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Wouldn’t it be nice to have a job that’s fun, good for you, and gives you the flexibility to also meet your parenting obligations? It’s almost every parent’s dream. This job isn’t a pipedream, however — it exists, and it’s called being a personal trainer. With this job, you’ll be able to pick your own hours and have your employment practically in your complete control. If you’re a naturally fit person who likes to motivate people to be the best version of themselves, then it’s something to think about. Below, we run through a few steps that’ll ensure it’s a positive, profitable venture.
First Step: Love The Job
If you’ve ever met a personal trainer, then you’ll have noticed something: they’re extremely passionate about their work, and about fitness in general. The competition isn’t fierce, but there is competition — and anyone who’s less than fully committed won’t find it to be a profitable venture. Similarly, there’ll be a reason why you’ve never seen an out of shape trainer: they don’t exist. If you’re thinking about making this your full-time job, then you’ll want to hit the gym consistently, so that you look great and you fully understand the gym and fitness culture.
Get Qualified
There’s a lot that can go wrong when you’re working out. Life one weight incorrectly, and you’ve got long-term back pain. And to get all the benefits of time spent in the gym, you need to know how the body works, the best way to reach goals, and so on — indeed, this is essentially what a personal trainer is paid to do. To make sure that you’re delivering the best service possible, you’ll need to study for a qualification. This is for your customer’s benefit as much as yours: they’ll be more secure and trusting if they know you’ve studied for your position.
Finding Work
Once you’ve got the qualification under your belt, you’ll be able to go through the process of looking for work. The UK is quickly on it’s way to becoming a nation that’s crazy about fitness, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. The best approach is to visit a gym, and ask if you can offer your services there; they will get a cut of the money that you charge per hour. From there, it’s all about getting clients, which you can do by following this Fitness Consultation Strategy. How many clients and hours you work per week will depend on your parenting obligations and how much money you’re hoping to earn.
Going Deeper
You’ll be able to help people reach their general fitness goals, but one way to diversify your client base and make yourself stand out from the crowd is to look at more speciality, niche fitness targets. For example, you could focus on helping people who want to build muscle, or one that focuses on a specific area of fitness (such as building core strength/taking inches off the waistline). In the process, you’ll be establishing yourself as the go-to expert in this area. If you eventually decide to focus exclusively on this aspect, then you may find that the number of people who may work with you is smaller in number, but it will be more robust.
Out of the Gym
You’re not limited to working in a gym, either, which is beneficial when it comes to taking on more hours and also making the job more interesting. You can expand your market by offering to work in people’s homes (if they have the necessary equipment/space), and in the outdoors, which is always an attractive option for people. If you love the great outdoors, then this is a way to combine your work with pleasure and help people reach their fitness targets, too.
Marketing Yourself
Like all self-starter jobs, you’ll need to market yourself and services. This can take place online and offline. Offline, it’ll mean leaving business cards in select places in your neighbourhood. Online, it’s all about social media. A post on Instagram with a photo and some nutritional/workout advice will be worth its weight in gold. Since you’re dealing with local clients, it’s also recommended that you add a few local posts too. You’ll find that you get a lot of followers, some of whom will contact you for classes. Incentives such as a free trial lesson and discounts for certain periods/hours will also help.
If that all sounds good, then begin the journey towards becoming a personal trainer, and get your new career underway.
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