I was hired by 24 Hour Fitness in March of 2013. (This is one of the few photos I have of my time there.) By August of 2013, I quit. A decision I’ll never regret.
Most trainers begin their careers working for a corporate gym. As a new hire, you are given somewhere between 3 to 5 new “clients“ within the first few weeks. These “clients“ are typically new gym members who were given a three session deal. The likelihood of those “clients“ signing up with you once the sessions were completed was relatively low. That was very telling of what to expect as a new trainer working for a corporate gym. Frankly, I could go on and on about the circumstances dictating a rookie trainer’s success or lack there of. That would require an actual essay!
Just know this. There is a never ending, revolving door of new trainers at corporate gyms. If you aren’t generating sales quickly, your a$$ is on the hot seat even quicker! Because it’s not just you who’s facing pressure. It’s management too. Fortunately, my fitness manager at the time was superb! She did everything she could do to help us. Unfortunately, it just so happened that our gym was notorious for being the worst in personal training sales for the entire district! Of course, the Club Manager didn’t mention that when he hired me! 🤣
Needless to say, I mentally checked out weeks before I left the company. Despite my efforts, it was clear this company cared very little about mine or my peers success. We were supposed to fall in line and follow their cookie cutter programs and processes. We were just little ants in the grand scheme of things. My final paycheck was somewhere around $200. I remember thinking to myself, “If I’m going to fail at this, it will be my own doing. NOT because a company failed me!” I wanted to do things my way. Provide a better service to my clients. I knew I had ambition. I knew I could become a good trainer. I just needed to prove it through time and effort.
So, I left the company. With only 5 months experience under my belt, I became an independent trainer. By the way. There was ONE client willing to continue on with me. Things were looking up! Hey! It was better than having no clients! Lol. As nervous and petrified as I felt, that’s all I needed to get started! It was quite the journey, but I went from having only 1 client to eventually opening my own personal training gym in Las Vegas, but that’s a story for another time.
Live near Spring Valley or Summerlin South? Drop in for a session and I’ll fill you in on the rest of my story!
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