How to Start and Grow an Online Fitness Business

We are sure at least a part of all your New Year resolutions would have been to have a healthy lifestyle. However the year 2020 saw to it that none of our goals are achieved in a straightforward manner. However, this gave way to some incredibly innovative ideas and tactics to work around the limitations we have. With the advancement in the field of technology, it was only apt that we reap the maximum benefit out of it. And hence everything from grocery shopping, attending office meetings to academic classes have now become virtual.

Why leave the fitness industry behind?

In order to provide for the growing fitness enthusiasts, the training experts from all around the world have formulated different kinds of new workout plans that require no equipment or probably just basic household equipment. With increasing demands for such effective and easily accessible workout plans, many gyms and fitness centers are getting into the online fitness business. Here’s a small glimpse of the revenue comparisons and predictions over the period of 2017 to 2023.

Revenue in the fitness industry is predicted to reach USD 22,537 million in 2020

So, if you are also wondering how to enter the virtual world of fitness, don’t worry. In this article, we have provided a detailed explanation of how to start an online fitness business. Now’s the right time and here’s what you need to do in order to plan and develop a successful online fitness business.

Let’s get going!

i) Find your Niche:

Given the year is all about setting new trends, you will have to rethink and reconsider some of your training plans. Due to going digital, you will have to think and accommodate the basic environment in which your customer will have to work out in. So, before you make any decisions, here is a list of trending genres that you can also think about incorporating into your plans.

1. Yoga
2. HIIT
3. Body strengthening and cardio
4. Pilates
5. Zumba

and many more. You can also try your hand in experimenting by combining a form or two into one workout session to increase user engagement and reap the most benefit from those workouts as well.

ii) Device a business and revenue plan:

While deciding your workout plans or courses you should first consider your target audience. Depending on their age, goals, health conditions, and many more such parameters you will need to formulate different plans. Currently, the population is more into hiring personal trainers and dieticians and getting into group workouts. Hence keeping all this in mind, come up with a robust business plan that will help you generate good revenue.

In order to get in funds and profits, you need a foolproof revenue plan. There are multiple ways in which you can incorporate different revenue models to gain good profits. Here are a few models to begin with.

1. Membership or Subscription fee model
2. Freemium model
3. Separate fee structures for one-to-one and one-to-many classes

iii) Compiling workout plans:

This is the most important step in this whole process of building your own fitness business. This is the one thing that is going to attract, grow and retain your customer base. Hence be very careful while formulating your workout plans.

Be extremely organized during this process. There are many deviations that will be required to cater to customer’s customized requests too. Hence always maintain a spreadsheet to document every step. Here is a basic workflow of how you need to go about planning your course materials.

1. Form a workout template
2. Plan the schedule
3. Make daily or weekly schedules
4. Formulate a matrix system to track progress
5. Prepare your workout environment keeping in mind the basic recording requirements such as light, sound, equipment (if required), number of laps, etc.

iv) Develop your own website:

The foundation of any computer-based application is resilient software. And here you will need very efficient personal trainer software in order to develop a successful online business. This is the crown jewel of your online business development. However, starting your own website right away is not always the answer. You can also start your online fitness tutorial by first launching yourself as a trainer or as a brand on other established and trusted platforms. This will help you gain the attention of the required audience. Once you have got all the necessary knowledge you require it’s time to set your own virtual footprints. But, before you plan how to develop your own website you need to know all that application that this virtual platform should consist of.

The basic requirements are as below-

1. Efficient panels for admin, trainers, and trainees
2. Personal profile pages
3. Multiple login options
4. Multiple payment options
5. Workout listing panel
6. Site Security
7. Easy Navigation
8. Review and rating with FAQ
9. Customer care with chatbots
10. Loyalty programs
11. Discount coupons
    etc.

There are many ways to develop an application incorporating all the above features. Keeping the time factor and financial statuses in mind you can choose any of the following.

1. Developing on your own
2. Hiring an exclusive tech team
3. Purchasing a ready-made personal trainer software (turnkey solutions)

v) Marketing plan:

According to Statista’s latest findings- in the apps segment alone, the numbers of users are expected to reach about 1,033.3 million by 2024. Given the target customer base is so huge, you also need to plan your marketing strategies likewise. The key to successful marketing is out-of-the-box thinking. Even though it might not feature an international icon it should be so well devised that it should resonate with your product and at the same time be a satisfactory solution to all your customer’s woes. Hence wear your target audience’s shoes and think about-

1. What do they require?
2. Why would they be interested in your website?
3. What is their goal? etc

Given people are connected with the world 24*7 through the internet, here are some popular marketing tactics that will help you gain the attention of the right audience and in turn grow your customer base.

1. Social media marketing
2. Email marketing
3. Influencer marketing
4. Podcasting and webinars
5. Share customer testimonies, reviews, and ratings
6. Blogging
7. Newsletters and many more

These are the minimum steps you need to take in order to build and manage a successful online fitness business. You might feel a bit overwhelmed about all these procedures. There is no need to get worried about them. Always focus on the big picture. All studies have resulted in confirming that signing up for a personal trainer (physical or virtual) will definitely give you better results in all aspects.

However, we are here to assist you with anything you might require with respect to building and getting your business up and running.

Do feel free to reach us anytime!
Cheers to new beginnings!