I often train 2 people per session, sometimes 3, and honestly I’ve found it to be an ideal work/rest ratio for clients. I’ll usually start everyone with a DB squat & press variation to true failure, then roll into the rest of the full-body session. While I’m coaching one person through a hard set, the others are resting - but they’re also learning by watching someone else get coached. A lot of technique and effort education happens just from that alone. I also strategically plug in movements that don’t require my full eyes-on attention while I’m coaching another set...things like push-ups, walking lunges, planks, ball slams, bike sprints, sled pushes, or jump rope. That keeps the flow moving without sacrificing quality. Most of my clients actually prefer the partner setup over true 1:1. They get the coaching, the accountability, and a little shared energy, while I can still individualize load, progression, and modifications for each person. We also run two 30-minute DB/bodyweight classes per week with anywhere from 8–20 people. Everyone performs the same movement together, usually on 60–90 second timed sets, moving through a full-body circuit with very little rest beyond transitions - goal is failure or near failure within the time given. Hope that helps- happy to expand more if you want.

yes

@Jeffrey Shaw thank you. I appreciate bringing up those points to consider. I wouldn’t be buying her business name because her business name is her actual name just as her name plus personal trainer - so it would essentially shift to my brand. She does own all the equipment with no loan on it. As far as the rest, I’m writing those down to ask about! As far as capacity, no, I wouldn’t be able to manage that on my own, but I have already training partners in mind who I would a hire or come alongside me, and if for some reason they were not interested, I would train and hire somebody else.

@Michael Zarrillo This is really helpful—thank you. The lease piece especially is something I’ll be digging into. A little more context on the current setup- everything is very old-school right now (cash/check/Venmo, no ACH or systems), and the business is highly dependent on her personally. She owns the equipment outright, but there’s no real infrastructure in place beyond her. Her goal is more of a gradual handoff- having me train there, build relationships with clients, and transition them over time rather than selling to someone random or stepping back to manage. I really like your suggestion of structuring it around a percentage of transferred clients that tapers over time. That makes the most practical sense to me versus trying to assign value to something that isn’t truly a standalone asset yet. One piece I’m still trying to understand—they’ve set up a life insurance policy (~$800/month) with my name tied to it, with the idea that it would help fund a future buyout. There aren’t any formal agreements around it yet, and none of us have any real clarity on exactly how it works. Have you seen something like that used in a situation like this? Or does that sound like it’s overcomplicating what should be a more straightforward structure?

@Murray Knox do you mostly have people renew after 4 weeks, or 6? My fear in doing that is that my income would be unpredictable (and less) if people got used to stretching it out over 6 weeks. but, that would solve my cancel/reschedule issue, too. How do you keep track of sessions used? pen/paper or automated system (if so, which?)

My former business partner charges monthly, no matter what- if his clients are gone or if he takes a vacation (usually once or twice a year he'll take a week). or if he's sick, etc. Seems simple, so that's what I did too - but people still tend to focus on how many sessions they're getting, rather than paying to hold their spot, etc.

I had 3 new clients start this month, and am working on simplifying my 'systems' which will save me $200/mo.