Ever wondered what it takes to start your own fitness boot camp?
Of course, there are the givens: hard work, focus, capital, and purpose. But anyone could tell you that.
What do you specifically need to know before you decide to get into the boot camp business? I want to share those details with you so you can start with a edge over all the other fitness businesses in your area.
Here are the three key elements to consider when starting a fitness boot camp.
Don’t Overcomplicate Anything
First thing: don’t overcomplicate things!
Think about it. You don’t need a three-times-per-week program and a five-times-per-week program.
What you really need is simplicity. I know this because some of my top coaching clients are making six and seven figures owning fitness boot camps, and they do it by keeping things simple.
Always think through the eyes of the prospect. Do you want them to feel overwhelmed and confused by all the options you have to offer? Or do you want to make the membership agreement process as smooth as possible for them?
So instead of offering all these different programs, just stick with a five-day-per-week program. They can always come in less frequently than that, but you still want to sell them on the benefits of working out more consistently throughout the week (more on this a little later).
Get Your Clients on EFT
Number two: Don’t be a check chaser, and definitely don’t charge people per boot camp visit. That’s how businesses become unreliable, which forces entrepreneurs to drive their businesses by the seat of their pants.
Instead of having to constantly sell and resell your clients on your programs, sign them up for long-term memberships that run on EFT.
When you’re starting a fitness business, you might as well build it on good habits. And one of the best business habits you can implement is charging people monthly, or on auto-debit, or EFT. That’s really important.
By the way, EFT simply means “electronic fund transfer,” just like a gym membership. So say Mrs. Jones signs up to work out five days a week at your boot camp. Now remember, she may not be able to come in five days a week, so you simply say, “You can come in as little as three days a week and still see amazing results. But on the weeks that you can come in five days a week, Mrs. Jones, you’re only going to accelerate your results that much more.”
Here’s why EFT matters. Now, Mrs. Jones will pay you something like $197 a month, ongoing, for the 6-month, 12-month, or ongoing program. The money will come straight out of her account, so you won’t have to have that awkward reselling conversation with her. This really builds a lot of security and reliability into your business.
Pack Your Boot Camp with Human Billboards
Now, if you’re anything like me when I started out, well, I was on a shoestring budget. And so the fastest, easiest and most economical way to get people into your boot camp is through human billboards.
What’s a human billboard? Basically, you simply find 25 to 30 local residents or business owners who are people of influence. These could be the moms from the PTA or the owners of tanning salons/day spas—all people who come into contact with a lot of your ideal clients. You let them train in your boot camp as human billboards for free or next-to-free, maybe for $49 a month. If I were you, I’d let them train for free, because when they’re training for free, they’re more likely to spread the buzz about you.
Letting these human billboards train for free does two things. One, they go and spread the word about your business after you tell them, “Hey, make sure you spread the buzz about me as I give you amazing and awesome results. Tell people how you got those results, and let them know that, through you, they can come in here and redeem a free week and get similar results.”
Number two, nobody likes to eat in an empty restaurant. If you’re starting a fitness boot camp, you don’t want to just start with one, two or three people. That’s just not enough energy to draw more people in. However, if you have 25 to 30 people, even if they’re in there for free, you’ve got the right energy and the right passion, people are enthusiastic, they’re spreading the buzz throughout the community. Before you know it, they’re going to start pulling in more people who will become paying clients.
Now here’s something you should know. Of the 25 to 30 human billboards you get, about five to eight are going to be your core influencers, the ones who are going to bring you the majority of your leads. The rest are probably just going to fade away. It’s really important that you aim to have 25 to 30 human billboards and not just stop when you get two or three.
Do these 3 things and your chances for success as a new fitness boot camp owner will dramatically increase. You’ll eventually have a line of people wanting to train with you, and once they become members, you’ll earn their money for the long term without having to resell them.
Committed to your success,
Bedros