Last week, Travis Hansen wrote Part One and covered topics you can focus on as a trainer or coach to strengthen your personal and online training business over the long haul. He had more to say. Here’s Part Two.
1. Develop a Niche
The training field is highly competitive, with many subfields you can specialize in—fat loss, muscle building, bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, CrossFit, athletic development, bootcamps, corrective exercise, and more. Trying to master everything is impractical and self-limiting. Look at the top players in the field: they stand out by owning a specific niche. For example, Bret Contreras is known as the Glute Guy, Lee Taft as the Speed Guy, Charlie Weingroff focuses on rehab-style training, McGill on the spine, the Cosgroves on fat loss, Eric Cressey on shoulders and baseball, and so on. These experts can handle many debates, but most succeed by specializing deeply. There’s overlap between specialties, so you still need strong foundations across many training types, but be honest about your limits and gaps.
2. Practice What You Preach
This one may seem obvious, but it’s worth saying. If you want immediate respect from clients and athletes, you have to look the part. If you aim to train bodybuilders, train like a bodybuilder. If you want to attract football players, be involved in football at a high level. But looking the part doesn’t guarantee long-term client retention—results do. A history of training in the style you preach can give you a temporary edge, but beyond that you must continually study and practice your craft. Some of the best in the field don’t become coaches after their competing careers because they never learned the details of coaching. There are exceptions—exceptional thinkers who interpret data in unique ways—but they’re rare. To illustrate, here’s a quick look back at my own journey: I trained to sprint faster, consistently running in the mid-to-high 4.4s, with a hand-timed best of 4.31 and a fully electronic 4.54. I loved speed training and studied every technique, book, study, program, and periodization model I could find. My goal was a natural 4.3, and once I hit it, I redirected my drive to helping others reach similar speeds. Since then hundreds of athletes have followed our system and become faster, which brings us to the next factor.
3. Build Your Portfolio
Early in my coaching career, I spent money on business cards and pamphlets hoping to generate leads as I became self-employed. That approach didn’t feel right, so I switched course. I asked myself why I was selling a service without solid evidence of its effectiveness and a clear understanding of what I was delivering. I chose to commit to constant learning and daily practice. I aimed to maximize every client session, keeping a learning-to-client ratio around 9:1. The money wasn’t immediate, but I had time outside of training to improve my skills while staying socially connected. Over time, as I delivered real results, my clientele grew. Do good work and people will come. Word will spread, and you’ll eventually have tangible results you can market to the public.
4. How Do You Respond to Failure?
Your response to failure will heavily influence how far you go. Everyone takes hits in this business. The key is to acknowledge it and keep moving. I’ve had days when I felt I completely blew it, cried, and wondered if this path was worth it. A big factor is having big goals and the patience to work toward them, even when progress is slow. When you stay accountable, continue learning, and keep practicing your craft with full effort, things start to fall into place over time.
Wrap Up
I sincerely hope these two pieces shed light on aspects of the profession you may not have considered. My goal is to help you as much as I can. Be patient, work hard, stay positive, find joy in the process, and try not to be overly self-critical—that tendency can eat you up.
About the Author
Travis Hansen has spent nearly a decade in the field of Human Performance Enhancement. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fitness and Wellness and three certifications from ISSA, NASM, and NCSF. He was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBADL during the 2010 season and is currently the Director of The Reno Speed School at the South Reno Athletic Club. He has worked with hundreds of athletes across youth to professional levels and is the author of the popular Speed Encyclopedia. He is a leading authority on speed development for the International Sports Sciences Association.
