Is it time to down-size or right-size your personal training business?

As a personal trainer working for yourself you’ve probably had times when money was tight and other times when it flowed like champagne. Personally I like the flowing times but sometimes that’s not always the way it is, especially in an industry like personal training. There are times of feast and times of famine. It’s how you plan and deal with those times that will make the difference between staying in business and throwing in the towel.

Does this sound like you?

It’s Monday morning and your 6:00am appointment called to cancel at 6:05. Then at 8:00am your 12:00pm calls and cancels and your 7:00pm client isn’t feeling well so they’re rescheduling. You started the day with eight hours of training and ended up working and getting paid for only six. Plus, you had a ton of down time but were feeling so bummed out because of the all the cancellations you just sat around being unmotivated and unproductive. To make matters worse two clients who were supposed to renew sessions decided to take a break and now you’re down $1500 a month in revenue and have no prospects lined up.

Just as things were starting to look up in your business and you were about to expand you’re now having second thoughts. This isn’t the first time you’ve been in this situation. It’s like a ping pong match. You go back and forth from making all the money you want, having a full schedule and wanting to grow the business to having everything fall apart and getting knocked off balance.

As your income drops you go into panic mode trying to find new clients. You hunt for referrals, try a hundred different marketing tactics but nothing works. You’re getting desperate for money and you start to get agitated at your clients who cancel even though they give you 24hrs notice. You’re tired of working long hours and frustrated that your income doesn’t seem to be stable. The more you run towards money the more elusive it becomes.

Did this scenario sound a little too familiar? Every trainer goes through this at some point in their career and then the fortunate ones learn to stop chasing money. When times are tough it’s natural to start to panic and look for ways to make more money. But when you panic you start to chase money. Money has a funny way of disappearing especially when you need and want it the most. It buries itself deep in the sand and the more you want it and search for it the more elusive it becomes.

This brings you more stress, frustration and utter lack of control. Do you ever notice that when things are running smoothly the money just flows? Or when you’re working with a sense of purpose and passion you always seem to have enough clients. Money emerges, surrounds you and once again flows like champagne.

In tough times and when money is tight it’s natural to want to down-size your business. Like money, it’s easy to bury our heads in the sand and wait for things to get better.  But consider this, maybe you just needed to right-size your business and the fact that you continue to have tough times is because you haven’t created a business strong enough to sustain you.

Your business is like a boat. Boats are made to float and in calm seas they do just that. Build a solid boat and it will stay afloat even in the most violent of storms. Let’s not think Titanic here. It’s the same with your business. If you’re personal training business is a dingy instead of a luxury liner then you’ll capsize at the slightest breeze, ripple or wave that passes your way. You’ll spend all your time just trying to keep that dingy from capsizing and you’ll have to do it again and again.

Instead, why not hop on that luxury liner. Take the time to ensure your business has been built on a solid platform that allows you to right-size and grow so that when the seas do get rough you’ll stay buoyant. By doing this you’ll free yourself from stress and start enjoying being your own boss. You’ll appreciate the flexibility in being able to make your own hours and the financial freedom that being a personal trainer can bring. But most importantly you can concentrate of what you enjoy doing the most which is training and teaching people to lead a healthier and more vibrant life which is the reason you got into this business in the first place.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how to get off your dingy and into a luxury liner then call to receive this

Free 4-Point Fitness Business Profile

In only 15 minutes, I will show you:

1. What you should be expecting from your personal training business.
2. The key obstacles that are getting in your way.
3. The specific strategies that will keep you a float.
4. The time frame in which you should expect a measurable difference.

With absolutely no obligation or commitment!