How to Start an Online Fitness Business

Most businesses in the U.S. have been functioning as online during the COVID-19 pandemic, so there has never been a better time in history to learn how to run an online business. Gone are the days when running an online business was seen as some sort of optional add-on to a brick and mortar business. All businesses need to be online now, so we all need to know how to operate effectively working primarily online.

It’s literally the best time to start a fitness business online.

What Is Different About Starting a Fitness Business Online?

Advantage. Plain and simple – you’re able to hit the ground running (pun intended) and delight customers instantly with convenience, lower overhead, and customer delight. With your online fitness business, you’ll see:

• lowered or no office or brick and mortar store space costs
• consolidated remote customer service
• lower costs hiring employees/help
• inventory management all in one place

It may not all be sunshine and roses. Be aware that without proper tools, you’ll face:

• no storefront to attract customers on the street/locally
• harder time figuring out where to advertise
• communication challenges working remotely

But don’t fret. We’ve got you covered.

Tools To Help You Start an Online Fitness Business

If you run an online business, you’ll want to use the following tools to make your job easier:

• an e-commerce or online payment service for listing services or products and handling payments
• a client scheduling tool so your customers can always book you
• a good inventory management and/or bookkeeping tool
• an online marketing or customer service tool
• a website optimized for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so your customers can find you.

These days, those tools are all software. If you’re looking for one tool to do most of these things, Yottled offers online scheduling, payment processing, event hosting, and automated marketing. Best of all, Yottled will help automate your SEO so your customers can find you on Google.

Bookkeeping and tax prep or legal can be hired out locally, or you could do it yourself using an online tool such as the one offered by 1800Accountant, where you can also hire out legal advice, business paperwork, and tax prep. If you offer a service that can be done remotely, you’ll need a remote conferencing app like Google Meet.

How To Grow Your Business Online

If you’ve got your tools in place to start your online fitness business, now you need to grow . Where to start?

The easiest way to grow your business is to look at your opportunities for making the most money while making the most impact in your community or industry. That’s the sweet spot where you know you’re making a difference, your services are in demand, and you can make enough money to keep growing. Now sit down to figure out how your industry connects with services. Then, build a marketing plan around how to be in those spaces where customers are hanging out and communicating your value to them.

You could grow your business through:

• industry publication advertising
• word of mouth
• bonus or discount promotions
• flywheel marketing or referral programs
• educational events and content marketing
• public speaking
• social media marketing

The most important thing is to serve your current customers well, and give them reasons to keep coming back to work with you as well as recommend you to others. Many businesses have grown based on those two bits of advice alone. Good luck, and happy online business ownership!