Leaping into full-time

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 2003 by Amanda Vogel

What does it take to successfully transition from working part-time to full-time in the fitness industry? Is it a passion for helping others? The right credentials? The discipline to plan ahead? All of the above and more, say fitness professionals who recently took the leap.

If you're thinking of leaving your non-fitness job to pursue a career as a personal trainer, club manager, group exercise instructor or program coordinator, you must first map out the road ahead. Discover how others did it and forge your own path to full-time employment.

Deciding to go Full-Time

Before quitting your regular job, contemplate whether working full-time in the fitness industry is really for you. When Carolyn Ryba, general manager of Frogs Club One in Encinitas, California, debated whether to leave the security of her behind-a-desk job, she reflected on what made her happiest. "I kept asking myself 'What do you really want to do?" she recalls. "It always came back to the fitness industry--the gym is where I love to be."

Although a passion for fitness is a must, you'll need more to survive as a successful full-time fitness professional. For example, if you're interested in personal training, "be honest about whether you can really see yourself working with clients," advises Dina McDermott, MFA, who, after suffering several serious injuries, went from being a professional dancer to owning Athletic Aesthetic Personal Training Systems in Seattle, Washington. It's one thing to work with a handful of clients on a part-time basis, but are you enough of a people person as well as have the patience and drive to train clients from morning to night, most days of the week? "If you can arrange to tag along with full-time trainers," McDermott suggests, "you'll get a sense of what they do."

The type of clients you want to train may also have a bearing on your decision to go full-time. "Identify your target market," says Rosemary Quinn, owner of Fitness Works Personal Training in Victoria, British Columbia. Is your potential client base widespread enough to support a full-time job? For instance, if you specialize in training elite athletes and work at an all-women's club, you may limit your business unless you expand your target market.

Reaping the Rewards

Many full-time fitness professionals consider being self-employed a major perk. "I set my own policies, schedule and am my own boss," says McDermott. Quinn concurs, adding that watching your business flourish is extremely rewarding. Whether entrepreneurs or employees, the fitness professionals interviewed agree that helping people meet their health and fitness goals all day is one of the most gratifying aspects of a full-time fitness career.

Compared to an office job, boredom is also less likely because personal trainers and group exercise instructors often work at various locations. In addition, the fitness industry, unlike many others, holds boundless opportunities. "There are so many avenues you can take, from fitness competitions to presenting to managing to training to teaching," Ryba explains. Also, you might start on one path and happily end up on another. "I never thought my career in group exercise and personal training would take me to managing a club!" laughs Ryba.

Facing the Challenges

As with any career, going full-time in the fitness industry has its trials. You may be a great fitness instructor or sought-after trainer, but if you don't have marketing, management or administrative experience, you'll have to acquire these skills if you want to be an entrepreneur, program director or club manager.

When starting as a full-time, self-employed personal trainer, says McDermott, recruiting and retaining new clients can be challenging because you don't have a built-in referral service like a trainer employed by a gym. So, if you plan to be a contractor, it pays to garner leads before going full-time.

Even with an ample client base, money may initially be tight. "Income can go up and down weekly, according to clients' availability, schedules, etc.," notes McDermott. "This takes some getting used to, especially if you're accustomed to a predictable and steady paycheck."

The following tips can help ease financial worries.

* Start saving before you leave your 9-to-5 job.

* Establish a solid cancellation policy, so you won't lose money when clients cancel at the last minute.

* Determine other ways to supplement your income, such as present fitness seminars or group training.

* If possible, retain some of the steady income you currently have. For example, Ryba put in one day a week at her old office and Quinn juggled both personal training and her job as an insurance manager for several years.

If you aspire to make a substantial portion of your earnings from teaching group exercise classes, you'll face unique challenges. When Isabelle Guay, a former physical education teacher, made a cross-country move, she made her livelihood from teaching classes while looking for full-time work. "I was sore and tired at the end of the day. When a recurring knee injury started to bother me, I had to turn down offers for more classes--and money," says Guay, who is now the group exercise coordinator at FitCity for Women in Vancouver, British Columbia.