Most fitness business owners hit a ceiling. You work harder, take on more clients, and push yourself to the limit—yet there are only so many hours in a day. The key to breaking through? Leverage.

In this episode of Profit Made Simple, I dive deep into how personal trainers, gym owners, and fitness entrepreneurs can scale their businesses without working more hours or burning out. After years of trial and error, I’ve identified four essential ways to create leverage and achieve growth with freedom:

✅ Optimise your business model

✅ Build a strong team

✅ Grow a personal brand

✅ Leverage technology & automation

Let’s break these down so you can apply them to your business today.

The easiest way to create leverage is to change the way you deliver your services. When I first opened my personal training studio, I specialised in one-on-one training. That meant I was trading the most valuable commodity in the world—my time—to train just one person at a time.

For 18 months, I worked 12-hour days, including weekends and holidays, but I hit a hard limit. There were no more hours to give. That’s when I realised I needed leverage.

Everything changed when I attended a Perform Better Summit in the U.S. and listened to Rick Mayo talk about semi-private training. Instead of training one client per hour, I could train 3-6 clients at once—still providing personalisation, but now with a much higher earning potential.

🔹 Example: If you charge $100 for a one-on-one session, you could charge $60 per person for semi-private training. With five clients per session, that’s $300 per hour instead of $100—triple the revenue in the same amount of time.

✅ More clients served per hour
✅ Higher earning potential
✅ Stronger community & client retention

This model works in private studios, commercial gyms, and even outdoor training settings.

Another powerful shift is hybrid training—combining in-person coaching with online support. Clients still get face-to-face coaching, but they also receive:

✔️ Custom workouts in an app
✔️ Nutrition guidance
✔️ Accountability check-ins

🔹 Example: A trainer in Brisbane, Kara, bolted a $40/week hybrid training option onto her existing one-on-one clients. Now, whether they’re on vacation or training in person, she earns consistent income without extra work.

➡️ Key takeaway: Small tweaks to your pricing and packaging can significantly increase revenue without adding more work.

Trying to run every aspect of your business alone is a guaranteed path to burnout. If you’re doing things like:

❌ Answering emails
❌ Managing payments & accounts
❌ Scheduling client sessions
❌ Cleaning your facility

Then you’re wasting time on tasks that don’t grow your business.

Most fitness business owners think their first hire should be a coach. Wrong. Your first hire should be an administrative assistant to handle low-value tasks.

Onshore vs. Offshore Assistants

✔️ Onshore admin: Costs $30-$35/hour (with super & benefits)
✔️ Offshore virtual assistant: Costs $5-$10/hour (highly skilled)

Many of our coaching clients have hired offshore VAs to free up 10+ hours per week.

🔹 Example: If your hourly coaching rate is $100/hour, hiring a $10/hour virtual assistant frees up time to make $1,000+ per week in extra coaching revenue.

✅ More time for high-value tasks (sales, marketing, coaching)
✅ Less stress & operational burden

✅ Faster business growth

➡️ Key takeaway: Leverage a team so you can focus on what moves the needle in your business.

The most successful fitness business owners aren’t just great coaches—they’re great marketers.

A strong personal brand creates:

✅ Higher demand & premium pricing – You can charge more because people trust you.
✅ Inbound leads – Clients come to you instead of you chasing them.

✅ New income opportunities – Speaking gigs, sponsorships, and collaborations.

🔹 Example: Dan Martell (author of Buy Back Your Time) built a massive online following. When I inquired about him speaking at an event, his keynote fee was $250,000 USD—because his personal brand is that strong.

📲 Be active on social media – Share insights, results, and your journey.
🎥 Create video content – Short-form reels and YouTube videos boost engagement.

📧 Start an email newsletter – Keep your audience engaged with valuable content.

➡️ Key takeaway: The bigger your personal brand, the easier it is to sell, grow, and scale.

Technology is like hiring an extra team member—but without paying a salary

⚡ CRM & Lead Automation (e.g., GoHighLevel) – Automate lead follow-ups, consultations, and onboarding.

⚡ Training Apps (e.g., Trainerize, PT Distinction) – Deliver workouts, track progress, and communicate with clients at scale.

⚡ Marketing Automation – Pre-schedule social media posts, emails, and SMS campaigns.

🔹 Example: One of our coaching clients plugged GoHighLevel into their business and saw a 40% increase in consult bookings—without doing extra work.

✅ Better client retention
✅ Higher conversion rates
✅ Fewer missed opportunities

➡️ Key takeaway: Use technology to automate tasks, nurture leads and increase client success.

Scaling a fitness business doesn’t mean working more hours. Instead, work smarter by implementing these four leverage strategies:

🔹 Optimise your business model – Offer semi-private & hybrid training.

🔹 Hire a team – Start with an administrative assistant.
🔹 Build a personal brand – Increase your authority and attract clients effortlessly.
🔹 Use automation & technology – Save time and boost efficiency.

If today’s episode struck a chord and you’re ready to create leverage in your business, DM me on Instagram @CoachDanHenderson. We’ll jump on a quick call and map out a plan for you.

Thank you for tuning in to Profit Made Simple! Embrace these strategies and watch your profits soar. 🚀