My fellow fitness coaches and personal trainers…
Do we not live in some of the most interesting and exciting times?
Honestly, in what era of human history have we ever possessed the business-moving technological capabilities that we do today?
I believe that the last decade’s-worth of tech advances has created the ideal environment for entrepreneurs like us to thrive: the things that we can do from a small handheld device in 2015, once required staffing, computer developing knowledge, and a business-accounting diploma in 1995. Welcome to the era of the solo-entrepreneur, and for those of us in the fitness biz, we’ve been ushered into a world of new possibilities.
…and that’s why I’m proud to present to you 7 amazing smartphone apps that have caught my eye, due to their particular usefulness for personal trainers and fitness coaches. Let’s get started.
#7 – Evernote
Over the last couple years, Evernote has basically been the powerhouse of idea exchange, collaboration, and general cataloguing of inquisitive brain activities. If you need to take a note, remember a website, compile ideas -and especially share said ideas- Evernote is my go-to app for that very purpose. If anything, the most prominent feature of this app is the fact that recording ideas and notes is easy; but recalling them, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. The app’s intuitive design places your thoughts into an extremely smart ‘storage’ area, making their retrieval a very easy task.
#6 – Splashtop
Splashtop is an app, which has the ability to remotely view your home/office computer screen on your iPhone. The reason why this makes for an insanely powerful tool for fitness trainers is because we are constantly on the go, and aren’t always toting around our laptop bag. Especially if you’re running a desktop computer, this is one extremely powerful option that provides a way to store your company’s computer data …in your back pocket.
#5 – Freshbooks
This is one app that’s won no shortage of awards and recognition for just how easy-to-use and simple it is: Freshbooks. The reason why this is my pick for a CRM (accounting/bookkeeping) app option is because it supplies the entire practical package for anything that an on-the-go personal trainer might need. Record your billable time, send invoices, and see the bigger financial picture (iPad only); and if you’re working from PayPal, then you can even use their credit card device and charge clients right from your smartphone. If you use the Freshbooks web app, then now you’ve got a CRM in the cloud.
#4 – Habit Streaks
This particular app might require an understanding of consent from your client, but if they were so inclined, then you could ask them to download the Habit Streaks app to their iPhone. The reason that this makes for such a powerful app in the hands of a personal fitness trainer is because your client can share their daily progress with you -since the app displays good ‘habit streaks’ of sequential days that the user successfully committed to his or her goals. It’s just another great way to keep them motivated and on point, while not at the gym.
#3 – Trainerize
Now if we’re going for a client-progress-tracking app that’s made with fitness trainers in mind, then I’d look no further than Trainerize. It’s basically a total tracker, which will allow you to monitor the progress (and well-deserved braggin’) of your clients. The coolest part is that the app will provide you with a ‘big picture’ view of how well your ENTIRE client-base is doing in reaching their fitness goals. Thus, you’ll have incredibly intuitive insights, the level of which is a completely new concept for trainers.
Oh, and I should also mention, that for $16/mo (5 clients) you’ll also get…
- A website with a custom domain
- Custom branding
- Customized remote consultation capabilities
- Social media support
- And other add-ons and various goodies…
#2 – Personal Trainer Pro
If you’re looking for the one personal trainer app, which can provide you with the TOTAL ‘back-office’ package for running all things logistical for your personal training business -then I’d say Personal Trainer Pro would have to take the cake.
Not only will integrate seamlessly with iPhone’s calendar, contacts, email app -but it will also help you manage your books, run an online store, and even schedule appointments. Aside from tracking client progress and running marketing campaigns, this app appears to be a one-stop-shop for anything a personal trainer might need for managing the internals of your small business. It’s no wonder why, Personal Trainer Pro comes very highly recommended.
#1 – Square
And then, there’s Square. The reason why I decided that this is my number-one app for personal trainers is the fact that people just don’t carry around cash anymore, and being able to swipe a credit card when standing right there in the gym with the client is …well… priceless. Hey, you’ve got to keep your cashflow uninhibited from the source, and Square is probably the best way to get that done in the most non-invasive and professional method possible.
Your business, your life, runs on cashflow. That’s why it’s best to invest in a payment method that takes the inconvenience and annoyance out of getting paid.
Why Apps n’ Gadgets Just Make Sense for Us
Perhaps the biggest logistical difference between personal trainer startups and most other small businesses is in that you’re probably on the go …constantly… (and are rarely ever at the office anymore).
That’s why apps can help make for light work of tasks that we could only once do on slow Sunday afternoons -when we would’ve like to have taken the day off instead. How so? Well, now we can simply whip out our handy dandy smartphone on the run and manage the entire company, while waiting for the subway or the chai latte that’s got our name written on the heat sleeve. Yep, life is good.
