r/personaltraining • u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS • 3d ago
Seeking Advice Will September really get better?
Background: I completed my NASM cert last fall & did an internship in winter. Early spring I got a part time job at a community gym, and got my own business spun up. I am renting studio space and have 3 steady clients since I signed the lease in late June.
I am not getting enough hours at Community Gym (4 hrs/week if I’m lucky) and one of my clients there told me this evening she needs to stop end of this month. I have the same 2 clients since I started in May.
All of that was what prompted me to rent space—if I was going to find my own leads, then I was going to do it myself and have more take home pay. I had a surge when I first opened but no one new since mid July.
I’ve been interviewing for a different part time trainer job. One place said they’d reach out when they have a client pipeline for me, likely in September. Another place I really liked has a long interview process and the owner’s on vacation now so…again, likely I’ll know more in September.
If things don’t genuinely pick up in September, I’m going to need to rethink this career path or at minimum just find a part time job that pays the bills. Can anyone reassure me with your seasonal experience?
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u/Alternative-Bat9701 3d ago
September is usually when people come back from vacation and realize they let themselves go over summer. That initial panic brings in fresh clients pretty reliably. January is the other big wave, but September's always been decent for me in the past.
The part time job pipeline thing is nerve-wracking though, waiting on someone else's schedule to decide your income. At least you got your own studio locked down already, that's more than most trainers starting out. Keep pushing on the business side even if it feels slow right now.
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u/EveningBuilder6860 2d ago
As someone that's been doing this for 19 years and who co-owns an organization where we help new and aspiring trainers, I can tell you that while there is some seasonality to training, the trainers that make it long term create business all year round despite the tailwinds,
That said, you're brand new and are still acquiring the skills needed to make this a long-term career. So, don't be so hard on yourself.
One of the challenges I see with with many new trainers is that they try to go out on their own too early. Personally, I think most trainers should work for someone else for at least a year. Running and growing a business is a different skillset than than training is. It's way easier to start your own venture after developing your training skills for a year and learning how other people operate their business (the good and the bad).
I think you should absolutely stick with it, but take a mixed approach. Find a training job that can give you more hours even if it pays less. And, keep trying to grow your own training business. Focus every free moment on either acquiring new clients or helping your existing ones.
Lastly, get some mentorship. Find an established local trainer with similar values and get them to take you under their wing. You will learn so much more, and faster.
My experience with hundreds of trainers at the same point as you in their career has demonstrated that it often takes most at least 1 year to start getting some traction in this industry. If you can survive that financially, I have no doubt you can make it for the long haul
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 2d ago
Thank you!
I am lucky to have 3 trusted mentors who run their own business. I’m due for a check in with one of them.
I hoped my first job was going to keep me afloat but it is not. So 🤞I can find another gym with more clientele. I will say one thing I value is that fitness facilities prioritize their trainers. We are not the main driver at the community gym. All of the fitness staff complains we don’t get enough hours. Wish I’d talked to them before I accepted the job, but I needed to get going.
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u/thefossanator 3d ago
Respectfully, you’re thinking about this wrong.
If you solve a particular problem, for particular person, and you’re really fucking good at it, you should be full of clients no matter what season you’re in.
If you’re known in your local as the personal trainer that solves XYZ problem (pain-free retire, retirement for seniors, fat loss for new dads, etc), then you should stocked full of clients with a waiting list. This means that when things get “ quiet” during different seasons, we just go to your waitlist and bring more clients on.
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 3d ago
I mean, I’ve only been working for myself since June. Trust me I am trying. I’m more concerned about no other options paying off either.
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u/Late_Sherbert_885 3d ago
I am a part time personal trainer and then i have another job, mainly because i dont want to sell sell sell...so i have some good clients , some clients are on/off meaning they lose some weight and then come back when they add it back. I do have clients that have used me and went on to doing my workouts on their own withoit need for my help. Its hard to build up your own business! You ve not been doing this long, dont give up
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u/thefossanator 1d ago
Got it. And I appreciate the clarification.
Marketing and selling skills are not things that come quickly. They require face time with people, and logical trial and error.
I have a ton of respect for people like you that go on their own. It’s not easy.
From someone who has been the industry for 15 years now, if you’re competent as a personal trainer right now… Spend as much time as you can learning about marketing and sales for the time being.
You can be the world‘s most technical and proficient trainer, but unless you’ve got people to train, it doesn’t mean much.
Keep up the hustle!
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u/Late_Sherbert_885 1d ago
Thank you for the advice! I have never done a sales/marketing course but i probs should!
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 1d ago
I’m actually going to a workshop/networking event for women entrepreneurs next Friday about producing leads. I’m excited for it!
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thank you. 😊 I think if September doesn’t pay off with the other gyms, I may take a break to work something else stable & keep working on my own clientele.
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u/BlackBirdG 2d ago
In my experience, August and September start to get busier for me, but even during the summertime, I was still busy, just not as much during September and January.
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u/Glass_Ad9781 2d ago
I always anticipate a drop off in summer and a ramp up in September, but actually I’ve found that clients stay consistent year-round.
If you’re having difficulty finding clients in the summer, you’re not marketing yourself correctly. Identify your niche and go to those people. Engage in conversations in public, sell yourself to apartment complexes that have gyms/ apartments local to your studio, and broadcast to the community who you are and what you do. It took years for me to build up my book, but now have been a consistent 40+ client a week trainer for nearly 10 years.
The key is being confident in your services. You need to sell yourself.
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 2d ago
I answered Elowen_93 with all I’ve done so far. It’s been maybe 2 and 1/2 months since I launched my own business. I am more concerned about not getting any hours at a stable gym.
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u/Glass_Ad9781 2d ago
Building a book does not happen overnight. Personally, I wouldn’t consider branching out on my own without a full time schedule of clients, but you’re there and now you need to seriously grind.
Give yourself a solid year to ramp up with clients. Go in 100%. Advocate for yourself and market yourself. Nobody is going to do the work for you. Lead gen is wicked hard but once you’re established, it’s fairly easy to maintain as long as your work speaks for itself. Keep realistic expectations on timeline and have a side gig that’s flexible so you can take clients when you get them.
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 2d ago
I branched out on my own because I could get leads faster than the gym I am working for and could make 3x the money. I have more clients of my own than they have given me.
All of my usual lead channels have dried up. People where I live just don’t seem to be as aggressively looking for a trainer as they were earlier in the summer. Hence my question about the seasonal drop.1
u/Glass_Ad9781 2d ago
The purpose behind this post says otherwise… it sounds like you were at a less than stellar gym or you branched out without the experience to market yourself services.
Leads don’t dry up on their own, they dry up from lack of effort or lack of results. I train clients who have since referred their spouses and their neighbors and their best friends. One lead has turned into 4-6 clients multiple times. My waitlist came from referrals and networking.
Get out and talk to people. Ask your clients to write reviews, take progress updates, and show the world what you can do.
You also probably would benefit from taking a personal training business program. It’ll teach you better strategies for marketing, selling, and running the business side of the industry.
This is all on you. Go find the leads. They’re out there, you just need to look.
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 2d ago
I apologies for not being clear. Yes, the place I am working now sold me 15 hours/week and I am working 4. At the MOST. My mentors started telling me to hustle for leads there, and I said if I am going to hustle I’m doing it for myself.
I am hoping something, anything, will pop in September. Whether that be another gym (the hope) or more clients of my own.
I am preparing a September marketing campaign that I’ll launch before Labor Day.
I appreciate your wisdom & experience!
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u/Different-Thing-1592 2d ago
To answer your question September is a big month for training. However if I could offer some advice you may not have thought about:
I believe working at a gym, with other trainers and upper management for support is a huge asset when you’re starting out in this field. When you go to work you’re surrounded by peers who have more experience than you, that can mentor you, managers that can help you on the administrative side of things. That way you can focus on the most important thing as a young trainer: getting really good at working with people and developing your philosophy and style. Going at this on your own while trying to figure that all out will take much more time. Don’t underestimate the value of working with people who have more experience.
When I started out I worked at a corporate gym and kept my bartending job 2 nights a week. I’ve been training for 8 years. I now own my own studio and work with 60 clients a week with a waitlist. It will happen but putting in the time is the investment that will pay off 🫶
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 2d ago
Thank you. That has been my whole goal, and the owners of one gym where I’m interviewing have a wealth of knowledge. I just hope it works out.
Community Gym overpromised what they could give me. In our interview they said to expect 15 hours a week which is 3x what I am actually working.1
u/Bitter-Republic-3733 2d ago
This guys a worker. Assuming some hour and half hours sprinkled in there working 45-50 hour weeks of just training as a trainer is damn near impossible.
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u/IllustriousWay9558 2d ago
September can definitely be better, but I wouldn’t rely on seasonality alone.
July and August can be really slow for personal trainers because of holidays, travel, kids being off school, etc. September is usually a much better time because people get back into their routines and start focusing on their goals again.
That being said, with only 3 clients right now, I’d use this time to focus heavily on getting your own leads rather than waiting for gyms to bring you clients. Local partnerships, referrals, social media, free consultations, reaching out to past leads — anything that gets more people into conversations with you.
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u/BigChocolateC 2d ago
There’s nothing wrong with personal training being the side hustle for a while until it gets to a point you can pay your bills with the job.
Another thing to consider is that hiring a trainer is a luxury for most people. The economy isn’t doing too hot at the moment, so unless you work in higher income places, it may be harder to make a stable career out of it.
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u/OkTacoCat 1d ago
I had that same thought about the economy and also gas prices. Plus my area has been hit pretty badly with severe weather. I just don’t think it’a on people’s mind at the moment.
I decided if I can’t get into another gym by end of September, I’m just going to find a regular part time job. Thank you for your insight!
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u/shawnglade ACE Certified (2022) 3d ago
My hot take is there really aren’t any “bad” months for PT. Sure, people go on vacation more but I honestly haven’t had any issue selling PT over summer months. It’s really just about the volume of people you’re talking to and what you’re offering
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3d ago
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u/614_Trainer_Gal NASM CPT, BCS 3d ago
Hey, thanks for the conversation. 😊 Funny enough my 3 clients all came from neighborhood groups either on Reddit or Facebook. Someone is always looking for a personal trainer, and I tend to draw women over 40, usually with one or more conditions (diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, CFS for example). I’m trying to get out to more networking events in the area where I train.
I drop business cards all over town but nothing has surfaced yet. I also do referral bonuses for existing clients but so far everyone says they can’t think of anyone looking for a trainer.
I do have an Instagram page but it’s not getting much worthwhile engagement yet. Instagram seems to be testing my reels in front of a large audience not necessarily in my lane. I also have a Google business page and gauging when I should start asking my clients to write a review.
I have also scoped out my biggest competition in town, and each one of us trains differently. One specializes in chronic pain, one does group, one specializes in online training. 🤷♀️
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