One of the biggest problems personal trainers face is managing the cash flow of their personal training business…

One month you get £3,000 but then the next month £500! This is usually because people sign up for blocks of sessions, and not all blocks finish within the month…

For example some clients may buy 30 sessions and train 2x per week, in which case it will take 15 weeks to complete those sessions. Other clients may only buy a block of 10 sessions and train only 1x per week, meaning it will take 10 weeks to complete.

If you do this across the board it can create havoc with your cash flow and you never really know where you stand or how to manage your money.

Don’t worry i’ve been there done that and got the t-shirt! I know exactly what it’s like to live month to month and to not know when your next pay check will arrive!

Over the past 5 years of running my personal training business LEP Fitness I have learned some really valuable lessons and that’s why I started a blog for personal trainers and why I have written this post…

How to Manage the cash flow of your personal training business…

#1 Set Up A Client Standing Order System 

One way of having a consistent cash flow is to get clients to set up a standing order each month (a bit like a gym membership!) so that they commit to a certain amount of sessions. This is good for both you and client because…

1. It’s financially easier for most clients to afford (rather than shelling out a large lump sum for 30 sessions!)
2. Good for you because you have a monthly salary

You can get clients to set up a standing order to come out on the 1st of each month. Here’s what I’d recommend….

Figure out the number of sessions they do each week then times it by 52 weeks of the year and then divide by 12 months.

E.g. Amy trains 2x per week (£100) x 52 weeks of the year (£5200) divided by 12 months = £433 for monthly sessions.

When you start working with a new client you could also ask for a deposit which is to get them to commit to X amount of months. Say your minimum commitment is 12 weeks (3 months).

This is  a really good way of managing cash flow and it’s also good for most clients as they don’t have to spend thousands on large blocks of sessions and can spread the cost + they can time payment so it coincides with pay days, etc.

#2 Start A Reserve Bank Account

Something i’ve done for years is put money away each month as a cash reserve, should anything happen to me or the business. I know it’s hard to do, especially when starting out and when you don’t have enough extra money to put away!

But when you do, make-sure you try and put away 10% of your earnings into a back up savings account. Over the years this will add up and give you reassurance that you have a pot of money to fall back on.

I was always advised by my business coaches and mentors to have 6 months back up money in a reserve account. Once you’ve built this pot up, don’t touch it unless you need it for living costs.

Let’s say you earn £30,000 per year as a personal trainer and put away 10% of that (£3,000) and do that for the next 5 years, then you’ll have saved £15,000!

Having this back up gives you confidence and a safety parachute to fall back on should a negative situation occur.

#3 Business Tracking 

Do you know the exact amount of sessions you did last month? and how much you made from sessions?

If not then you need to start logging your numbers, just like i’m sure most of you do in the weights room.

Each month I’d recommend tracking the following…

• The monthly turnover of your business
• How many sessions you’ve delivered
• Profit and loss of business (i.e. what you’ve made, against what you’ve spent)

Then over the course of the year keep tracking the above, put them into a table and it will give you a good indication of how well you are doing each month and what your overall results will likely look like over the year.

With this you then know where you are month to month and can adapt your business plan/strategy where necessary.

Summary….

In a nutshell…

1. Start a Client Standing Order System
2. Set up a Reserve Savings Account
3. Meticulously Track and Analyse your Business Numbers

I can guarantee that as long as you are providing an excellent service, looking after your clients and doing the 3 things above that you will never have issues with cash flow again.

Thanks for reading, if you are a personal trainer and want more help with your business please check out this section of my site – it’s designed to help you and it’s totally free 🙂

Nick