Matt Roberts: 9 Business Mistakes New Personal Trainers Make

Introduction

Running your own personal training business is an exciting challenge. You can become your own boss and grow your brand at a pace that suits you, your family, and your lifestyle.

But as every business owner will tell you, starting your company comes with plenty of risks and it is not easy to become an instant success.

Few understand how to launch (and grow) a world-class fitness business better than Matt Roberts. He has been in the industry for 30 years and has multiple companies to his name.

Speaking from first-hand experience, Matt shares 9 mistakes that new personal trainers might make in the early days of their business in this video. Or, if you’d prefer, you can read what he had to say in the article below.

Before he breaks down those mistakes, he first shares a handful of ‘golden rules’ that helped him build one of the UK’s leading personal training businesses.

Make your business a ‘people’ business

First of all, your company relies on people. Your customers and your staff. Both must understand what you are looking to achieve and the culture of your business. The values of your brand must be very clear and you should always make sure the people who work for you understand what you stand for.

It is vital that they do not just work for you – but reflect what your brand is. Your messaging should be consistent and clear every day. When I first started my company 20+ years ago, it was the same dynamics then as it is now. It has always been a training company with trainers who convey my training philosophy and methods. Your team will grow into this culture and feel part of something bigger.

Create a strong company culture

It is never just about you in your company. It is important that your team buy into your aspirations. Because when you are not there and you can’t drive that message forward, who will? You and your team have to work in partnership, so when you’re on holiday or away for the day, everyone in your firm still understand what direction you are heading in.

It is a cliché, but companies are like families. You need to care about your employees. Not just financially, but about their personal life. Understand how they are feeling, where they live, if they are married, if they are engaged, whether they have got children. Take an interest in their life and help them understand why it is important that you know them.

Become a great listener

This is an underrated trait for any business leader. Trainers, receptionists, and everyone else in your team will have their own ideas. Some ideas won’t be as good as others, but listen to everything they say. Take some time to reflect on their ideas and feed back as often as you possibly can. You have a duty now to become the leader. That means putting an arm around their shoulder when needed, or cracking the whip when necessary. That is a huge part of what makes companies grow successfully. Not every idea will work. There will be failures too, but you also have a responsibility to make sure your team learns from their mistakes as much as you do.

9 business mistakes new personal trainers make

Matt shares some of the common pitfalls to avoid when trying to grow your personal training business, retain your team members, and earn as much money as possible.

1. Not investing in team training

What do you do when you have a team of people rather than working in silos? It is rarely a good environment for any personal trainer to work in. That’s why it is important that you are always sharing information and arranging team meetings to get together, share new ideas, and make sure you and your team are aligned with the company’s direction.
Just one part of that is team training sessions.

You should aspire to have the most highly skilled team. So, whether you pay for your team to take part in one-day courses or hour-long seminars, having a way of expanding your team’s skillset makes sure they feel like they are taken care of and able to grow. Growing their career is part of your remit. They might not work for you forever, but they have a purpose. Your team want to grow their earnings, career, and skills. To create long-term adherence by your training team and your employees, having a training process is very important.

2. Not being aware of changing trends

Trends and crazes come and go in the fitness industry. When I first started over 20 years ago, it was a fairly static industry. There were just a number of mass volume providers and some one-man-band trainers with nothing much in the middle. The changing trends now have evolved enormously. Small group training and strength training sessions have become very popular in recent years. There is also a growing number of fitness professionals enrolling on Pilates courses in order to lead their own classes.

Trainers working with specialist clients is now common too. Wearable tech is a big trend item that is only going to grow. So, as a business owner and personal trainer, you need to understand these trends so you can upskill your team at the right time. Our personal training courses can help you and your team stay competitive and relevant in a fast-moving market. This will make your business stay ahead of the curve and can deliver quality sessions to new populations.

3. Not being aware of changing costs

You might have your business model and profit margins worked out perfectly, then the costs suddenly change. It could be a government or corporation tax rate change that significantly affects what you pay and derail your plan. Never assume your business model will stay the same. Have plan A, plan B, and plan C ready and be prepared to flex your model around changing costs. I would recommend reviewing your business model in line with current costs every few months to make sure there are no nasty surprises.

4. Not retaining clients and staff

Retaining your clients and staff is probably the most important (and difficult) part of your business. Retaining your clients comes off the back of retaining your staff. If your staff are happy, satisfied, rewarded, and highly motivated, they will usually deliver a better quality of service. If your core base values are good and your team feel like they are part of a growing business, you should not have a problem retaining your trainers. Retaining clients usually becomes a problem if your team don’t deliver their promise. Make sure your team are capable, skilled, and always demonstrate your brand values and core beliefs on the gym floor and beyond.

5. Not legally protecting yourself

We are living in a very litigious society. Make sure your employees aren’t just employees on a wing and a prayer. Every employee should be contracted and work for you on set terms. Even if they are your friend or someone you have known for a number of years, there must be a specific contract in place. The same goes for your clients. They are buying sessions from you for a fee, so have a set list of terms and conditions and a contractual agreement locked in place. If a client calls you to say they cannot make their session, you have lost one hour of your time.

That is precisely why you need a contract agreement in place. Your contract might state there is a 24 or 48-hour cancellation policy so you don’t lose any of your money or time. If you have a business contract with a property, whether that be a gym that you are associating with or your own gym where you have a rental, ensure the contracts are suiting your needs and are strict enough to protect There are countless possible legal scenarios that can occur, for example I have seen people get sued for malpractice. Be diligent and find out how to protect yourself through the government website.

6. Not accounting for unforeseen circumstances

What happens if a natural disaster destroys your gym? Or a flood ruins your equipment. Are you prepared for that? If not, you can quite easily lose weeks, even months, of trade for reasons that are out of your control. Think about how you survive that financially. And how do the people in your company survive that? Are you insured for those possible outcomes? You cannot prepare for unforeseen circumstances, so make sure you have some form of insurance or cover if the worst does happen.

7. Not preparing for injured or sick clients

This is something which, again, is going to flex your earning potential enormously. When you have clients who are sick, how do you cope with that on a day-to-day basis? Do you have a cancellation policy? Or do you be sensitive and say “we won’t charge this time.” Ultimately, how you deal with these situations comes down to personal preference, but remember this is a business transaction.

Each time you book an hour out of your day, you’re charging for that hour – irrespective of client’s problem, so it’s important you protect your time. Clearly, in the case of a client being seriously hurt, injured, or in an accident, you would not charge. But make sure these situations don’t affect your business model and you have a robust cancellation policy in place.

8. Not preparing for personal injury or sickness

What about you? What if you get sick or injured? How are you going to cope with that? If your company is big enough and you have enough employees to spread the load of your personal input and time, maybe you can survive okay. But it is worth thinking about having personal insurance for what might happen to you if you become sick or injured. It is also worth thinking about your lifestyle.

If you are a personal trainer who relies on your body to train clients and you are heading off on skiing trips once per month, is it really worth the risk? I am not saying pull back from doing the things you love, but be rational and look at where the risks lie. If your business is big enough, you might even consider insurance that covers your death to ensure your company can continue to operate.

9. Not factoring in adverse weather

If you are a trainer who is working with clients in a park, some months are going to be a lot more successful than others. Snow, high wind, heavy rain, and floods are just some of the things that will likely get in the way. My advice would be to have a plan A and plan B for every session you lead, just in case. Because if you can’t lead sessions, you can’t make money and your income could quite easily suffer as a result.

If you want more tips, advice, and real-world lessons on growing your personal training company, our business skills CPD course builds on your personal training qualification to help you grow your brand.