Having met with numerous Gym Owners, Managers, and Personal Trainers recently, it has occurred to me that most Gym Managers/Owners and their PT’s aren’t aware what Insurance Policy they currently hold.
How could this have happened?
Have Insurers not explained the various covers provided by their specific Product/s?
Has the Fitness Industry Associations or Federations not explained what types of covers should be taken?
What has Happened…?
Lets find out…
In Australia now there are over 40 Underwriting Agencies and Insurers that provide Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance Policies. With this number of Policies, how is a busy Gym Manager or Personal Trainer supposed to know which one to take? I guess it’s possible to spend the time researching the right one, but it’s not financially time-wise, nor is it particularly business savvy to try and save a few dollars per year, whilst wasting many hours and still being unsure as to the effectiveness of the Policy selected.
Recently, our office interviewed some well respected industry leaders.
Following these interviews, we have discovered some interesting info about certain Australian fitness training organisations and their Students.
According to these industry leaders, they have reported that once the students of certain Fitness Training Organisations have completed their education or course (say Cert 3 or Cert 4), not only are they steered to a specific Insurer’s Policy Product, but are also held at ransom to take these “mandatory” Products prior to being given access to their Certificate of completion.
Do you see a problem here?
The problem we identified here is that while these newly educated PT are commendably eager, and excited about starting their own business or helping people change their bodies, they are unfortunately a bit un-savvy to Business, Insurance and what is actually required to protect them, their clients and their Gym Employer.
Clearly, this is something specific to just a few Australian Training organisations, however it starts the new Personal Trainer immediately on the wrong foot for their Insurances.
We have provided a checklists below to help new Personal Trainers as they enter into the Industry:
Find knowledgeable and helpful Business connections eg, Insurance Broker/Adviser, Accountant, Solicitor etc.
For the record, people often assume the services of the above industries is expensive. They aren’t.
Management Liability insurance is designed to provide protection to both the business and its directors or officers for claims of wrongful acts in the management of the business.
A business insurance pack can provide cover for your business premises and contents, against loss, damage, theft or financial loss from an insured interruption to the business.
Find someone who you believe would be a good Mentor for you and your Business
Once you have found this person, get to know them
Confirm that you and your Mentor are a good fit
Ensure this person does not have strong “ties” to your Business
Express genuine interest in what they have to say
Work constantly on being someone WORTH mentoring
Never Pay for a Mentor
Have something to offer back – Don’t take this person’s generosity for granted
Take your Mentor’s advise with a grain of salt
Be clear to your Mentor about your expectations and your end goal
Just FYI, when researching the Fitness Industry, we found numerous podcasts from industry leaders (some helpful and some just revenue raising). A great and helpful Podcast we found is called the PT Performance Podcast (22 Episodes recorded at the time this was written).
They are three blokes located on the Gold Coast, all Qualified Trainers, and all very different guys. These “MeatHeads” (how they affectionately refer to each other) work in different parts of the Fitness and Health industry, and produce free content each week, just in the service for the Industry.
Its actually refreshing to find a Podcast in the Fitness and Health industry specifically built and maintained to help Personal Trainers be better and get better results for their Clients, with no hidden agenda.
General Advice Warning: This advice is general and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the advice is appropriate for you and your personal circumstances. Before you make any decision about whether to acquire a certain product, you should obtain and read the relevant product disclosure statement.
All information above has been provided by the author.
Brad Dawson, Dawson Insurance, ABN 27159041399, AFSL 344648
This article originally appeared on
Dawson Insurance News Blog
and has been published here with permission.
Featured
Log in with Google
