Close

Our Blog

IM电竞体育

Cash Flow Tips for Personal Trainers and Gym Owners
If there was ever an industry whose owners should understand the need for discipline and diligence around bookkeeping and accounting, it’s those who work in the fitness industry. Personal trainers and gym owners are perpetually encouraging their clients to set an intention, make a plan, and then stick with it , yet those very same individuals are so averse to keeping up with their general ledger that it’s the rough equivalent of a client buying a membership on January 2nd, working out religiously every day for two weeks, then disappearing again until two weeks before bikini season.


We’re not here to judge …. we’ve fallen off a workout wagon or two over the years, so no shame about falling behind on your bookkeeping. At the same time, just as setting a manageable, realistic training schedule is the best way for your clients to achieve their fitness goals, the same is true for your financial stability goals. Fitness businesses face unique cash flow challenges that are best managed by establishing and sticking to a regimen.

The Challenges of Running a Fitness Business

Your love of fitness has driven you through your best days and your toughest times and has inspired you to live your dream, share the joy — and make money while doing it . Unfortunately, there’s more to business success than helping people lose weight or get cut. To be successful, fitness businesses need to establish regular clients, keep bringing new people in, and find ways to add cash – whether through events, guest passes, snack and drink sales, or branded merchandise. It’s a never-ending drive that makes sitting down and recording revenue and expenses feel like drudgery.



Equate Getting Financially Fit with Being Physically Fit

It’s that sense of drudgery that you need to grab onto in the same way that you want your clients to take hold of the fitness challenges you present to them. Here are the exercises you need to add to your daily routine that will keep your business moving forward in a healthy way.
  • There is a real need for fitness clubs to have a day-to-day understanding of their cash flow, and though using an accrual method of accounting makes more sense in terms of understanding your total income and debts, cash flow reporting will help you to see exactly how much cash you have in hand at any given moment to help you make important decisions about what you need to do. One of the most successful ways to approach the need for both long-term and short-term insights into your financial situation is to do both annual planning with a monthly budget and a weekly cash flow forecast that helps you see where your money is coming from and where it is going. 

  • Add your accounting tasks to your calendar. We know that keeping track of all of your transactions is no fun, but if you make a date with yourself on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to do so, you’ll have a much clearer sense of the progress you’ve made or the financial needs that require attention, and you’ll avoid getting behind and letting the required entries pile up.
     
  • Invest in a software program to help you keep your bookkeeping under control and provide you with the ability to easily communicate your data to your accountant and transfer it into a tax software program. 
  • Make sure that all of your business accounts are entirely separate from your personal accounts. It may be more convenient to pay for everything (and take money in) on one account, but you can easily get into trouble, and lose track of how much money you’ve made – or lost – when you mingle your money.


When you decided to take the leap into running your own fitness business, you did so because of your love of the workout and helping others to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. You never pretended to be a math or accounting genius – and you don’t need to be one. You do, however, need to be a responsible business owner who keeps up with the minutia of entrepreneurship, whether that means applying for a business license, paying for rent and insurance, or keeping track of your cash flow. There’s no need to do the heavy lifting yourself. If you need assistance with any of these tasks, contact us today to set up a time for us to chat.



Have a Question About This Topic?

I confirm this is a service inquiry and not an advertising message or solicitation. By clicking “Submit”, I acknowledge and agree to the creation of an account and to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .

NEVER MISS A STORY.

Sign up for our newsletters and get our articles delivered right to your inbox.

Back to Article List

'); mywindow.document.write(data); mywindow.document.write(' '); mywindow.document.close(); // necessary for IE >= 10 mywindow.focus(); // necessary for IE >= 10 mywindow.print(); mywindow.close(); return true; } function quote_standard() { var miscellaneous=0; var formName = document.ioq; $('#print').show(); /* START GLOBAL VARIABLES ***************************************************************************/ // Federal var form1040 = Math.round(120*1.3); var form1040A = Math.round(100*1.3); var form1040EZ = Math.round(60*1.3); var form1040X = Math.round(200*1.3); // State var form140AZ = Math.round(70*1.3); var form140AZPY = Math.round(90*1.3); var form140X = Math.round(90*1.3); var otherStateIncomeTax = Math.round(80*1.3); // Income var w2 = Math.round(10*1.5); var form1099R = Math.round(10*1.3); var k1 = Math.round(40*1.3); // Schedules var scheduleA = Math.round(110*1.3); var scheduleB = Math.round(20*1.3); var scheduleC = Math.round(120*1.3); var scheduleD = Math.round(40*1.3); var scheduleE = Math.round(200); var scheduleF = Math.round(100*1.3); var scheduleH = Math.round(100*1.3); var scheduleL = Math.round(20*1.3); var scheduleM = Math.round(20*1.3); // Forms var form982 = Math.round(80*1.3); var form2106 = Math.round(50*1.3); var form2441 = Math.round(40*1.3); var form4137 = Math.round(40*1.3); var form4562 = Math.round(30*1.3); var form4684 = Math.round(50*1.3); var form4797 = Math.round(140*1.3); var form5405 = Math.round(80*1.3); var form5695 = Math.round(80); var form6252 = Math.round(80*1.3); var form8283 = Math.round(40); var form8379 = Math.round(40*1.3); var form8396 = Math.round(30*1.3); var form8606 = Math.round(30*1.3); var form8824 = Math.round(150*1.3); var form8829 = Math.round(130); var form8863 = Math.round(50*1.3); // Income documents var incomeDocuments = Math.round(60); var incomeDocumentsAnswer = "Yes"; /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 2 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.DoYouHaveAMortgage_0.checked == true) { var doYouHaveAMortgage = 230; var doYouHaveAMortgageAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var doYouHaveAMortgage = 130; var doYouHaveAMortgageAnswer = "No" } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 3 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.W2_0.checked == true) { var w2 = parseInt(w2) * parseInt(formName.W2_0_yes.value); var w2Answer = "Yes"; } else { var w2 = 0; var w2Answer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 4 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.SelfEmployed_0.checked == true) { var selfEmployed = 170 * parseInt(formName.SelfEmployed_0_yes.value); var selfEmployedAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var selfEmployed = 0; var selfEmployedAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 5 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.DidYouLiveOutsideOfArizona_0.checked == true) { var didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona = parseInt(formName.DidYouLiveOutsideOfArizona_0_yes.value * 190); //didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona=Math.round(didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona*1.3); var didYouLiveOutsideOfArizonaAnswer = formName.DidYouLiveOutsideOfArizona_0_yes.value; } else { var didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona = 100; didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona=Math.round(didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona*1.3); var didYouLiveOutsideOfArizonaAnswer = 1; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 6 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.DidYouSellInvestments_0.checked == true) { // alert("Your fees could vary significantly depending upon the number and type of transactions. We can give you a firm quote when we meet. This quote is an estimate."); // Captures the quantity value of the drop down and multiplies it times the price. var didYouSellInvestments = (parseInt(formName.ScheduleD.value) * 5) + 50; if (parseInt(formName.ScheduleD.value) > 40) { didYouSellInvestments=didYouSellInvestments+((parseInt(scheduleD)-40)*3); } didYouSellInvestments=Math.round(didYouSellInvestments*1.3); var didYouSellInvestmentsAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var didYouSellInvestments = 0; var didYouSellInvestmentsAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 7 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.DidYouOwnRentalProperty_0.checked == true) { // Captures the quantity value of the drop down and multiplies it times the price. var didYouOwnRentalProperty = parseInt(scheduleE) * parseInt(formName.ScheduleEOwn.value); var didYouOwnRentalPropertyAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var didYouOwnRentalProperty = 0; var didYouOwnRentalPropertyAnswer = "No"; } if (formName.DidYouSellRentalProperty_0.checked == true) { // Captures the quantity value of the drop down and multiplies it times the price. var didYouSellRentalProperty = 250 * parseInt(formName.ScheduleESell.value); var didYouSellRentalPropertyAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var didYouSellRentalProperty = 0; var didYouSellRentalPropertyAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 9 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.ChildCare_0.checked == true) { var childCare = parseInt(form2441); var childCareAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var childCare = 0; var childCareAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 11 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.EnergyCredit_0.checked == true) { var energyCredit = parseInt(form5695) * parseInt(formName.EnergyCredit.value); var energyCreditAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var energyCredit = 0; var energyCreditAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 12 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.DonateNonCash_0.checked == true) { var donateNonCash = parseInt(form8283); var donateNonCashAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var donateNonCash = 0; var donateNonCashAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 13 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.BusinessUseOfHome_0.checked == true) { var businessUseOfHome = parseInt(form8829) + ((parseInt(formName.BusinessUseOfHome_0_yes.value) * 80) - 80); var businessUseOfHomeAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var businessUseOfHome = 0; var businessUseOfHomeAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 14 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.BusinessUseOfHome_0.checked == true) { var businessUseOfHome = parseInt(form8829) * parseInt(formName.BusinessUseOfHome_0_yes.value); var businessUseOfHomeAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var businessUseOfHome = 0; var businessUseOfHomeAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 15 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.CollegeTuition_0.checked == true) { var collegeTuition = parseInt(form8863) * parseInt(formName.Tuition_0_yes.value); var collegeTuitionAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var collegeTuition = 0; var collegeTuitionAnswer = "No"; } /* CALCULATES QUESTIONS NUMBER 16 ********************************************************************/ if (formName.IncomeDocuments_0.checked == true) { var incomeDocuments = parseInt(incomeDocuments); var incomeDocumentsAnswer = "Yes"; } else { var incomeDocuments = 0; var incomeDocumentsAnswer = "No"; } // Calculate the subtotal var subtotal = parseInt(doYouHaveAMortgage + w2 + selfEmployed + didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona + didYouSellInvestments + didYouOwnRentalProperty + didYouSellRentalProperty + childCare + energyCredit + donateNonCash + businessUseOfHome + collegeTuition + incomeDocuments); // create answer text var doYouHaveAMortgageAnswer = "2. Mortgage? " + doYouHaveAMortgageAnswer + " $" + doYouHaveAMortgage; var w2Answer = "3. W-2, 1099-R, SSA-1099, K-1 forms? " + w2Answer + " $" + w2; var selfEmployedAnswer = "4. Self-Employed? " + selfEmployedAnswer + " $" + selfEmployed; var didYouLiveOutsideOfArizonaAnswer = "5. State Returns: " + didYouLiveOutsideOfArizonaAnswer + " $" + didYouLiveOutsideOfArizona; var didYouSellInvestmentsAnswer = "6. Sold Investments? " + didYouSellInvestmentsAnswer + " $" + didYouSellInvestments; var didYouOwnRentalPropertyAnswer = "7a. Owned Rental Property? " + didYouOwnRentalPropertyAnswer + " $" + didYouOwnRentalProperty; var didYouSellRentalPropertyAnswer = "7b. Sold Rental Property? " + didYouSellRentalPropertyAnswer + " $" + didYouSellRentalProperty; var childCareAnswer = "8. Child Care? " + childCareAnswer + " $" + childCare; var energyCreditAnswer = "9. Energy Credit? " + energyCreditAnswer + " $" + energyCredit; var donateNonCashAnswer = "10. Donated more than $500? " + donateNonCashAnswer + " $" + donateNonCash; var businessUseOfHomeAnswer = "11. Business-use-of-home? " + businessUseOfHomeAnswer + " $" + businessUseOfHome; var collegeTuitionAnswer = "12. College Tuition? " + collegeTuitionAnswer + " $" + collegeTuition; var incomeDocumentsAnswer = "13. Earned Income Credit " + incomeDocumentsAnswer + " $" + incomeDocuments; // Check if existing client box is checked if (formName.ExistingClient_0.checked == true) { var existingClientAnswer = "1. Existing client? Yes"; var discount = parseInt(subtotal * .10); } else { var existingClientAnswer = "1. Existing client? No"; var discount = parseInt(subtotal * .20); } // Dependent discount check if (formName.DependentDiscount_0.checked == true) { var dependentDiscount = parseInt(subtotal * .5); var dependentDiscountText = "
Dependent Discount: -$"+ dependentDiscount; } else { var dependentDiscount = 0; var dependentDiscountText = ""; } var breakdown = existingClientAnswer + "
" + doYouHaveAMortgageAnswer + "
" + w2Answer + "
" + selfEmployedAnswer + "
" + didYouLiveOutsideOfArizonaAnswer + "
" + didYouSellInvestmentsAnswer + "
" + didYouOwnRentalPropertyAnswer + "
" + didYouSellRentalPropertyAnswer + "
" + childCareAnswer + "
" + energyCreditAnswer + "
" + donateNonCashAnswer + "
" + businessUseOfHomeAnswer + "
" + collegeTuitionAnswer + "
" + incomeDocumentsAnswer; var quote = breakdown + "
--------------------
Subtotal: $" + parseInt(subtotal) + "
Discount: -$" + parseInt(discount) + dependentDiscountText + "
--------------------
Total Only $" + parseInt(subtotal - discount - dependentDiscount + miscellaneous) + "! "; document.getElementById('quotearea').innerHTML=quote+'

If you have other transactions not mentioned above, your fees will be higher. This quote is an estimate. Please print this quote and bring it with you to your appointment. You must have a completed tax organizer to get the discount.'; return false; }