Getting started as a personal trainer or coach

This walkthrough takes a personal trainer or coach from a new account to clients booked, on a plan, with their progress measured. Follow it in order.

1. Create the business

1. Choose Start free on BookNovi's site, or Create an account on the sign-in page, and make your account. The guided setup starts on its own.
2. Type the business's name under The business’s name, pick Personal training under Fitness, and choose Next. It fills in sessions and programs on the menu and a waiver and an intake form, and says trainer where the app says staff.
3. Check the Time zone, type the address and phone (or leave them for later), and choose Next.
4. Under What do you sell and book?: say yes to packages if you sell session packs, to forms for a health questionnaire, and to classes if you also run group sessions. Choose Next.
5. Say how many people work there, how you heard of us and, if a rep or a partner gave you a code, type it in. Choose Start my business.

Client progress, with goals and plans, is on for every trainer.

The business opens with What to do next: the steps of this walkthrough as a list that ticks itself as each gets done, under the top bar and in your menu at the top right. Your free trial starts the same day; see Plans and billing.

2. Set up the business

Open Settings, Business: set the Time zone, the calendar's hours and Time slots, and choose Save. Under What You Call Things, change Services to Sessions or Clients to Members if you prefer. Fill in Location and Tax and choose Save.

3. Your sessions

Open Services and add what you sell: an intro session, a 30-minute and a 60-minute session (one service with an option for each length works well), a check-in call. Leave Available in online booking on for what clients may book themselves.

4. Your hours

Open Staff, open yourself (or choose Add staff member for each coach), tick the sessions you run on the Services tab, and set your Work hours. Online booking offers only those hours.

5. Measures and plans

1. Open Settings, Records. Under Progress, add what you measure: weight, a deadlift, a plank hold, a mile time. Give each its unit and say whether Lower is better.
2. Add a plan with its steps, one on each line, and how many weeks it runs, or Start from an 8-week plan.

Putting a client on a plan gives them its steps to tick off. Changing the plan later does not change anyone already on it.

6. Each client's goals and progress

1. Open the client and choose the Progress tab.
2. Add their first measurements on the day you meet them.
3. Set a goal (such as "Run 5 km without stopping"), what measures it and the number to reach.
4. Choose A plan to put them on.
5. Add a measurement after each session; each is drawn as a chart, and a goal reached is marked Reached it.

7. Session packs

At the register, open Offers, then Packages, and make a pack: so many sessions of which services, for a set price, good for so many days. Sell it at checkout; each visit comes off the count. See Offers, packages, gift cards and loyalty.

8. Online booking and reminders

Switch on Take bookings online in Settings, Online booking, and copy your booking link for Instagram. In Settings, Messages, switch on the confirmation and the Reminder.

Best practices

• Measure on day one. A client who sees where they started stays longer.
• Keep plans short and concrete: one step a week a client can tick off.
• Sell sessions in packs, and book the next session before the client leaves with Repeat on the appointment.
• Write a visit note after each session (the Notes tab): what you did, how it went, what is next.