How Do I Scale My Personal Training Business Significantly?

[ZCP]

@JLE actually messaged me. nice work.

post #60 from you ..... you are totally missing it ...... you need clients. THEY will get you more clients. YOU don't know what you need (or you would have already done it!) ... get clients.

 

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[ZCP]

so i asked @JLE if i could post my dm back to him ..... i have a long day of meetings and won't be back to this for a while, so i'll go ahead and post it to help others and can take it down if he asks me to......

----
like it. am glad you dm'd me. was concerned you might ghost when called to the carpet.

i do this a lot. help people get started. so if cool with you, i'll do my standard routine of being the 'customer' AND your advisor / critic / accountability partner. that work? you in? are you really in?

just like you told me, you get what you put in!
i can lead you to water.....

suggest you focus on the value equation

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MHQr-Z17Hc&t=1s

let's look at the 4 components

right now, your questions your sent should help determine my dream outcome

i would have a huge fear of 'can he help me' ... so i suggest you map out the rough schedule / tools / things we will do in what order to help achieve my 90 day outcome. CLEARLY walk me through the journey before i've even started.

for time, your clear plan would show me that 90 days WILL produce a result AND if you had me do 'something' today, i would already be going and involved

you've made clear the gym effort needed, the question is how to reduce the other effort. could you use the apps my former trainer used? is there an easier way to log food for instance? could you setup 'simple' guidelines to make this easier so that the 'gym effort' is the ONLY hard part?

hope that helps.
i will wait to get started until you CLEARLY show me the plan.
remove the friction and help your customer get started

 

[JLE]

so i asked @JLE if i could post my dm back to him ..... i have a long day of meetings and won't be back to this for a while, so i'll go ahead and post it to help others and can take it down if he asks me to......

----
like it. am glad you dm'd me. was concerned you might ghost when called to the carpet.

i do this a lot. help people get started. so if cool with you, i'll do my standard routine of being the 'customer' AND your advisor / critic / accountability partner. that work? you in? are you really in?

just like you told me, you get what you put in!
i can lead you to water.....

suggest you focus on the value equation

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MHQr-Z17Hc&t=1s

let's look at the 4 components

right now, your questions your sent should help determine my dream outcome

i would have a huge fear of 'can he help me' ... so i suggest you map out the rough schedule / tools / things we will do in what order to help achieve my 90 day outcome. CLEARLY walk me through the journey before i've even started.

for time, your clear plan would show me that 90 days WILL produce a result AND if you had me do 'something' today, i would already be going and involved

you've made clear the gym effort needed, the question is how to reduce the other effort. could you use the apps my former trainer used? is there an easier way to log food for instance? could you setup 'simple' guidelines to make this easier so that the 'gym effort' is the ONLY hard part?

hope that helps.
i will wait to get started until you CLEARLY show me the plan.
remove the friction and help your customer get started

Interestingly enough, I finished watching an hour long presentation by Hormozi on Social Media Marketing only to come to the forum and notice your reply sharing another bit of content by him.

I watched the video you've shared and am more than happy for you to act as an on-going advisor to me with regards to business; additionally, feel free to keep this public, all I ask is that you keep my name and contact information confidential.

-----

Pertaining to the video, specifically effort and sacrifice: I can get you to your fitness goals (whatever they may be as you haven't mentioned them yet) but I need you to have realistic expectations. The questionnaire is important as it lets me know how serious you are about your goals and whether you intend on competing in a physique competition or whether you simply wish to look better for the upcoming summer. Your goals dictate your necessary effort output.

The main takeaway that I've gathered from this video is that maybe I can send out a questionnaire after payment rather than before as it reduces the time spent prior to making a sale. It would be better to have a landing page that says something along the lines of "Get your dream physique" whilst showcasing that I'm in great shape as a bodybuilder, showcasing a few physique transformations and testimonials from previous clients, and then putting a 1-click call-to-action for immediate checkout of my recurring $200 coaching package.

If this isn't how you interpreted this please do give me some clarity on what you intended.

I realistically see no way of offering amazing results with reduced time or effort investment. But again, it's dependent on what sort of goal you have going in.

 

[N.S.]

@JLE - thanks for your post (#60), I can see you want this badly - that's a good start.

@ZCP is spot on here:

@JLE actually messaged me. nice work.

post #60 from you ..... you are totally missing it ...... you need clients. THEY will get you more clients. YOU don't know what you need (or you would have already done it!) ... get clients.

You got a couple of clients now - do a great job, get testimonials, use that to get more clients.

Sounds like you need to work on your sales muscle.

In my opinion that is the number one thing that stops "technical experts" - and I put you in that category because I sure as hell don't know how to train someone even though I train myself pretty well - is their lack of sales skill.

Here's the good news....

It's a SKILL. It is totally learnable. That is frickin' EXCITING!

Here's a book that helped me a LOT when I got started learning to sell (20 years ago):

Joe Girard - How to Sell Anything to Anybody

Recently I've heard good things about Fanatical Prospecting, but I have not read it yet.

Good luck, you got this

 

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[N.S.]

The main takeaway that I've gathered from this video is that maybe I can send out a questionnaire after payment rather than before as it reduces the time spent prior to making a sale.

I like this idea specifically (questionnaire after payment). You can signpost that it's part of the process (creates value in mind of the RIGHT customer - you need clients who are going to make the effort and do the work, so if they are put off by this step it's a good sign that you don't want them, especially when you're starting out).

I have had two expensive trainers before - best of the best here in London, paying £100/hour to one JUST for training, and £4000 to another for a program. In fact you can look up the second one and get some clues, look at what they do -how they build their value stack etc: World Leading Personal Trainers | Ultimate Performance

Anyway, both started with questionnaires straight after payment and then a consultation to go over my answers. It gave them the tools to know what I need, and it created the idea in me that by doing a questionnaire and follow up they were invested in my success.

Keep it simple to start with, get the basics and over time you'll figure out what you need.

 

[Spenny]

The problem here is: I need a different way to get clients. I don't think friends/family are a viable route.

Why not? Have you tried?

 

[JLE]

Why not? Have you tried?

Not a pretty answer for this but: my entire social life consists of my dog and my wife.

I rarely speak with my family and I don't keep friends really, haven't since middle-school. The only other people I speak with on a frequent basis are those I'm employed with and it's strictly professional.

 

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[N.S.]

Not a pretty answer for this but: my entire social life consists of my dog and my wife.

I rarely speak with my family and I don't keep friends really, haven't since middle-school. The only other people I speak with on a frequent basis are those I'm employed with and it's strictly professional.

Sorry to hear. You'll definitely build your network through this venture.

Just make sure you don't train your wife! There's a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one

 

[Spenny]

Not a pretty answer for this but: my entire social life consists of my dog and my wife.

That's ok man. I read a thread from @Johnny boy talking about how he got out having no social life. Perhaps he could give some insight?

 

[JLE]

Sorry to hear. You'll definitely build your network through this venture.

Just make sure you don't train your wife! There's a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one

Aha, yeah we're polar opposites. Don't think she's interested in the fitness lifestyle I lead but she's more than supportive.

That's ok man. I read a thread from @Johnny boy talking about how he got out having no social life. Perhaps he could give some insight?

I wasn't trying to be a downer about the topic as I'm not depressed by any means. I find myself too busy to add a consistent in-person friendship to my life.

I work 7 days a week in the slowlane, lift and do cardio very often, walk as a form of transportation, meal prep and do housechores, don't drink, and I spend time with my wife and dog. Trying to find and maintain a regular friendship alongside all of that seems more burdensome than enjoyable. I don't hate anyone and I know friends are generally considered a prerequisite for happiness but I honestly don't have the time nor the interest.

 

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[ZCP]

i will wait to get started until you CLEARLY show me the plan.
remove the friction and help your customer get started

@JLE i see where you replied in this thread. i did not see where you answered your customer's question / fear / thing holding them back.

you've sent me a message saying 'hey, you get what you put in. answer these 15 questions and send pics'.
you need to onboard your customer better ...... follow the value equation and give me a clear onboarding.

what do i do? by when?
what happens next?
how will this look? what is the expectation (specifically on me)?

show me you've got me and understand me and have been there and have a method that works.

make sense?
--------
@JLE let's play it out here. at some point, if you get into proprietary methods / systems, we might want to go dm or move to the INSIDERS for that part. right now, you need to work out your customer onboarding and communicate the clear product and ability / method / actions / schedule to achieve results..... groovy?

 

[JLE]

@JLE i see where you replied in this thread. i did not see where you answered your customer's question / fear / thing holding them back.

you've sent me a message saying 'hey, you get what you put in. answer these 15 questions and send pics'.
you need to onboard your customer better ...... follow the value equation and give me a clear onboarding.

what do i do? by when?
what happens next?
how will this look? what is the expectation (specifically on me)?

show me you've got me and understand me and have been there and have a method that works.

make sense?
--------
@JLE let's play it out here. at some point, if you get into proprietary methods / systems, we might want to go dm or move to the INSIDERS for that part. right now, you need to work out your customer onboarding and communicate the clear product and ability / method / actions / schedule to achieve results..... groovy?

My apologies for being slow but I will admit I'm a bit confused.

I think the only way to prevent my customer's fear and from anything holding them back would be to: show that I'm in-shape and to have previous testimonials of successful clients. I don't presently have the latter but I do have the former.

My value equation could maybe be something like:
I guarantee you will lose bodyfat and gain muscle in 90 days or your money back (hard to make any more specific of a promise without seeing how you look/train/having the questionnaire complete).

What you do is respond with a complete questionnaire and present body composition pictures as soon as possible. I'll likely ask some follow up questions for additional clarity. Then once clarified and the pictures are sent I will send you over your diet/training/supplementation routine for the week. You're expected to follow the routine perfectly and are not permitted to deviate from the plan; the guarantee and hopes for recompensation are nullified if I'm to discover that you've failed or deviated from the plan without my authorization.

We'll continue this process with weekly check-in photos and diet/training/supplementation adjustments until the end of the 90-day period and accomplishment of your fitness goal(s).

-----------------------------------------------------

If that's not what you were picturing, do provide me a better idea of what you meant. I'm grateful for the help you're giving me.

Cheers.

 

[ZCP]

our engineering customers get a clear proposal with scope/cost/schedule.
then we do an onboarding call where we talk them through how the job will go.... we will ask a lot of questions, to the point where wonder if we know what we are doing, we are working to understand your product. then we will do a bunch of math and science and get back to you within x days with our findings. (might take a day / week depending on the project size) from their we will help you update your drawing, then final review and stamp and send you electronic files. then we will ask you for more work.

that's clear as our customer, right?

------------------------------------------
i had a prior trainer .... they said
1. you will answer a bunch questions
2. the next tuesday i will get on a call with you and clarify your answers
3. then i will put together a training plan and you will get started. you will use ____ app to track your progress. videos and explanations of exercises will be in there.
4. then i will go through all the lab tests you sent me and put together a nutrition plan. that will take 2 weeks or so and again we'll do a call to clarify and answer your questions
5. i will then get that plan to your admin and she can get food bought for you

your typical week will look like this:
- drink __ water each day
- in the morning, weigh in, take a pic, rate how you feel, upload to the app
- you'll have your training days and your walking days typically __ days a week
- i'll peak in and send you hints and scoldings weekly
- once a month we will do a call and talk through it all and plan the next month

it will cost you ____. i'll keep a card on file and auto bill you at the start of each month. if at any point you aren't satisfied, you get all your money back.

appreciate you greatly!!

-----------------
now, how do you think that went?
now get to work @JLE ... onboard your customer. make it clear the steps and what is next.

 

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[ZackerySprague]

1. Create Online Course -> Creates First-Order Specialized-Unit.
2. Run Traffic to it.

Use SCALE variable from the Wealth Equation. Net Profit = Unit's Sold x Unit Profit. Scale is for the Unit's Sold variable.

 

[Spenny]

You're expected to follow the routine perfectly

This is maybe flawed because we are humans. Plus, this is a very specific type of person to be extremely determined to get to these goals & is certainly a niche. Once people break one thing, they relapse because willpower is fickle.

Perhaps this is your specific type of customer, following a plan to a T, but lots of people who are looking to get started in body building have bad basic habits. Simple stuff, perhaps a semi-alcohol addition, sugar addiction, overeating problem. Going cold turkey from that is extremely hard and doesnt form long term success. Believe me, I've tried.

Just thought of this now, maybe you could do a challenge with clients in "if you reach "x" in three months, you'll get half of what you paid back"? People love a challenge.

 

[JLE]

This is maybe flawed because we are humans. Plus, this is a very specific type of person to be extremely determined to get to these goals & is certainly a niche. Once people break one thing, they relapse because willpower is fickle.

Perhaps this is your specific type of customer, following a plan to a T, but lots of people who are looking to get started in body building have bad basic habits. Simple stuff, perhaps a semi-alcohol addition, sugar addiction, overeating problem. Going cold turkey from that is extremely hard and doesnt form long term success. Believe me, I've tried.

Just thought of this now, maybe you could do a challenge with clients in "if you reach "x" in three months, you'll get half of what you paid back"? People love a challenge.

That statement was based on the video that ZCP shared. I was meant to make a guarantee of some sort to eliminate any fear a potential customer would have with me and get them to sign-up with minimal hesitation.

The full sentence delineates the guarantee: You're expected to follow the routine perfectly and are not permitted to deviate from the plan; the guarantee and hopes for recompensation are nullified if I'm to discover that you've failed or deviated from the plan without my authorization.

Basically, if they failed (which most humans would in some way) then I wouldn't provide the 100% money back guarantee on their coaching.

 

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[JLE]

i had a prior trainer .... they said
1. you will answer a bunch questions
2. the next tuesday i will get on a call with you and clarify your answers
3. then i will put together a training plan and you will get started. you will use ____ app to track your progress. videos and explanations of exercises will be in there.
4. then i will go through all the lab tests you sent me and put together a nutrition plan. that will take 2 weeks or so and again we'll do a call to clarify and answer your questions
5. i will then get that plan to your admin and she can get food bought for you

your typical week will look like this:
- drink __ water each day
- in the morning, weigh in, take a pic, rate how you feel, upload to the app
- you'll have your training days and your walking days typically __ days a week
- i'll peak in and send you hints and scoldings weekly
- once a month we will do a call and talk through it all and plan the next month

it will cost you ____. i'll keep a card on file and auto bill you at the start of each month. if at any point you aren't satisfied, you get all your money back.

appreciate you greatly!!

Sincerely not trying to be difficult here, but I'm struggling to understand what I've done wrong. Was the value equation I provided below not elaborate enough? Is that what you're saying?

My value equation could maybe be something like:
I guarantee you will lose bodyfat and gain muscle in 90 days or your money back (hard to make any more specific of a promise without seeing how you look/train/having the questionnaire complete).

What you do is respond with a complete questionnaire and present body composition pictures as soon as possible. I'll likely ask some follow up questions for additional clarity. Then once clarified and the pictures are sent I will send you over your diet/training/supplementation routine for the week. You're expected to follow the routine perfectly and are not permitted to deviate from the plan; the guarantee and hopes for recompensation are nullified if I'm to discover that you've failed or deviated from the plan without my authorization.

We'll continue this process with weekly check-in photos and diet/training/supplementation adjustments until the end of the 90-day period and accomplishment of your fitness goal(s).

No hard feelings about any of this. But I am struggling to understand what you're asking of me.

 

[ZCP]

we should do a call ... i'll dm you to setup

the short of it:
i as the customer have NO idea what i will be getting.
hasn't been described, don't know how it will work
i'm a super busy entrepreneur and impact person ... how will it fit into my schedule / day / be easy for me
i'm also an engineer, i want to see 'how' it will operate mechanically
you've sent me some questions to answer and told me i have to work hard

what is my time committment?
what is the flow / schedule / standard week?
how does it impact my life?

all are fears your customer has .... you are spending more time worried about what YOU did wrong than looking at things from a customer's point of view

 

[ZCP]

i know you're struggling. you don't know what you are doing. and that is OK

 

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[Andy Black]

Have you tried this to get clients?

HOT! - When your back's against the wall...

When your back's against the wall... Someone gave me this advice a few years ago and it's got me out of a bind quite a few times since. On one occasion I was 2 days away from our mortgage payment and looking at an empty warchest. This advice helped. The advice? Start sending hand crafted...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Also, I think some of the posts in this might help:

GOLD! - HOT! - MARKETING - Andy's Inbound/Sales Braindump

I was asked this a while ago: If you were to start your business from scratch, how would you approach prospecting? Given that you don't cold call. And you don't know many people in the business world to "spend your money on diesel and coffee" with. And you've already reached out to your friends...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

[ZCP]

@JLE and I have a call scheduled Wed

in the meantime, what are two things @JLE should be proud of so far?

 

[PapaGang]

I don't wish to turn my personal training services into an e-book. I'm fine with sacrificing my time.

However, how can I market myself efficiently in order to attract clients for personal training services both online + offline?

I'm a Certified Personal Trainer living in the middle of Ontario and an aspiring competitive heavyweight bodybuilder.

I'm presently getting business cards printed.

Any advice?

Look at the strategy Gary Vee employs, and do that.

In short: contextual creative, deployed at scale, in undervalued places.
Right now that would be LinkedIn and Tik Tok. I would propose LinkedIn because there are plenty of executives and professionals who would love to get in shape and have the $$ to pay someone.

In your case, maybe a series of boosted LinkedIn posts (video / images) detailing the stories of people you have helped (I've been working with Bob the past year and he has lost 40 pounds using my system. Anyone over 40 who is looking for a healthier way to live can do it. Visit my site and get started on your program today). Something like that. Whatever your specialty is. Don't have a client story? Then start with a series of tips, routines, and educational info that only someone like you could have.

Need ideas?

I don't know how intermittent fasting works.
I don't know how much protein I should be taking daily to build mass.
I don't know how long to rest my muscles after working on a specific group
I don't know how many calories I need daily to lose 10 pounds while adding 10 of muscle.
In fact, how do you start that, do you lose the fat first and then build? Do both at the same time?
If you're older, should you use free weights or resistance bands?
Tom Brady and Mark Wahlberg have very different ways of training. What are the differences? Why would someone choose one over the other?



Boost that post, targeted to managers/executives living within 30 miles of your location. Now do those posts twice a week for the next year.

If you are selling online training, then you can widen the geographic target on your LinkedIn posts.
Rinse, tweak and repeat. You have a phone and the ability to connect with 300 million people. Use that power of social to broadcast your message everywhere, especially in places where it is cheap, be sure to remember that you need to provide value in those posts. This is key.

 

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[PapaGang]

Questions:

What resources do you have available right now? A social media following? Some emails? Friends and family asking for personal training? A local gym you go to? Are you working at a gym already? Are you a part of a club or group of people somewhere?

Simple ideas:

• Start with your circle. Tell friends and family you are starting a personal training business and see if anyone would want training.
• Find a professional place. If you are serious about being a full-time personal trainer... it makes sense to work at a gym. They will provide you with leads and a place to train for a cut of your sessions (like everywhere else). It's still your business... and you have to treat it that way... but consider it lead generation.
• Ask for 3 referrals from everyone you speak to. Whether they become a client or not.

Advanced ideas:

• Run targeted FB ads to people who follow other bodybuilders (or yourself) "wanna train with me!?"
• 2-Step FB Organic Posts. "here's how I train, here's how I eat, etc." and then "If you'd like my workout routine, comment "routine" below and I'll DM you. Start a meaningful conversation and ask the right questions to turn into a sales conversation.
• Swipe Up Instagram Ads. If you have enough followers, do consistent story posts with the offer. You'll need a cheap landing page of course but that's not so hard to piece together.

Welp, here I go again writing a "helpful" reply, and after I finish, I scroll up and see you beat me to it

 

[JLE]

@JLE and I have a call scheduled Wed

in the meantime, what are two things @JLE should be proud of so far?

I'll reserve my answers for our call on Wednesday. Don't wish to use-up everything potentially discussed before the call takes place.

Thank you again for doing this, and I'll cut the crap with the sad sack routine. I'm very ambitious despite the juxtaposition of my accomplishments.

Cheers.

 

[ZCP]

yep, language and identity. you are an accomplishing a$$ kicker of amazing knowledge that helps people get better.
write it down on a post it note and put it on the mirror.

 

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[Andy Black]

Have you tried this to get clients?

HOT! - When your back's against the wall...

When your back's against the wall... Someone gave me this advice a few years ago and it's got me out of a bind quite a few times since. On one occasion I was 2 days away from our mortgage payment and looking at an empty warchest. This advice helped. The advice? Start sending hand crafted...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Also, I think some of the posts in this might help:

GOLD! - HOT! - MARKETING - Andy's Inbound/Sales Braindump

I was asked this a while ago: If you were to start your business from scratch, how would you approach prospecting? Given that you don't cold call. And you don't know many people in the business world to "spend your money on diesel and coffee" with. And you've already reached out to your friends...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Curious if you read any of this @JLE.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Welp, here I go again writing a "helpful" reply, and after I finish, I scroll up and see you beat me to it

And yet it gets blown right by

Hopefully, @ZCP will set him right!

 

[JLE]

Curious if you read any of this @JLE.

Hi Andy,

Finished reading through it all.

I fortunately already have random guys asking me for advice in my local gym about training and supplementation. They aren't aware that I'd eventually like to make a career out of this, and I'm completely convinced that they wouldn't want to hire me, but I naturally already fall into the "bodybuilding-and-fitness-guy" role and my input is sought after without deliberately advertising myself.

I really do think I should begin building an online presence as a bodybuilder and simply being helpful. I believe inbound marketing could work in my favor on a much larger scale were I actually putting myself out there. I'm not desperate to have this goal explode with income anytime soon and can happily play the long game as I'm not in it for the money to begin with.

I see that your major recommendation is emailing warm leads, but what do you think about cold email? I personally find the idea of cold prospects far more appealing, especially considering that I don't actually have that many warm leads nor their personal email.

Cheers.

 

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[Andy Black]

I'm completely convinced that they wouldn't want to hire me

Sounds like a limiting belief to me.

If you're a serious gym-goer (aka big/ripped/hard-core/expert/whatever) I presumed you were already getting asked by people down the gym for advice.

Are you convinced they wouldn't hire you because they said, or are you guessing?

I'm convinced some would.

I see that your major recommendation is emailing warm leads,

My major recommendation for getting started is to ask everyone you *already* know if they know someone who'd need your help. And to let everyone know what you're doing.

It does NOT have to be by email.

It could be by posting on social media. See "Just Start Already" in my signature.

It could be by helping people in offline and offline communities you're already in (such as your gym, or Facebook groups, this forum, etc). See "Who have you helped?" in my signature.


I agree that starting a social media presence will be helpful in the short and long run.

Your online personal brand typically brings leads and business initially by being something for people to check out (after you've already spoke to them, or someone's referred them to you). Getting cold inbound leads from publishing content is an effective but later step and skill to acquire imo.

I think you could clients much quicker doing the following:

1) Help people.
2) Be seen helping people.
3) Be seen helping people by the community owner.
4) Get invited to help the community by the community owner.

I was in a large Facebook group of business owners in Ireland. I bounced around helping people. The group owner spotted it and reached out to me. Then she asked me to do a workshop for the paid members of the group. Tada. I had a few conversations and picked up a few clients (albeit poor fit clients), AND I recorded a workshop I could use on my own website and YouTube channel. The kicker? I wasn't in the group looking for clients. I just wanted to be in a group of Irish business owners (since I live in Ireland).

If you're down the gym helping people and seen helping people do you think that might bring clients? It would probably get seen by the gym owner so you may need to be approach them first or after a bit. As with all communities, use manners and good etiquette.

 

[JLE]

If you're down the gym helping people and seen helping people do you think that might bring clients? It would probably get seen by the gym owner so you may need to be approach them first or after a bit. As with all communities, use manners and good etiquette.

Amusingly enough even one of the personal trainers has complimented me at the gym I frequent and seems not to object to the advice I publicly give. I know the gym manager recognizes me too as I no longer get carded upon entry since I'm there so regularly. I'm completely convinced they'd grant me a few hours as a personal trainer were I to ask for employment there but I don't believe they would allow competition in their place of business.

That being said, maybe you're right about the people I help being willing to hire me. It may be my limiting belief as it's not an unreasonable thought.

My major recommendation for getting started is to ask everyone you *already* know if they know someone who'd need your help. And to let everyone know what you're doing.

It does NOT have to be by email.

You're right, I misinterpreted your post originally.

I know this is going to seem like an excuse, but if I don't have any warm leads, what would be your next recommendation? I feel as if I don't have any warm leads.

Join online/offline communities and be helpful? Start a social media? Cold email?