Today, millions of people are prioritizing their health and wellness more than ever before whether it’s for weight loss, muscle building, or just feeling good about themselves.
As a result, the personal fitness industry is on the rise, valued at $39.06 billion globally in 2023, and expected to reach $51.69 billion in 2028.
This shows no signs of slowing down. So, now is the perfect time for fitness enthusiasts to enter this lucrative market and turn their passion into a successful business venture.
However, it requires a well-thought-out business plan to guide every step of the way and set a strong foundation for long-term success.
Need help writing your plan? Worry not!
This personal trainer business plan template will help you get started and guide you on how to draft a solid plan for personal training services. But first, let’s understand…
Why do you need a personal trainer business plan?
A personal trainer business plan is a professional, living document that serves as a strategic roadmap for starting, managing, and growing your personal training services.
It’s essential for driving your business growth and achieving success in the fitness industry. Explore a few reasons why you need one:
1. Sets clear goals and objectives
Preparing a business plan helps you define your personal training business concept and set specific, measurable goals. This will provide clear direction and allow you to stay focused on what’s important for your business growth.
2. Attracts investors and secures funding
If you want to get external funding for starting or growing your personal training business, a professional business plan is integral. This is so because potential investors or lenders ask for a clear strategy that showcases your business’s financial viability and profitability.
3. Helps identify the target market
Knowing your target customers and their needs is essential for the success of your personal training business. Writing a business plan forces you to conduct thorough market research and analyze target demographic profiles to define ideal clients. Also, it helps you customize your services, and marketing plan to attract potential customers.
4. Analyzes risks and challenges
With the help of a business plan, you can evaluate potential challenges, like economic downturns, changes in fitness trends, or increased competition. Knowing these risks earlier lets you develop effective strategies to mitigate them, reducing their impact on your business.
With that said, let’s explore what to include in a personal training business plan and how to make it compelling for investors.
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How to write a personal training business plan?
Drafting a personal training business plan involves several key components to describe your business concept, goals, and strategies. Here’s a detailed guide on how to write each section in detail:
1. Executive summary
An executive summary would be your personal trainer business plan’s first section which helps you create a good impression on potential investors or partners.
Though it’s an introductory part, writing your plan summary would be more convenient at the end (after completing other sections). This is so because it summarizes all the important aspects of your business.
To plan this section, consider including the following:
- Your company’s name along with the location
- Business concept and its core values
- Market opportunities and potential clients
- Personal training services you’ll provide
- Sales and marketing plan
- Financial forecast for the first 3-5 years
Overall, this section presents a quick, high-level overview of your personal training business and captures readers’ interest. So, keep it short, simple, and compelling.
2. Business description
The business description section expands on the brief overview given in the executive summary and presents your personal training concept in detail.
Typically, it provides detailed information about your personal training business, including its foundational elements and business-specific facts that every financial backer needs to know.
So, while drafting this section, first outline the registered business name and type of personal training company you operate. It could be any kind—like in-home, mobile, online, or gym trainer. After that, highlight these points:
- Legal business structure (sole proprietorship, Limited Liability Company, or partnership)
- Vision and mission statement
- Business owners or founders
- A brief history and milestones achieved (if any)
- Short-term and long-term objectives
- Regulatory requirements and legal considerations
Simply put, this section offers an in-depth understanding of your personal training business as well as explains what it’s all about.
3. Market analysis
The market analysis section of your business plan provides valuable insights into the fitness industry as well as determines the demand for personal training services in your chosen area.
This will help you analyze the specific target market niche in which your personal training business intends to operate, the target customers you expect to serve, emerging market trends, and the competitive environment.
Hence, conduct thorough market research and answer the following questions to draft this section carefully:
- What’s the size of an international personal trainer’s market?
- How big is the fitness training industry in the USA? Is it growing or declining?
- What’s the growth forecast for the next decade?
- Who are your potential customers? (fitness enthusiastic, athletes or sports person, pre/post-natal women)
- Who are the primary competitors in the local market? What are their strengths, weaknesses, and pricing strategy?
- What are the recent trends in the personal training and fitness industry?
In addition to that, consider performing an effective SWOT analysis to explore the positive and negative aspects of personal training businesses. For example:
Doing so will help you easily identify the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats in the industry. Further, it lets you recognize the market gap and develop practical strategies for the future.
4. Products or service offerings
In this section, give a detailed explanation of your personal training services and related products.
This will help readers better understand what you offer to your clients and how you plan to meet their individual needs. So, clearly highlight your service offerings, along with their specifications and pricing structures.
Here’s a list of different types of services you might include in your PT business plan:
- Personal training sessions (online or face-to-face)
- Indoor and outdoor training sessions
- Nutrition consultations
- Group classes for fitness training (large and small group training)
- Specialized fitness programs (weight loss, post-rehabilitation, or athletic performance training)
If applicable, mention any unique offerings, such as speaking at fitness events, merchandising nutritional products or diet supplements, community involvement activities, and even selling workout guides or ebooks.
5. Marketing strategy
Developing solid sales and marketing strategies is essential if you want to establish a strong presence in a competitive industry.
This will help you streamline your marketing efforts and build effective promotional campaigns to reach your target audience. Also, it allows you to track return on investments while focusing on marketing costs.
For instance, you may consider the following strategies to attract clients:
- Employing social media marketing (via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X)
- Engaging in email marketing campaigns
- Advertising through word of mouth
- Distributing flyers or posters
- Building an SEO-friendly website
- Networking or partnering with local businesses
- Participating in fitness or community events
Moreover, describe your client retention strategies, such as special offers, loyalty programs, personalized training plans, or regular progress assessments. This will generate more bookings and maintain your brand identity.
In simple terms, your marketing strategies show potential funders that you keep a clear plan to grow your loyal customer base and ensure long-term success.
6. Operations plan
The operations plan section offers a clear picture of the day-to-day activities and procedures required for the smooth running of your PT business.
So, try to cover all your operational aspects, such as scheduling training sessions, managing records of old and new clients, handling cancellation policies, maintaining necessary equipment, billing, tracking client progress, following client safety procedures, cleaning the facility, etc.
Likewise, discuss the resources and staffing requirements to deliver your training services. It might involve hiring additional personal trainers, administrative staff members, or specialized instructors for group classes.
In short, outlining a comprehensive operations plan will help you achieve your business’s long-term goals and fulfill client commitments while ensuring exceptional results.
7. Management team
The management team section introduces the business owners, key managers, and their relevant skills and expertise.
It will help potential investors or stakeholders understand the key players in your business and how they work together to achieve long-term objectives.
So, consider highlighting the resume-styled summary of your key team members, such as the business owner, assistant manager, lead trainer, other personal trainers, marketing coordinator, etc.
Also, include their roles and responsibilities, educational qualifications, and industry experience that benefits your business growth.
Next, create an organizational chart with all the knowledge you’ve gathered to represent how your team is structured and how the key roles are interconnected. Here’s an example:
8. Financial projections
Creating realistic and accurate financial forecasts is the most crucial element of your personal trainer business plan. Why? Because it helps you attract investors or lenders while securing enough funding to launch your successful personal training business.
Generally, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the financial stability and viability of your PT business.
So, while framing your personal trainer financial plan, cover all the projected financial statements, detailed budget plans, and strategies to achieve financial goals within a few (3-5) years of operation.
Here’s a list of financial information and reports that you must incorporate:
- Initial startup expenses
- Revenue streams and forecasts
- Operating costs (like rent, equipment purchases, or any administrative fees)
- Cash flow estimates
- Income statement
- Balance sheet
- Break-even analysis
- Funding needs and use of funds
If applicable, mention your repayment plan for any loans or investments, including interest and timeline. Also, summarize sensitivity analyses for the different types of scenarios.
For an easy understanding, you may refer to the following key financial forecasts to formulate yours:
Income statement (profit and loss statement)
| Income Statement | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Personal Training Sessions | $60,000 | $72,000 | $86,400 |
| Group Training Sessions | $24,000 | $28,800 | $34,560 |
| Online Training Programs | $12,000 | $14,400 | $17,280 |
| Nutritional Coaching | $4,000 | $4,800 | $5,760 |
| Total Revenue | $100,000 | $120,000 | $144,000 |
| Expenses | |||
| Salaries and Wages | $30,000 | $36,000 | $43,200 |
| Rent | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Marketing and Advertising | $6,000 | $7,200 | $8,640 |
| Utilities and Internet | $3,000 | $3,600 | $3,600 |
| Equipment and Maintenance | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Total Expenses | $60,000 | $64,500 | $73,640 |
| Net Profit Before Tax | $40,000 | $55,500 | $70,360 |
| Income Tax (20%) | $8,000 | $11,100 | $14,072 |
| Net Profit After Tax | $32,000 | $44,400 | $56,288 |
Cash flow statement
| Cash Flow Statement | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Inflows | |||
| Cash from Operations | $100,000 | $120,000 | $144,000 |
| Total Cash Inflows | $100,000 | $120,000 | $144,000 |
| Cash Outflows | |||
| Operating Expenses | $60,000 | $64,500 | $73,640 |
| Equipment Purchase | $5,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Tax Payments | $8,000 | $11,100 | $14,072 |
| Total Cash Outflows | $73,000 | $77,600 | $89,712 |
| Net Cash Flow | $27,000 | $42,400 | $54,288 |
| Opening Cash Balance | $0 | $27,000 | $69,400 |
| Closing Cash Balance | $27,000 | $69,400 | $123,688 |
Balance sheet
| Balance Sheet | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | |||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents | $27,000 | $69,400 | $123,688 |
| Equipment (Net of Depreciation) | $4,000 | $3,200 | $2,560 |
| Total Assets | $31,000 | $72,600 | $126,248 |
| Liabilities | |||
| Accounts Payable | $3,000 | $4,500 | $5,500 |
| Total Liabilities | $3,000 | $4,500 | $5,500 |
| Equity | |||
| Retained Earnings | $28,000 | $68,100 | $120,748 |
| Total Equity | $28,000 | $68,100 | $120,748 |
| Total Liabilities and Equity | $31,000 | $72,600 | $126,248 |
9. Appendix
The appendix isn’t a mandatory section, but it helps you include additional information or supporting documents that don’t fit into specific sections. Here’s what you can add to your business plan appendix:
- Resumes of the key executive team members
- Necessary certifications and business licenses
- Sample marketing materials
- Client testimonials or case studies
- Financial statements for a tax return or credit history (if any)
- Safety policy details for your fitness business
By incorporating the above documents, you back up your claims and allow readers to clearly understand or validate your strategies outlined in the personal training business plan.
Download a personal trainer business plan template
So, ready to start writing your personal trainer business plan from scratch? But need more help? Well, look no further; download our personal trainer business plan template pdf to get started.
This investor-friendly business plan sample has been crafted specifically for personal training businesses. It comes with practical insights and examples that you may use as a guide for developing your own business plan including a thorough mission statement, marketing plan, and financial forecast.
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Conclusion
Now that you’ve got a clear understanding of how to draft a personal training business plan, it should be much easier for you to write a detailed plan.
But if you’re still confused or looking for an easy way to draft your plan, consider using modern business plan software like Upmetrics. It will help you create an effective personal trainer business plan quickly and more effectively.
So, why wait? Start planning today!
