June 2019
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Admin tasks cost trainers £8,136 a year UK personal trainers sacrifice £8,136 in annual income due to time spent on admin tasks, according to a new research report. The study, compiled by booking management platform fibodo, found that admin was amongst the top challenges for fitness professionals when running a profitable business. The average trainer spends 15.2 hours every month on admin such as managing client bookings, liaising with clients, taking payments, organising refunds and more. This means they are unable to deliver client sessions during this time – at an average of £40 per hour – and miss out on a significant chunk of income, or working during unsociable hours, as a result. Anthony Franklin, CEO and founder of fibodo, said: “These figures are highly concerning for the industry. Clearly, PTs are wasting a significant chunk of time and budget in undertaking admin tasks, all of which are linked to an inefficient method for managing their bookings. “In many cases, fitness professionals do not outsource or find a better means to complete admin – possibly because they imagine they could save a few pounds by doing it all themselves.
“But the reality is far different. That’s money and time that would be better spent elsewhere – such as working with clients, effectively promoting services to generate new custom or protecting their worklife balance. A simple solution for PTs could be to use a dedicated, automated system for recording their bookings and revenue.” The report also found that more than three in four (76 per cent) personal trainers say they don’t make enough money from their businesses. 27 per cent of personal trainers also say they consider finding time for admin amongst their biggest challenges – with half stating that admin management is the most boring part of their week. A further 29 per cent of trainers said they can let admin get on top of them and nearly a fifth (18 per cent) say they have highlighted this as a personal weakness. However, this could be ostensibly due to personal trainers not managing their client booking admin in the most efficient way. Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of trainers say they use digital calendars, while a third still manage bookings via pen and paper. Meanwhile, 47 per cent even say they do it in their heads.
No 309 £3
Nominations flooding in for annual accolades
Olympic gold medallist Amy Williams (pictured) and Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson are to lead a debate detailing how we overcome the participation gap for women and girls in sport and physical activity, drawn from their experiences in top-level sport and leadership. They are joined on the Active Uprising 2019 agenda by sports psychologist and former England cricketer Jeremy Snape, who will draw on insights garnered from in-depth interviews with sporting leaders such as Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, exploring how to build and instil resilience in one’s self and others. Active Uprising takes place at Manchester Central on June 6.
NOMINATIONS are flooding in for this year’s National Fitness Awards, which have been revamped with new categories for 2019. The event, organised by Script Events in partnership with Workout and headline sponsor ServiceSport, is now in its 10th year and recognises excellence throughout the fitness industry. New categories for this year include Innovation in Fitness Nutrition and Armed Forces’ physical training instructor. The NFAs are free to enter and nominations are open now via the website www. nationalfitnessawards.co.uk Entries can be made online until August when a shortlist will be drawn up in each category. All finalists will then receive a site visit from a member of the Workout team who will take a look around the club and chat to members and staff before an expert panel choose the lucky winners. These will be announced at a glittering ceremony at The Athena in Leicester on Friday, November 29. n To find out about sponsorship opportunities call Tony Barry on 01226 734605.