Avoid the lure of the 24/7 Fitness Franchise chain

Your time and investment are worth so much more than the $9/month member who sees little value in your training expertise. Why subject yourself to the moving target of the low paying dues model? You will constantly be pressed to sell enough memberships to cover operating and fixed expenses, and if and when you finally reach that number, you'll likely need to replace your worn down treadmills and elliptical machines with new, more expensive ones, and more of them. Hence, chasing your tail continues. And the biggest reality, you'll manage a facility where you're no longer viewed as the professional coach you aspired to be. Very few members will be following your properly designed programs, but on the contrary you'll have hundreds of members (well, maybe hundreds, if you're remotely lucky) trying to address their fitness desires. They'll follow online programs using your equipment, or they'll pick up the old running habit from their younger years (again putting wear and tear on your treadmills), or they may follow the "big guy" member who must know what he's doing. And where will you be? You'll be overwhelmed with the pleasantries of a full time combination of low cost monthly sales memberships, customer grievances ("hey can we get more treadmills with built in T.V.s"), billing and collections (yes you'll have the token management software and EFT system in place, but your low paying customers unwillingness to keep their dues up to date will wreak havoc on you), cleaning (urine all over the walls, stuffed toilets, bubble gum stuck to the machines...that's right, your members really don't value you and that should have been recognized when they joined for $9...they simply do not take ownership into your model), equipment maintenance and repair (treadmills and ellipticals will break down, and down, and down...mirrors will be broken, holes in drywall from barbells being carelessly moved from the free weight area, bands will disappear, etc.). Let's also not forget about the massive amounts of marketing to attract all those low paying members, or all the hiring and firing you'll need to do because you won't be able to retain top level coaches.

Turn from the temptation of the High Intensity Training model

Again you are the educated expert. You know that training at extremely high levels over extended periods of time are going to lead to injury. You know it's not if, but rather when the body breaks down due to excessive loads and volume. Why put yourself in a position where you again are selling your soul to the folks who want to be the best in the gym. This population is such a small demographic and will quite honestly become short term members when their bodies break down and the novelty of the endorphin rush of intense training diminishes. And when looking at a business model, the security of long term members should be a top priority.

Resist the Garage Gym temptation

Yes the low investment and quick startup is surely appealing; especially for a young, recently graduated individual who is low on funds after a hard earned education. However keep those last three words in mind... hard earned education. The clientele you recruit to a garage gym is unlikely the professional population that is in dire need of your services. Sure you'll get a rogue doctor or attorney who thinks it's cool to workout in an old garage, or maybe even a couple of young “hotties” who dig the carnal environment. But the predominant amount of your clients that will be drawn to your model are going to be of the type looking to get their monster lifts in, or their monster pump, and are likely not really interested in your educated programming (nor will they be interested in paying you much).

Recognize the vulnerability of the Independent Trainer

Most independent trainer business plan consist of little more than a simple math equation in their heads (train 40 clients a week at $50 per appointment, will equal $2000.00 per week, time 52 weeks, $100,000/year...the big time!) But unfortunately there are many holes in this business model that are often overlooked. How are you going to get these clients (large marketing dollars), where are you going to train these clients (at a facility where the owner will be expecting a significant usage fee), the cost of insurance (not cheap), the cost of health care (not close to cheap), what happens when you get sick (zero income), what happens when you take a vacation (zero income), the long days it will take to get 40 hours in (you'll be hard pressed to line up clients from 9-5...rather you'll be taking clients at 6 and 7 am, then 9 am, then noon, then 4-9 pm...you'll work Saturdays and Sundays as well...and you'll have to do a bunch of in homes as well (yes they'll pay you cash, but you'll never recoup the cost and time of travel.) And yes there are there are the talented and charming independent trainer exceptions who are defying the statistics. They're making a decent buck, working in a few different facilities where they're kicking back a very small usage fee to the owner. They have a strong in home clientele (who again often pay them cash...note: quick cash is dangerous as it gives you a false sense of security.) But even these exceptional trainers eventually have to recognize the reality of the vulnerability of this model. Burnout is a legitimate factor, as is personal illness. Personal relationships will be a challenge as they'll shuffle all things around their clients availability. These trainers will get sick, will have personal matters, or will need a vacation (and there will be zero income once again). This model is simply a dangerous "feast or famine" approach to making a living.

Pay caution to the "Sports Performance Specialty" model

Having the unique ability to relate with the young athlete is without a doubt, a gift. Having the education and knowledge to deliver properly programmed training is well earned. However, putting all your eggs in one basket and branding yourself as a specialist that works with "athletes only" is a slippery slope when it comes to securing a reliable income. Athletes have off seasons, preseasons, in seasons, and post seasons. While the summers may be lucrative for you, that income is going to come to a screeching halt when the school season starts. And sure you'll rotate sports, so when football is in season, you'll try to replace it with the baseball and softball teams or one of the many other sports. But it won't ever come close to the short summer season, and now your window of delivering your product is from 3:00 PM on (as the young athlete has to attend school). So while the summers were busy and lucrative, you now have considerable down time where you're not earning a living. You will also inevitably run into the hurdle of sport coaches wanting their athletes to follow their own "conditioning program", for these coaches are somehow not only sport coaches, but sports performance coaches as well. And lets not forget many of these athletes are multi sport athletes, or specialty athletes, where now their seasons run all year long (with fall ball, winter ball, spring ball, summer ball, travel ball, clinics etc). So now you have barriers on top of barriers. Your business plan, just like your athletes, need to be much more versatile and durable for the long term.

Strongly consider steering clear of the Supplementation Seduction

The fitness industry today is saturated with the rampant sales of protein bars as well as snake oil pills, extracts and powders being delivered in one big super food smoothie? Facts must be stressed one last time; you are the one who spent years earning your education. You know truth from fiction. Don't tarnish your beliefs (and more importantly your brand) over the seduction of a few easy bucks through supplement sales and juice bars. How about simply producing real food? Design a garden (this doesn't have to be large, unless you want it to be) as part of your overall blueprint. You'll learn invaluable life skills for yourself and your family, but even more you will raise your level of credibility to a higher level (and more legitimate prospects will be pursuing your services). From there, sell your food to your customers and donate your proceeds to a great charity (and watch your brand continue to grow).

Don't become a statistic by falling prisoner to the industry norms. Transcend yourself far beyond today's industry standards and join an elite, highly educated group of associates. An exclusive group who truly understand human performance training, and the dire need for proper programming and implementation. A special group of associates that clearly sees the pitfalls, as well as dangers, that are so common in much of today's fitness industry. And very importantly, a group of associates that warrant a yearly earning potential of six figures plus.

As an ALLTRAIN™ ASSOCIATE, you'll receive:

• Certification through the ALLTRAIN™ Performance Coaching Course
• Access to monthly Block Training Programs (for your Group Training Members as well as your Personal Training Members. Note, in order to be able to offer the ALLTERRAIN™ program and receive the respective Block Training Programs, you must become an ALLTRAIN™ Plus Associate)
• Example financial models (ideal rent, build out, equipment package, rate structure, etc.)
• Example facility blue prints (ideal size and flow, equipment layout, etc.)
• Marketing (recognizing the profile of your target members)
• Scheduling (suggestions on ideal schedule for your various members)

As an ALLTRAIN™ ASSOCIATE, you will enter a career where the opportunity to perform what you were trained for is vast, as well as your earning potential. You'll deliver properly designed training programs to a membership base who not only appreciate you, but who feel indebted to you...The Expert.