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Starting a Personal Training Business from Home: OriGym Guide

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Starting a personal training business from home may seem like a daunting and overwhelming task. 

Luckily we’ve designed this complete guide to tell you everything you’ll need to know to start your business legally and successfully!

In this article we’ll cover:

Before we start, completing a Diploma in Personal Training will provide you with all the necessary qualifications and practical skills you’ll need to go ahead and start your own business.

You can find out more details about this and all of our courses for personal trainers by downloading our free full course prospectus here.

 

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What Do You Need to Start a Home Personal Training Business?

There’s lots of different things you’ll need to secure before you launch your home pt business to protect yourself and your clients. We’ll look at these in detail now!

You Need to Be Qualified to Start a Home PT Businesscertificate starting a personal training business from home graphic

Before you can start a personal training business from home, there are two essential qualifications you will need. Those are:

If you don’t already have either of these qualifications, a personal training diploma covers both of these courses and is the most time and cost-effective way to get qualified.

Our personal trainer qualification will give you all of the practical skills you’ll need to be able to work one-on-one with clients and design a bespoke fitness programme for them.

All of our courses are accredited with CIMSPA and all graduates will have 10 CIMSPA points upon graduating which equates to a year of registration.

CIMSPA stands for ‘The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity’ and, as we touched on earlier, is a professional development body that acts as an accreditor of courses and people in the fitness industry. 

cimspa starting a personal training business from home graphic

Essentially when you complete a CIMSPA accredited course, you can say you’re up to the high industry standards that CIMSPA sets. 

Choosing a CIMSPA accredited course shows your learning and qualification is of the highest standard to the client.

You’ll also graduate with unparalleled post-course support which will secure discounts and offers for:

  • Personal trainer software
  • Personal training insurance
  • Web design and marketing services

This support to promote your services will be vital for your marketing when starting a personal training business from home. 

This will help you come up with the best personal trainer marketing strategies so that you can communicate your niche and stand out to potential clients!

Level 5 Personal Trainer Qualifications

qualified how to start a personal training business from home graphic

Further qualifications you should invest in are Level 4 master courses such as diet and nutrition courses and a Level 5 obesity course.

Level 4 is the highest level of industry recognition and will put you in the top 10% of personal trainers in the country in terms of expertise and certification. 

This makes you much more attractive to potential clients and much more trustworthy as you will be able to market yourself as a master personal trainer and an expert in a particular area.

For example, though a Level 3 personal trainer course will provide you with a foundational understanding of food nutrition, a Level 4 in sports nutrition will mean you’re more qualified to design specific diet plans for clients.

A sports nutritionist course like ours will also help you cater to a wider range of clients as you will learn how to support training with nutrition.

For example, as well as helping clients lose weight, maintain weight loss, or build muscle with a nutrition plan, you can also recommend ways of using nutrition to hit new personal bests or train people towards specific goals.

If you’re able to offer support for particular competitions or goals, you can attract clients working towards special events such as marathons, giving you impressive clients for your PT testimonials.

With a Level 4 obesity and weight management course you can advertise yourself as a weight loss specialist and will attract people with this goal.

As you will already know, this is one of the most popular goals and people will be much more likely to come to somebody qualified in this particular area!

Ultimately, making yourself more of a specialist will mean people are more likely to trust you and your services. 

CPD Fitness Courses

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CPD stands for ‘Continued Professional Development’. These are another way you can advance your theoretical and practical knowledge to develop a niche for a personal training business out of your home. 

Some of the CPD courses that will help boost your in-home personal training business include:

All of these will help develop your expertise and mean you can cater to a specific audience.

For example, by completing a boxing CPD, you’d learn how to incorporate boxing training techniques into your sessions, which would allow you to help clients achieve a range of goals such as becoming lean, building muscle, or losing weight. 

Most importantly, offering a slightly different style of training to that of a standard PT would also give you an edge over your competition.

Completing our business CPD will advance your industry knowledge as well as help you to set up some of the key components for running a personal training business from home. 

 

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Develop your expertise with our Level 5 personal trainer courses

This course will teach you about:

  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • GDPR
  • Advertising

Completing a course like this will mean you’re combining your PT skills with the expertise to promote yourself and get as many clients as possible!

Get Registered with CIMSPA When You’re Starting a Personal Training Business from Homecimspa starting a personal training business from home 2 graphic

The most important thing with CIMSPA is that you choose an accredited qualification so you can advertise yourself as having the highest industry standards!

However, staying registered with CIMSPA after graduating gives you plenty of benefits for your career.

You’ll have a verified online profile which you can share with employers and customers to show them your reputable history in the industry.

CIMSPA registration can run either by paying membership or by a points system which you can get by completing certain courses.

For example, our own personal trainer courses give graduates 10 CIMSPA points which works out as a year’s registration. 

After that, after five years, you have to continue to do CPD courses in order to keep your registration, showing you’re dedicated to continuing your industry skills.

You’ll Need to Get Permission if You’re Starting a Personal Training Business from Home

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Whether you’re starting a personal training business from your home, or building a specific space within or outside the building, you’ll need to ensure you have the right permission to do so.

This will be the case whether you’re renting or own the property so it’s important to remember you’ll need to check with your mortgage provider or landlord before building a home gym and starting a personal training business from home. 

If you rent the property you’ll need to ask ‘can I run a personal training business from home’ and get permission in writing. 

If you own the home, your mortgage agreement paperwork should have information about this but, you should still check with your mortgage provider before spending any money.

If you’re starting a personal training business from home and building an extension, you’ll need planning permission from the local planning office to do so, depending on the size.

extension starting a personal training business from home image

The planning office is a branch of local government and part of the council. You can contact them to request permission and check the requirements.

This will be related to the height of the extension and its proximity to the house so this also applies if you’re planning to build a separate space in your garden. 

Other factors that will affect whether you get the go ahead for starting a personal training business from home include whether there’s a chance of noise disturbance. 

For example: 

  • Will people be coming and going at unsociable hours?
  • The volume of the music you’ll be playing for classes or sessions
  • Any other noises such as those caused by equipment

You’ll also need to consider if changes need to be made to outside the house to accommodate for parking.

All of this means that if you’re starting a home based personal training business you’ll need to check with your local authorities, landlord, or bank and building society to be sure of your permissions.

You Need to Get Insured When Starting a Personal Training Business from Homeinsurance starting a personal training business from home graphic

Anybody practising as a personal trainer, whether that’s freelance, in a gym, or personal training in your home, needs to have insurance

Personal trainer insurance is a legal requirement that protects you from a variety of situations where legal costs incur or a situation leads to a loss of earnings.

As a bare minimum PTs need to get public liability insurance. This protects you from, specifically, claims relating to injury due to negligence or the equipment.

However, you’ll need to invest in several kinds of insurance, usually offered as part of a package by providers such as Insure4Sport, to be protected in all circumstances.

Professional Indemnity Insurance 

This is the other main kind of insurance which covers you in the event of illness or injury to your clients during sessions.

This protects you if a client makes a claim due to injury caused by negligence or bad advice. For instance, somebody may make a claim because they’ve injured their spine doing deadlifts.

In the event they claim compensation professional indemnity insurance will protect you from having to pay.

Sport Equipment Insurance 

This will protect your equipment so you don’t have to foot the bill should they get lost, damaged or stolen.

You don’t have to list all of the equipment when you apply. Usually you will choose the amount of cover rather than the items you want covered.

This means with some insurers you can have your work laptop or other pieces of office equipment covered under the policy.

 

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Develop your expertise with our Level 5 personal trainer courses

Personal Accident Cover 

This kind of insurance protects you from any injury and helps to pay for any treatment such as dental or physiotherapy, or compensation should more serious incidents occur leading to permanent disablement. 

Loss of Earnings 

Loss of earnings insurance cover does just that! It protects you from money lost when you can’t work due to injury or illness and helps support you until you can get back to training.

You can be covered for a range of different times with some insurance covering you for up to a year.

This means even if you can’t work for a year you’ll be able to maintain your business and your income whilst you’re getting better.

You can often pay for different packages and different amounts per month depending on your finances and the kind of cover you need.

Garda Vetting

In order to protect yourself and your clients further you should also get an up to date Garda vetting.

This looks at your criminal record for any convictions or cautions to determine whether you’re safe to work with certain members of the public, especially those who are vulnerable.

Though this is most essential when working with vulnerable adults and children, it's still safer and better to get one so that you can work with everybody who's interested in your services!

If you want to know how to start a personal training business from home that clients can trust, this will act as a comfort to clients that you’re safe to work with.

As you can see below, getting this vetting will allow you to capitalise on a niche, like this studio has done appealing to people who want to bring their babies to personal training sessions:

garda vetting starting a personal training business from home image

You can offer a variety of sessions and appeal to some populations not commonly catered for by other studios and trainers.

This will make people feel even more at ease with your services and more comfortable in the private environment of a home pt business.

You’ll Need a First Aid Qualification and Supplies for Starting a Personal Training Business at Homefirst aid starting a personal training business from home graphic

If you want to know how to start an in-home personal training business, the next step is ensuring you have a first aid qualification and the right equipment.

Most personal training jobs will want trainers and instructors to have a first aid qualification so that they are safe and prepared for any accidents or emergencies that happen on site.

This is especially important if you’re starting a personal training business from home because it will often be your sole responsibility to act should an accident happen.

This means you’ll also have to make sure you have all the appropriate equipment and a full first aid kit on hand for your home PT business.

According to the government website, this should include:

first aid kit starting a personal training business from home image

If you’re starting a personal training business in Ireland, there’s two main providers of first aid courses for personal trainers:

This is something that other people who do personal training out of their home will advertise in order to put their clients at ease.

As you can see below, Peter Vaughn owns a private PT studio and showcases his first aid qualifications on his Linkedin page:

first aid starting a personal training business from home image

If you complete one of these trusted courses then you can show them on your website to make your home based personal training business seem more trustworthy and safe. 

How to Start a Home Personal Training Business: 6 Steps

We’ll now run through the stages of starting a personal training business from your home so you can follow step-by-step and get your own off the ground!

We’ll show you how you can get clients as a personal trainer and how you can move your existing ones with you to your new location and business.

Chances are you’re already a practising PT and looking to move your existing network of clients into a more bespoke, private setting. 

Step 1: You’ll Need to Get Registered if You’re Starting a Personal Training Business from Home

tick list starting a personal training business from home graphic

First things first for how to start a personal training business from home- get your business officially registered. 

Most people starting a personal training business from home will opt to register themselves as self-employed, also known as a 'sole trader'.

The reason the majority of people with an in-home PT business do this is because it's a lot faster to get registered so is quicker to get going with the business!

It's also completely free to get registered on the government website as a sole trader. You do so with little paperwork on Revenue's website:

register how to start a personal training business from home image

Alternatively, starting a personal training business from home can mean you get registered as a private limited company or as a partnership.

A partnership is simply where you're working with a co-owner and you're both equally responsible for the business. 

One of the best things about choosing to register as a limited company, as opposed to a sole trader or partnership, is that you're only resposible financially for what you've invested in the company.

You would be the director of the company which means though you’re responsible for financial and legal decisions, your personal finances are kept completely separate from the business’s. 

You have to register with the Companies Registration Office, and appoint:

  • A single company director
  • A company secretary
  • Have at least one shareholder  

Another benefit is you'll be able to pay less tax because you’ll pay corporation tax rather than income tax. This is at a much lower rate of between 12.5% and 25%, depending on the profits of your company.

You can also claim tax expenses on some of the essentials for your business. We’ll touch on this in a bit more detail in our section about taxes!

Income tax is 40% on any income over €40,000 for a single person, so you’ll potentially be saving a huge amount of money if you choose this option!

Step 2: Find a Suitable Space for Your In-Home Personal Training Business

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The next thing you’ll need to do if you’re starting a personal training business from home is choose the best space to have as your home gym.

You’ll need to choose somewhere that’s got plenty of room so that your clients don’t feel cramped and unable to move around.

Ideally the only thing that should limit what you do is your own choices and your particular niche! You don’t want your client to be limited on the kind of exercises they can do just because of space.

Having a space that’s too small will not only make clients potentially feel uncomfortable and limited but also may prevent them getting their desired results.

If you can’t do the exercises you need to help them achieve their goals then you’re hurting your reputation in the long run!

If you’re building a home gym, you’ll need to consider all of the following factors:

  • Finding somewhere separate enough from the rest of the house
  • Choosing a location that won’t be too disruptive to neighbours when using music
  • Whether to have it within the house or have a separate structure in the garden

 

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Develop your expertise with our Level 5 personal trainer courses

Depending on the space available to you, and whether you live with other people, some popular locations include:

  • Garage
  • Extension space
  • Separate space in the garden like a shed or outhouse 
  • Spare room

One of the most important things to remember when starting a personal training business from home is that you need to give your living spaces as separate as possible from your business.

There should be a clear distinction between the space you use for personal training in your home and any domestic areas.

This is why completely separate spaces in an extension or built areas in the garden are so popular.

You’ll need to think about things like any entrances and facilities such as toilets when you’re deciding how to keep the areas separate and what else you might need to install. 

As you can see below, DC personal training and sports therapy have build a freestanding structure to accommodate plenty of equipment and have a space completely separate:

dc personal trainer starting a personal training business from home image

The space you choose will determine what equipment you choose and what machines you have room for when running a personal training business from home.

We’ll look at some of the most essential equipment you’ll need now to ensure you get enough to get started and cover a range of different workout styles!

Step 3: Get the Right Equipment for Your Home PT Business

studio starting a personal training business from home image

Whatever your niche there’s some essential equipment you’ll need in order to provide a wide variety of workouts and cater to a wide variety of people.

For example, you’ll need a mix of machines and equipment for strength training and cardio in order to cater to people’s different goals. 

A mixture should be the base line for starting a personal training business from home. Some of this essential equipment includes:

  • Adjustable barbells
  • A set of dumbbells
  • A weight bench
  • Gym flooring
  • Resistance bands

You’ll also want to make sure you cater to any of the specific goals you specialise in or any classes or styles that have become your niche.

Any additional equipment you decide to invest in will depend on the kind of home based personal training business you want as a result of this.

For example, if you’ve completed a boxing training CPD course you’ll need to make sure you’ve got enough space for a punching bag as well as:

  • Gloves
  • Pads
  • Basic jump ropes

Step 4: Set Up a Pricing Plan for Personal Training in Your Home

money starting a personal training business from home graphic

The next step for starting a personal training business from home is deciding on a pricing plan for your clients.

There’s no definitive price you should stick to but you want to make sure you’re not underselling your services or overcharging your clients.

Check Competitors’ Rates to Determine Your Price

There will be different averages depending on where your home PT business will be based so one of the best ways to decide on pricing is to check out your competitors. 

There may not be other people starting a personal training business from their home and so this is worth bearing in mind when you’re pricing things up.

One of the benefits of starting a personal training business out of your home is that you save on the cost of owning or renting a dedicated separate space.

Also, as we mentioned earlier, you’ll be saving on tax as opposed to being freelance or having to pay income tax in a different role.

This means that there will be differences in the profits from starting a personal training business from home compared to other positions.

You should bear this in mind when looking at the competition so you can figure out how your outgoings differ so you can calculate a fair and profitable price for your plans!

 

Become a master personal trainer with OriGym

Develop your expertise with our Level 5 personal trainer courses

Create PT Packages as Part of Your Pricing Plan

Part of your personal trainer business plan should be deciding on how to structure your pricing and packages to extend deals to your clients as well as securing a steady stream of income. 

For example, you might charge for one off sessions as well as having a monthly rolling subscription for people. 

The benefits of this include:

pricing starting a personal training business from home graphic

You could offer a standard fee, for example €50 per month. 

This could include a session in your home studio and structured contact via software such as My PT Hub.

You could then scale it up to include more detailed nutrition plans or dietary advice if you’re qualified with a sports nutrition course

This could include some of the following to make the increased price worth it for clients:

  • Assessment of food diary
  • Recipe ideas
  • Regular meetings to discuss their nutrition plan

Plenty of PTs who are running a personal training business from home will offer these services with different prices for different packages.

You also have the option of becoming an online PT and offering these services alongside your in-person sessions.

This is another factor you can use to decide on pricing plans and packages for your clients. For example, you would charge less for online personal training because it’s less work for you with more independent work from the client.

BodyCoach has done this, offering different packages for group training and one-to-one sessions:

packages starting a personal training business from home image

If you were charging a standard rate of €50 per month but then scaled it up, you could theoretically offer a bundle of sessions and still beat the competition!

Alternatively, you could have the option to:

  • Pay for individual sessions
  • Pay for a set amount of sessions i.e a price for 5 sessions, 10 sessions
  • A monthly subscription amount

As we mentioned earlier, the benefit of having a rolling amount is that you won’t have to resell to clients every time the bundle or the sessions are over. 

But, whilst you’re building up your client list, offering a range of pricing structures to suit different clients will broaden how many people you cater for and get as many clients as possible!

Step 5: Market Yourself to Your Existing Clients to Tell Them You’re Starting a Personal Training Business from Home

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We’ll now look at how, once you’ve set up your in-home personal training business, you can market yourself to any existing and potential clients.

It’s more likely that you’ve built up to starting a personal training business at home when you’ve already been working as a PT. 

When you’ve already trained people and developed a professional relationship with them, they’ll be more loyal and much more likely to come with you when you’re starting a personal training business from home. 

The best way to market to these existing clients, and capitalise on your rapport building as a personal trainer, is just talking to them during sessions prior to setting up your business.    

You can also use some of the following methods for marketing to existing customers and gain new ones:

  • Social media such as Instagram and Facebook
  • By getting referrals
  • Email marketing including newsletters and regular updates for potential and existing clients

You can also offer rewards or deals for existing customers in order to encourage these people to join, including offering a discount when they sign up for packages or plans.

This would work alongside having PT referrals. The discount could be the incentive for existing clients to bring a friend or family member to try your services and encourage new sign ups.

You’ll also be able to advertise the reduced price of some of your services and promote how you’re more affordable, convenient and private than a standard gym. 

Step 6: Managing the Taxes when Starting a Personal Training Business from Home

taxes starting a personal training business from home image

Last but not least on our list of steps for how to start your own personal training business from home is sorting out your records so you’re paying the right amount of tax.

This can be one of the most difficult stages of any new business and bookkeeping can be a minefield for anybody starting to manage their own finances and taxes.

Within three months of starting to trade as a limited company you’ll have to register with HMRC for your taxes.

You’ll need to provide them with some information about your business and any employees you have in order to register. The government website provides details of this:

This information will be available once you’ve registered as a limited company.

You’ll need to keep accurate records of any money you’ve taken in and anything you’ve spent for the business. This falls under ‘business expenses’. 

You need to declare all of these expenses and provide a full tax return detailing all of your income and outgoings.

 

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Develop your expertise with our Level 5 personal trainer courses

You’ll then pay corporation tax on all of the company’s profits. This is what your business’s income is minus your business expenses detailed below:

  • Equipment - this includes everything from machines and exercise equipment to cleaning products or any clothes used solely for the business such as a uniform
  • Office equipment - this will include if you have a computer you solely use for work, any price of doing paperwork and keeping tax records such as folders to filing cabinets to things as small as staples!
  • Marketing expenses - this is the cost of any advertisements you do or any money you’ve spent on promotion of your home PT business
  • Software - as an extension of your marketing expenses you may have paid for web development or software used to build your brand and marketing such as Mail Chimp or PT Distinction

If you’ve got the finances, it’s wise to get an accountant to file this return for you, as soon as you can.

This will initially cost around €300 but will save you money on your return in the long run as an accountant has deeper knowledge and understanding of what can be deducted from your tax.

There’s usually more deductions that can be made and claimed as a business expense in order to reduce your total taxable income, saving you money, time and stress in the process of your tax return!

Before You Go!

That concludes our article on starting a personal training business from home! Hopefully now you have everything you need to kickstart your new career and get your business off the ground.

Don’t forget that one of the most important things you can do is increase your skill set and develop a niche by becoming a Level 4 personal trainer.

Download and browse our free course prospectus to find out about these and all of the personal training qualifications we offer!

 

Become a master personal trainer with OriGym

Develop your expertise with our Level 5 personal trainer courses

Written by Jessie Florence Jones

Content Editor

Jessie has a 1st class honours degree in English Literature from University of Leeds and an MA in English Literature from Durham University. Naturally Jessie has a real passion for writing especially about film, culture and wellbeing. Outside of writing she loves hiking, country walks and yoga, which she has been doing religiously over lockdown.

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