Recession Proof Your PT Business

by Brian Grasso (PT Entrepreneur & Author)

As with every other industry on the planet, the world of fitness is a business that is constantly changing. You can see this in the way we train our clients. Today's trends become tomorrow's gimmicks. What was once considered effective becomes outdated due to new and innovative ideas and strategies. But even more pronounced are the changes that occur at the business level of this industry.

Large health club franchises, although still very successful in many instances, have become pressured by the insurgence of small-scale fitness facilities that cater more to private and semi-private clients. 1-on-1 Personal Training is becoming less prevalent as group training and boot camp-style programs have become more popular.

Evidence of dynamic change is seen even in the demographic niches towards which we address our marketing efforts. In the past, only relatively affluent, middle-aged men and women were targeted as potential personal training clients. As our population aged, baby boomers became the demographic of choice for many fitness professionals. Other specific demographics such as pre-natal women, weekend warrior athletes and the physically disabled have become sub-groups which require targeted education and a certain knowledge base from skilled Personal Trainers.

Recently, a massive new demographic that has swept through the fitness industry in a manner previously unseen. It is a sub-group of people that requires a very specific skill-set and knowledge base to train and has quickly become the fastest growing and most lucrative market in the entire fitness industry. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported in November of 2004 that more than $4 billion were spent annually in the United States alone on personalized training and other like services for this group. In an age where many Personal Trainers find themselves having a difficult time earning a living that justifies their unique education and talents, this demographic also represents a potential career-changer insofar as its massive and widespread market surge.

Youth obesity has become our society's number one concern. If left unchecked, the adult population of our world will be riddled with illness, disease and a lifestyle that is in true disconnect to the core of human existence. The fix must begin now and it must start at its root source: with children.

Personalized training, group-based fitness programs and other invigorating wellness oriented services for children and teens have become mainstays within private, franchised and non-profit fitness facilities alike over the past few years. Fitness Professionals who are serious about their careers and determined to work in this field indefinitely understand that the business end of our industry is as important as the training end. Seeing market trends and becoming an expert in one or two specific areas before the rest of the industry does is essential for creating and maintaining a profitable and successful career.

Having spent more than 10 years working exclusively with children and teens on their fitness and sport related training goals, I have put together a virtual How-To roadmap that will give you everything you need to know about working successfully within this demographic. Visit YouthFitnessOpportunity.com now and receive your "Youth Training Success Kit."

Full of information related to the training and specific business and marketing knowledge necessary to find success in this very unique demographic, this is every Fitness Professionals must-have.

Visit YouthFitnessOpportunity.com to receive your Success Kit.