The $100K Personal Trainer Playbook Already Exists (Here’s How to Use It)

Most personal trainers think success comes down to hustle, personality, or going out on their own.

But the trainers consistently earning $100,000 or more are doing something different. They’re using systems.

In this episode, Chris Smith breaks down why corporate gyms and structured environments are not the enemy. They’re one of the most underutilized advantages in the industry.

From sales processes to session structure, client onboarding, and retention, these systems are built on years of real-world experience. They show you what works, what doesn’t, and how to shorten the learning curve.

The mistake most personal trainers make is trying to reinvent everything too early. The smarter move is to learn the playbook, execute it well, and then layer your own style on top.

This episode is a reset on how to think about growth, income, and long-term success as a personal trainer.

If you're a personal trainer looking to grow, or you lead a team of trainers, this is worth sharing.

Become a citizen of Smittyville, the smartest small town in fitness.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Raise your hand if you want to make$100,000 a year. Great. So we're gonna give you the recipe for that. If you fuck it up, you fucked it up. But if you just come in and we're like, no, no, no, I don't I don't need you, I don't need you're delusional. Don't screw with grandma's recipe.

SPEAKER_04 0:10

You just rolled into the small small town. Yeah, we're building it up. A podcast for personal trainers. Let's get to work.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

Why we need systems?

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Light camera.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Action.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

We have microphones.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Yeah, we do. There's a system and a process to it. But the thing is, when people hear systems, a lot of individuals immediately default in their brain to the word corporate, which like it or not, has a connotation to it that sometimes seems rigid or like you're gonna get put in a box. So tell me a little bit about why systems are actually important in regards to creating calm and flow in our work lives.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Yeah, I think, you know, it's really about kind of having freedom in the framework, right? And so certainly that's kind of my at least my corporate perspective. And so we certainly don't want to put people in a little box and say, you got to do this, got to do this, got to do that. And frankly, that's being a robotic trainer, and that's kind of what AI can even now kind of replace, right? So I think it's more to say, like, if if I was to think of it this way, like if you're a new trainer coming into the industry and you're like, no, I got like a dream, I got a goal, I know exactly who I want to be, I know exactly what I want to do, that's great. But then again, what's the plan? So what's the who, what, when, where, why, and how? Like explicitly, like to the to the integree detail, like explicitly on every single thing. And the answer is, well, I don't know, I'm gonna figure that out. I say, okay, well, what if I could tell you we've already figured it out? What if I can tell you we've already figured it all out? Because I'm taking my 30 years plus my VP's 20 years, my other VP's 30 years, my partner's 40 years, plus my multi-unit leaders, this, this, and that. And collectively, like the formula that we're gonna give you, like the recipe to success, is worth 250 years of collective experience versus your plan, which has nothing. Like, I'm gonna bet on my plan, because you know, I guarantee it will work. And so it's almost this it's almost like to say, Well, I'm not gonna buy a car from a car dealership, I'm just gonna build one from scratch. Like, well, what do you know about building a car? Are you an engineer? Like, what I have no idea how to build a car. Well, I would never build a car. Then why would you try to build a giant engine or machine, aka your career, based on limited or no knowledge? That makes no sense whatsoever. Yet we see it all the time, both frankly, inside of enterprises and outside of them. So to me, it's like, well, what if I gave you the car, which a lot of people do? You get the car and you're like, you know, I wish I had better wheels, I wish I had better tires, I wish I could get a different engine, I want a new air intake, and I could keep going on about car stuff. And you're looking at me like, I don't know, because I'm not talking motorcycle language. I know you know motorcycles. I was like, I will switch out next to the party, the muffler, the whatever, but this all resonates with you to some extent, I think. And I think hopefully it resonates with the audience. But the reality is, is like you get the car that you want and you can kind of morph it into something else, but you're not building it from scratch. I mean, that's almost never happening. I mean, that's again, unless you have that technical expertise, which we're talking about.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

Why do you feel like so many early trainers avoid structure? What is driving that behavior?

SPEAKER_01 3:40

I think you said it. I think it's the sociology, the psychology of like, I don't want to be a corporate person, I don't want to be a robot. It's like you're not. You're not. We're gonna equip you with the tools and the communication skills and the business skills to go be successful. I mean, I definitely subscribe to the Richard Branson model, right? We're gonna teach you everything that's gonna make you great here. And if you ever leave here, hopefully you'll be great at wherever you go do. Like, we're not afraid to teach you what we know by any stretch, right? And again, hopefully that's enough to where you go, wow, look how much these guys taught me. Look how much they've done for me, look what I built with these people as a team member, as an employee, to where you'll want to stay loyal to that company for forever. But there's a definite likelihood that at some point you might say, hey, there's a different path for me now. It's been five years, it's been seven years, it's been whatever, right? I mean, we've got some people that have been trainers for well north of that, right? That that that's entirely possible. There's nothing wrong with that. That's just each person kind of choosing what fits their their narrative. But yeah, I think a lot of people are just, I think, system overt in terms of I think it just gets a negative connotation. And the reality is, is I think if you talk to any business leader in any discipline that you're gonna hear about systems and process and discipline and all those types of things.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

I just want to point out that this audience has met Badass Betty, our AI audio partner. And I think she might be a little offended by your robot impersonation.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Well, I mean, we haven't given badass Betty a voice necessarily. I mean, I don't I don't think you've modulated it that far, but you could ask Badass Betty to talk like a robot. That's true. And then she she sure would.

SPEAKER_03 5:14

Sure, she would.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

You could tell her to talk like me if you wanted. There'd be a weird Betty, but I mean it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 5:18

Okay, we're gonna circle back at the end of this conversation because now I'm too curious. But we're on a roll here in regards to our system. So let's stick to the system and the plan at the moment. Fair enough. The whole way I set up this conversation is really just emphasizing that systems are a pathway to actually streamlining your workflow and making your life easier. So for those that aren't using a system, talk to me a little bit about the energy waste in the day that that can result in.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Yeah, I mean, I think the system and process question really also can start to kind of even come down to time management. So it's what are you spending time on, right? And it's kind of even that urgent important scale, right? And we hear a lot about that. There's a lot of influencers that talk about it in their own way or whatever, but it is real. It's certainly real in terms of like from a time management perspective to say, what am I doing? When am I doing it? What am I doing this for? Like you should definitely examine all those things and then start to get to a point like think marketing, right? We talk about A-B testing all the time in marketing. What's working, what's not working, should I spend more? Should I spend less, right? Um, you know, do more meta, not meta, more Google, more CPC, like whatever, and you A B test all these things. Well, what if the A-B testing's already been done? It's all been done. You don't have to test anything. We already know. We're just gonna tell you this is what works and this is what doesn't. Again, this is the recipe. And so the recipe example, which I'm not sure you've even heard me talk or talk about, but here in British Columbia, right, we got blueberries and we got blueberry season. So I tell her, tell everyone imagine that your grandmother had this blueberry pie, and it's just that thing that you think about. Like when you see blueberries coming on in the summer, all you can think about is grandma's blueberry pie. Now, unfortunately, grandma passes away, but thankfully, everyone knew how they not only do we have the recipe, we know exactly how she did the recipe. Like we know how she needed the dough. We know that she pre-baked it before she put the filling in. We know exactly we know everything about how grandma made that pie. You're gonna keep making it? Well, of course you are. Now, what if you said, you know, I know grandma made this pie for 50 years, pass it on, and now as a family, we've been making for another 20 years, so it's got 70 years of pie history behind it. But you know what? I don't even want to use blueberries, I'm gonna use raspberries. And then you wonder why it tastes different. Hello, it's raspberries, or you say, Well, we're gonna take sugar out. Well, it's not gonna taste the same. You mess with the recipe. You mess with the like, don't mess with the recipe. And that's unfortunately that's what happened to a lot of these folks that come into the systems, right? And I don't care what enterprise system you're in, they come in the system and they're like, no, I know better. No, you don't, you have no experience. Like, that's literally narcissistic psychopathic behavior. Like, take from all the people and all the experience, be humble enough and gracious enough to be like appreciative of like, wow, look at all this onboarding, training, development that I'm receiving. And then once I really learn this, then I get to couple on all of my excitement and enthusiasm for how I want to be a niche onto myself. Now you're on a like, you know, now you're going somewhere. But if you just come in with like, no, no, no, I don't, I don't need you, I don't need it's like you're delusional.

SPEAKER_03 8:16

There, I mean, elaborate on that growth after structure because obviously the personal trader's ultimate goal is to grow.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah, I mean the the language is quite simple for me. So whether it's our personal training school or new trainers, it's you know, I can do as simple as like, raise your hand if you want to make a hundred thousand dollars a year. They're all gonna raise their hand. Say, great, so we're gonna give you the recipe for that. And if you fuck it up, you fucked it up. But I didn't, I you know, the thing where you told me like I had to like be nice to people, I'm not sure I like being nice to people. That part where you told me like I should like give people a program every time, yeah, I didn't like that part. When you told me I should be on time for every client, yeah, I disagree with that. I thought I should be able to be late sometimes if I feel like it. You know, well, whatever, right? I can keep going on and on about all the pitfalls or simple things that people screw up around what world-class customer service looks like and how to attract and keep, you know, clients. But like if you screw up the recipe, you screw up the recipe. Don't screw with grandma's recipe.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

Noted. It's not that company go to the grocery store next time and see a blueberry pie and be like, oh god.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

For the record, I do not make a blueberry pie, in case everyone's wondering. I'm not really a baker, I'm more of a you know, smoke my meats, barbecue stuff kind of guy.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

That's fair. I'm also more of the cook the thing, so we're gonna have to figure out who in this fitness world ecosystems got the big thing.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

I mean my wife, my wife, I mean Randall, she's a baker. We have a table. I have four daughters, so yeah, right here.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Yeah. I think that needs to be a new element in the segment, but I'll reach out. On the topic of systems, you know, it's not just for the trainer to have success in their career, there's also another person in the relationship, and that is the client. So why do clients feel safer when things feel predictable?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

I think again, you're modeling what success looks like, right? And you're also, again, my my goal always as a trainer training clients was never to have a lifetime client. It's my job is to get you your goal again, safest, fastest, most effective way possible, and then let you go out and and graduate, right? And then put you out to the world because now I've taught you the things that you need to know to be successful. Now, if you want to keep training, because we have a new goal, right? Or again, you're just in a position where you like you just need constant help, then that's a different story and we can figure it out. But I I want to equip you with the you know the education and the knowledge necessary to kind of continue on your own. And again, if you're just like you know, throwing mud at the wall to see what sticks kind of approach, and you're never writing down, you're never programming, and they're never getting, you know, macrocycles and mesocycles or however it is that you're going to contemplate and think about it. If you're gonna go like, you know, whether it's an NESM model and we're talking about stability, strength, and power, again, you're talking about you know NSCA stuff around some of the other language I was just using, it doesn't really matter. The approach, though, is like, yes, there absolutely should be a system because systems are sustainable, systems are replicatable, systems are scalable, right? Even back to like scaling your business as a trainer.

SPEAKER_03 11:06

What disrupts systems the most in your experience? What have you seen derail or blow them up?

SPEAKER_01 11:12

The word no. Right. And so again, I think in the world of personal training, it's about fear to some extent, right? The anxiety of like getting over a certain you know hump in your career or certain rhythm or whatever. But I think you're told no so often, um, specifically when you're trying to prospect, no, thank you. Um now I did prospect, I got someone an appointment, and maybe I get them all to a presentation and I'm presenting, and it's like no. And and certainly there's a time and a place where in our world the word no means no, for sure. But if I in the world of service, like if I provide a world-class customer service from a personal training perspective, and I gave you I gave you everything I got, right? And I gave you the best service I possibly could. That no doesn't necessarily mean no, it just means no right now. It means I'm just I'm not in a place where financially I can do it right now because that's really where I want you to be. I just want to be where, like, man, if I had the money, I for sure would want to train with you right now. And that's just kind of the example of like where where you'd want things to be. And so I think it's just understanding that, and it's moving from understanding that to where hearing no all the time moves from making you uncomfortable to it makes you comfortable because you know you're doing the right work. Like the more you're being told no, the chances are you're doing the right things.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Let's head to the trainer circuit. Real questions, real situations. Chris shows up, listens, and mentors from experience.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Hi, Chris. My name is Shazman. Uh I just wanted to ask you uh on days that you feel extremely low, what is that one thing that you do or you think about that would give you some kind of inspiration?

SPEAKER_01 12:44

I think that's just about having routine, right? So the routine is I have a sleep routine, I have a wake-up routine, I have a meditation routine, I have a reading routine, I have a daily sunlight routine, there's no sunlight because I'm a BC and there's no sun right now, okay. Then I have a red light routine. Like you have to have those things kind of routined out to help yourself, just to mean kind of have a process that pulls you out. So if you know that you're susceptible to feeling down at times, then you need to have a process that you know is gonna pull you up. Right? Part of that might even, again, you just have friends and relationships and whatever else where they know and you're calling, hey man, I'm just calling you this morning because I just got to tell you I'm a little bit down. And I tell all the people, work for me, if you're ever feeling down or feeling like you don't have it today, call me. I'll fucking fire you right the fuck up. Like I'll get you excited about life in a hurry because there's a lot to be excited about, right? But it's easy again, depending on what stories you're listening to in your own head or others telling you negativity like we were sharing earlier, it's easy to feel down, in my opinion, especially in today's world. We have wars and global things all over the world, we have strife, we have starvation, there's all sorts of things you can get spun out around and get negative around, but at the same time, I don't control that, I don't impact that. So, what do I control, right? What can I in fact change? And those are the things that I want to think about and be meaningful in terms of how I can impact it. And so for me, that's gonna think about it. And again, I think that's the beauty of all of you want to become personal trainers because there's a huge component to what you're all gonna do that relates to like how excited and how energized can you make people. You're gonna have tons of clients show up to you that they're gonna be having a bad day. I'm telling you right now. It could be because traffic was bad, it could be because their kids didn't do their homework the night before, the kids didn't listen to them and get in the car or whatever. There's gonna be a myriad of issues. Had a bad day at work. Your job as a trainer is to be the best part of their day. Your job is to be the pick-me-up, right? And like, hey, so glad to have you here. I can't wait, I got a great workout plan. Just so you know, I'm super tired, whatever. I'm glad you're super tired, but I'm gonna get right through that because we're, I don't know if you heard me, we're gonna have a great time today. And I'm excited that you're here, right? You can't be the trainer's like, oh God, I'm having a bad day too. Oh, I'm glad it's just not me. What, what? What? She's laughing in the back because she knows there's people that say stuff like that, right? Like you can't, yeah, you can't be that person. In fact, I'd say like you shouldn't be a trainer if you're that person, right? Be the best part of their day, be the pick-me-up, be the lift me up, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Before we wrap, we'll leave you with a smithism, a lesson Chris has picked up along the way.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

I talked to this one about my team habitually, um, back to habits, standards, and culture. But the habitual part is like I'm I'm constantly just talking about about again how to scale and how to do things and where does it start and where does it end. And again, it's really about systems and processes, which we've been really focused on, behaviors and then results. And so the Smithism is just that systems and processes, and you go to behaviors, then you get to the results. But the reality is everything starts within systems and processes, not the result. And too often we're all hyper focused on what's the result, what's the result, what's the result. I'm like, well, what led to the result? Like what behaviors, what things did we do or not do that got us to the result? And then to say, well, what was the system behind that? Like, because that should inform the behaviors in in many respects. And again, often when I dig in with even with other operators, what I find is they're hyper focused on this is my attrition, this is my personal training contribution, this is my this, this is my that. And I'm like, okay, so like how does the team do this or this is that? Well, I think they do, but I'm not sure about and I said, what system do you use to support that? And how do you track that? And how do you guys coach against that? And what does that look like? And the same is true for personal training. Like, I want this many clients. Okay, great. Do you give client reminders? Do you send motivational texts throughout the week? Do you do this? Do you do this? Do you do that? I just keep asking the questions. Those are all behaviors around what again I would define as world-class customer service. And then the answers are either yes or no, usually no. And then it's like, okay, so what's your system for doing that? What do you mean? When do you schedule time to do that? What is your system and your process to make sure back to urgent and important that the things that need to get done, that have to get done to build and maintain a scalable personal training business are happening all the time. Non-negotiable. Oh, well, this week I was tired. Who cares? Who doesn't care? Your clients don't care. They didn't pay you what they paid you for you to be like take a week off. Right? So again, system process behaviors results.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

That's today's Smithism. Chris Smith is the mayor of Smittyville, and I'm Chrissy Van, your town correspondent. This is the smartest small town in fitness. We'll see you back here every other week.