Do you want to start a business but you do not have start up capital? With today’s technology, it is possible to create a business with virtually no advance capital with tools that you already have. The advent of the internet has greatly revolutionized the way we do business. The internet has allowed small companies to increase their visibility by giving businesses a global audience never seen before in history. The best thing is that it is cost effective. Don’t believe me? Allow me to take you through the journey of starting your own fitness personal trainer business with £70. You will be surprised.
1) Step one: you. Cost £0
Since you will be at the forefront of your business you might have skills that can be used, such as that personal training course you did years ago and never put into good use (time for a career change?). There are millions of people out there looking for someone that can give them exercise instructions or prescriptions, and you might just be the one. Your skills will cost you nothing, and you can always improve by reading books or watching videos pertaining to fitness.
2) Laptop and mobile phones. Cost £0
Today, most businesses can be started with just a pc and a mobile phone that you probably already own. Smart phones today do quite a lot, turn them into your mobile office. You do not have to invest in expensive material such as cameras or video cameras so that you can start your online personal training business. With your phone you can easily take quality videos of you doing yoga, press ups or chin ups. You can also take photos using your smartphone and easily post them to your clients.
3) Website. Use WordPress. Cost £0
For your business you will need WordPress. WordPress is one of the best portfolios that you can use. You do not have to have previous knowledge of programming or html, since it is already done for you by their engineers. Moreover, it is very powerful with many plugins that come in handy in creating beautiful and efficient websites. The best thing is that it is free, without compromising on the quality of service that you will receive.
4) Domain. Cost £10.
You will need a domain for your site. A domain name is the equivalent of a phone contact and you have definitely used it millions of times when you visit the internet. Whenever you want to access any website, you first type in its web address. You will therefore require a domain name so that your clients will be able to access your website. Most domains do not cost more than £10 a year. I suggest you get one from namecheap.com which has served me for many years without problems.
5) Hosting. Cost £5
For your site you will need hosting. Hosting allows you make your website accessible through the World Wide Web. This will enable you to have a web page and therefore you can upload the necessary files for your fitness instructor website. I have tried many hosting service providers but dreamhost.com is pretty solid and functional. It is one of the most popular and efficient web hosting company. You also get to host unlimited sites and unlimited disk space so that you can efficiently store your yoga photos, videos and word content. Initially go for shared hosting that should not cost more than £5 a month. This is where several websites reside on a single web server. It is more economical because overall cost of maintaining the server is distributed over to many customers.
6) Adwords. Initial cost £25
Start getting customers straight away with a google adword campaign. Your website needs to be well advertised if you want to convince people to employ your services. Google Adwords is rather pocket friendly and you get to expose your personal training services to millions of people. If you are a new customer to Google Adword, you pay £25 and you get £75 to try. If the campaign is set up correctly it will not be long before the telephone start ringing and you website gets an immense traffic that you could never have imagined.
7) Google my business. Cost free
Register your local business in google local. It is free and you will get your business displayed in local search, which translates to free traffic and more customers. It connects you directly to the customers, whether they are looking for you on google search, google maps or google plus. In case your customers would like to meet up with you, you can give them the appropriate directions from the maps, the hours of operation or your business phone number. To sign up for Google my business, visit https://www.google.com/business/
8) Start a blog. Cost £5
It is essential that you write about your expertise to attract clients, and prove yourself that you are a pro and generate traffic to your site. Make your blog posts interesting and informative so that will encourage potential customers to visit your website for detailed information. If you are too busy hire a writer on iwriter.com and you can get quality web content at affordable prices. Outsourcing web content is a good strategy to infuse diversity, creativity and different styles to your website.
9) Get a receptionist to answer your calls. Cost £25
Everyone today can have the luxury to have a private receptionist to take your call send you an email with the client contact. This enables you to keep doing what you are good at without the need to answer the telephone yourself. Since the receptionist is the first person that interacts with a client, you would have to look for one that is warm and welcoming. You also need to get someone who can answer customer’s inquiries and direct them appropriately. You can check http://www.answer.co.uk/default.aspx, which has served me for many years without fault.
Starting your business should be easier, faster and an indelible experience. With barely £70, you can start your fitness personal trainer business. Try it today. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed.