Admit it, you’re lazy – that’s not a problem, because you’re in the right career. We all got into training to get paid doing something that comes naturally, and if that can turn into a great career – hey, even better.
Keeping with the theme of “the path of least resistance”, the way you run your training business should be the same. Within the fitness profession, their are certain things that we’re all good at and like doing, and other things we’d rather pass on.
This is something I like to call “finding your sweet spot”. It’s the way smart people look for work, the way smart companies assign work, and the way a smart trainer should look to apply themselves.
I wrote a nice, short, and sweet article on this for PFP not too long ago, which I’ll re-post here. If you’re just getting started, or are still finding your way around this profession and looking for what you’re good at, I think you’ll get some value out of it:
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Here’s the number-one thing I love about being in the fitness industry: You can set up your fitness business any way you want, and no one will stop you.
For some trainers that might mean having a small list of ultra-high priced clients, a large number of clients with employees in a gym or studio, running bootcamps, or providing routines and coaching online… whatever you want to do, you can do it. It’s your world!
The only problem is finding the right framework that works for you, what I like to call the “sweet spot”.
Most trainers who get their start working in major health clubs with structured environments may get discouraged if they aren’t particularly suited to this environment. Some of these trainers may leave the industry altogether because of this initial discouragement, and that’s really a shame when you consider the potential there is here to get paid very well doing something you’re passionate about.
Even for trainers going independent, the same pitfall exists. They may adopt a business model that they are not well-suited for just because they think that’s how it needs to be. For example, a trainer that doesn’t like being boxed in or managing employees may mistakenly open a training studio. Or someone that’s into giving personal service may open a boot camp and realize how difficult it is to personalize routines in that environment.
What’s the solution? Here’s what I tell the many trainers that come to me for private coaching, and it hasn’t failed yet: At the start of your training career, you need to try a little bit of everything.
Every trainer must make it their goal to get on six-figure pace as fast possible, and when you’re staring out, it may take trying a few different methods to get there. You may want to create and market a boot camp through free classified ads, take on high-end clients and also do some mass-market training out of your local trainer’s gym or private health club. And while all of this is going on, I also recommend starting a blog, just so you can slowly become more web-savvy and build an online presence.
What’s the result of all of this? First of all, you will learn a lot of ways to get training clients very quickly. Secondly, you will discover the style of training that you are particularly suited for, enjoy, and gets the best results in your area. This is the approach leading companies take in matching their employees for the right positions, and it’s a smart attitude to take when starting your training career.
Because once you can find the perfect hole for the key you’re holding, you’ll be much closer to discovering what I think every trainer is looking for – a perfect balance between work, income and passion.
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My feeling is that if training isn’t easy, isn’t paying you well, and you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong. Keep mixing things up until you find out what works. By the way, you’ll never be completely satisfied, and that’s beautiful – that’s what keep us on our toes and always pushing for bigger and better things!
Have you found your “sweet spot” yet? How’s it working out for you? Let me know below:
Want more articles on your training career? Check these out:
https://super-trainer.com/personal-training-credentials/
https://super-trainer.com/welcome-to-hell-personal-trainers-reveal-their-healthclub-horror-stories/
Kaiser,
I am a guy who has a deep passion for fitness, to the point where I like to be very detail-oriented and envision myself working in depth with a moderate number of folks, as opposed to trying the group or bootcamp thing where things have to be much more streamlined (watered-down wouldn’t be the right choice of words here).
But a few of my bodies currently in the industry keep on saying that one-on-one training is dead, and that I shouldn’t bother if that’s what I am most interested in doing.. After reading your post, I get the feeling that it is exactly what may be right for me, I just need to find a way to make it work for me. Thanks for the inspiration and the healthy-serving of common sense.
Hey Jack – yes, I’m exactly the same way – I prefer to provide personal service – I tried the bootcamp thing and it wasn’t for me – there are still ways to get the same benefits of a bootcamp while keeping it personal – running big, semi-private sessions with a few assistants is one option – or keeping it to just small groups is another – Good luck man –