What you will learn

• Learn the skill-sets and competencies that a fitness professional needs in order to be a successful entrepreneur, owner, or department manager
• Understand how to operate a fiscally successful business in the fitness industry
• Learn business concepts, including purchasing, contractual agreements, risk management and negligence, technology issues, and other fiscal concerns
• Identify how branding influences consumers and creates a demand for fitness services and products
• Understand customer relationship management methods
• Effectively use sales techniques
• Learn how to create strategic business plans for successful health and business ventures
• Master the financial and accounting knowledge needed to manage a fitness operation
• Understand sales and communication techniques needed to thrive in the professional world

How you will benefit

• Develop the skills needed to succeed as a professional in the fitness industry
• Explore the profession as a potential career choice with the optional field internship experience
• Earn continuing education credits/units

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
• A CD or DVD drive.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or newer.
• Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Microsoft Word is recommended (not included in enrollment).
• Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment. The following textbooks will be shipped to you approximately 7-10 business days after enrollment:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently
• Performance Management That Drives Results
• Harvard Business Essentials: Finance for Managers
• How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life

A successful fitness business is about more than burning calories and building muscles. To be competitive in the business world, you need to know about strategic planning, accounting, marketing, human resources, customer relations, and more. This course will prepare you to implement a successful business system in private or commercial health clubs, medically-based fitness facilities, community wellness centers, personal training studios, physical therapy clinics, YMCAs, JCCs, college centers, recreational settings, or corporate fitness centers. This course was developed to establish an industry standard in fitness management education.

A competitive advantage offered in this course is the Optional Field Internship. Students who take advantage of this option will be able to practice the fitness management concepts they've learned about through an internship in a health and fitness setting. This course is offered in partnership with the IDEA Health & Fitness Association, Health Club Managers, Inc., and Personal Fitness Professional (PFP). IDEA provided content and curriculum for the course, and, as a student, you'll receive a complimentary six-month subscription to the digital edition of IDEA Fitness Journal. Health Club Managers, Inc., a health club staff and management training company, provides graduating certificate students with a preferred discount on their services. PFP provides students with a free three-year subscription. The subscription includes eight print issues of their magazine per year, a bi-monthly e-newsletter, a digital magazine, and access to an interactive website with blogs, polls, articles, and much more. The American College of Sports Medicine's Professional Education Committee certifies that Educational Fitness Solutions, Inc., who helped create this course, meets the criteria for official ACSM Approved Provider status. (Provider # 672784) This course is approved for 50 Continuing Education Credits through ACSM.

Continuing Education Credits/Units

The following national organizations and associations have approved this course for CEC/CEUs:

• The American Senior Fitness Association (SFA): 2.0 CEUs per course
• The Health and Fitness Professionals Association (HFPA): 30 CECs per course and 60 CECs for the Optional Field Internship
• The National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF): 10 CEUs per course
• The National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT): 1 CEC per course, equivalent to an entire six-month CEC requirement
• The National Strength and Professional Association (NSPA): 2 CEUs per course

1. Business Development and Entrepreneurship in Fitness
   1. Business Fundamentals
   2. Being a Fitness Manager
   3. Understand Key Manager Skill-Sets
   4. Sales and Marketing
2. Financial Principles and Business Concepts
   1. Major Types of Financial Statements
   2. Budgetary and Forecast Spreadsheets
   3. Apply Financial and Accounting Principles to Start a Fitness Business
   4. The Basics of the Federal Tax System
3. Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service Management
   1. Consumer Buying Behaviors in the Fitness Industry
   2. Customer-Centric Focus
   3. Transform Customer Satisfaction to Customer Loyalty
   4. Why Customers Buy or Don't Buy a Particular Club Service
4. Fitness Management and Business Administration
   1. The Role of the Human Resources Department
   2. The Job Description of a Fitness Professional
   3. Staff Development
   4. How Staff Development, Business Development, and Customer Service Management Work Together
5. Elective Program: Optional Field Internship in Fitness Business Management
   1. Intern for a total of six weeks, 60 hours with professionals in the fitness and health industry for a practical experience working with members at fitness facilities and health centers
   2. Network and interact with professionals in the health and fitness industry
   3. Develop a professional goal statement and review career opportunities
   4. Improve your ability to obtain employment or operate your own health and fitness facility

Ken Baldwin, M.ED., ACSM-H/FI has been involved in the fitness, wellness, and education profession for over 10 years. He is the senior editor, content expert, and lead author for ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer Textbook, Second Edition." He was chair of IDEA's National Personal Trainer Committee and chair of the Senior Fitness Subcommittee for the Massachusetts Governor's Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports. He serves on national committees for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), AAHPERD, and the Medical Fitness Association. His background includes operating and managing a personal training company, consulting at corporations, and lecturing at international conferences, public events, national conventions.