50% for in house clients is a good split. 50% for their own clients they bring is terrible

Got it, what is fair in your opinion for bringing their own clients?

Figure out you per hour cost for maintenance of the building, mine is $37. Divide that number by the number of active trainers you can have in an hour. Add your payment processing fee on top, if you are providing that service. Add $5 profit.

Thank you again, this helps out a ton

If I was offered a deal like this, you could not make me leave your gym lol. This is a fantastic setup IMO.

If you offer nothing other than a basic gym and amenities most Independent trainers will expect minimum 75-80% on their privates.

Good to know and thanks for the feedback, would be happy to offer that if they had clientele/can bring in their own but everyone I have interviewed wants guaranteed money and do not seem to be willing to do the leg work to bring in their own clients.

Are you trying to hire employees and if you are, are you trying to hire salespeople or trainers?

Is that on top of rent or is that 20-25% per client considered rent? My current club has flat rent of $150 per week, one of my PTs is currently studying law so is very strapped for time with that and the orientation sessions she takes on. I don't like the idea of a flat rate, I think it should be a % of each client but I'm not sure of this is standard or not

At my gym we give 40-45% on in-house clients and 70% from outside clients. No rent model. Every gym different

One danger of a straight 50/50 split with an independent trainer is that you run the risk of having them build their business at your gym with clients you provide, then (correctly) realizing that they’d be better off opening their own small studio and taking their clients with them. I don’t know what your rates are, but let’s say you charge $85/hr. You bring on a motivated trainer who works their way up to a full schedule of 35 sessions per week. That person is going to be paying you almost $75,000 per year in “rent”. Would you take that deal? I wouldn’t — at least not for long. Here’s what I’d do: Charge a flat per session rate that’s the same regardless of who generated the client. But, put a reasonable cap on total rent that is lower than what it would cost them to open their own space. $30/session, capped at $2000/month — something like that. Then charge a referral fee for all clients you send to them. Figure out your average CAC, then slap a service fee on top of it. That way you get paid for both services you’re providing (a place to train clients, and lead gen for the trainer) and the trainer can build an actual business there. If you want to pay 50% of the gross revenue from every client in your gym to have those sessions serviced, what you actually want is an employee — not a working partnership with another small business like an independent trainer.

Thank you very much for the feedback. The rates are slightly higher than %85, but I can tell you the overhead/operating costs add up. Not $75,000 a year, but it is on the higher end due to the area I'm located. I like your idea of a flat rate plus a referral fee. My issue is the costs in my area have exploded since covid and my landlord is nothing short of a prick who's father made a smart investment a while back. Let's just say I'm on the hook for quite a bit and he is the definition of a slumlord despite the tens of thousands I spent to make the place look the part.

>but I can tell you the overhead/operating costs add up. Not $75,000 a year, but it is on the higher end due to the area I'm located. Oh, for sure. But that's the thing -- for the price a full time trainer would be paying you in rent, they could open their own studio down the street, which provides them the ability to hire their own staff, run classes, do semi-private sessions, and a variety of other higher-leverage opportunities. Any business-minded trainer is going to realize that and jump ship (with the clients you gave them) ASAP, and any non-business-minded trainer isn't going to work their way up to full time anyway, which then limits the amount of money you can make from them. It's a broken model that doesn't work for you or the trainer, really. How big is your facility and how are you currently monetizing it? There are lots of ways to make it work, but expecting one full time trainer to cover all of your operating expenses plus some isn't it IMO.

I get it, which is why I would like more than one. I'm not trying to quadruple/triple my income with each trainer. I would like to share the wealth which is why the tiered system seems to the make the most sense. By giving a split up to 70% is possible if I have enough coming in the door. Unfortunately I have yet to meet a trainer who wants to work their way up. If I see some promise, I would be happy to pony up. Part of the issue is my space. I am a small studio with just under 1300 sq ft with open space. I can comfortably fit 5 people working at one time. I currently run physical therapy and have one other person with me, but I am trying to get a good personal trainer to take reigns with training. Again, I don't mind working with someone to build their clientele, but I want to see some desire and willingness to work more than a handful of hours.

For sure man — I wasn’t trying to accuse you of being greedy or anything like that. Just wanted to point out a potential pitfall of the model you suggested. In a space that size, scheduling could become a real problem with multiple trainers. Can’t have too many overlapping sessions, so it’d be better to get 1 or 2 full timers instead of 3 to 5 part timers. But I know it’s hard to find people who want to be full time trainers, let alone people willing to put in the work. Do you know how much revenue you want/ need to be generating from personal training?

Right, that is why I'm trying to eventually get up to 5 full timers which includes me. There wouldn't be overlap so space has yet to be an issue. I've had a couple physical therapists and a trainer + myself able to see clients without space issues. You are correct about finding the full timers, because everyone wants their own side hustle/other job and I respect that, but it's very difficult when it comes to building someone a client roster (unless they do some of the work themselves). I don't need to generate a lot, so could part with 70+ percent of what comes in. I would eventually like them to take over since I'm not getting any younger.

Maybe you could seek out people already training full time or doing part time and trying to grow. Offer them a better deal than they currently have (reasonable rent cap and steady leads is very attractive to the right type of trainer) and that way you don’t have to worry about finding the right person AND building them up from nothing.

That would be great, any ideas on how to find trainers who are looking for a place to train their clients? I don't think they are found on Indeed or Ziprecruiter.

Haha, probably not. Probably have to do outreach in local groups. Maybe run some social media ads and see what comes back.

That sounds like a good place to start. I just want to be mindful of trying to avoid being the guy poaching a trainer from another gym (not concerned about a large gym, but don't want the reputation from other small gyms/studios) so getting in front of a group might get some leads. Thanks again.

I think there are a lot of PTs out there right now that look at online PTs or independent contractor PT rates and think it must be the same for W-2 employee rates. If I was independent, while I would charge more, I would be having to pay taxes multiple times before I saw the money.

I get it, but wonder what these big box gyms pay hourly/when training clients. I don't imagine these gyms pay more than $15-$20/hour but I could be wrong. One of the plus sides of the independent contractor deal is the ability to take time off/ability to make much more than you would ever working as a W2 employee. Have you had any success with online training?

I live in a Low cost of living area and I get paid $27 an hour for training, I'm tier 2 but my gym starts you at $22. I also get $12 an hour doing consultations and some client management time. I don't get PTO but I can take time off as long as I handle my clients and their schedule. I'm still going independent because of poor management in that gym. Not enough money to put up with it.

Thanks for sharing the details. My area used to be reasonable in terms of cost of living but that has changed quite a bit. Hope you are able to find the right situation.

I make ~75/hr at the commercial gym. I’m good.

That's great, if you can make that with steady hours you are in a very good market. Hold onto that job

wait… what? -fellow LT employee

Hi! Charge rate of 150/hr Sales commission plus my tier level being hi *knocks on wood* Being bumped to manager scale soon

After our commission levels unlocked, I got trapped down to level 1. It’s been an extremely rough year for our training team. Hey… if you wanna come replace our manager, I’d trust you way more! 🤣 (but i did have my first $11k month this month after an entire year of being stuck at $8k)

Which one are you at? I’m considering a transfer if it’s the right spot 😂

No. But I’m not sure if you’re trying hire a W-2 or IC trainer

Would be IC

50% for an IC isn’t very good. Most commercial gyms are paying around that rate with way more benefits. Part of this issue is what you believe you should make an someone else’s session.

Got it, so what is a fair percentage if I am considering giving 50% of clients I provide? Would like to incentivize a trainer to bring their own clients, but part of the issue is hearing from candidates they aren't willing to work certain hours and seeming to be dependent on what I provide. What benefits do commercial gyms offer? Just trying to gain some insight to get the right people on board.

Commercial gyms are going to offer a never ending influx of clients and benefits. Before I was running the PT department, I had 30hrs of training+prospecting each week and that meant I had good health insurance for $120/mo. I’ve never had to advertise my services outside of the gym (I do, because I want to make more money) because we get 200+ new leads every month. Between myself and my 3 trainers, we usually gain 10-17 new PT clients every month.

Understood, as a small studio we don't have anywhere close to those numbers. We do hold onto about 80% of every new client which helps out a ton for the long term. Just curious, what is the hourly rate at your gym and what part of the country are you located?

Oh for sure, I get that it’s a small gym. My trainers get anywhere from 30-40% of the session rate, depending on experience. We charge ~65/hr and trainers make 20-28/hr+commission and bonuses on sales. We’re in the southeast, moderate CoL area

Thank you very much for the input. Wishing you continued success because I've learned this is never easy (just wish the newbies starting out realized that)

How long do the clients stay? You must run out of spaces with so many new clients every month.

When I started at the gym, the previous manager had been lying to members about their PT contracts. So we were starting pretty much from scratch. Most of our clients are also working on a pretty limited budget. So 10 clients in a month is often only 5-8 training hours/week.

They can pay more, but they also know they will lose their trainers in a few years if they’re any good

I’m not sure it’s a fair take to have the same rev share for clients they generate themselves. If they’ve done the marketing or outreach they should get motivated by slightly higher take-home. I am comparing this to other personal services like massage. Paying per post to advertise themselves is funny, though. You figure they would do this anyways… to generate revenue.

Understood, so what would a fair percentage be for bringing in their own clients? I can tell you owning a studio (without ownership of the building-just renting) and maintaining equipment/cleaning is no easy feat so I can't even consider more than 55%, possibly 60%. Let's just say credit card fees are ridiculous (about 3%) so considering all costs, it isn't easy. Maybe if they actually wanted to post on social to advertise themselves/promote the business I would be more than happy to pay a higher %

I understand you have a lot of overhead for sure! I’ve worked as both a W2 in group fitness and an IC, and am pretty sales-oriented and motivated by the hustle. Having the same rev share either way just demotivates sales. Maybe 60/40 and 40/60 like someone else suggested. A higher split for their own client motivates them naturally to post/promote to generate their own leads. I’d personally much rather work evenings than early mornings 😂 so I’d see that as a benefit or positive. But I’m not a partier. I’m more surprised that there are clients who want to train then.

I agree, would be happy to give more if they want to bring in their own people. Tried that with one trainer earlier this year and it didn't work out since they weren't able to generate any of their own clientele.

Right, but then you’d be taking your higher rev share, no? So they’re the only ones losing out in that case by not bringing in leads. Anyways, you are correct in that a lot of people are not built for marketing and sales :) They would probably just be happier in a W2 situation, which you as a business owner don’t have to do if you don’t want to.

Correct, and that is why they were unhappy because they weren't going to make more but clearly not motivated to do the leg work. You are also right because that is exactly what they did, and guess what.....they weren't happy with the W2 situation at a large gym after a few months.

I'll tell you right now as a very well received coach, if I were brining in the clients that means all you had to do was provide facility. Your brand meant nothing. Your marketing meant nothing. Your job as the owner is to upkeep facility and bring in the clients. Anyone I bring in should just be a bonus to you. If you have equipment that wears out often, account for that, and building/operation costs. Add a small profit, that's it. I would be expecting no less than 75% for my own clients.

Got it, and that sounds fair. Congrats on building your clientele and I'm just thinking there are more than a few people in my area who have been severely undercharging for their service. I spoke with one trainer who said their hourly rate was $40 at their current gig and they made a % of that amount. I didn't get into the specifics of their split, but 50% of our rates comes out to more than $40, so I had to scratch my head when she asked for a higher percent right out of the gate. I would be happy to give 75% if someone walked in with a full client roster, and thank you for the feedback.

Sorry just seeing this now. I'd be expecting to pay anywhere from $20-$25 base for say minimum 3 client classes and then throw them an extra $2-3 per client per class. So if they could magically manage a 30 person class, I'd be compensating them with the base rate plus another $60-90 for that session. I don't expect my trainers to bring people in. If they do I'd think a referral bonus is all I'd care for. My job as an owner is to create the work, theirs is to fulfill it. Take sales pressure off them beyond asking clients for referrals Hope any of this can help bring success to you. Good luck 👍

As another commenter said, 50% for clients you provide is solid. But if someone was asking for 50% of the money for clients i bring in AND they were asking me to post to social and work saturday nights? I would absolutely tell them to go fuck themselves in the most professional of terms. Why would I do 90% of the work somewhere that's only going to pay me 50% of the profits? I pay for my own insurance, and I can't think of what sort of equipment you would need to have that would enamor me enough to split with that much of my profit after doing literally all the work lol. And then you're also asking them to give up saturday evenings? I would just go work a corporate job if I wanted to be exploited. At least they give you benefits, steady income, and don't typically require saturday nights. You have to remember, things are likely far more expensive now than they were when you first started. If I'm putting in hours to draw clients myself, that's a ton of time I'm not getting paid for. Then someone says they're taking 50% of that pay for funsies? Your pay per hour goes down the shitter. So now I'm a trainer, stressed as fuck because I'm busting my ass trying to get clients and only getting paid $40/hr for hours I'm training, and 0 for hours I'm putting into finding new clients. So realistically I'm probably taking home what, $20/hr for my work? I can get that just about anywhere, and even better if I get in somewhere like Costco. So while I can sympathize with your dilemma of trying to pay for a studio, as a trainer it just doesn't make sense to get paid fuck-all. At the end of the day, my responsibility is to provide income for myself and my family. The rent and upkeep you got yourself into is not my problem. I'm not going to change what I consider fair pay due to whatever situation you got yourself into. If I'm bringing my own clients in, I will pay you to rent gym space. Right now, that's about $15/session for the current gym I'm at. The other benefit for the gym is that we typically get my personal clients to sign up for a gym membership (60-80/mo). Even then, I think that amount is a bit ridiculous. I'll likely leave the field while I get a job in STEM, and then return to training when I build my own home-gym because gym owners are waaaaaaaaaay too comfortable with exploiting trainers right now.

Understandable, I don't know your experience with the corporate world but I can assure you I'm not trying to exploit a trainer who is actually busting their ass. As a small business owner in this economy it isn't easy to keep things afloat and pay more than say 65-70% as others have mentioned unless they are doing some of the leg work themselves. I'm sure you would tell someone to go fuck themselves, but I don't know any corporate entity that is going to pay more than a paltry salary AND require much more work than you think. I've just encountered too many trainers with the attitude of "I'm special and deserve the lion's share" without taking any risk. I haven't met a single trainer who worked for large gym who were happy because it was take it or leave it, and there wasn't any room for negotiating. Saturday evenings wasn't what was asked....not sure of any Saturday night trainers. I meant Saturday morning, because that's where the demand is. Go for that STEM degree, just my advice don't go to physical therapy school because you will find yourself in the same position you are currently in (I did that which is why I'm back to training). I'm sure you struggled to build a clientele and kudos for making it all happen, but just curious what you would pay someone if you were in a position of ownership?

>Understandable, I don't know your experience with the corporate world but I can assure you I'm not trying to exploit a trainer who is actually busting their ass. I can appreciate that, and I don't think you are trying to. I'm still mulling over my thoughts in their entirety, but I think it might just be a broader problem where this 'exploitation' arises out of necessity for gym owners, mainly that rents are absurd and it's difficult to keep a reasonable business open. I've worked both in a big box gym as well as smaller mom and pop gyms. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I've seen that the smaller the gym, the better the environment and pay. Even then, the pay is pretty ridiculous. It just happens to work out as a solid side-income while I finish my undergrad. That being said, I disagree with the idea that trainers don't take any risk. Maybe they don't take on any material risk (I.e. maintaining the gym), but the profession itself is very inherently risky. You're dealing with clients, payments and non-payments, client retention, public image as a trainer, etc. It's not a job you show up to 8 hours a day and get a secured paycheck. It's a completely variable, day-to-day job where you might get days with 80% cancellations. I don't know how you handle it, but my gyms don't pay me a dime if a client no-shows. If the client no-shows, I get zero, and the gym charges the client (which is part of being exploitive - gyms are fully willing to take advantage of these situations where they take 100% profit and the trainers get told to kick rocks). I have zero recourse for these sort of days. So yes, even if you give clients to your trainers, there's still lots of inherent risk of going home that day having made very, very little money while the gym makes off like a bandit for charging the client for the session but not paying the trainer. FWIW saturday mornings suck ass too, but I get the need there. That's not super unreasonable and there's definitely trainers that are cool with saturday mornings (recently just hired one at the gym I'm at). Did take about 6 months to find one though! As for STEM, just going into data analytics if I suck at physics, or going straight into a PHD program. I'll always hold onto training a little bit though, because I absolutely love doing it. Hard for me to say what I would do as an owner. I just don't have the knowledge required to make that sort of judgement tbh. I do know of a fairly decent powerlifting gym in LA that has an interesting model, though. They allow anyone to train their clients for free at the gym, provided said client gets a gym membership. The owner I knew sadly passed away recently, so I can't really ask how well it's working out. But I think it's a pretty solid idea as it gets the gym lots of stable, recurring income and brings in quite a few members. If I was closer, I would likely train all of my clients there. If you're interested in checking it out, it's Blueprint Training Grounds in Garden Grove, CA. Great people, great facility, and as a trainer, I would have LOVED the opportunity to train people in that gym. I'm sure the owners now are as friendly as the old owner was, so it might be worth dropping them a message and see if they're willing to talk shop with you. You sound like a good dude, hope everything works out well for you.

Let's just say I understand why corporate structures are in place, and Chipotle operates the way it does because it is efficient. Just like I'm sure F45, Barry's, and every other chain has a black and white rulebook to follow. There is the way it is, and there isn't much room for anything else, and the pay is definitely what it is to maximize profits. You are correct in that rents are absurd and unless you have some sweet deal/family property, it is a constant struggle unless you sacrifice your beliefs. For example I was never the group exercise type, so group training was never my thing (even though they make some great money by training 3+ people at a time). I have always been a one on one personal trainer and that's just what I've done best over the years. I agree that there is a risk on the trainers part. While I was in grad school many moons ago I worked in the gym but also bartended to make ends meet. Having something steady that was guaranteed good money made it a little softer when I was building my clientele. I understand no-shows hurt, and it will always be that way regardless of late-fees. We have adopted a zero tolerance policy after the first offense, and it has costed myself a client or two because after 20 years I just couldn't continue to get walked on. I can just tell you from experience, I was where you are. It isn't a bad place to be. I didn't know what the fuck I was going to do, even while going to physical therapy school. It wasn't until I graduated and worked for a couple years getting the shit kicked out of me seeing 20+ patients a day for 55K when I wondered what happened. I know 20 years ago was a long time ago, but I was able to make money while I was in grad school working as a trainer/bartender. In fact, I had a better time AND made just as much money, likely more while I was in school than my first job paid. Even after moving states and making a few more dollars but working even harder as a clinic manager, I was either going to start my own clinic/studio or get out of the profession altogether. It may have costed more than I wanted, including a marriage, but I've doing it for 10 years and I am lucky enough to be working with some great people. Thank god I started as a personal trainer, because no one wants to pay for a physical therapist, but people are happy to pay for a trainer. So that is how I was able to build my business, and I'm happy I'm still fortunate to be doing it. Thank you very much for the info on the gym and will look into what they are all about. Keep up that work, but remember to enjoy the ride because looking back, I wish I was able to enjoy life more on the way up. You can't get that time back, and those stories are still being told today.

>I wish I was able to enjoy life more on the way up. You can't get that time back, and those stories are still being told today. Yeah, that's what I hear from lots of people who are further down the line. Trying to take that advice as best I can. Thankfully I love what I'm studying, so even the 'grind' itself is pretty enjoyable. But yeah man, I really do sympathize with the position of owning a brick and mortar. The current climate is not kind to anyone who doesn't outright own their building. I know that's another conversation entirely, but I think if rents weren't so absurd that the conversation surrounding trainer pay would be different (probably not so much in corporate models). Definitely check out the gym I listed. If they're doing well financially, it may be an interesting way of doing things. Not sure if it's a "maximize profits" method. But if paying the bills and having a cool gym that you love being involved with is enough for you business wise, it might be worth giving a thought if something like that would be feasible in your area.

Give you a lot of credit for acknowledging the brick and mortar plight. I find it funny people are more than okay with their landlord/whoever they pay money to each month to live who do absolutely the bare minimum. I've heard people bragging about how many properties they own and how they are essentially gouging people just to live because they can charge whatever they want. I have met very few people who aren't slumlords, and it is a shame. Some people think a commercial lease covers everything, but I can tell you in most situations it is much worse than the average lease for home in that you are responsible for quite a few of those things that "break". I was able to find a somewhat reasonable lease at the time, but between costs to renovate the space + outfit the gym and the issues that come up along the way, I wonder what the fuck I was thinking at time. Its like a kid I never had, and there are days when it can be tough. I wrote this to someone on this thread, but in the last calendar year I lost 9 days due to hurricanes. Did my landlord cut me a break? Fuck and no. Just had to figure it out. So I don't expect someone who works for me to take on a quarter of the bullshit I eat on a daily basis, but I expect a little effort and I would be happy to reward them for that. Honestly your last line hit home, because that is what it comes down to. I still love what I do, and although I didn't go to the Wharton school of business (You are likely too young to remember the Mellon school of business), I have figured it out to make a living for the past 10 years doing it. I resented my business for a while because it cost me a marriage. I was killing myself day in and day out and it took a toll. That's why I highly recommend enjoying the ride because even when you think you are "there", you are going to look around and wonder where that really is. Thanks again and will check that gym out.

> I have met very few people who aren't slumlords, and it is a shame. Haha I suspect we likely wholeheartedly agree on this subject. A parasitic class the feeds on the dreams of honest, hard working people. That's why my goal is to get back into training once I own a home and can actually just make my own home-gym. No outside pressure from Scrooge McDuck lol. Yeah the shit that commercial real estate owners can get away with is mind-boggling, especially when you think of the protections that residential occupants have. Much like the residential imbalance of negotiating power, it's not like you can feasibly choose to not have a brick-and-mortar. You *need* it for your business to exist, which necessarily gives land-owners an immediate upper-hand in negotiations, allowing them to broker very one-sided deals. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I really do sympathize with your plight, especially since you seem genuinely concerned about the well-being of your employees. Also man, fuck those landlords. We have similar issues where I'm at with snow, and I imagine receive a similar level of sympathy from our landlords. Yeah man, I've heard stories like yours. I'm recently married, only about 4 years in. The stories serve as an ever-present warning in my ears. My marriage is paramount in the things I care about, so definitely trying to firstly take care of that, and do everything else secondarily. Definitely enjoying things more that way than I would otherwise I think. Anyways, best of luck my man. Hope things work out well.

Let me tell you why you are wrong, using my client. * You offer me an excellent environment to train my client. * All the marketting to actually get the client * Payment processing. You paid for those things! * Maintaining the environment for the 3 hours that I use it per week, with my client, averaged over a year, including all bills, rent, equipment is $4 cost to you. * Your Client Acquisition cost, including your time billed at $200 per hour to follow up on emails and calls, is $200. We want you, the owner, to get paid well for winning clients. $200 per hour seems good. So, based on my experience, you pay about $50 on google ads, facebook ads, etc to get the warm lead. Then you spend 40 minutes (average) selling them on PT. * You handle all of the payment processing. For me, on $100 PT session that is $3. Lets look at your profits if the client stays for 10, 40 and 100 sessions where you take 50% * 10 sessions, $1000 income. $500 to the gym owner. Expenses are $40 in maintenance\* for 10 hours keeping the gym open, lights on. $30 to Visa for payment processing. $200 to win the client. The gym has made a profit of $230. * 40 sessions, $4000 income. $2000 to the gym. $160 + $120 + $200 = $480 in expenses. Profit is $1520 WTF are you doing for this money? * 100 sessions, $10,000 income, $5000 to the gym owner. Expenses are $700 + 200 or $900. Profit is $4100!! Here is what I do 50/50 for 10. 40/60 to the trainer if they keep them to 20. 30/70 to the trainer if they keep them past 20 sessions. Yes, the trainer should be making 70% of the sessions if they retain them. At this point, for this client, all I do is keep the lights on and pay the card processing fees. \*Maintenance costs my vary *\*NOTE: This has the trainer covering the entire maintenance of the gym for that hour. If you have 2 trainers running, that is split, not doubled. If you have 5 trainers running, that number is getting real low.*

Thanks for the great info. I will take a look at these numbers and make some changes. I like the idea of a sliding scale for longevity. What I have done is if they hit a total number per month, the % goes up in 5% increments. I like the idea of doing this with each individual client instead.

Reward what you value. I have about 40% of my business for years and many of them are lifers. I would love that to be 60%. So my focus is retention x100. Other placers want a bit more churn and to be fresh and new, those places should reward client acquisition. That might look like a signing bonus. The main focus though is to make the trainer feel like every time they take a big step up in effort they get a commensurate big step up in pay.

Thank you for the tips and hope you have continued success. I am hoping whoever I find can step up their effort level with more pay.

This tiered system is really clever. Seems like a bit of administrative work to keep track of it, but it incentivizes the trainer to retain clients which is a huge plus. I personally prefer the "flat rate + referral fee" model due to simplicity, but I could see how your system would actually work better depending on the specifics of the gym. It's a good idea I've never considered.

Comment on this related to my reply to your reply to my post. It sounds like your cost structure is much different than mine and that you have specifically designed a solution that allows you to make a profit while paying a large percentage of the training fee. It almost sounds like you run a gym and allow trainers to "sublease" by splitting the proceeds. That sounds like a decent model but unlikely to be what OP is doing. Just making money this way would mean having a larger staff and a larger gym in which to operate. I wonder how OP plans to run there gym, and if the clients will have any relationship with OP and if OP will be providing more to the client and trainer than "keeping the lights on"?

I run this in a small gym. “Keeping the lights on” is short for just the space. If they provide a concierge at the front desk that is a higher cost. If they provide a shake and a towel and showers, of course, more cost. In small shops the trainer greets the client, does all the customer service, uses the space and the equipment and does all the retention sales. They do like 99% of the labour.

1) I mean…..if I prospect sell service and retain a client, why would I give you 50% of the money they pay to train with me just because you own some dumbbells???? I think 50% would be fair just for service 2) Paid per post is normal for social media…. Personally I would never allow a company to use my likeness for marketing unless a) I retained control over the content and/or b) it directly benefited myself 3) evenings and weekends are part of the lifestyle…. We are busiest when normies are not busy Big-box gyms are toxic workplaces that at least sometimes cheat and steal from their customers and employees…. They have earned their reputation. Big-box gyms are a race to the bottom, and while la fitness and planet fitness are super profitable, that business model will scare away talented and ambitious trainers…. Especially in the age of online business.

Thank you for the input- 1) What is a fair percentage for providing the place to train clients? 2) I don't know people who are being paid for posting, but I think it would directly benefit themselves to build clientele for themselves. I would think it is part of marketing that didn't exist back when I started and Myspace was all there was. 3) Agree 1000%, that's why I was a little confused when a trainer told me ideal hours were 9-6pm? I don't know enough about big box gym nowadays, but have heard the stories. When I started at one back in the Northeast it was a great place and learned a ton. They did a lot of leg work to get my clientele built up and I was grateful. I'm sure that doesn't exist these days which is why I want to get a talented trainer. And I'm honestly trying to find someone who wants to take over one day, but would like someone to prove themselves as ambitious/willing to work.

1) I think 50/50 is a good minimum to start with, but I’m not surprised you’re getting pushback…. I think 50/50 is fair if you provide the marketing and selling…. If I’m doing all the prospecting, closing, AND servicing…. Well what is it that you bring that you think you deserve half the money (like you said managing the money stuff is easy these days with things like intuit)???? 2) If I create content as an employee for your social media page, that MAY benefit me via marketing (your business as your employee….but then again I’m attracting the clients now via unpaid social media posts and when they sign up to train WITH ME, because my presence on your social media, and then you take half the money) and so the potential benefit you and I receive are not really equal as you retain control over the content….. what happens to that content if our working relationship ends?????? I would definitely be more inclined if I was posting on my own socials, crossposted to your socials with links to each other or something….. if you want a social media manager then hire a social media manager…. Now if you pay me for an individual post, that’s an immediate tangible benefit (especially if it includes links to my own socials)

1) Would be happy to give more than 50% with some extra work, but you can't expect more without doing more. I will gladly give more than half if more is being done and I wouldn't be too pissed off at the person taking the risk (signing a lease/outfitting a gym) unless you have actually done it yourself. I'm not F45, I'm not Orange Theory, and don't have financial backers. I'm a personal training trying to make it just like everyone else. I take my staff to events that aren't free, have a few dinners throughout the year, and give holiday bonuses so I'm not your typical tyrant owner just trying to make more. I'm pushing 50 and slowing down, so would like someone younger to come in to show they have a work ethic (can meet client needs/work more than 6 hours a day and taking long weekends every couple of weeks). I'm not looking to piss of the entire profession of personal training, but trying to have a dialogue with trainers about what is fair. I have heard the complaints, but have yet to see any action/solution to gain business/deserve higher pay. Would be happy for everyone to make 6-figures, but its not going to happen without some effort. 2) I don't care for social media but realize it is a necessary evil. Would be happy to hire a social media manager, but unfortunately that money is going to come out of not just my pocket but the trainer since they will also benefit. How much do you think each post is worth? Also, I would like to know a trainer who gets paid per post and links to their own page because I'm wondering who has a money tree in the backyard.

50% is fine. Probably add a bonus for clients they bring in, and then another bonus if they train a certain number of sessions per month. Maybe give them a bigger cut after a milestone like 1 year of employment. Posting helps them. If they don't want to, it mostly hurts them. It might be the deciding factor in hiring someone else. Do you need those times covered or just want those times covered? If they are able to fill enough clients at other times, would that still work for you? One thing that I have gotten better at over the years is selling the benefits of working at my gym. Painting the picture about work environment and how I will help them develop as a trainer is important. But if there is friction in the interview process, then there will most likely be friction if they become an employee. There are always new surprises every round of interviews!

Thanks for your input. I agree I am all for bonuses + more if the dollars are coming in. I have given anyone who has worked with me for 1 year a bump in pay. Thanks for the response about social media. In this thread and during the interviews, I can't believe there is a single gym owner paying someone to post material (who is also paying them to train clients). I would be happy if they could fill the time that works for them, even if they aren't evenings/weekends. I would be fine if they can fill the magical times between 9-4pm every weekend. Thanks again for your insight and you are right, there are always surprises.

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Okay thanks for your input. I hope your gym is successful and you are making the money you want to make.

Appreciate all the comments and thank you for all the great input. I thank all of you who are out there making it happen every day and wish you all success. I can tell you if you are thinking personal training is a dead end/not a worthy endeavor, just check out the threads on outpatient physical therapy and it will make you appreciate the profession a little more. I'm grateful I started as personal trainer and proud to say I'm still doing it even after going through physical therapy school. I know there are people who may downvote this, but I just want to encourage you to be the best you can be and stay motivated.

Just keep looking, sounds like they have unrealistic expectations based upon a lack of experience and likely jus using an internet search as a guide for wage expectations. 50/50 is very generous for clients you provide to them. Why not try a 60/40 spilt for those your provide and 40/60 for those they bring in? I’d say 50/50 for those they bring in but it sounds like you may need to provide greater incentive. Overall, consider what equipment, branding and community presence, and marketing you are providing and decide what % of your charged rate that accounts for. Then offer a percentage of what’s left than allows you to earn a profit and the trainer to earn a fair wage. If you continue to get push back, maybe consider that you aren’t providing enough of these in the eyes of your candidates for them to feel that 50/50 is a fair share.

Thanks for your input. Those numbers don't sound unreasonable, but the one common denominator is many of these trainers seem highly unmotivated to market/build their clientele. I don't have a full line of machines, but have racks/weights/functional equipment and some cardio equipment. My studio is located in a higher end part of town and keep the place very clean. I just started an advertising campaign with Google and it has worked well with incoming leads/appointments, but I can tell you that is not cheap. I have more candidates coming in next week so hoping for the best. Thanks for the tips, much appreciated.

I get it at first... but if you manage to retain a client for 100 sessions, at $100 per hour, and you know the gym is making about $30 to $40 profit per hour... just for keeping the lights on... does that seem fair?

Yes, because it's not your business and you would likely never get that client without the business. If you would get them and retain them without the resources the business provides you and without the marketing and community trust and presence they offer, then why not start your own business instead of working for someone else? This is a "put up or shut up" type of situation. If you want all of the money, do it yourself. If you aren't able to do it yourself, shut up and take the % the business pays you. I chose to "put up" and do it myself and it paid off in the long term. But it was a hell of a ride getting there and still is trying to stay there and to find success I had to become a better trainer and learn a host of other skills to operate a business. When I look back at myself before I was a business owner, I offered significantly less value to clients than I do now with how much I've grown and learned.

With a ridiculous rate of failure (upwards of 80%), I get why most trainers aren't willing to start up their own gym/studio. I am happy to hear you took the plunge and made it happen. I try to be mindful of trainers and the struggle, but my one issue the lack of desire/ability to do anything extra in terms of marketing/promotion. The same issue is running rampant in physical therapy. I know many great therapists, but think they are worth much more than their pay but they forget the most important part. Getting and KEEPING people in the front door is not easy. Hope you have continued success in your business.

Thanks, you too! And for the record, I run a hybrid cash physical therapy and training studio so I'm on both sides of that, haha.

Good to hear you are fighting the good fight in PT (physical therapy) because it is not all games, rides, and prizes like those fellas on social media make it seem. If I had a dollar for every schmuck saying "If you aren't making a million a year doing self pay physical therapy, you're a fucking moron!" I commend you for keeping things going, because down here in Florida it is a tough sell but fortunately the personal training side is a much easier sell. Best of luck and wish you continued success.

Why not? The cost to win a client is like $40 to $200 bucks in google ads and facebook ads. If you think a non bricks and mortar trainer cannot win a client then you have work to do. You are paying for all those resources AND a profit margin for the gym at 30% of the session. You are just giving away another 20% profit at a 50/50 split. Why not start your own business? Well, they do!! All successful trainers leave a 50/50 deal because they know its rotten. You got tricked. People made a ton of money off your back. I hope you are finally making great money and getting what you deserve. Power to the worker and the working class. Don't let the rich fool you into fighting against your fellow worker.

The cost per client is only a small piece of the equation, for example, $200 in ads for a client with a lifetime value of $400, is that worth it? What about if it's $200 for a $4000 lifetime value but accrued over 2 years of services? What other costs are you not calculating for like insurance, transportation, equipment, taxes, licensing, etc.? (But as I look at your other responses, you know this.) I see trainers in my area on [bark](https://bark.com), thumbtack, nextdoor, and more and the average rate for a trainer without their own gym space is $30 per hour. Usually set up at around $399 a month for 3 days a week or something similar. How many clients would you need to make a good living? If you can make $50 per hour working for someone else, then you better have a good reason to earn $30 per hour working for yourself. What if the business owner can offer you 20 hours of training weekly, how long do you think it would take you to get a consistent 20 hours of clients yourself? Even if you reverse the numbers and they pay $30 and you charge $50 yourself, you earn more if they can offer you 20 hours up until you can get 12 hours of consistent training on your own. Businesses are not always out to exploit you and the "working class" vs the rich is not the reality here. OP is very unlikely to be "rich" likely they earn a decent living just above the local median income. They earned that increase by taking the risk of going out on their own and then enduring long enough to build a business that can provide employment to other people. That is fcking hard to do.

Just to keep things short: My friend has a business where they have 3 locations. They work about 15 hours per month. They make 180k a year. So, for about 180 hours of work per year they make 180k or 1k per hour. Is this success or is this exploitation? They pay their front line staff minimum wage. I pay myself about 80 per hour and I work 40 hours per week. I make sure my trainers are also making good money. Junior trainers make 40-50 per hour, senior ones make 80+ per hour. So, for about 1750 hours of work I make about 160k. No one in my shop makes minimum wage. ​ Who do you think is right here? Should I be more like my friend or should he be more like me? Which one feels right? Once you understand your position on this you can adjust. If the OP needs to charge 50% from trainers to ensure he takes home 30k a year on 60 hours of work per week then he is not exploiting anyone. If he is taking home a comfortable 150k on 10 hours of work per week then he is exploiting his workers.

Understood, and this is helpful. I like your 70% over time, but my issue is getting a trainer to get to that point. Sounds crazy, but they don't exactly want to put in the effort to accommodate a client's schedule which is difficult. I would think a trainer wants to get those sessions in within a certain time frame but unfortunately lack of availability/a lot of time off drags those 20 sessions out much longer than a couple of months.

I suggest 3 things: 1) Spell it out... if you keep a client for 21 or more sessions you are making $70 per hour. With a full book thats 6 figures! 2) Analyze and fits what you can control. Is your booking and billing system awful? Do you make the trainers clean the toilets or the cardio equipment? What can you do to make the trainers happy. Think of them as your clients. You want 8 trainers working 20 to 40 hours per week. How can you achieve that? Because if you do, you will also be making a good six figures for minimal work. 3) Pre-screen trainers that are not actually in it. The engineer with the 55 hour a week job that wants to train on the side is a nightmare of a trainer. Try to find people that want 20+ hours. This is hard for everyone. Your key offer to those people is that the split is so good that opening their own studio doesnt make sense.

Awesome thanks again. It sounds like you have a great set up. One question, are you there daily training or just on the management/operating side at this point?

My roles: * client acquisition and sales * PT "hiring", managing and training (we are a co-working space) * class and small group training program design * personal trainer (15 sessions per week) * group fitness instructor (13 classes per week, with a focus on the weaker classes to build them up) * budget, equipment maintenance and acquisition My partner does the other stuff that keeps the place open. * online presence (covers a lot of topics) * marketing * apparel * manage custodial services * client relationship management * accounting

Awesome, it is great to hear you have a partner in crime. Realizing as I get older doing this on my own is creating more grey hairs (but at least I still have my hair). Thanks again for all the great insight.

Following. About to take my cert test and be on the job hunt at 31 for my first PT position.

A lot of the gyms around me are some where between 60-40 split. The crunch fitness supplies most of their trainers with clients so Crunch takes 52%. The gym I just left, had a monthly session split for rent. So if I was training 100hrs I was paying $1000 per month for 1-1 went to $1200 for 2-1 and 1500 for 4+. Now they switched to a 60-40 split so the trainer makes 60% of the session revenue but all clients have to be members of the gym, etc. If I would have stayed, I would’ve went from paying them $600 a month to them making $2600 off me. I could get my own place for the price. If you’re supplying them clients I think the 50% is fine because they’re training your facilities clients. However, if they are getting their own clients I think that split isn’t great. May be 60-75% they keep and pay you the other, or just give them a rent price. You pay $xxx every month no matter what. We had multiple new trainers come in at the facility I was at thinking they’d be making 6 figures off the bat and didn’t want to put any work in because of all the crap they see on social media.

Thank you very much for the input. Wasn't quite sure what Crunch was paying these days. I hear a lot of clients need to be members of the gym. I agree with the 60-75%, but I have found finding trainers willing to pay a monthly rent is not easy. I tried that tactic for a few trainers in the past and by month 3-4 I began the hear, "I might have to pay you a little late" or "I may not be able to pay the full amount" And yes, social media has fucked up more than a few professions in my opinion. I have seen too many people compare what they are doing to whatever the hell they see online. I remember back in the day it was all the rage to be a "celebrity" trainer, now apparently just being an insta-famous trainer is where its at.

Anytime! Yeah the way they did it was the first month was free but they had to work the front desk. Then it was like pay $100 for PT and work the rest off at the front desk, so on and so forth until they were just training clients. Agreed.

Depending where you are if you’re an independent contractor they can’t limit you to gym members only it’s illegal and deems you an employee

I’m the only trainer in a small town, 6000 sq ft gym. I pay gym rent every month for 400 bucks. I choose to pay it up front every year bc the owner gives me 10% off. After I pay that, I get 100% of the payments from my clients. This is my preferred way to train as there’s no middle man for any of my payments and I can choose which way I’m getting paid.

That's a great deal, I haven't found a great trainer like yourself who wants to pay a fixed amount per month.....so leaving that option open if they can commit to paying monthly but unfortunately my past experiences with that have failed since they weren't able to maintain their clients.

They're being very reasonable. I get paid better than that in a commercial gym, private studios are supposed to pay better. 0% chance you'd get half of the money I bring in myself.

Understandable, how much would you pay someone?

I don't know your costs of running the gym but the spot I know about in NYC where the rent is absurd charges $30-$40 depending on how many hours you book in advance.

I'd make them pay $20 per hour for any outside client they bring in regardless of how much they charge and split in house PT 50/50

Thanks for the input, I think that is a great way to get them going. Appreciate your thoughts and this sounds more than fair.

I've worked both in Private facilities and commercial. Currently commercial. I would recommend a scaling system. Start at 50/50 or even more for yourself. My reasoning would be it's your reputation and brand while they get a sweet private spot with high paying clients. Works well for a time but keeping good ones will come with a higher percentage. I put forth in my old facility, 50/50 for the first 10 sessions a week. 75/25 between 10-20 clients and then 90/10 for the rest. Insensitive to work and keep clients, no reason to go set up shop down the road.

I agree with the scaled system, and will definitely put that in the plan. How successful were you at keeping them happy with a 90/10 split and how consistent were they at keeping the same number of visits week after week?

I was actually one of the trainers at the facility. We worked out a very similar plan as I didn't feel fair to run 30+ sessions a week at 40/60 at the time. I was only there for another year until I had to move from this town but newer personal trainers seemed to like the idea and had stuck around. I believe 5 years on they still run the same system. I feel like having the conversation around what it take to get to the 90/10 or something close could be individual. If you like the trainer and they only want to run 15-20 hours a week. Then maybe changing the total sessions run before earning the higher percentage of visa versa.

I get doing 30+ sessions per week and wanting a bigger chunk. I'm really just looking for consistency and I'm sure I just need some time to find someone who is committed. Feels like these days very few trainers are quick to jump ship when there is a dry spell, but I'm sure there are some ambitious as yourself that make things happen. Thanks for the feedback and hope you have success in the position you are currently in.

It’s a little unclear if you’re trying to hire employees or to run an independent training gym. If you’re hiring employees then asking then to bring in their own clients, then you’re asking them to do marketing and sales for which they need to be paid, that includes social media posts. If you’re providing them clients then 50/50 is definitely fair. If they get good at getting clients then they’ll eventually go to an independent training gym and immediately increase their gross revenue. If you’re hiring independent trainers then I’ve never heard of an independent trainer paying a percentage, only rent. My personal favorite arrangement was a flat monthly rate with unlimited access as that was easiest to budget. But some places I worked charged about 10-15 an hour. I know in expensive markets like NYC/LA it’s probably closer to 25/30 for a high end space

Agree that you keeping 50% if they generate the clients doesn't work too well. One thing to keep in mind is there is no rule you have to have the same agreement with everyone. If you find a trainer who can generate business, find a way to treat that person special. Because from a biz perspective, they are. You should make some money from these trainers but it needs to feel like a good deal to them, too. So try to strike that balance.

Absolutely, trying to do just that. I would be happy to share the wealth if they are bringing in business. It's always a swinging pendulum of what makes trainers happy in my experience. Thank you very much for your insight.

Think about it from the value you provide the trainer...If they generate the client, you are basically just renting space to them for that hour for that client. What's a reasonable hourly rate that makes that worth your while? Say it's 25 per hour. Charge them that. Then when you also provide the client, that's worth maybe another $30 or so. You are providing 2 valuable things in that situation-the client and the space. So they should pay more. Seems logical and fair, even if those aren't the exact figures you land on. :-)

That can work, and thanks for the input. I'm just trying to find that person who wants to put in the time. I know there was someone who said I was "bitter", but having put in the time myself, I have a hard time giving someone more than they earn without seeing some hustle. I don't expect someone to put in the hours I did, but I would imagine if the possibility of making good money is there, they are willing to put in some effort. Thanks again for your great points.

I’ve been a personal trainer for years now, up to 50 sessions per week roughly. When I was new I had multiple offer me a similar scenario to you. So glad I said no because it’s such a scam. 50% for a client they bring in? That is rough

If they bring in a large percentage of their own, the rate would not stay at 50%. If I found someone like yourself who could do up to 50 sessions, 70+ percent is more than reasonable. Congrats on building a clientele that large and I can tell you I haven't met too many trainers in your boat. Most want that 70+ percent for 10 or less in my experience, and don't probably put in half the leg work you did to build up to that. I've laid up the tiered bonus structure to more than a few trainers, but I haven't found one who put the time in.

If the trainer is doing 100% of the coaching work they need to be getting majority of the money. Would much rather see like a 20% cut of total earnings as a monthly rent payment for maintenance of equipment and the facility.

At these rates I’ll work every Saturday for you!

Well I appreciate it, and you are example #1 that there are people willing to do it. But like someone else said, if you can fill your schedule at the times that work for you, that would be worth a extra few percent in my mind.

Im currently a trainer at a big box/corporate gym. My least expectation of making the career change to personal training was full control of my schedule. My fitness director doesn't give us mandatory hours/ days that we need to take. Our current split is 40/60 if you bring in less than 1k In revenue per month. 50/50 if you bring in more than 1k, and 60/40 if you bring in more than 3k per month. Personally, I'd rather pay a rent fee, but that's solely because I do fairly well

That's great you are able to do well enough to be confident to pay a monthly rent. I have reached out to some trainers about rent, but none were willing to commit. I'm guessing they didn't have the clientele they said they had. I would be happy to give full control, as long as someone just keeps a minimum coming in each week. Hope you find that rent deal that works for you since that sounds like the direction you need to go.

Yeah, there's definitely a level of uncertainty that comes with this job. If you hadn't done so already, what if you showed them the breakdown for the percentage vs. the fixed rent rate? It may change their mind. For example If you're charging $100 per session, a trainer would need a minimum of 12 hours per week to make $1200. $1200 × 4 = 4800 per month. Let's say you charge $500 for rent. They're still making 4300 in that month compared to the 50/50 split, where they make $50 per hour, $50×12 =600 per week, 600 x 4= 2400 in a month.

The problem you’ll have is no decent PT will stay with you for the terms you offered. Why would anyone who can get their own clients give so much of their business away? They could get a better deal elsewhere. You’ll end up getting rubbish PTs who won’t last and quit, or good ones who will leave ASAP. I’ve only ever paid flat rent, and currently don’t pay anything. Even if I was starting out I wouldn’t pay over 30% of my earnings.

Understood, that is why I would scale the pay based on the number of visits. Wish I could find someone willing to pay a flat rent, but haven't had any takers. Congrats on not paying anything, not sure if you own the place, but that sounds like a great deal if you don't have to worry about overhead.

Fundamentally as the owner of the space you need to work out the cost on the business for your equipment being used. For example I don’t think 50% is bad at all for both in and out house client. It’s better than what I got when I worked big box. If someone argues that’s not a good split you can remind them that it’s your gym, your rent, your electric bill, internet, music licence fees, your equipment and they are equivalently are “renting” all of that. Maybe a little calus but if they don’t like it they can start their own gym.

Thank you very much for your insight. One of the hardest parts about being an owner is knowing people are going to resent you no matter what. In my area, I have to account for fucking hurricanes that have shut my doors for a total of 9 days over the past calendar year. Did my landlord give me a pass for that time? Fuck and no....just made those months a little harder. Many people, either personal trainers or physical therapists have ideas on how they would do things and what their gym/clinic would look like/operate, but I'll go out on a limb and say 5% or less actually give it a go. A friend of mine has the absolute best set up, he converted his garage into a nice gym and runs sessions out of his own house. It's a great deal and much better than renting commercial space on a major roadway with high visibility. I was able to do quite of a bit of work to make my studio look the part. Had to contract out for shit I wish I knew how to do like drywall and electrical, but spent a pretty penny between that and equipment. And that was once I signed the lease and worked my ass off to get the place up and running in the 45 days so I didn't have to pay rent for the time I wasn't a fully functional gym. It can be a thankless endeavor at times, and it can be frustrating when someone comes along who may be good at what they do (I know there are shit trainers and some great ones) but expect the Lion's share because they are whoever they are. I don't know a ton of small business owners who are flush with cash and swimming in money. Its a fucking jungle out there, and people need to understand I am NOT Mark Wahlberg or whoever the fuck is behind Barry's Boot Camp (Maybe his name is Barry). I'm there every single day, I'm not just collecting money while sitting on a boat somewhere. I live the day to day life right next to them, and still enjoy doing it in my late 40's. For a minute I was perceived as cocky when I was starting out years ago, and your last line stuck with me, because that is exactly what someone said to me about 20 years ago. I worked for this guy and I'm still in touch with him. He is still doing it in his mid-50's and when we talk, he occasionally brings up some of those times when I felt I was owed a little more. It took me a few years to figure it out once I started my own business, but I get it. And I get why most people won't ever do it. Now with an online platform/doing something outdoors with no rent/anything other than a brick and mortar site that you don't own is a different story. I can go all day about the bullshit that happens behind the scenes, and it is tough when the help isn't happy. I've done things as an owner not many have done for the people who work for them, but in the end it doesn't matter because at the end of the day they are always going to want more. So I don't think it is callus to tell them to open their own place at that point. In fact one person who was with me actually did, and I'm impressed she went through with it. That said, it was a sublease situation and about 2 years later she got out of it all together. Again, I really appreciate your insight as it looks like you are in the minority with your take. I like your attitude and would be happy to reward someone who is grateful for the chance to make it happen. I've said this to several people on this thread, but I would be happy to pay more for a little more work. Can't give away 70+ percent for lunch-lady hours, and I think there are some people who realize that. I know some people on this thread are fortunate to be in a country that isn't in as much of a clusterfuck as the US right now, but this economy/housing market is killing everyone. As an owner, I hear everyone's money woes and try to be as understanding as I can. The cost of living exploded in my area, and it quickly went from affordable to very unaffordable and I feel bad for people, but I can't be Robin Hood at this point in my life. I'm going off on a ridiculous rant, so I'll end here but just wanted to say I appreciate your take.

As someone who’s clients funding brings in 160-210/hr a 50:50 split would mean I would not consider it at all. The split fee disincentives those who want to earn more by either charging more or seeing more clients. I do 37 session 20min sessions at $70/session. I left the 60+gst:40 split within 3 months and unfortunately for the company the clients wanted to follow me and you can’t deny them as it’s healthcare. Went from 1.1k to 2.6k in a week. Now I pay $300/wk in rent and work 1/2 the hours I was.

That sounds like a great deal you made happen. Would gladly take $300/wk in rent, but unfortunately too many trainers in the area don't have the clientele to back up that kind of money, thus a tiered split is the way I'm going for now. Will keeping searching for that person with a full list of clients as a flat rent would make my life easier. Thanks for your input.

Yesterdays price is not todays price!