No matter how long you have run your personal training business, setting aside time for business development is essential. After all, there is always more to learn that will help drive your business forward and boost your profit levels.
With that said, below, we will take you through some of the best books for personal trainers on business development.
#1. The Law of Success - Napoleon Hill
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Success-Sixteen-Lessons-Napoleon-Hill
For those unaware, Napoleon Hill was an American author and one of the first producers of personal-success literature in the modern day.
In this book, the "True Philosophy upon which all Personal Success is Built" is included, as Hill himself refers to it. From Imagination to Self Confidence and all of the habits and personality elements in between, Hill points out the steps needed to achieve success.
You will learn the formula needed to succeed in business, which you can apply to your personal trainer journey.
#2. Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert T Kiyosaki
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Rich-Dad
Rich Dad Poor Dad is a genuinely fascinating book by Robert T Kiyosaki, which will give you a great perspective on business and earning money.
In it, Robert tells the story of having two dads while growing up, i.e. his birth father and his best friend's father, whom he calls his rich dad. He discusses the way both men shaped his thoughts about investing and money.
The book explodes the myth that to be rich, you need to earn a high income. Instead, you will learn the difference between working for money and having your money work for you.
#3. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends
"How to Win Friends and Influence People" is one of the best-selling books of all time. It was written by Dale Carnegie and published in 1936, yet its contents are still as relevant as ever.
You will find heaps of great advice in this book to help you achieve your optimal potential in a competitive environment, which is very much like being a personal trainer in the fitness industry.
Some of the things you will learn include the nine ways to change people without creating resentment, the 12 ways to get people to buy into your way of thinking, and the six ways to get people to like you.
#4. Building a Story Brand - Donald Miller
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Building-Storybrand
Donald Miller is the CEO of Business Made Simple. This online platform teaches entrepreneurs and business professionals everything they need to know about growing their company and enhancing their personal value on the open market.
This book has three sections. The first is "Why Marketing is a Money Pit," which covers "The Simple SB7 Framework" and "The Key to Being Seen, Heard, and Understood."
The second section is "Building Your Story Brand," which covers "People Want Your Brand to Participate in Their Transformation" and "That Helps Them Avoid Failure."
The third section is "Implementing Your Story Brand BrandScript," which covers "Using StoryBrand to Transform Company Culture" and "Building a Better Website."
#5. Change Maker - John Berardi
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Change-Maker
The health and fitness sector is massive, with online training taking the industry to new heights and making it even more competitive. This makes navigating it quite confusing, which is why Dr. John Berardi wrote this book, helping you make sense of the chaos.
In "Change Maker," there is a clear roadmap of everything you need to do to achieve success from a professional and personal perspective.
Chapters include the likes of "Career," which covers areas such as "Revisiting Your Purpose, Unique Abilities, and Values Over Time" and "Spending Time in Your Unique Abilities," as well as "Business," which covers areas such as "How to Leverage Your Communities to Grow Your Audience" and "Four Strategies for Getting Better at Prioritisation."
#6. The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Habit
"The Power of Habit" is an excellent book for personal trainers. Not only can it help you in terms of developing better habits for your clients but also building a successful business yourself.
Author, award-winning journalist Charles Duhigg, uses scientific study results to teach us how habits work and where they reside in our brains.
He looks at how the right habits were critical to the success of civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. It's a fantastic, eye-opening read.
#7. Ignite the Fire - Jonathan Goodman - PTDC, OTA
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Ignite-Fire
There is only one place to begin, and this is with "Ignite the Fire: The Secrets to Building a Successful Personal Training Career" by Jonathan Goodman. Goodman is the founder of the Personal Trainer Development Center and the Online Trainer Academy and has penned several bestselling books for personal trainers.
Often labeled one of the best books for personal trainers, Ignite the Fire offers a clear road map that teaches you everything you need to know about becoming a personal trainer. This book covers everything from achieving your personal trainer certification to finding clients and improving your reputation.
Chapters include the likes of "Find your dream job in the fitness industry," "Develop multiple income streams while maintaining your reputation", and "Deal with difficult client types."
#8. Eat That Frog - Brian Tracy
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Eat-That-Frog
Do you ever get the feeling that you do not have the time to do everything you need to? This book helps you focus on the most critical tasks, ensuring they get done so you can maximize your success.
You may wonder where the name "Eat That Frog" comes from. Well, there is an old saying that if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you can be satisfied knowing it is probably the worst thing you will do all day.
In metaphorical terms, it means that you should tackle your most challenging task first, i.e. the ugliest item on your to-do list you will probably procrastinate on.
Author Brian Tracy teaches you everything you need to know about managing your time effectively and tackling your tasks in the correct order to achieve a sense of achievement and build a set of habits that will keep you on top of all your projects, may that be marketing, cash dash or training clients.
#9. Permission Marketing - Seth Godin
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Permission-Marketing
Marketing is an area a lot of personal trainers struggle with, as it can be overwhelming. In this book, Seth Godin addresses the traditional form of interruption marketing, such as cold calls and TV ads, and explains how they do not work anymore. People do not want to be interrupted and taken away from the things they love!
Instead, Seth introduces the concept of Permission Marketing. This involves offering people incentives so that they voluntarily accept your advertising. Doing this will enable you to develop long-term relationships with prospective clients, build brand awareness, and increase conversions.
#10. The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene
Buy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Laws-Power-Robert-Greene-Collection
This is an incredible book that draws from 3,000 years of the history of power. It is written in an elegant yet bold way, teaching you some great lessons about the laws of power.
The laws that are covered in the book include:
• Never outshine the master
• Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies
• Conceal your intentions
• Always say less than necessary
Throughout each chapter, you will learn about the failures, triumphs, and tactics of significant figures from the past who have either been victimized by or wielded power.
Even rap megastar Jay-Z has learned from the book:
"It's natural to lose yourself when you have success, to start surrounding yourself with fake people. In The 48 Laws of Power, it says the worst thing you can do is build a fortress around yourself. I still got the people who grew up with me, my cousin, and my childhood friends. This guy right here (gestures to the studio manager), he's my friend, and he told me that one of my records, Volume Three, was wack. People set higher standards for me, and I love it."
Read These Books to Learn and Apply Ideas to Build Your Fitness Business
So, there you have it: some of the best business development books for personal trainers. The books above can help you learn critical business skills to enhance your brand, increase efficiency, and boost profitability.You can also check out our post on the best books for exercise programming if you're looking for literature on how to create efficient workout programs and deliver astonishing results to your personal training clients.
