations.
Access our latest FREE playbook for a wealth of practical tips, prompts, exercises, and advice on:
- developing a growth mindset, the many benefits it brings and avoiding a fixed mindset
- revisiting and revising your business plan, including measuring and tracking progress
- expanding your services and offerings, increasing clients, services, trainers and revenue
- leveraging technology platforms for growth, increasing efficiency and utilising features
- strategies for marketing and branding, harnessing social media and email marketing
- managing finances and investments for growth, consulting experts and revising pricing
To create your own growth plan, download the TrueCoach eBook: Scaling Your Online Personal Training Business
Sign-Up for Our Newsletter
Article by TrueCoach
First published: June 21 2023
Last updated: September 12 2024