If you haven't heard of the tenants of groups like the Mad Lab Group, stop now and read this first.If you're running a group class or private training model, one of the primary factors to your success will be your coaching staff. In the beginning, this might not be an issue because you might be coaching the majority of the classes yourself. Over time, if you're looking to grow your business, you have to move out of the coach role and into the business owner role - and this will entail hiring coaches.One key issue with common pay models in the boutique gym space is coaches cannot get earn a fair living if they are married to a "pay per class" model. The common answers to this is generally one of two things which carry the following issues:
- Coach 3 or more classes per day (burnout and opportunity cost)
- Have another job (lack of focus and opportunity cost).
If a coach spends too many hours on the gym floor coaching group classes they will certainly burn out. If you paid your coach $25/hour to coach group and they coached 4 classes a day, they would be earning $2,000/month before taxes (about $1,600 take home). This is hardly enough for any person to be able to support themselves. Further, if they were spending 4 hours a day teaching group classes, they are spending 4 less hours a month focused on the individual needs and goals of your clients.The answer to this is your coach has another job to provide their income. In this case, you end up with a coach who's primary focus and responsibilities lie outside of your business. This does not mean they cannot make a great coach, but it means that one of the key aspects of your business rests in the hands of things outside of your business.
The Answer: Pay Coaches A Professional Wage
Yes, sounds great... but what's the path to this? Shift your coaches from focusing on coaching hours of group classes, to finding ways to help your clients reach their goals - and give them the avenue to do so.
