Mar 6
How to start your fitness coaching business the right way
If you own a fitness or wellness business, chances are you have clients who are interested in more than just exercise.
These clients might want to talk about the obstacles that keep them from losing weight or want to deepen their knowledge. They may need help with time management or motivation.
Have you ever asked yourself:
I feel that I could be applying my knowledge in a different way, but how and where do I start?
Whether your are a trainer or facility owner thinking about starting an online coaching business, here’s what to know to get started:
WHAT YOU DON'T NEED
- Having all the answers
- A website
- A coaching certification
1. No having all the answers
You might be wondering: what if I start coaching and a client asks me a question I don’t know how to answer?
The thing about coaching is that it’s really about helping people coach themselves.
It is not possible to have all the answers and you don’t need to have all the answers. Instead, you need to know how to ask good questions.
People want to solve their own problems and feel empowered when they do. One of the most powerful questions a coach can ask as client is “What do you think you need to do?”.
2. A website
Contrary to popular believe, you do not need a website to start your coaching business.
Simply talk to your existing clients and invite them for a free coaching sessions. If they are interested, you can discuss what they should expect.
Make sure to use an agenda to plan your meetings, a notepad to write everything down and a phone or computer for the online sessions.
The website can come as you scale your business.
3. A coaching certificate
Here is a little secret: some of the most successful coaches I know have no coaching certificates.
Instead, they simply got started by helping real people, gained experience, got testimonials, and started making great money.
If you are confident that you can help people and are committed to doing your best, then you already have everything you need to start.
If you would like to get a certification to feel confident about getting started, there are plenty of places where you can get them.
As a coach, it isn’t a your job to solve your clients’ problems. Your job is to believe that your client can solve their own problems and guide them during that process.
WHAT YOU DO NEED
- Clients
- Commitment
- A program
1. Clients
Since you already have an existing fitness or wellness business, you don’t have to start from zero to find clients. But who do you target?
The first step is to decide who you are going to help and what you are going to help them with. The more specific and clear you can be about this, the better.
Once you’ve decided this, reach out to all of your existing clients that matches this description and offer them a free (or discounted) session.
2. Commitment
If you’re serious about starting a coaching business, you need to commit to it 100%.
Tell yourself that you’re going to do whatever it takes to turn this into a success.
If you’re not committed, it won’t happen.
“Commitment” means showing up every day and doing the work — even if you don’t feel like it.
You will have to get out of your comfort zone, try out new things, and develop new skills.
At the end of the day — if you want to create a change in your life, what really matters is your commitment.
When you fully commit you can create whatever you want, create massive impact on your clients, and truly change your live.
3. A program
This is a golden tip from the pros that will save you a lot of time, energy, and headaches.
DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT, offer one-off coaching sessions!
One-off coaching session are only for practice, but NOT for your long term business model.
This is because they are not a sustainable business model, your clients will not be committed, and they won’t facilitate meaningful transformation for your clients.
What you should do instead is creating a multi-month program and charge a healthy price for it.
This could be a group program or a 1:1 program that’s anywhere between 1–6 months in duration, and would consist of coaching sessions (online or in-person) and you may want to include additional content like webinars and video recordings.
If you set up your coaching program in this way, you’ll only need to sell a few programs per month to be well-off.
Coaching is meant to be a transformational journey, and often the act of making a large investment in ones own personal development can be transformational in and of itself.
LAST TIPS
To schedule your sessions, it is best to use a tool like Calendly or ScheduleOnce.
For your online meetings, use any of the following: Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp, or Jitsi.
And finally to send your invoices, simply start by sending a Tikkie and sending a pdf invoice by mail.
Here at Gymspaces we are committed to help fitness instructors and facility owners prosper. Stay tuned for more relevant content and sign up for our newsletter at www.gymspaces.nl.
