The Thousand Solutions Blog

How this trainer earns $100,000 per year Training 3,000+ students

Feb 2, 2024

15 years ago, the Montreal-based Phil Hynes wanted to make a change in his life; at the time, he was in his late twenties and wasn't fulfilled by the path that he had taken in his career.

"I was apathetic and had a low self-esteem, so I decided to do something about it," Hynes shares with . "The only thing I was certain I could control of was the way I perceived myself. This is when I began exercising. ."

The commitment to a steady routine of exercise was previously difficult for Hynes. "I used to exercise for a couple of days, feel great about myself but then I would stop for about two to three months," he continues. "But after I began working out regularly, I felt more confident at myself. ."

Being inspired by his renewed enthusiasm, he enrolled in an individual training class at a local YMCA. Newly certified, he landed an employment at the local gym. He began working one-on-one with clients. Two years later after that, he started his own gym. "I always wanted to be more," he says. "If I'm not satisfied in a situation, I'm the kind of person who would move on to the next one and not be able to look at the steps that follow. ."

The gym was in operation for four years until he was ready for the next stage of his business: moving online to access a bigger audience. When covid hit his lease, his gym was about to end, creating an opportunity to shift into online course creation. In June 2020 the instructor launched his first online course. In the years since, he has developed an interest and expanded his online business--and revenue; the course has more than 3,000 participants and earns a steady income of $100,000 per year. Additionally, he currently is averaging 600K followers on Instagram, 750K TikTok Followers and 6,000 YouTube Subscribers as well as 14K fans of his facebook page.

Hynes sat down with us to discuss his experiences and help other online course creators find success in their own niche. Here's his story:

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Finding his niche

Similar to many online course creators Hynes says he started his business online without even knowing what he was doing; he was simply committed to figuring it out on the go.

His first online course was a workout course for a general population. At this point, he was trying to find his market. He was only when he started developing a list of who he was targeting when his business took off.

To discover his target audience, he experimented with posting diverse content to social media. "That's why I discovered the one thing that really will appeal to my target audience Simple, easy exercise routines" the author writes.

He began targeting all of his content on social media and in his classes geared towards novices. "These are those who haven't been exercising, aren't aware of where to begin, or are confused on which exercises to perform," Hynes explains. "There are plenty of information available; it can be challenging for newbies to get started. My training sessions provide something real for beginners to do regularly."

Hynes wasn't surprised that the audience of a beginner found him; when asked what he likes about working with this population, Hynes says it always felt like his calling.

"Even when I would train members in the gym, most of the people that gravitated towards me were people who were only beginning their journey," he says. "They loved my style of fitness, which was distinct from bootcamps that are typical, super-demanding workouts ."

"I am happy to be capable of helping others overcome similar things as me by building their confidence and self-confidence and reaching their personal goals."

The majority of his students are women who are between the ages of four- and 65. Eighty percent are located in the US and 15 percent are located in Canada. Rest of them are scattered across all over the globe.

The development of two key programs

In the process of securing the area he was interested in, Hynes created two, important programs, both of which are offered by way of a membership model .

There is also a beginner workout membership, which cost $6.99 USD a month. Participants who sign up for this membership receive a exercise video every week, and they can choose between bodyweight alone or a combination of dumbbell exercises and bodyweight. The goal is to complete 3-4 exercises per week since they can access libraries in addition to each week's workout which he provides.

There is also a 30-day workout challenge, which he is focusing on right now. The program begins with a welcome call between Hynes and each new member to determine if the program is a good one for them. This call helps every individual understand the way in which the program is conducted. In this program, the exercise sessions begin slow and start with a time of 10-15 minutes per workout. As they go on, they gradually increase length and difficulty. When the student is through the 30 days challenge the student can decide to stay signed up for a second month to access the exercises. The price is the equivalent of $80 USD for a month.

Most of his workouts include the combination of strengthening as well as cardio, mobility, and stretching. "The exercise routines provide a mild approach to exercise, and incorporate movements that aren't excessively demanding or strenuous," he continues ."

The reason he chose it was because the platform he wanted to use was a user-friendly platform that was simple to use for both the creator and student. Additionally, when he saw some creators that he looked for hosting their online courses via  this platform, it seemed to be the best choice.

Based on the gut feeling of his shopper

When it came to pricing, he he relied on his intuition to determine the best amount. In reality the gut feeling is his main source of trust throughout his entrepreneurial journey. "Even before launching my first course, I did not conduct any market research" the instructor laughs. "Before the opening of the gym I also didn't; I just knew that I loved helping people, and that I would figure it out along the process. Always, I did what was right for me. ."

"If you really are confident in the products or services, people will see its value," says Hynes.

In order to accept payment to accept payments, he connects Stripe as well as Paypal to accept payments .

Promoting accountability

If you ask him what makes his training apart from others online instructors the trainer says it's the manner in which the program encourages accountability. He keeps in contact to each of his members each week, often multiple times per week. "Accountability is a major component of training," he says. "I review each person to make sure that they're in the right ."

"I'm always looking over the progress each person has made, which is an amazing feature. It lets you see what you want to see: how many videos members have watched and the percentage of the videos they've watched."

Hynes thinks that accountability is a key skill for course creators to hone in on in 2024, and even beyond. "People don't want to be treated as one of a few," he says. "They require that attention on their own that goes on far ."

The intimate relationship that he makes for each participant is one of the motives that people choose to stay in his programs. "I don't send mass emails to anyone," he says. " I personally email every individual. This lets people realize that there is someone who is behind the company and takes care of their ."

Market consistently

While Hynes uses multiple social media channels to reach his target audience, his main goal is Instagram.

However, Hynes hasn't cultivated an extensive, consistent following in a matter of days and his Instagram page, for instance began in 2012. It wasn't until Instagram introduced reels that his account became a huge success, due to a couple of videos that were viewed by millions. "It is really only one video," he says. "You must post a lot of them, but you only need one video that is viral to receive the exposure that you need ."

The guy says back in the day when he was in his gym, he was approximately 7700 Instagram followers. He'd jotted down his aim, which was to have 10,000 followers. He didn't realize that a couple of years later he'd reach more than a million.

He says that his aim has been to stay as consistent as is possible in his postings. This consistency has been the key in growing his followers and business as a whole. "Even within my life, it's all about getting your reps in. It's important to keep repeating of what you're doing," he shares.

Making lead magnets that work

To give prospective customers an idea of his teaching style as well as his online training programs, he came up with a few Lead magnets.

There is a book that includes the beginner's four exercises of 15 minutes with each workout having images and descriptions. Another is a no-cost masterclass that is offered via Zoom in which he interacts with a number of people, and teaches people how to achieve the health and wellness goals they have set for themselves.

"The masterclass is meant to get people to understand the programs that I offer and that I'm here to aid them in their understanding," explains Hynes.

Lead magnets for both are integrated with Leadpages .

Making content for the ideal user

In creating social media and online course content, Hynes concentrates on his particular niche. He, for instance, determined to make his workouts straightforward and realistic for people. "I'm not doing this for myself," he says. "I'm posting for the person on the other end. I'm trying to bring the most value possible to this person as I can, and provide them with something attainable to do ."

"You need to consider your ideal client, or the people you're trying to attract--as well as what value you want to bring for them to be helpful," he advises.

One of the blunders the trainer made when he initially posted on social networks was creating content like other trainers. They would typically post fancy variations of exercises, as this was the standard back then. "The reason why my account has stood out is that I share realistic workouts that people suffering from any physical or mental impairment will be able to try," he adds.

When producing content, he suggests writers try to understand their ideal client and what they're going through. "Think about the information you would have known five, ten, 15 years ago and share that knowledge with the course or in your material," he says.

Enhancing the capacity

In the year 2024, and even beyond that point he's got a few objectives. One goal is to move out of the one-on-one coaching sessions he holds to concentrate solely on improving his online courses which are his scalable products. "I'm only one person and therefore, I'm not guaranteed time during the working day," he says. "However I'm able to get hundreds of people involved in the challenge for a 30 day ."

"Steering off from the one-on-1 method will allow me to do something more easily," he adds. "I am a fan of one-onone projects however, it can be time-consuming. ."

Although he has about 100 participants sign-up for the 30-day challenge each month, his intention is to grow the number of sign-ups to between 150 and 200. Also, he wants to begin working with other brands in the form of partnership agreements with brands, since this won't only increase his revenue, it will expand his reach and increase the number of people who are part of his audience.

Learning from mistakes

If asked if there is any thing he'd have changed in his journey to create He said he could have started sooner. "You get better when you practice it," he says. "The more you experiment with things, the faster you'll learn ."

Apart from that the fact that he wishes it wasn't so hard to invest in the little things, such as a quality microphone and lighting. "When I reflect on the initial courses that I designed in the year 2020, I can see my mistakes," he expresses. "But I was trying my best with what I had. I was using my phone. I didn't have a microphone, and my videos were dark and dim. ."

"I have put it out there anyway," he continues. "You make mistakes and learn from them. ."

Although investing in these items would have increased the quality of his material at the beginning, he thinks that equipment should not be an obstacle for anyone who wants to start. "

"You don't have to have the perfect lighting or a costly camera; you don't have to shell out a huge amount of money. Do your best with the equipment you've got and develop and improve your skills," he explains.

"Just do it, and create your first course," he says excitedly. "Do as best you can and don't overthink it. Put it out there and improve as you go ."

Ready to take the leap? Consider 2024 as the year that when you enter the world of online course development. See for yourself the ways you can make your own version of success. Get started today and get your free membership!