If you have a strong interest in health and wellness, pursuing a career as a fitness coach or starting a fitness business might be the best decision that you make this year. This industry is expanding, whether you’re helping individuals transform their bodies, providing online fitness coaching, or conducting in-home personal training sessions. There’s a lot of opportunity for you to get involved.
In 2025, the global fitness industry is expected to exceed $80 billion, with a significant portion of that expansion occurring online. Indeed, starting a fitness business online or from the comfort of your home is now more accessible and lucrative than ever.
What is a Fitness Coaching Business?
Fitness coaching is all about helping people reach their health and wellness goals through personalized guidance. It’s not just about workouts—it’s about accountability, nutrition tips, goal setting, and mindset support.
When it comes to starting a fitness coaching business, you’ve got options:
- One-on-one coaching (virtual or in-person).
- Online fitness programs.
- Fitness coaching apps.
- Membership sites and group coaching.
- Hybrid models (some online, some in-person).
Whether you’re a certified personal trainer or just now exploring how to start a fitness business, there’s a path that can fit your lifestyle and passion.
Why Start a Fitness Business
One of the most rewarding career opportunities is starting a fitness business if you have a strong interest in wellness, health, and helping others change their lives. Fitness professionals who can help others live better lives are in more demand, regardless of their interests—whether they are strength training, yoga, nutrition, or general lifestyle coaching.
However, the following is what makes the fitness sector particularly fascinating at the moment:
- Growing Demand: More people than ever before are making investments in their health and searching for online programs that work with their schedules, personal trainers, and fitness experts.
- Multiple Revenue Streams: You are not restricted to a single source of income since you can earn money through online courses, digital programs, merchandise, one-on-one coaching, as well as group classes.
- Flexibility & Freedom: Arrange your timetable according to your priorities. You can choose to coach customers in-person, entirely online, or a combination of both.
- Work That Matters: You’re not just providing exercise; you’re assisting individuals in becoming more self-assured, feeling better, and leading healthier lives.
The best aspect? To begin, you don’t need a sophisticated gym. Your fitness coaching business can start online, from home, or even part-time, and it can grow at your own speed.
Fitness Industry Trends You Should Know
Before we go into the how-to, let’s take a quick look at the trends influencing fitness businesses today:
- Since 2020, online fitness coaching has increased by more than 300%.
- Online fitness instructors earn from $2,000 to over $10,000 a month, depending on the size of their clientele and the services they offer.
- Fitness coach applications and platforms such as Trainerize, My PT Hub, and Kajabi have simplified client management and brand growth.
Now that you see the opportunity, let’s break it down step by step.
How to Start a Fitness Business (Step-by-Step Guide)
The foundation of a successful fitness business is offering top-notch equipment, qualified training, and personal training. But that’s not all you need to start a fitness business. To start a fitness business, you must follow these seven steps.
Step 1: Decide What Kind Of Fitness Business You Want To Operate
There are many different types of fitness businesses out there. You can work as a personal trainer, give classes, or run your own gym. Each has pros and cons. If you want to know how to start a fitness business with no money, becoming a personal trainer is a low-cost option.
However, you need to know a lot about exercise and diet. On the other hand, operating a building costs a lot, but you can get help from others who are good at it. If you want to start your own fitness business, you could also think about gym franchising. Some well-known companies are Crunch Fitness, Planet Fitness, and i-Fitness. You might even start a CrossFit box.
Step 2: Get Trained
The next step in starting a fitness business is to receive some training. Fitness experience is important if you want to run a gym or start your own fitness training business. People will trust you more if you believe you know what you’re doing. The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American Council on Exercise, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine are all good places to get credentials. Either the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA) or the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) can confirm a license as valid.
Of course, health training isn’t the only thing you’ll need to learn. In order to learn exactly what it takes to start a business, you will also need to do a lot of study.
Step 3: Write A Business Plan And Select An Entity
This next step is quite similar regardless of whether you’re starting a fitness business or another type of business. There are many things you need to include in your business plan. A business plan form could help you make sure you think of everything.
When writing your business plan, things to think about are:
- Market analysis
- Who are your competitors?
- Marketing and sales strategy.
- Financial Plan and Projections
The most important thing is to make sure that people want your business and that you can make enough money to keep going after you’ve put so much into it.
Choosing your business entity is another important part of your business plan if you want to start a fitness business. Because of how the fitness business works, you should choose a business structure that protects owners from liability. You might want to form a limited liability partnership or a limited liability company if you want to protect yourself from responsibility.
Download Our Business Plan Template!
Step 4: Get necessary permits and insurance
In order to run a fitness center in your state and community, you might be required to obtain various licenses and permits for your business. If you want to start a fitness business, you should check with the clerk’s office in your town, city, or county to make sure you’re following all the rules set by the different government agencies.
A proof of occupancy is one permit you will definitely need. If you have a certificate of occupancy, it means that all government rules, building codes, and zoning laws have been followed. If you’re renting out your gym, the owner is usually the one who needs to get a certificate of occupancy.
There are also some risks that come with running a gym that might not come up when you open another business. People are going to work out, use tools, walk around things they could trip over, and do other things that could be hazardous. You should get small business insurance that covers a lot of different situations. That way, if someone gets hurt in your gym, the business is paid for.
You should also have insurance in case your gear gets lost or stolen. In fact, you might want to tell the instructors you hire to get personal trainer insurance as well.
Step 5: Get an EIN
An employer identification number (EIN) is important for many reasons. It lets you file your taxes and avoid fines, open a bank account for your business, speed up loan applications, build credit for your business, and do a lot more.
If you want to get a job identification number, you can do so online through the IRS. You should get an EIN right away if you register with the IRS online. Keep in mind that fitness companies that are run by one person don’t need an EIN, but it’s still a good idea to get one for the reasons listed above.
Step 6: Build Your Online Presence
Starting a fitness business online? Your website is your storefront. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A clean, mobile-friendly website with your offers.
- Online booking + payment tools.
- Testimonials and transformation photos.
- A blog or YouTube channel to share your expertise.
Pro tip: Use social media (especially Instagram and TikTok) to build trust and bring traffic to your site.
Note: Website builders like TechDella can help you make a professional site with payment and booking features.
Click here to select the website of your choice
Step 7: Get funding
If you’re wondering how to start a fitness business with no money, certain projects aren’t cheap, but there are funding sources available for you. Fitness center expert Bryan O’Rourke says prices start at $30,000 and go up quickly to $500,000. Also, it takes time to start a fitness business, so you’ll need some cash on hand.
For example, an SBA loan, a business line of credit, or a personal loan are all choices if you need money to start your own business.
As a new fitness business owner, you might need money in the beginning. A business line of credit would give you an easy way to get it. A line of credit is different from a loan because you can use the money whenever you want, but you only have to pay interest on the amounts you use.
There’s also financing for gym tools, which is another great way to start a fitness business without any money. When you use the funding to buy gym equipment, that equipment will then be used as collateral for the loan that you used to buy it.
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Fitness Business?
Here’s a realistic estimate to get going:
- Certification: $400 – $1,000 (one-time).
- Website + hosting: $100 – $300/year.
- Fitness app subscription: $20 – $100/month.
- Marketing & branding: $0 – $1,000 (start with free tools!).
- Legal/insurance: $200 – $500/year.
You can start a lean business with under $1,000—or go bigger with $3,000 to $5,000 if you’re planning to scale quickly.
What Do You Need to Start a Fitness Coaching Business?
Let’s make a quick checklist: Certification and/or license
- Website or landing page
- Booking and payment system
- Online training platform (e.g., Zoom, Trainerize, Teachable)
- Branding (logo, photos, social media)
- Testimonials or before/after results
- Marketing plan (email, social, referrals)
If you’re starting a fitness business from home or going fully online, you can get started with just a few tools—and scale as you go. Also, if you need help with your online presence, here is how TechDella can help:
- TechDella Website & Branding: At TechDella, we create professional websites that look great on mobile and are optimized for local SEO.
- Automated Booking & Payment Systems: Make your customer orders and payments simple and fast!
- Marketing & Growth Strategies: Our professionals help you promote your company and attract clients quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is fitness a profitable business?
The fitness business is moving very quickly. Around $160 billion was made in the business in 2021, but Strategic Market Research predicts that it will grow by 171.75% by 2028, bringing in more than $434.74 billion in profits.
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Can fitness make money?
There are many ways to make money by selling exercise plans. You could make digital workout plans, meal plans, exercise plans, or online training programs and sell them.
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Is a fitness gym profitable?
It is possible to make a lot of money by owning a gym, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of money to get started. Market research shows that the average gym makes between $300,000 and $500,000 a year, with 20% to 30% profit rates.
