Setting up the store Personal training has come a long way from the beginning. While more personal trainers used to be limited to a certain gym or going to client's houses, you can now start your own store in order to set yourself apart from the rest of the competition. Setting up a store for personal training is a complicated process, but one that will be very success once you have all of the pieces in place. Want to know more about setting up a store? Read on. The first thing that you want to do when setting up a store for your personal training business is to go to other stores in your area. You want to look at your competition to see what they're offering and what they're not offering. If you can, try to get an initial consultation and walk through the process as though you were a new client. See what you like about the setup of the store and what you don't like. If you feel uncomfortable going yourself, enlist someone you know to try out the services of the business. Try to get an overall sense of what the personal trainer store is like and what might be expected of your personal business. The next thing that you will want to do when setting up a store is find a good location. You'll want to look around for places that are near to businesses and even daycares in order to be convenient for a large number of clients. If you're not convenient, clients won't even come in the door. If you can, try to find a location that's adjacent to other health related stores and shops. You want to find where fitness-oriented people are going and make sure that you are readily available. Once you've found some potential locations, you'll want to look at the space and the rooms that are available. Is there enough room for more than one set of exercise equipment? Is there room for a floor mat and floor exercises? Do you have a front desk area and a shower area? You want to consider all of the things that your clients will want before you sign that lease, like:    - Showers - Changing rooms - Storage areas and lockers - Private exercise area - Waiting area - Pilates area, weights area, stretching area, etc. If you've found the right location, setting up a store becomes a little more fun. You get to go out and choose the equipment that you'll want to use during your various personal training sessions. Think about what you're already trained on and what you think your clients might like to use as well. It's always a good idea to have too many options, than to have too few. Try to have multiple aerobics options: elliptical trainers, treadmills, stair steppers, etc; as well as numerous weight setups, free weights, weight machines, etc. Of course, you'll need to make sure that you can fit all of these machines in the area as well, without becoming too crowded or unsafe. Speaking of unsafe, setting up a store requires that you follow the city's health codes for safety. You'll want to talk with the local health department to see what's required of you. You will need to have a plan in place for cleaning and sanitizing your equipment as well as first aid supplies and first aid training for all of your staff. Your clients should feel as though they are well-taken care of in your gym or store, and there are laws in place that will ensure this. On your floor, you will want to have thick exercise mats that will cushion any weights that might fall as well as any clients that might trip. This is an area where you can't scrimp when setting up a store, so be sure to look for quality over price. While you might like the look of wood or laminate flooring, these aren't the best choices for a room that is geared toward movement and the possibility of falls. The flooring should be able to cushion someone even if the base floor is made of concrete; look at karate dojo mats to start. These are great cushions and have been made to withstand students throwing other students on the ground. Once you have the basic setup of your personal training store, you will want to bring in the office equipment that you will need. Cordless phones that can be used throughout the space will work well, as well as traditional office equipment for taking payments and filing documentation. You will also want to pick up:    - Fire extinguishers - Beverage dispensers - Water cooler - Towels - Shower supplies - Business cards - Calendars - A few clocks Setting up a store will cost a lot of money at first, but when your clients feel comfortable during their personal training and keep coming back, it's well worth the investment.