business plan for online training company

How To Start Your First eLearning Video Business – Full Guide

Learn More about Video Monetization

• What Is An eLearning Business

Why You Should Start An eLearning Business

• eLearning Business Example
• eLearning Business Plans (3 types)
• How To Start An eLearning Business (6 steps)

Starting an eLearning business can be confusing.

You know you have the skill to teach, and some people want to learn it, but connecting the two and building a business around it? Man, where do you even start?

Well, it turns out, right here. 

At Uscreen we have lots of experience helping budding business owners, like you, start and grow their eLearning business. (Even if they have no entrepreneurial experience!)

And I’d like to share some of the major insights we’ve picked up along the way. Meaning you can get to work, safe in the knowledge you’re following the right steps.

So, if you want to start an eLearning business that is both profitable and enjoyable read on to find out more. We’re going to cover:

• What is an eLearning business?
• Why there’s never been a better time to start yours
• A case study of a 5-figure eLearning business
• 3 types of successful eLearning business models
• How to start an eLearning business in 6 steps

Let’s go…

What Is An eLearning Business?

An eLearning business is an online platform that educates people, either by imparting niche-specific knowledge or teaching new skills. 

eLearning businesses generate income in a number of ways, but the most common are:

• One-off sales of products like eBooks and courses
• Subscription access to independent online schools

Self-paced online learning has become popular over the last few years – it’s worth around $103.8 billion – and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the industry’s growth. (More on that next!)

So, what makes eLearning businesses so popular? Well, for students, it’s because they offer a lot of flexibility . They can choose their own…

• instructors 
• learning schedules
• payment options

…to create a customized experience that fits their needs. These are all important elements that aren’t typically offered by traditional offline learning environments.

Instructors can also take advantage of higher levels of flexibility and creative freedom. You’re not bound by traditional syllabuses or teaching structures.

Instead, you can cover the topics that interest you, in the niche you care about, to provide the most value to your audience. Better still, you can work on your own schedule.

At Uscreen, we’ve seen people build profitable eLearning businesses around:

• Arts & Crafts .
• Basketball.
• Self-Help .
• Musical instruments.
• Language learning.
• Many, many more.

And, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a better time to start an eLearning business. Here’s why…

COVID-19 has shaken up how we approach work, learning, and recreation. And, people from all over the world are turning to eLearning platforms in the “new normal”.

Specifically, we’ve seen a rise in 3 types of learners:

• Those looking to grow and adapt to different ways of working.
• Those looking to escape the pandemic through learning new skills and knowledge.
• Those looking to learn in COVID-19 safe environments .

In fact, Google’s data shows a clear rise in people looking for terms like “online course” since the first lockdown measures were introduced:

There’s now a clear opportunity for anyone who wants to start an eLearning business. The supply of online learning resources is nowhere near the current demand for it!

The Associated Press reports that demand will grow 10% each year until 2024 when it will reach a worth of $21.64 billion . (Tapping into just 1% of that industry would be $216.4 million!)

Better still, when you build your eLearning business using online video , it can be affordable to start and manage, with potentially high returns. Let’s look at an example to show you what I mean!

How Frances Long Built A 5-Figure eLearning Business

Frances Long runs Your Book Of Memories , where she teaches people how to make their own mini albums.

Frances began by creating videos for her YouTube channel using a simple, inexpensive setup. Though the content of each video is complex, the creation of it is not.

Here’s one of her early videos so you can see what I mean:

Click here to watch the video -> youtube.com/watch?v=8idTnr4wdSk

Once she built a community on her channel, she pivoted to running her own eLearning business using Uscreen . 

Students can access her content in 2 ways:

• They can pay a monthly fee for access to her school, and access all of the tutorials in her library
• They can pay a one-off fee to access an individual tutorial

This gives Frances’s audience flexible access to her premium educational content. And, it gives Frances multiple income streams for her eLearning business.

The combination of these simple elements helped Frances bootstrap her way to $13,000 in her first 4 months after launching, and her income continues to grow.

In the next section, we’re going to look at how you can start your own eLearning business, starting with choosing the right business plan.

The 3 Types Of eLearning Business Plan s

There are 3 different types of eLearning business plan you can use:

• The “night school” model
• The “academy” model 
• The “combined” model

Let’s take a look at them and see which one is right for you…

Option 1: The “Night School” Business Model

The “night school” model is a classic if you just want to sell one-off access to a course. It’ll be familiar to you if you’ve ever taken an adult learning course.

Students…

• pay an up-front fee for the course
• follow a set structure from start to finish (with little deviation from the main topic)
• finish the course with a test or quiz to show proficiency

…making them best suited for students who are focused on learning one topic or skill. 

InkWorkshops use this eLearning business model well. They sell individual access to laser-focused tattoo workshops:

The benefit of this business model is that you receive a lot of up-front money. You can generate hype and sell access for a short time, which can translate into high earnings.

The downside is you only earn once from each customer. Once they have access, there’s no need for them to reinvest in this course.

You’re also limited to one topic per course, so you’ll need to create multiple standalone courses if you want to cover a variety of topics, which can be pretty time-consuming.

Option 2: The “Academy” Business Model

The “academy” model is a much longer-term option.  It’s where you create an online school that allows…

• your students receive recurring value
• you receive a recurring income

…in exchange for a recurring monthly subscription fee.

The academy style model allows you to focus on a breadth of skills your students will need. You can build an extensive library of tutorials to cover multiple necessary skills.

Let’s say you want to start an eLearning platform for guitarists. Instead of teaching one skill – like how to play a specific song – you could open it up to teach:

• How to practice chord progressions.
• How to restring your guitar.
• The basics of finger-picking.
• How to read sheet music.

These topics are far too complex and important to make part of one single course, so they all need to be taught as skills in their own right. 

Magic Stream does this extremely well. They’ve built an extensive catalog of videos that budding magicians can access for a minimal monthly fee:

From the business side of this, there are lots of benefits.

You can earn a recurring income every month from both past and new students. And, you can continue to earn from content you uploaded months or even years before!

Option 3: The “Combined” Model

Okay, this is my favorite eLearning business model…

The “combined” model is where you take the night school and academy models and put them together to create a supercharged income opportunity.

Here you use:

• the academy model as your core offering.
• the night school model to provide flexible options or add-ons.

It could be that your customers want access to just one tutorial from your database, or you’re offering a special live stream session that’s worth paying a few extra dollars for.

Students are ready and willing to pay for these if they feel it will help them improve at what it is they’ve come to learn from you.

This is the same model that Your Book Of Memories used earlier in the post, so you know it’s tried and tested!

How To Start An eLearning Business In 6 Steps

In this section, we’re going to explore how to start an eLearning business and share the specific steps you need to take.  You’re going to:

• Define your audience
• Identify your core content
• Pick and create 1-3 actionable lessons
• Select your eLearning platform
• Set your prices
• Market your new eLearning business

Before we start, it’s going to be useful if you already have authority within an online community, or audience you’ve created, before you begin to build an eLearning business. 

This will give you better access to content ideas, potential customers, and initial feedback. While not essential, I do recommend you have this before you follow any of the steps below!

Let’s get into it…

1. Define Your Audience

The first step is to define your target audience. 

It’s useful to think of this as a subsection of your current audience. The 20% of people who will be interested in signing up for your premium service.

Ideally, you’ll build an “avatar” that is an amalgamation of the 6-8 key characteristics, wants, and needs that your customers share.

You should ask questions like:

• How old are they?
• What gender (if relevant) are they?
• Where are they located?
• What are they struggling with?
• What do they want to achieve with the skills you’ll teach them?

The answers to these questions will differ depending on your niche and what you teach. The best way to answer them is to reach out to members of your current audience and ask them!

Here is a great video from entrepreneur, Eben Pagan , on how to create a customer avatar, with specific examples from an eLearning business:

2. Identify Your Core Content

The next step is to identify the specific lessons your audience needs the most.

These are the core skills that will have the biggest impact on your audience’s success. If they come away armed with these 1-3 things, they’ll have got their money’s worth.

This will help you ensure your existing customers are satisfied and help you to attract new customers with your core materials.

Let’s say you’re building an eLearning business for creative freelancers. You might create your core lessons around:

• Acquisition: how to find and pitch to new clients
• Productivity: how to manage your time and workload
• Negotiation: how to effectively raise your rates

This is something we do in our own eLearning products. For example, in Fitness Accelerator , we focus on 3 core categories for our video tutorials:

• Setting up: how to set up your online fitness platform
• Pro tips: how to create engaging, professional content
• Marketing: how to grow your online fitness business

Here’s how that looks on the website:

These core elements should hit the key needs and take your customers towards their desired end result.

3. Pick & Create 1-3 Actionable Lessons

In this step, you’re going to drill down and create some actionable lessons.

I recommend you create a completable “module” for each of your core content categories before you launch your eLearning business.

Sticking with the creative freelancer example from above, this might look like:

• Acquisition: how to write a high-converting outreach email
• Productivity: how to structure your working day
• Negotiation: 10 key things your proposal needs to have

The point here is to choose high-value lessons that set the tone for your future content, and can generate early results or progress for your customers!

If you’re starting off on a low budget, here is a great video from Think Media on how to create your first videos using only your smartphone:

Click here to watch the video -> youtube.com/watch?v=ek53TQ9U35o

4. Pick Your eLearning Platform

It’s time to look at where you’re going to build your eLearning business.

You may already have considered some “education” platforms that allow you to host single courses, but I’m going to recommend you consider a more comprehensive solution. 

Specifically, I’m going to recommend you use a video monetization platform. Here’s why…

Video is the most effective way of teaching people remotely. It allows you to convey complex information easily. Just ask the 86% of people who use YouTube videos to learn new skills !

You also need a platform that allows you to:

• Create your own controlled learning environment
• Connect directly with your audience within a standalone platform
• Offer a wide range of payment options
• Create combinations of monetization options
• Use analytics for both your videos and marketing
• Take control of your income

You can do all of this – and much, much more – by using Uscreen . You can find out more about us, and what we offer, by clicking here or watching the video below:

Click here to watch the video -> youtube.com/watch?v=fxAZYn6gj74

5. Set Your Prices

Next up, let’s look at how to set prices for your eLearning business.

In the video below one of our resident video experts, Nick Nimmon, will talk you through a tried and tested strategy for setting prices for online courses and eLearning businesses.

Check it out:

Click here to watch the video -> youtube.com/watch?v=0YkQySdR9VU

6. Market Your eLearning Business

The final step is to begin marketing your eLearning business. This is where having an existing audience really helps!

I recommend you start by identifying your existing marketing channels, like…

• your newsletter
• social media feeds
• YouTube channel audiences
• community forums 

…and promote your new platform there. 

You should also consider using YouTube to create a marketing “funnel”. This is where you share:

• Top-level videos to engage potential and new audience members
• Middle-level videos to begin educating them
• Bottom-level videos, like trailers, to point them towards your platform

You can learn more about how to create a YouTube marketing funnel here .

Better still….

You can use Uscreen’s marketing tools to build more comprehensive and effective marketing campaigns. With them, you can:

• send abandoned cart emails
• create “reduce churn” sequences
• offer high-converting free trials
• share promotional coupons
• connect with 1000+ tools via Zapier

…so you can build tailored campaigns to market your eLearning business, your way.

Bonus: Join Uscreen’s Instructional Video Business Accelerator

We created the Instructional Video Business Accelerator for those of you who are serious about starting an eLearning business.

The Instructional Video Business Accelerator is a self-paced program that helps you learn the core skills you need to build a long-term eLearning business. It’s made up of hours of video tutorials that will help you:

• Create your eLearning business.
• Record impactful video lessons.
• Build a community of excited students.
• Effectively market your platform.

The Instructional Video Business Accelerator is automatically accessible to all eLearning Uscreen clients. Start your free trial to get access today ! Be sure to check eLearning as your industry while signing up.

Wrapping This Up…

There has never been a better time to start an eLearning business. COVID-19 has changed the way people want and need to learn, and the demand is higher than ever.

If you want to learn more about the key skills you need to launch and grow your own eLearning platform, be sure to check out Uscreen’s Instructional Video Business Accelerator!

Care for an on-demand demo?

James Johnson

James is a Photography YouTuber from Manchester, England. A former digital nomad, he’s been working online and in the creator economy for over a decade.

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E-learning Business Plan Sample

Published Sep.30, 2013

Updated Apr.22, 2024

By: Jakub Babkins

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Table of Content

E-learning Business Plan for starting your own business

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, that is, we can do a lot more from home than we previously thought. We are presenting this business plan for educational services from home. This is the right time to get started with an e-learning business as people are still reluctant to go out.

If you want to know how to set up and elearning course, you are in the right place. Just like a business plan for a driving school or a business plan for language school , this one is based on an actual start up. Let’s see the components of strategy that will help Smart E-learning School succeed.

Executive Summary

2.1 the business.

Smart E-learning School will be owned and headed by Hazel White. The school will be focused on providing technical education via the internet and distant learning. The courses offered by the school will be about computer, languages, and programming. starting a e learning business is easier than you think. It is just like a preschool business plan but everything is online.

2.2 Management of E-Learning Business

If you are looking for an answer to how to start e learning business, here it is. The online school business plan will be headed by White and she will hire specialists of each field to help her plan how to set up online training courses in such a way as to make the maximum profit. A mobile application business plan will also be needed to make the business available for all.

2.3 Customers of E-Learning Business

The customers of Smart E-learning School will be from all geometrographic geographic subdivisions from all over the US. The main customers of the business will be:

• People looking to acquire new skills.
• People wanting to learn new languages.
• People interested in learning photography and videography.
• College graduates wanting to get safety and other certifications.

2.4 Business Target

The subjective target of this online school business plan is to create a reputable name in the elearning industry. However, we’ve set the following objective targets:

• Enroll 5,000 students within the first 6 months.
• Generate a revenue of $0.3 million per annum by the end of year 3.
• Expand to the global market by the end of year 2.

Company Summary

3.1 company owner.

Hazel White will be the owner and CEO of Smart E-learning School. White has worked as an educationist for 30 years. She previously implemented a tutoring business plan with success. That makes her the perfect person to implement this e learning business plan sample.

3.2 Why the E-learning business is being started

After the coronavirus pandemic, people have realized that it is cost and time effective to learn from home than going to a school. The greatest evidence of this is the increase in the use of services like Google Classroom and Zoom. This is be best time to start e learning business.

3.3 How the E-learning business will be started

Step1: Planning

The first step towards successfully launching this online school business plan is business model for e learning is planning. The managemental hierarchy of the business will be developed and online education e learning sample business plan implementation strategy will be finalized. This is not as simple as a martial arts business .

Step2: Developing a Brand

The next step towards starting the business will be establishing a brand. Top-ranking educationists will be hired to create an impression of the brand. Just like a martial arts business plan it is important to have a brand.

Step3: Establish a Web and Physical Presence

Once the brand has been established, the next step will be to hire office space to start the work. An extensive website will be launched to make the business accessible for customers.

Step4: Promote and Market

The next step will be to create a strong marketing strategy to help the business get noticed by the customers.

The next thing that needs to be addressed in this e learning business plan template are the services. If you want to start your own e learning business, you need to determine the services.

Smart E-learning School will be focusing on 20 services divided into 4 categories:

1. Basic Freelance Skills Training

This category will teach people the basic level and easy freelancing skills that they can use to make money. This will include:

• Freelance writing.
• Content creation.
• Data entry.
• Use of popular word processors

2. Advanced Freelancing Skills Training

This head will cover specialized skills that can be used for freelancing as well as office jobs. These will include:

• Video editing.
• Basic programming.
• Photo editing.
• Virtual assistant training.
• Business plan writing .

3. Languages

We will also be teaching people languages that can increase the chances of them getting better employment opportunities. Smart E-learning School will teach:

• Entry level Chinese.
• Intermediate Spanish.
• Advanced English.
• Intermediate French.
• Advanced Spanish.

4. Advanced Skills

These will include:

• Photography.
• Videography.
• Automotive repair.

Marketing Analysis of E-learning Business

If you want to know how to start e learning business online, you need to conduct marketing analysis. This is the part where we determine the economic viability of the project.

As of 2019, there are more than 31,000 elearning companies in the US. The market capitalization of the elearning industry was 144 billion USD in 2019. It has been growing ever since at a rate of 14.4% annually and is expected to be worth more than 370 billion USD by 2025.

If you want to start your own e-learning business pdf, you’ll need to come up with an innovative approach. However, the COVID situation has made things easier. People now prefer to learn via elearning rather than attending an actual school.

Great service

Great service. Good turnaround time and quality work. Thanks!

One of the most profitable customer bases for any e learning business model are small to medium enterprises. These companies want to get their employees trained at the lowest possible cost. That is only possible through elearning. This enables the employees to receive training while they are in the office and they do not have to take a leave for it.

Another thing that you need to take care of while planning to start an online school business plan is the availability of teachers. If you want to succeed as a new entrant in the industry, you’ll need to hire the best teachers. The best teachers and trainers in the territory are the people who can make the business a success for you.

You also need to look into the way others in the same industry are operating. The way they teach, examine, and certify their students are some of the very important things to get inspiration from.

5.1 Market Trends

As stated earlier there are more than 31,000 e-learning businesses in the US. The market, however, has not always been like this. There were only a handful of distant learning companies operating in the US before the widespread use of the internet. These companies taught through distant lectures on dedicated TV channels and conducted examinations in large cities.

Since the 2000s, the industry started to bloom. It had a growth rate of 7% in 2002. The number and magnitude of e-learning businesses kept going up and the growth rate accelerated over the years. The industry still has a 14.4% growth rate meaning that new entrants still have a chance.

5.2 Marketing Segmentation

In this business writing e learning we’re listing the expected customers of Smart E-learning School:

5.2.1 People Looking for Skills to Earn

One of the main customers/students of any elearning setup are the people who are looking for a cost-effective way to acquire skills. This segment will makeup the bulk of independent customers at Smart E-learning School.

5.2.2 People Looking to Learn Languages

A substantial portion of the students at Smart E-learning School will be the ones looking to learn new languages. These people will be the high paying ones as language education is expensive.

5.2.3 People Learning Skills as Passion

People also go to elearning schools to learn things they are passionate about. We’ll teach photography and videography to such people. However, people can also learn the same for earning money. We don’t judge anyone at Smart E-learning School.

5.2.4 Small to Medium Enterprises

We will also be providing online training solutions for the companies that cannot have their own training wings. This will make up the largest single market segment by revenue as such clients often need training for a lot of people.

5.3 Business Target

• To establish Smart E-learning School as a leading distant learning services provider.
• To make some permanent corporate clients and sign long-term training contracts with them.
• To start making $26,000 a month by the end of year 3.
• To maintain a CSAT score of more than 90%

5.4 Product Pricing

All courses and training programs will be priced as per the competitors. The prices will be kept a little bit lower than competing businesses to earn clients at the start.

Marketing Strategy of E-learning Business

In order to start a successful business any business e learning marketing plan sample must contain a solid marketing strategy. As the elearning market is a saturated one, a lot depends on how well we present the online school business plan.

If you have come this far looking for how to start a e-learning business proposal, you need to know the importance of an effective marketing strategy. We need to highlight the areas where we are stronger than our competitors. Only then we can succeed.

6.1 Competitive Analysis

• We will implement modern learning techniques to make our trainings better than what the competition has to offer.
• We will be hiring the top-notch professionals of every field to make sure we deliver the best.
• We will design innovative training solutions for small to medium enterprises to get permanent clients.

6.2 Sales Strategy

• We will use TV commercials, Google Ads, and banners to promote our nascent brand.
• We’ll offer discounts in the first 6 months to attract people and advertise the business in turn.
• We’ll make specialized plans for corporate clients

6.3 Sales Monthly

6.4 sales yearly, 6.5 sales forecast, personnel plan.

The next step for this business plan for e learning company is making a list of people needed to effectively run the company. One thing that must be noted here is that this online school business plan is unique. It will be needing both administrators and teachers to run.

7.1 Company Staff

• Hazel White will be the owner of the company.
• 1 Manager Liaison will be needed to connect with the outside world.
• 4 Language Teachers will be needed, one for each language being offered.
• 7 Skills Teachers will be needed for all the subjects being offered.
• 1 IT Expert will be hired to make sure the website runs smooth.
• 1 Social Media Manager to manage the much-needed social presence of the school.
• 1 Accountant
• 1 Technician to upkeep technical equipment.
• 1 Receptionist

Financial Plan

The final part of this e learning business case will tell how much capital will be needed to start the business. This will cover the amount of money that is needed from the way the execution of the business is started to the day it starts breaking even. Here are some of the costs that must be taken into consideration:

• The rent of the place to set up the business in.
• The amount needed to purchase office equipment.
• The money needed to set up and online portal for the school
• Marketing and publicity expenses.
• Money required to pay the employees before the company starts generating revenue.

8.1 Important Assumptions

8.2 break-even analysis, 8.3 projected profit and loss, 8.3.2 profit yearly, 8.3.3 gross margin monthly, 8.3.4 gross margin yearly, 8.4 projected cash flow.

Download e learning business plan sample in pdf

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How to write the design and development section for e learning business

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Updated on: 10 Dec 2020 , 9 mins to read

How to start a training business: 6 steps to success

The eLearning market is growing — fast. So fast, that from the $200 billion in 2019, it’s now expected to grow over $375 billion by 2026. And as people are warming up to the idea that eLearning is just as effective as traditional training, there’s never been a better time to think about how to start a training business.

Before you jump headfirst into starting a training business of your own, you’ll want to slow down and make sure you have everything in place. Do you know what will make your business successful?

Here’s our six-step plan on how to start a training company .

How to start a training business in 6 steps (and make it a success)

Starting a training company isn’t much different from setting up any other company. You’ll still need to think about all the essential aspects of business 101: Who’s your client base ? How will you persuade them to choose you? How will you beat the competition ?

Let’s look at how you can set your eLearning business up for success.

• Know your audience
• Use the right technology and tools
• Think about the content
• Partner with the right people
• Run it like a business

Curious to learn more? Let’s dive in!

1. Know your audience

Before starting your own training business, you need to decide who you’ll target with your business.

Enter market research.  The best way is to hire a market research company that can assess the viability of the training business you’re considering. A more affordable option is to talk to people, run an informal survey, or put up a simple “sign up for updates” form on your Facebook or landing page to gauge people’s interest.

Ultimately, the goal is to land on a specific target audience for your services before you start a training business. Who are they? What do they need to learn? What do they want to learn? The next step is to determine how large this audience is . This way you’ll be able to estimate your company’s profitability.

Sustainability and profitability are two elements you should look at before you commit your time and money to start an online training business. Of course, you’ll only be able to tell with real certainty after your business opens doors, but this will definitely help you rule out some impossible markets.

Another factor you need to consider regarding your audience is whether  you’re targeting your local market (which, in countries like the US or China can be more than big enough) or an international one. This will affect a great many things, such as your content (depending on who you want to reach you might need to offer localized courses), the way of delivery (to easily target an international audience you’ll need a full-featured eLearning platform), even your payment methods.

Another consideration is whether you are targeting the general market (that is, J. Random User on the web) or businesses.

Don’t rule out enterprise training. Offering enterprise training as an outside contractor is a wholly viable business option. Not all enterprises have internal enterprise training programs, and even those that do, don’t cover all their training needs with them. That’s where you, as an independent training contractor could come in and offer a complete training program saving them from the hassle of deploying and maintaining it.

2. Use the right technology and tools

To run a successful eLearning business, it’s important to pick the right technology. After all, eLearning is 50% content and 50% delivery. Delivery refers to speed, UI, ease of use, intuitiveness, features ,  and more. And that is all technology.

Modern technology, high-speed internet, and the emergence of turn-key, full-featured LMS platforms like TalentLMS , have leveled the playing field. With the right tools in place, even a small, two-person company can compete with a big, established training provider — if not in breadth of content, then surely in quality and presentation.

Besides, don’t forget that the technology you choose will affect your scalability options further down the road — i.e. how big your business can eventually get.

You probably want your eLearning business to be infinitely scalable from day one, but that’s not easy (or affordable) to achieve, especially if you’re considering building the learning platform yourself. It’s also something that’s not necessary to address when you first start a training business.

In this case, cloud-based LMS is the best solution , as essentially you offload the scalability problem to your cloud provider, and you’re free to increase your plan (and reach) whenever the need arises.

This flexibility will usually come at a small per-user fee, paid to your Cloud vendor. But, unless you’re at Google scale, it’s still better than paying a huge amount upfront for building your own server farm, plus the salaries to maintain your own IT team.

Build your online training courses in minutes with TalentLMS. The learning management system that’s easy to set up, easy to use, and easy to customize.

3. Think about the content

When we’re thinking about how to start a training business, one of the first things that comes up is content. Because content is indeed the core of your business.

Whether you’re offering Arabian flute lessons to all consumers or Economics 101 to enterprise audiences, your content needs to be top-notch, because this is what will make your eLearning business stand out.

Think polished, professional-looking content , with a high enough production value. No sloppy writing, no boring PowerPoints, no boring videos of talking heads.

Take the time to do it right yourself. Or hire a talented writer, and learn about all the trade tricks that can increase the perceived — and actual — quality of your content (e.g., consistent typography).

The most important decision, though, is the kind of content you’ll invest in. While you might be passionate about Latin, it doesn’t mean others are too — especially not a large enough audience to help you sustain an online training business.

You should also be cautious of uber-trendy subjects, as they may be unsustainable for any significant period of time. Cryptocurrency might be trendy now, but not in the next two years, and the last thing you’d want is to have invested loads of money on content that won’t pay off.

4. Partner with the right people

You might be tempted to wear every single hat in your new business. That’s fair. When you’re starting a training business, chances are you can’t afford to hire a dedicated department for marketing or sales. But, doing it all yourself is not a viable option, either.

Instead, find the right freelancers and partner with them. For example, you can outsource plenty of business administration tasks to a virtual assistant. You can hire freelancers to cover your marketing tasks, and even get instructional designers and subject matter experts to design your courses.

Be honest about your weaknesses and your strengths. And then hire the right people who complement those.

5. Market it

If you have your business license at hand, your content polished and loaded, and your LMS ready to welcome your learners, you might think you’re all set.

But that’s just the first part of starting a training business. The really hard part will be to market your training offering so that enough people sign up.

This all depends on your marketing budget and your ingenuity. At the very least, you should give your website and service a professional and memorable look based on your corporate branding .

Your target audience will also determine how you will market your eLearning offerings. For example, if you target a niche industry (e.g., music production courses), then it would be a good idea to advertise in trade magazines and websites. If you’re competing for enterprise training contracts, you should target websites like LinkedIn, talk to enterprise executives directly, etc.

Of course, if your eLearning business idea is unique and your content well thought out, it might market itself through word of mouth and favorable online reviews. But don’t depend on that  — to paraphrase Glengarry Glen Ross, you should “always be marketing”.

6. Run it like a business

This goes without saying, but if you want to start your own online training business, you would need to treat it like a business, too.

First, you’ll need a quick starter course in economics to learn about revenue, taxes, and  pricing . Don’t assume that you know these things and that running a business is intuitive. Some economic concepts are common knowledge. But most will come as a surprise, or maybe a revelation. A lack of understanding of notions like sunk cost, opportunity cost, and price curves has hurt far too many businesses to mention.

Grasping economic concepts is just the start; equally vital is establishing an LLC business bank account to separate personal and business finances, ensuring legal and financial clarity.

You’ll also need to keep up with the bureaucracy (the IRS doesn’t joke around), keep an eye on your competitors, and be on the lookout for new business opportunities and partnerships.

If what you have in mind is the cliche image of a boss who doesn’t do anything but collect profits each month, you better forget it. Running a business is a 24/7 job.

How to start a training company 101: From theory to practice

Now you know how to start a training business. And even though it’s hard work, there’s never been a better time to dive in. The online training industry is booming and will continue to grow.

Are you considering starting your own training and development company? What’s stopping you? Already a proud eLearning business owner? What lessons did you learn when you started your training business?

Let us know in the comments!

Save time, frustration and money with TalentLMS, the most-affordable and user-friendly learning management system on the market. Try it for free for as long as you want and discover why our customers consistently give us 4.5 stars (out of 5!)

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Originally published on: 13 Jul 2018

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How To Start A Training Business in 2024? Step-by-Step Guide

Rahul Mehta

Thinking about diving into the world of education in 2024? Well, buckle up because it's an exciting ride! In a workforce that's always changing, the need for skills and learning never takes a backseat.

Whether you're an expert in your field itching to share your wisdom or an entrepreneurial spirit hungry for a fresh challenge, starting a training business is your golden ticket to making a real impact.

Our step-by-step guide is like your friendly GPS, helping you navigate the ins and outs of launching and thriving in the training scene.

We'll cover everything from finding your groove and creating killer content to rocking the digital platforms and building your fan base.

Get ready for an adventure as we spill the beans on how to kickstart your journey in the world of training and development in 2024!

Why is 2024 A Great Time To Start A Training Business?

2024 appears to be a promising time to venture into the business training for several compelling reasons:

Growing Demand for Continuous Learning

The accelerating pace of technological advancements and the dynamic nature of the professional landscape have fueled an increasing demand for continuous learning.

Individuals and businesses are actively seeking opportunities to upskill and reskill to stay competitive in the job market. This growing demand creates a favorable environment for training providers to offer relevant and sought-after training solutions.

Remote Work and Flexible Learning on the Rise

The surge in remote work and the prevalence of flexible learning arrangements have opened up new avenues for delivering training.

Through the utilization of on-demand training materials, blended learning methodologies, and online courses , training providers now have the ability to reach a broader audience. The enhanced flexibility and accessibility of training make it more appealing to a diverse group of learners.

Increased Investment in Human Capital

With the adoption of online courses, blended learning approaches, and on-demand training resources, training providers can cater to a wider audience. The heightened flexibility and accessibility of training make it an attractive option for a broader range of learners.

Integration of Emerging Technologies and Innovations

Advancements in technology present opportunities for innovative and engaging training delivery methods.

Technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) can be effectively employed to optimize training sessions and enhance overall learning outcomes.

Successful training providers will be those who adeptly integrate these technologies into their programs.

Steps To Start A Training Business In 2024

Identify your niche.

Identifying your niche is a crucial step in launching a successful training business. Begin by thoroughly researching market trends and demands to understand the evolving needs of potential clients.

Analyze emerging industries and identify gaps in existing training offerings. Simultaneously, assess your own skills and expertise, recognizing the areas where you excel and can deliver significant value.

Choosing a niche that aligns with market needs is imperative for long-term success. This strategic alignment ensures that your training services meet a genuine demand, enhancing the likelihood of attracting and retaining clients.

By combining a thorough understanding of market dynamics with a realistic evaluation of your capabilities, you can carve out a specialized and competitive position in the training industry, setting the stage for a thriving business venture.

Conduct a Market Analysis

To effectively conduct a comprehensive market analysis, it is imperative to delve into demographics and understand the specific needs, preferences, and characteristics of potential clients.

This involves considering factors such as age, educational background, and professional aspirations. Simultaneously, a thorough examination of competitors within the training industry is essential.

Analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and unique offerings enables the formulation of a distinctive value proposition. Recognizing potential challenges and opportunities is equally vital.

Anticipating obstacles, such as evolving technological trends or changing market demands, allows for strategic planning. Conversely, identifying opportunities, such as gaps in existing training programs or emerging niche markets, empowers the business to stay agile and innovative.

A well-executed market analysis lays the groundwork for a successful online training business, providing valuable insights to shape a robust business strategy.

Develop a Business Plan

To successfully launch a training business in 2024, developing a comprehensive business plan is crucial.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Begin by setting clear business goals and objectives that align with your vision for the training venture. Define the niche or industry you aim to serve, specify the training programs you intend to offer, and articulate the unique value proposition that sets your business apart.
• Next, create a detailed financial plan to establish a solid foundation for sustainable growth. This includes estimating startup costs, projecting revenue streams, and outlining a realistic budget. Clearly identifying your target market and competition will contribute to the effectiveness of your marketing and sales strategies. Exploring funding options such as merchant cash advances can provide the necessary capital to fuel your growth initiatives.
• Craft a marketing plan that leverages digital platforms, social media, and other relevant channels to reach your audience. Implement sales strategies that highlight the benefits of your training programs and offer compelling incentives for prospective clients.

A well-thought-out business plan not only serves as a roadmap but also provides a strategic framework for the successful establishment and growth of your online training business in today’s competitive landscape.

Legal and Regulatory Considerations

In establishing a training business, meticulous attention to legal and regulatory considerations is paramount. The first crucial step involves registering your training business with the appropriate authorities.

This process not only legitimizes your venture but also provides a formal framework for its operations. Understanding local regulations and compliance requirements is equally vital, as adherence to these standards ensures the smooth and lawful functioning of your business.

Different regions may have specific guidelines governing the provision of training services, making it imperative to conduct thorough research and stay informed about any updates or changes.

Additionally, obtaining the necessary licenses and certifications is non-negotiable. These credentials not only bolster the credibility of your training programs but also demonstrate a commitment to quality and professionalism, instilling confidence in both clients and participants.

By proactively addressing legal and regulatory considerations, you pave the way for a solid foundation and sustainable success in the competitive landscape of the training industry.

Build Your Brand

Building your brand is another critical step in successfully launching your training business. For this, begin by carefully selecting a memorable business name and designing a distinctive logo that resonates with your target audience.

Your brand's visual elements should not only be eye-catching but also convey the essence of your training services. A professional online presence is essential in this digital age, so take the time to build a website that is easy to use and showcases your offerings, experience, and clientele.

Use social media to interact with prospective customers and promote your training methodology. Furthermore, concentrate on creating a unified brand identity that showcases your USPs and guiding principles.

A strong brand presence lays the groundwork for a long-lasting and prosperous training business by improving your credibility and leaving a lasting impact on your clientele.

Create Your Training Materials

To kickstart a thriving training business , a pivotal step involves the creation of top-notch training materials designed to captivate your target audience. Begin by crafting a meticulously structured curriculum that aligns with the specific needs and objectives of your potential clients.

Your content should be both informative and pertinent, fostering an environment conducive to effective learning. Cater to diverse learning styles by tailoring your materials to accommodate varied preferences. Moreover, carefully select the format of your training materials, whether it be written guides, video tutorials, interactive presentations, or a hybrid approach.

The chosen format should prioritize accessibility and convenience to maximize audience engagement. Elevate the learning experience by incorporating interactive elements such as quizzes, discussions, and hands-on activities.

These features not only reinforce key concepts but also ensure participants remain actively involved, contributing to a dynamic and enjoyable training atmosphere.

By placing emphasis on the creation of compelling and well-crafted training materials, you establish a solid foundation for success in the dynamic landscape of 2024.

Set Up Your Infrastructure

Building a strong infrastructure is essential, and you should carefully consider where to locate it or use an online platform, making sure that it fits your target market and business strategy.

In the digital transformation , pick an online platform that appeals to a worldwide audience. If choosing a physical location, think about things like accessibility and facilities. To ensure that your training is provided to the highest standards whether it is in-person or digitally, invest in cutting-edge equipment and technology.

Also, for a seamless user experience, prioritize developing an intuitive registration and payment system concurrently. This enhances customer satisfaction while also streamlining your company's operations as a whole.

Marketing and Promotion

To establish a training business, creating a strong marketing and promotion plan is a crucial first step. Start by creating a thorough marketing strategy that includes your target market, USPs, and main messaging.

Make the most of online advertising channels and social media to expand your reach and establish a powerful online presence. Engage prospective customers with articles that are interactive, eye-catching material, and niche-specific, well-planned advertisements.

Furthermore, think about forming alliances and working together with other companies in the sector to increase the awareness of your brand.

Creating partnerships with like-minded businesses, opinion leaders, or complimentary service suppliers will increase your visibility and authority.

A key component of starting a profitable training company in 2024 is choosing the appropriate pricing plan. To start, start by studying the dynamics of the market, consumer expectations, and price strategies of competitors by doing in-depth pricing research within your specialty.

What potential customers are willing to pay for your training services will be revealed by this analysis, which will be quite insightful. Equipped with this knowledge, concentrate on ascertaining your distinctive selling point, or what makes your training company stand out from competitors.

Give a clear explanation of the advantages and benefits that your programs will bring to clients. Determine profitable and competitive prices that accurately represent the caliber and distinctiveness of your offerings by thoroughly understanding your value proposition.

Keeping your training firm profitable while maintaining competition will guarantee that it does more than just draw clients.

Embarking on the training business in 2024 opens up a realm of opportunities for those passionate about sharing knowledge. Establishing a successful training empire boils down to following the guidelines we've laid out.

Craft compelling content, pinpoint your specialization, and fully embrace the digital transformation. Flexibility is key in this venture—keep abreast of technological advancements, stay informed about current events, and consistently prioritize the needs of your students.

Also, if you're a creator looking for the ideal platform to kickstart your training business, your search ends with FreshLearn.

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How to Start a Training Business in 2024 (& Succeed at It)

id you know that the global corporate training market is expected to reach $370.3 billion by 2027? It's expected to reach $370.3 billion by 2027 and will even exceed $493.32 billion by 2028! Small businesses are investing big bucks in employee training too, with an average spend of almost $1,400 per learner in 2022. With remote work becoming more prevalent and the need for continuous professional development on the rise, the demand for training services is at an all-time high. 

The United States dominates the corporate training market, accounting for over 30% of the global share in 2020. This presents a fantastic opportunity for anyone considering starting their own training business. For example, a tutor experienced in working with students who have learning disabilities could create a business to meet their specific needs.

You can positively impact people's lives while also making money by starting a training business. A tutor with experience working with students who have learning disabilities, for instance, could start their own training business to meet the specific needs of these students and their families.

But let's be real, starting an online training business can be daunting if you're not an entrepreneur at heart. To do it successfully, you need to take an organized approach, develop an effective marketing strategy, and intimately understand your target audience. This article is for anyone interested in starting their own training company, providing a step-by-step guide on how to start a training company. So keep reading if you want to turn your passion for teaching into a profitable career.

What is a Training Company?

A training company is a company that offers courses and programs for personal and professional growth. Education can range from purely technical to managerial. Organizations providing instruction can be for-profit or non-profit enterprises and need not be exclusively virtual to exist.Businesses in the training industry come in many forms. Still, they all commit to empowering their clients with the knowledge and experience to achieve personal growth and professional success. 

The purpose of any instructor is to positively affect their students, whether they are learning how to use a new piece of software or become better leaders.Training business is a great way to make a difference and a good living at the same time. A training business could be perfect if you enjoy seeing others develop and grow.

Why Start A Training Company?

Successful professionals and businesses rely heavily on training companies to help them develop the necessary expertise. 

Thus, training firms are well-known for tailoring courses to meet the specific needs of their clients to boost employee and business productivity.

Training firms have been shown to boost productivity, efficiency, and morale, all while keeping businesses competitive.

How Much Does it Cost to Launch a Business Program?

It is important to know the cost of starting a business training program and how to start a training business, as this will determine the scope and type of program you can offer. You can get the training in various formats, from virtual classes to in-person seminars. Private coaching services come with an associated time and material cost. Launching a more extensive program with in-person and virtual components will require more funding. The following factors can help you estimate the price of launching your business training program:

• If you have a client or student base, how much time do you anticipate spending with them?
• What kind of materials do you need, and how much of it?
• Does your company already have any necessary infrastructure (like an office, necessary tools, or an online learning management system)?
• Is a minimum amount of advertising and promotion required to bring in customers or enrollees?
• Do you have other operating expenses (such as insurance or permits)? 

You can better understand the initial investment required for your business training program if you answer these questions. If you want your online training business to succeed, you need to put in the necessary resources, but you must also be careful to spend your resources wisely. An effective business training program does not have to break the bank with careful preparation and execution.

Benefits Of Starting An Online Training Business

As reported by the Census Bureau's Business Formation Statistics, the number of businesses formed increased by 55% from January to November of 2021. Launching a training company can bring about a wide variety of positive outcomes. Five of the most notable are listed below.

• You can set your hours and be your boss by starting a training company. You'll have complete control over your work schedule, who you serve, and your company's direction.
• Second, you have the power to make a difference; clients of training companies can benefit from your services in meaningful ways. You can make a difference in people's lives by assisting them in developing their abilities and knowledge.
• The potential for financial success; if your training business is profitable, you can make a comfortable living. The business world can provide a comfortable living for those who are dedicated to their work and skilled at it.
• You get to set your hours if you own a training company. Your working hours can be arranged as needed to accommodate personal or professional obligations.
•  You'll have plenty of business: Training companies are in high demand, particularly in fields that place a premium on lifelong learning. That's great news for anyone hoping to launch a thriving business and find a steady stream of customers. 

Businesses' training needs will increase as the economy transitions to a knowledge-based model.

How to Create Your Own Training Company: 10 Steps to Success

Starting your own training business can be a lucrative and fulfilling profession if you have a knack for teaching and a motivation to see others succeed. Below, we take a look at how to start a training business. You need to take several important steps to ensure your business is successful.

1) Identify your niche

One must first determine their target market to launch a successful training company. Can you name some concrete abilities or areas of expertise you can impart to others? This could refer to any skill set, from writing code to promoting an event to giving speeches. Pick a market segment that interests you and has a lot of potential customers.

Think about your passion and how you like to spend your free time. In what ways can your professional and personal experiences serve as a source of insight for others? There is a high demand for training in some areas, so it's a good idea to look into market trends and employer demands to find those niches.

2) Conduct market research

The success of your training business will depend on your ability to conduct market research after you have settled on a specific niche. It is essential to know your market, your audience, and their wants, needs, and problems. Google Trends, market research, and social media are just some online resources you can use to learn more about your target audience and the market.

To get accurate results from market research, one must be thorough and impartial. Assess the areas where your rivals excel and where you can set yourself apart. Find out what drives your intended trainees and how your training can help them succeed.

3) Develop a business plan

Business plans are like road maps for your training company; they detail the company's intended direction, purpose, and objectives. A market analysis, financial forecasts, and promotional plans should also be incorporated. When starting and expanding your business, having a well-thought-out business plan will help you maintain focus and make educated choices.

There are a few things to keep in mind when writing a business plan:

• A synopsis of your company and its aims, or executive summary.
• Market analysis, which is an examination of your target market and its other players.
• Your products and services should include an explanation of the training programs you offer and how they cater to the specific needs of your customer base.
• Strategy for promoting and selling your training to a specific demographic
• Cost and revenue forecasts for a given time frame are what we call "financial projections."

4) Decide on your pricing model

Determine who you're trying to reach and what kind of training you provide, as these factors will inform your pricing strategy. You can set your hourly rates per session or unit of study. Providing bundles or discounts for multiple purchases or referrals is another option. Establishing reasonable rates that compensate for your education and experience is crucial.

When settling on a pricing strategy, it's important to think about the following:

• How much are they willing to spend for those who will benefit most from your training?
• Where can I find pricing information for similar classes offered by your competitors?
• How much are you investing in the development and presentation of your training?
• What sets you apart as a trainer, and why should someone invest in your course?

5) Create your training materials

The training materials you create should be adapted to the specific demographic and needs of the people using them. This could be in the form of video lectures, readings, assignments, and tests. Tools and platforms like Udemy and Teachable for online courses and video conferencing programs like Zoom are just a few examples of what you can use to design and deliver your training.

Keep these guidelines in mind as you develop your training materials:

• Maintain a minimum level of complexity: Pay attention to the most important ideas and techniques your target audience must grasp.
• Include visuals, audio, and user interaction to pique interest in your content.
• Offer evaluations and suggestions for improvement to aid your audience in learning.
• Keep abreast of the latest developments: Incorporate student feedback and adapt to industry shifts by updating your materials frequently.

6) Build your online presence

In today's digital age, it is essential for any business, including training businesses, to have a robust online presence. Get the word out about your training through various online channels such as social media, your website, and others.

Here are a few suggestions for enhancing your web profile:

• Build a website to advertise your training services and inform potential clients. Sites like Wix and Squarespace make it possible to build a functional website with a polished design and no knowledge of HTML or CSS.
• Use social media to spread the word about your training and connect with potential clients. Sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are perfect for this. 
• Using these channels, you can distribute training materials, engage with your target audience, and gain followers.
• Use email marketing because it's cheap and easy to promote your training and stay in touch with your audience. 
• Mailchimp and Constant Contact are two examples of email marketing platforms that can be used to create and send emails to your subscribers, including newsletters, promotions, and more.

7) Utilize technology

The use of technology in education can improve the quality of training and save time. The following are examples of useful resources:

• Using a learning management system (LMS) such as Moodle or Canvas, you can easily organize and distribute your training materials to your students, monitor their development over time, and offer them constructive criticism.
• Technology like Zoom or Skype video conferencing features make it easy to hold real-time training sessions and engage with students.
• Course, authoring tools like Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate allow instructors to make lessons beyond simple text to engage students in a more active learning experience.
• Tools for evaluating students' knowledge can be found online, and sites like Kahoot and Quizlet are examples of such platforms.

8) Launch your training

You can now begin offering training after creating your training materials, establishing your pricing structure, and establishing your online presence. You can provide initial sessions at no or low cost to get the ball rolling and get people talking. Additionally, you can inquire within your social circle for recommendations and feedback.

As you roll out your training, be flexible and open to change in response to student feedback. This will aid you in maintaining your dedication to offering first-rate instruction tailored to your specific audience's needs.

9) Provide ongoing support and resources

Giving students access to resources and support after they've completed their training is essential. This can keep them interested and enthusiastic about the training and reinforce its value.

Some examples of ongoing assistance and material support are:

• Social media groups, forums, and chat rooms can foster a sense of community among your students, allowing them to connect and share their experiences and knowledge.
• If you want your students to continue learning after your training ends, you can provide additional training materials, reading lists, and other resources.
• To ensure that your students can apply the skills and knowledge they acquire in your training to their unique situations, consider offering coaching or mentoring services on an ongoing basis.

10) Measure and improve your training

Last but not least, ensuring your training is constantly evaluated and enhanced is crucial to the success of your training business. Tools like surveys, feedback forms, and analytics can help you measure the success of your training and make adjustments based on student feedback.

For better training results, you can track and enhance the following areas:

• Happy students: How happy are your trainees with their training? Do you know what you could do to make them happier?
• Is there evidence that your trainees have retained and can use the information and skills you've taught them? What can you do to improve their educational outcomes?
• Are you getting a good return on investment (ROI) from your training for your company and your employees? Is there a way to maximize the return on investment for your training?

4 Core Tools to Help You Start a Training Business

#1 educateme.

EducateMe's straightforward interface is a great resource for anyone considering launching an online training enterprise. 

Whether it's live video instruction, boot camps, or full-fledged courses, this platform has you covered with fully automated features that maximize student potential. 

Educators have simple access to real-time lesson monitoring and rich analytic data in every training session. 

EducateME's email and automated feedback features make exchanging information easy for students and teachers. Users of this platform can also customize and access it on any device, made possible by EducateMe's flexible design.

This platform creates a unique approach to learning called “brain science-backed gamification”.. Axionify is a cloud-based microlearning platform with gamification features. 

This system caters instruction to learners' preferences and strengths through bite-sized learning modules. 

The Axionify platform has many features to increase employee participation, such as leaderboards, badges, and other gamified elements that promote healthy competition and socialization among workers. Companies can monitor employee development and pinpoint areas where they may need additional training, thanks to the analytics features of the platform.

With its innovative approach to education, intuitive interface, and cutting-edge analytics features, Axionify is an invaluable tool for any business that wants to foster a culture of lifelong learning and development.

#3 Path LMS

Path LMS is a product of Blue Sky eLearn, and serves as an online learning management system. Organizations can use it to facilitate online educational content development, distribution, and administration. The Path LMS is an all-encompassing platform for designing and delivering interactive online courses, tracking the development of individual students, and analyzing the results of training initiatives.

The Path Learning Management System's features and capabilities include the following:

• Course creation using multiple media types like video, audio, text, and images.
• Content management.
• Learner management.
• Reporting and analytics.
• Integrations with a wide range of third-party applications like Zoom.

Docebo is a cloud-based LMS that facilitates the development and distribution of educational content for online users. In addition to tools for making courses, the platform includes a catalog of available courses, a way to enroll students, monitor their progress, generate reports, and connect with third-party programs.

Because of its flexible design and extensive customization options, Docebo can be easily adapted to meet the needs of any business and reflect its brand image. In addition, it supports mobile use so that it can be accessed from anywhere and used for learning..

In conclusion, it can take time to grasp the essentials on how to start a training business. You can start a profitable and satisfying training business if you dedicate time and energy to defining your target audience, researching the market, writing a business plan, settling on a pricing structure, developing training materials, establishing your online presence, and releasing your training.

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How to Write a Martial Arts Business Plan With Examples

School Business Plan

Language School Business Plan

Music School Business Plan

Swim School Business Plan

Youth Mentoring Program Business Plan

Summer Camp Business Plan

Coaching Business Plan

After-School Program Business Plan

Tutoring Business Plan

Vocational School Business Plan

Daycare Business Plan

Preschool Business Plan

Dance Studio Business Plan

Did you find what you are looking for.

Thinking of starting a school or a coaching business? Or is it about vocational school?

Well, no matter what’s your business segment in the education and training sector—you need a solid business plan to turn it into a long-term success.

This library of education and training business plan samples here can inspire and guide you as you begin to plan your business. So, don’t worry; we got you covered on that part.

Let’s learn more about these sample training and education plans, starting with their benefits.

Benefits of using an industry-specific business plan example

Believe it or not, using an industry-specific business plan example is the best and probably the quickest way of writing a business plan.

Doubt it? Hold, this may change your perception; an extended list of the benefits of using an industry-specific business plan template.

• Inspiration : Reading a business-specific template can be incredibly helpful in getting content inspiration. Furthermore, it helps you gain insights into how to present your business idea, products, vision, and mission.
• Risk-free method : You are taking a reference from a real-life, let’s say, After-school program business plan—so you know this plan has worked in the past or uses a method subscribed by experts.
• Deep market understanding : Analyzing and reading such examples can provide clarity and develop a deeper market understanding of complex industry trends and issues you may not know but relate directly to the realities of your business landscape.
• Increased credibility : A business plan developed using an example follows a standard business plan format, wisely presents your business, and provides invaluable insights into your business. There’s no question it establishes you as a credible business owner, demonstrating your deep business and market understanding.
• Realistic financial projections : Financial forecasting being a critical aspect of your plan, this real-life example can help you better understand how they project their financials—ultimately helping you set realistic projections for your business.

These were the benefits; let’s briefly discuss choosing an education or training business plan template that best suits your business niche.

Choosing an Education or Training Business Plan

This category has business plan templates for various education or tutoring businesses. With many similar business types and templates, you may not find the most suitable one through manual scrolling.

Here are the steps to consider while choosing the most suitable business plan template.

Identify your business type

Are you going to be an online coaching platform? Or a traditional school? Or a general daycare center?

Asking yourself these questions will help you identify your business type, which will help in choosing a niche-specific business plan template.

Once you identify your business type, you can choose between templates for different business segments.

Search for the template

We have an in-built search feature, so you can easily search for a business-specific template using your business name as a key term(e.g., summer camp business plan). Once you have the search results, choose the most suitable one. Simple as that.

Review the example

Look closely at the content of the sample business plan you are considering. Analyze its sections and components to identify relevant as well as unnecessary areas.

Since all the Upmetrics templates are tailored to specific business needs, there won’t be many fundamental customizations. However, a hybrid business model targeting multiple customer segments may require adjustments.

No big deal—you can view and copy sections from other business plan examples or write using AI while customizing a template.

That’s how you find and select the most suitable business plan for educational services. Still haven’t found the perfect business plan example? Here’s the next step for you.

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How to Write a Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated May 7, 2024

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

• The basics of business planning

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that planning helps you: 

• Raise money
• Grow strategically
• Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After completing your plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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• What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

Your executive summary should include:

• A summary of the problem you are solving
• A description of your product or service
• An overview of your target market
• A brief description of your team
• A summary of your financials
• Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

This is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

The operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

• Supply chain management
• Manufacturing processes
• Equipment and technology
• Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

• A description of each task
• The proposed due date
• Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

• Website launch date
• Store or office opening date
• First significant sales
• Break even date
• Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

• Conversion rates
• Customer acquisition costs
• Profit per customer
• Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

Last, but certainly not least, is your financial plan chapter. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

• Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
• Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
• Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
• Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
• Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

• Company logo
• Business name
• Value proposition (optional)
• Business plan title
• Completion and/or update date
• Address and contact information
• Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI for your business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

• Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information to include in a business plan is sometimes not quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

There are plenty of great options available (we’ve rounded up our 8 favorites to streamline your search).

But, if you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template , you can get one right now; download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

• Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
• Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
• Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
• Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
• Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

• Did you meet your sales goals?
• Is spending following your budget?
• Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

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How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Having a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

• Write a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services.
• Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
• Outline your organizational structure and management team.
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
• Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

• 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
• Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
• Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
• Failing to establish a sound business model.
• Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

• How will your business make money?
• Is there a need for your product or service?
• Who are your customers?
• How are you different from the competition?
• How will you reach your customers?
• How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan: The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

Business model canvas: The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Use AI to help write your plan
• Common planning mistakes
• Manage with your business plan
• Templates and examples

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Corporate Training Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans » B2B Sector

Do you want to start a corporate training business? If YES, here is a sample corporate training business plan template & FREE feasibility report. 

If you are a business coach or someone who has background in training, and you want to start a business, then you should consider starting your own corporate training firm. There are many corporate organizations, executives, entrepreneurs and even startups that will be more than willing to patronize your services.

Being a corporate trainer means that you will help your clients handle everything that has to do with training of their employees. That is, your goal as corporate trainer is to improve overall productivity. Starting a corporate training firm is not too expensive except for the money required to rent and furnish an office space.

Running this type of business requires that you should be trained as a brand business coach and a peak performance specialist, and it is indeed a very lucrative business in the United states because every company wants to establish themselves as a world leader in their industry.

If you are truly convinced that starting a corporate training firm is the right business for you to do, then you need to write your own business plan. Below is a sample corporate training firm business plan template that will help you successfully write yours with little or no stress.

A Sample Corporate Training Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

This industry includes companies that offer short duration courses and seminars for management and professional development.

Training is provided through public courses or through employers’ training programs, and the courses can be customized or modified. Instruction may be provided at the company’s training facilities or educational institutions, the workplace or the home and via television or the internet.

A close study of the Business Coaching industry shows that the industry is heavily reliant on demand from its largest market, the middle and senior management of US corporations. After rebounding from a period where businesses cut back on non-essential expenses, including employee business coaching programs, the industry is expected to flourish over the five years to 2017.

Although some companies will use internal resources for training, industry revenue is forecast to increase albeit at a slightly slower rate over the five years to 2022. In the future, the adoption of online training is expected to bolster the industry.

This alternative is a more affordable and flexible option for customers and offers lower operating costs for training providers.

The business coaching industry is in the mature phase of its life cycle and luckily for the industry, the advent of digital media has provided an opportunity for the industry to explore and experience vibrant growth. Of course, the industry is becoming more concentrated, as seen by a few large global firms dominating the market and gaining huge market share.

The Business Coaching industry is indeed a very large industry that is pretty much thriving in all parts of the world especially in developed countries such as United States of America, Canada, united kingdom, Germany, Australia, France and Italy et al.

Statistics have it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 51,532 licensed and registered business coaching cum corporate training firms responsible for employing about 88,222 employees and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $11 billion annually with an annual growth rate projected at 3.5 percent.

It is important to state that no establishment has a lion share of the available market in this industry. A recent report published by IBISWorld shows that the rapid pace of technological change and overall shorter product life cycles have altered the skills required to be an effective manager.

To keep up with these changes and develop the skills of senior employees, many companies use business coaching seminars, such as the ones offered by the Business Coaching industry.

Large corporations have placed a greater value on seminars and workshops, resulting in higher industry demand. Courses related to new skills such as information technology and change management, have been growing areas for the industry.

As acceptance of the value of professional development and continuing education classes, the industry has benefited immensely because companies looking to host these courses often seek out industry operators.

As a corporate trainer, the key attributes needed to be able to make good success from the trade is patience, enthusiasm, passion about the specific subjects / skills to be tutored, and constant positivity. You are also expected to be highly proactive, be good at planning, preparation, and certain other organizational skills.

It is one thing to have a skill and it is another thing to know how to teach people the skills which is why you must constantly get feedback from your clients to be able to measure their progress and your performance.

2. Executive Summary

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is a U.S based corporate training firm that will be located in Lake Street, Petoskey – Michigan. We have been able to secure a standard office facility in a central business district in Lake Street.

We are a corporate training firm that is set to compete in the highly competitive business coaching cum corporate training industry not only in the United States market, but also in the global market because our clientele base will not be restricted to just businesses and organizations in the United States but in the international market.

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. will offer robust corporate training to both corporate organization and individuals. Our core training areas will revolve around management development training, professional development training, quality assurance training and business coaching.

Our business goal is to become one of the leading corporate training firms in the United States of America with high profile corporate clients scattered all around the globe. Our workers are going to be selected from a pool of talented business coaches and corporate training experts in and around Petoskey – Michigan and also from any part of the world as the business grows.

We will make sure that we take all the members of our workforce through the required training that will position them to meet the expectation of the company and to compete with leading corporate training firms in the United States and of course throughout the globe.

At Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. our client’s best interest will always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s business needs precisely and completely.

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is founded by Jules Atkinson and she will run the business with other partners.

Jules Atkinson is a renowned business coach and corporate trainer. She has over 10 years of experience as a business coach and corporate trainer both in the United States of America and Canada. She has several business coaching and corporate training certifications and is a certified NPL practitioner.

3. Our Products and Services

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is going to offer varieties of corporate training services within the scope of the corporate training and business coaching industry in the United States of America.

Our intention of starting our corporate training business is to help in developing our clients in any skills and knowledge of their choice as it relates to specific useful competencies; we want to help our clients develop their capability, capacity, productivity and performance and of course to also make profits from the corporate training industry and we will do all that is permitted by the law in the US to achieve our aim and business goal.

We will work hard to ensure that Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. do not just work for clients in the United States of America, but also for clients in other parts of the world. Our service offerings are listed below;

• Providing management development training
• Providing professional development training
• Providing quality assurance training
• Providing business coaching
• Leadership skills
• customer services skills
• Financial management skills
• Management skills
• Interpersonal and Relationship management skills
• Online business Coaching Services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our vision is to build a highly competitive and effective corporate training business that will become the number one choice for both individuals and corporate organizations in and around Petoskey – Michigan and the whole of the United States of America
• Our mission is to provide affordable and highly effective corporate training services to a wide range of clients that cuts across different divides. Our overall business goal is to position Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. to become one of the leading corporate training brands in the industry in the whole of Petoskey – Michigan within the first 5 years of operation.

Our Business Structure

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is a world class corporate training firm that intends starting small in Lake Street, Petoskey – Michigan, but hopes to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading corporate training firms in the United States and of course throughout the globe.

We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the kind of world class business we want to own. This is why we are committed to only hiring the best hands within our area of operation.

At Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, and creative, result driven, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stakeholders.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;

• Chief Executive Officer
• Corporate Trainer cum Business Coaching Specialist

Human Resources and Admin Manager

• Sales and Marketing Executive

Client Service Executive

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO:

• Upsurges management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
• Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization

Corporate Trainer/Business Coaching Specialist

• Responsible for providing management development training
• Delivers professional development training
• Provides quality assurance training
• Affords business coaching
• Provides leadership skills training
• Provides customer services skills training
• Provides financial management skills training
• Provides interpersonal and relationship management skills training
• Provides Online business Coaching Services
• Handles other related corporate training, advisory and consulting services
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carries out induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Oversees the smooth running of the daily office

Sales and Marketing Manager

• Manages external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
• Models demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
• Writes winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
• Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding sales
• Creates new markets cum businesses for the organization
• Empowers and motivates the sales team to meet and surpass agreed targets

Accountant/Cashier:

• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the organization
• Serves as internal auditor for the organization.
• Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the manager in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries
• Receives Visitors / clients on behalf of the organization
• Receives parcels / documents for the company
• Handles enquiries via e-mail and phone calls for the organization
• Distributes mails in the organization

6. SWOT Analysis

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist our organization in building a well – structured corporate training and coaching business that can favorably compete in the highly competitive corporate training industry in the United States and the world at large.

Part of what the consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc.. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc.;

Our core strength lies in the power of our workforce. We have a team of experts in the industry, a team with excellent qualifications and experience in corporate training and business coaching.

Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected faculty members and our strong online presence, Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is well positioned in a community with the right demography and we know we will attract loads of clients from the first day we open our doors for business.

As a new corporate training and business coaching school in Petoskey – Michigan, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from top profile clients in the already saturated corporate training and business coaching industry; that is perhaps our major weakness.

• Opportunities:

The opportunities in the corporate training industry is massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organizations who would want to acquire business skills and new soft skill sets in order to perform excellently in their jobs and personal life. As a standard corporate training firm, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.

Every business faces a threat or challenge at some part of its cycle. These threats can be external or internal. This shows the importance of a business plan, because most threats or challenges are to be anticipated and plans put in place to cushion what effect they might bring to the business.

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a corporate training firm operating in the United States of America are unfavorable government policies that might affect business such as ours, the arrival of a competitor within our location of operation and global economic downturn which usually affects spending / purchasing power.

There is hardly anything we can do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for our good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

One thing is certain, the trend in the corporate training industry is such that if you want to be ahead of your competitors, you should be able to acquire as much certifications as possible and you should be able to have loads of testimonies from your clients.

The truth is that, if your clients experienced huge difference in their business as a result of contracting their corporate training and business coaching needs, then they will be compelled to help promote your organization.

Another notable trend in this industry is the influence of technology; the advent of technology is responsible for the increase in income generated by corporate trainers all over the world.

With technology, it is now easier for corporate trainers to train students that are thousands of kilometers away from them. Tools like video calling / Skype, YouTube, DVDs and Webcast et al are being used by corporate trainers to train students in different parts of the world.

8. Our Target Market

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is specialized in empowering corporate executives with robust business skills that will help them improve their capacity, capability, efficiency and productivity at work and in their private life.

As a standard corporate training firm, Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. offers a wide range of corporate trainings hence we are well trained and equipped to service a wide range of corporate clients. Our target market as a corporate training firm cuts across people of different classes and people from all walks of life.

We are coming into the corporate training industry with a business concept and company’s profile that will enable us work with clients at different learning stages and different status. Below is a list of the clients that we have specifically design our services for;

• Banks, Insurance Companies and other related Financial Institutions
• Blue Chips Companies
• Corporate Organizations
• Manufacturers and Distributors
• Real Estate Owners, Developers, and Contractors
• The Government (Public Sector)
• Celebrities, Politicians, Public Figures and Public Speakers
• Sport Organizations
• Religious Organizations
• Political Parties and Politicians
• Television Stations
• Printing Press (Publishing Houses) and Authors
• Aspiring celebrities
• Entrepreneurs and Startups

Our Competitive Advantage

The corporate training industry is indeed a very prolific and highly competitive industry. Clients will only hire your services if they know that you can successfully help them acquire a new skill set that will help them to be effective at work and in their organization.

It is the practice for corporate trainers and business coaches to acquire as much certifications as it relates to their area of specialization; it is part of what will make them stay competitive in the industry

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the corporate training and business coaching industry means that you should be able to deliver consistent quality service, your clients should be able to experience remarkable difference and improvement and you should be able to meet the expectations of your clients at all times.

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. might be new in Petoskey – Michigan, but our management team and the owner of the business are considered gurus in the industry.

They are licensed and highly qualified corporate trainers that can successfully build corporate skills in people with zero proficiency to an 8 or 10 on a scale of 10 within a short period of time. These are part of what will count as a competitive advantage for us.

Aside from our robust experience as corporate trainers, we have a very strong online presence that will enable us train clients in different parts of the world from our online portals.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the corporate training industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract clients on a regular basis. Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. will generate income by offering the following corporate training services;

• Online Business Coaching Services

10. Sales Forecast

One thing is certain, there would always be corporate organizations, government agencies, non – profits and individuals who would need the services of corporate training firms to help train their staff.

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is well positioned to take on the available market in the corporate training and business coaching industry and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income from our first six months of operation and grow our firm to enviable heights.

We have been able to critically examine the corporate training marketing space, we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast.

Below are the sales projections for Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc., it is based on the location of our business and of course the wide range of our corporate trainings and business coaching we offer and our target market;

• First Fiscal Year: $200,000
• Second Fiscal Year: $500,000
• Third Fiscal Year: $750,000

N.B : This projection was done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same corporate training as we do within the same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are mindful of the fact that there are stiff competitions amongst corporate training firms in the United States of America; hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall goal of Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc.

We will also ensure that our clients’ becomes experts with the skills they acquire; we want to build a first – class corporate training firm that will leverage on word of mouth advertisement from our satisfied clients.

Our goal is to grow Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. to become one of the top 10 corporate training firms in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategies that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in Petoskey – Michigan but also in other cities in the United States of America.

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

• Introduce our corporate training and business coaching firm by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to corporate organizations, government agencies, NGOs and key stake holders in and around Petoskey – Michigan.
• Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in offices, libraries, public facilities and train stations et al.
• Use friends and family to spread word about our corporate training and business coaching firm
• Post information about our corporate training and business coaching firm on bulletin boards in places like schools, libraries, and local coffee shops.
• Place a small classified advertisement in the newspaper, or local publication about our firm
• Use referral networks such as agencies that will help match clients with our corporate training firm
• Advertise our firm in relevant educational magazines, newspapers, TV and radio station.
• Attend relevant educational expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Engage direct marketing approach
• Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our in – house brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market.

We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate clients and individual clients in the whole of the United States and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our corporate training firm.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc.;

• Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community based events / programs
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
• Install our billboards in strategic locations all around Lake City Petoskey – Michigan
• Engage in roadshows from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact corporate organizations, non – profits and government agencies by calling them up and informing them of Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. and the services we offer
• List Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. in local directories / yellow pages
• Advertise Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo.

12.  Our Pricing Strategy

At Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. we will keep the prices of our services below the average market rate for all of our customers by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance from corporate organizations who would hire our services. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to all our customers at regular intervals.

We are aware that there are some one – off jobs or government contracts which are always lucrative, we will ensure that we abide by the pricing model that is expected from contractors or organizations that bid for such contracts.

So also, there are some clients that would need regular access to corporate training and business coaching consultancy and advisory services, we will offer flat rate for such services that will be tailored to take care of such clients’ needs.

• Payment Options

The payment policy adopted by Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is all inclusive because we are quite aware that different customers prefer different payment options as it suits them but at the same time, we will ensure that we abide by the financial rules and regulation of the United States of America.

Here are the payment options that Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. will make available to her clients;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via credit cards
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via mobile money transfer
• Payment via bank draft

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will enable our client make payment for our services without any stress on their part. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

It is a known fact that in setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake.

If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you would need a good amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.

The materials and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked. As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a standard corporate training and business coaching; it might differ in other countries due to the value of their money.

However, this is what it would cost us to setup Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. in the United of America;

• Business incorporating fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.
• The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $3,500
• Leasing / renting an office space in a good location in Lake Street Petoskey – Michigan that will accommodate the number of employees for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $150,000.
• The cost for furnishing and equipping the office (computers, printers, projectors, markers, servers / internet facility, furniture, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – $30,000
• The amount required to purchase the needed software applications – $3,500
• Launching an official website will cost – $500
• The amount need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000
• Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000
• Miscellaneous – $5000

Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need about two hundred and fifty thousand ( 250,000 ) U.S. dollars to successfully set up a medium scale but standard corporate training and business coaching firm in the United States of America.

Generating Funding/Startup Capital for Shae’s Touch Studios Business

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is a private registered business that will be owned, financed and managed by Jules Atkinson and other partners. They are the financiers of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the startup capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our startup capital;

• Generate part of the startup capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Generate part of the startup capital from friends and other extended family members
• Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $100,000 ( Personal savings $85,000 and soft loan from family members $15,000 ) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $150,000 from our bank. All the papers and documents have been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

It is an established fact that, the future of a business lies in the number of loyal customers they have, the capacity and competence of their employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business, then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer our services a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Jules Atkinson & Co® Corporate Training Firm, Inc. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and standard operating processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as determined by the board of the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List/Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check: Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Securing a standard office facility in a good location in Lake Street, Petoskey – Michigan: Completed
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Generating part of the startup capital from the founders: Completed
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of Logo for the business: Completed
• Secure trademark for our products: In Progress
• Printing of Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the needed furniture, office equipment, software applications, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the business: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business: In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with vendors and key players in various industries: In Progress

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Personal Training Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Personal Training Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their personal training companies. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a personal training business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Personal Training Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your personal training business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Personal Training Business

If you’re looking to start a personal training business or grow your existing personal training company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your personal training business to improve your chances of success. Your personal trainer business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Personal Training Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a personal training business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for personal training companies.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a personal training business.

If you want to start a personal training business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The business plan outline below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your personal training business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of personal training business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a personal training business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of personal training businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

• Give a brief overview of the personal training industry.
• Discuss the type of personal training business you are operating.
• Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
• Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
• Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of personal training business you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of personal training businesses:

• Mobile personal trainer: This type of business involves traveling to the client’s home, a park, or another location that is convenient for the client to provide personal training sessions.
• In-home personal trainer: This type of business is operated out of the trainer’s own home. This type of business may be great for trainers that have their own equipment.
• Online personal trainer: This type of business involves providing training one-on-one or group sessions online live or via pre-recorded webinars.
• Gym trainer: This type of personal training business operates out of a gym that allows the trainer to work with their own clients at the gym.

In addition to explaining the type of personal training business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of clients served, the number of sessions provided with positive outcomes, reaching $X amount in revenue, etc.
• Your legal business Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the personal training industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the personal training industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your personal trainer business plan:

• How big is the personal training industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your personal training business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your personal trainer business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, schools, families, and corporations.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of personal training business you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other personal training businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes other types of trainers, coaches, gyms, and fitness programs. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What type of personal training business are they?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you make it easier for clients to acquire your services?
• Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a personal training business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of personal training company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide lifestyle training, boot camps, or performance training services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your plan, you are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your personal training company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your personal training business located in a busy retail district, a business district, a standalone gym, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your personal training marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
• Reach out to websites
• Distribute flyers
• Engage in email marketing
• Advertise on social media platforms
• Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your personal training business, including answering calls, planning and providing training sessions, billing customers and collecting payments, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to book your Xth session, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your personal training business to a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your personal training business’ potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing personal training businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a personal training business or successfully running a small fitness class.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you see 5 clients per day, and/or offer group training sessions? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your personal training business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a personal training business:

• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your gym location lease or testimonials from happy customers.

  Summary Writing a business plan for your personal training business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the personal training industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful personal training business.  

Personal Training Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my personal training business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your personal training business plan.

Where Can I Download a Personal Trainer Business Plan PDF?

You can download our Personal Trainer business plan PDF  here. This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format.

How Do You Start a Personal Training Business?

Starting a personal training business is easy with these 14 steps:

• Choose the Name for Your Personal Training Business
• Create Your Personal Training Business Plan
• Choose the Legal Structure for Your Personal Training Business
• Secure Startup Funding for Your Personal Training Business (If Needed)
• Secure a Location for Your Business
• Register Your Personal Training Business with the IRS
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get a Business Credit Card
• Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
• Get Business Insurance for Your Personal Training Business
• Buy or Lease the Right Personal Training Business Equipment
• Develop Your Personal Training Business Marketing Materials
• Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Personal Training Business
• Open for Business

  OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how a Growthink business planning advisor can create your business plan for you.   Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

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A culture of learning & empowerment: Our guide to creating an employee training plan

If you’ve recognized a need for broader skill sets and knowledge within your organization, you’re not alone. 46% of learning and development leaders say skill shortages are escalating within their companies, likely due to an increased reliance on automation tools and shifts in the way people work.* 

In the face of constant change, businesses need to take a more proactive approach to development by implementing strategically designed training plans. Why? They act as repeatable learning processes that meet long-term business goals and cater to employee needs. As a result, they allow you to deliver on your training initiatives more successfully and efficiently while driving employee engagement and satisfaction.

In this article, we share what makes training plans impactful and walk you through the steps needed to implement one within your own company. We even include a training plan template you can use to create your own.

* LinkedIn , 2023 ‍

Why is a proper training plan important?

An employee training plan is a written resource that details how your company will approach a specific training initiative. If, for example, you want to offer leadership training to independent contributors interested in becoming managers, the learning and development (L&D) team could create a plan to ensure that training is results-driven, effective, and aligned with company goals.

Training plans play a central role in moving specific learning initiatives forward, which is why organizations shouldn’t confuse them with employee development plans . In contrast to training plans, which are skill-based course guides for groups of employees or even the whole company, development plans are long-term, high-level guidelines for individual employees that may encompass training plans to build specific skills. As such, training plans are useful tools for taking short-term action on the gaps managers and their reports identified when putting together a personal development plan.

Some key benefits of training plans include:

• Increased retention rates — 76% of respondents to SHRM’s 2022 Learning and Development Executive Summary said they were more likely to stay with a company that offered continuous training. Training plans are ideal methods to provide those opportunities as they streamline the employee development process and enable L&D teams to deliver more frequent, higher-quality training opportunities.
• Enhanced productivity and growth — Upskilling staff means they can achieve important goals and deliver the results required to keep the company operating at a high level. That’s one reason why research shows that organizations that take training seriously are 59% more likely to grow .
• Better adaptability — As companies seek to meet the challenges of remote and hybrid work, training plans can empower employees with the skills they need to adapt to the ongoing advancements in technology and changes in the world of work. We’re not the only ones who share that sentiment: 72% of employers think training helps their organization stay dynamic and flexible.
• More empowered employees — Investing in learning and development should be a priority for any organization that cares about people enablement . Why? It pays off. According to our 2023 report, 89% of employees agree that people enablement has benefitted their workplace.

“In the past, we had a laissez-faire approach to training, allowing employees to select any kind they wanted. This sometimes resulted in misalignment between the training content and our company culture or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). To remedy this, we’ve since adopted a more structured approach, designing our training programs to align with our company’s culture and objectives. This has ensured that every piece of training employees receive is relevant and applicable to their role within our organization.”  — Jennifer Morehead, CEO of Flex HR , on the value a training plan has brought to their business

6 steps to outlining your employee training plan

Your company needs a step-by-step strategy to develop a training plan that can empower team members with the right learning resources and meet long-term organizational needs at the same time. ‍

1. Identify knowledge & skills gaps

Skills gaps within your organization likely have more to do with technological advancements and market fluctuations than with employee competence. Bearing that in mind, it’s essential to consider short and long-term business goals when assessing skills gaps. Let’s say one of your objectives is to make artificial intelligence (AI) more central to the way you run your organization. You may identify that team members are still unsure how to apply these new tools to increase the business’s operational efficiency.

To discover where your current upskilling and learning opportunities are:

• Survey employees — Even a short, two-question pulse survey asking staff what skills they need to better execute their roles can provide useful insights. ‍
• Re-examine your career progression framework — If you’ve made updates to your company structure, there may be new skills or competencies that employees need to flourish in their current roles. ‍
• Study your industry and competitors — Leverage your network or reach out to peers to learn what skills and knowledge gaps they’re currently facing and prioritizing. ‍

🛩️ Discover what propels employees forward Leapsome’s Impact Drivers help you quickly identify what motivates employee survey responses.  👉 Learn more

2. Determine training objectives

Now that you have a better grasp of the skills employees are missing or need to expand on, you can begin to outline a set of objectives that’ll guide each plan. While your training plan objectives should align with your company vision, it’s best to keep them more attainable and specific than any high-level, long-term business goals. 

Let’s look at some common training objectives:

• Enhancing a technical skill or competency with software
• Developing intercultural competencies that support diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Expanding industry and regulatory knowledge
• Improving customer service skills
• Sharpening decision-making skills
• Becoming more confident with conflict resolution techniques
• Managing time more effectively

🔎 When considering a set of training objectives, stakeholders should ask themselves these questions: What’s the desired outcome of this training? How will the new skills or knowledge contribute to our business goals?  How will trainees benefit from the new skills or knowledge? What do employees need to do to succeed with this training plan? How will trainers or leaders know when employees have successfully completed the training? How will trainers overcome challenges to the training, if any?

3. Choose the type of training

Each training plan should invite you to consider what methods and resources are most appropriate to meet skills gaps, stay within budget, and accommodate team members’ needs. Consider, for instance, that DEI skills training for managers may require sensitivity and involvement from expert speakers, as well as focus on topics like intersectionality, unconscious bias , microaggressions, and power dynamics. This is markedly different from, for example, a simple training session on how to use a new type of software. Similarly, think about how distinct training remote employees can be from training an in-office team. The various needs and requirements relating to different skill sets should be taken into consideration when planning this out. 

Let’s explore a few different training plans and discuss the specific competencies each one might address. ‍

New hire training plans

Typically part of the orientation and onboarding process , new hire training plans focus on familiarizing new employees with job expectations, policies, and procedures. The objective is to integrate recent joiners into their new team so they can become comfortable and reach their full potential quickly and sustainably. ‍

Customer service training plans

Sales and customer relationship management are challenging skills to build, so this type of training should provide resources and techniques that employees can review to retain customers and bring in more revenue, such as client relationship building and consultative selling.  ‍

Technical training plans

This type of training isn’t only for companies that specialize in IT and software. Organizations that rely on powerful tools to operate their businesses need to provide specialized resources — and ample time for employees to learn about and practice with them — so they can get the most out of their investment. ‍

4. Establish how to measure effectiveness

Evaluating the success of your training plan is vital as it highlights possible refinements and improvements which ultimately will increase the return on investment of training for the business. Doing so also helps gauge whether the training is meeting your established objectives and helping you make progress on broader company goals.

Great training should positively impact different areas, like performance, productivity, engagement, and retention. That’s why you should utilize multiple approaches to measure effectiveness, such as:

• Completion rates — Quickly determine whether training is too difficult or too long and investigate what might be hindering people’s progress.
• Survey scores — Gather post-training employee feedback via anonymous surveys to determine whether the plan succeeds in enhancing skill sets, allowing team members to perform their current roles more effectively, or helping them move to a higher position.
• Percentage of goals reached — Observing how many team members are reaching their individual training goals means you can understand how quickly people are progressing through the program. Leapsome’s flexible Goals module allows you to set both OKRs and SMART goals and track results in real time.
• Qualitative feedback — Leaders can set up 1:1 meetings with training participants to discuss how everything’s going and explore what could be improved. ‍

5. Set your timeline

Depending on what you need your training plan to achieve, you may choose to establish a stricter or more flexible and self-paced timeline. For instance, mandatory short-term technical training might require a hard deadline, while employees should be enabled to complete voluntary time management training at their leisure.

The key is giving team members a visual tool to track their progress throughout the course, which is why you should break your timeline down with the following :

• A training schedule — For courses happening in multiple sessions over several months, provide employees with a weekly or monthly schedule so they can plan their time accordingly.
• Checklists — For self-paced courses, allow staff to mark tasks off a list of projects and activities.
• Milestones — Managers can let participants know when they’ve reached specific achievements or met certain targets. ‍

6. Create & choose training materials

Creating materials internally helps make training more relevant and specific to your business goals. It also allows you to keep your messaging more consistent with your company values and tailor teaching materials as you go. However, there are a few benefits to sourcing training externally, which can do the following:

• Provides external perspectives to diversify your insights, broaden your thinking, and introduce new approaches to problem-solving.
• Allows access to professionals with specific expertise or specialized certifications.
• Supports employees in connecting with industry experts and helps them build their professional networks.
• Is less time intensive than creating plans internally, as resources and materials are created separately.

While they require an initial time investment , in-house materials can be just as effective and may include:

• Webinars or online presentations
• Training videos
• Games and bite-sized courses
• Online forums or internal communities 
• Interactive elearning modules

🕴️ Tailor-made learning that engages your people Leapsome’s Learning module lets you incorporate external resources and customize training so it’s always relevant to employee needs. 👉 Learn more

Employee training plan template

Employee training plans should be easy for leaders, managers, and team members to understand, follow, and implement. Here’s a sample template you can fill in — simply tweak the details and structure based on your branding, messaging, and needs. ‍

Course overview

This is where you’ll write the following:

• The name of your organization
• The course name
• The department, team, position, or specific employee the course is for
• How long it will last, especially if the course isn’t self-paced
• When the course was last updated ‍

Training objectives

Clearly state your learning goals for the course. What short- or long-term objectives do you want the training to achieve? For example, if you’re building a management training plan, your goals may include:

• Helping managers develop their confidence as coaches and mentors
• Sharpening decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Better identifying strengths and areas for improvement in direct reports
• Enhancing team collaboration and effectiveness ‍

Delivery methods

Explain whether the training will take place in-person or online and give a brief overview of its structure. For example, for new hire training, the learning process may be completely asynchronous, and trainees might be expected to spend two hours a day working through tasks, activities, and quizzes over the course of a week. ‍

Training content, schedule, or modules

Here, you’ll break the training down into smaller components to help employees digest the information and stay organized and on task. If, for example, team members need to complete a set of learning modules and activities to finish their training, you can provide a checklist here. ‍

Monitoring & follow-up

Explain what metrics and tools participants and organizers will use to measure their progress and success throughout the training.

For example, L&D teams may ask trainees to track progress throughout the course by monitoring their module completion rates, reviewing scores on quizzes and tests, and updating their individual training goals. Then, after the training is completed, leaders will follow up in regularly scheduled 1:1s and discuss how the employee is implementing the training in their day-to-day role. ‍

What to avoid when planning employee training

Implementing a new training plan takes trial and error and may not always produce the results you hope to see right away. However, taking note of common training plan pitfalls ahead of time can help eliminate the need for extensive refinement down the road. Some possible issues include:

• Setting unrealistic expectations — Making your plan too ambitious could result in discouraged employees who feel it’s out of touch and impossible to complete. When in doubt, keep timelines relatively short and make objectives as specific and achievable as possible. 
• Providing employees with insufficient time — Even if training isn’t mandatory, not giving people enough free time to take advantage of learning opportunities might send the message that their success isn’t your priority. Allow employees to carve out time away from tasks to complete training, and encourage them to create recurring calendar blockers to focus on their personal development.
• Not explaining ‘the why’ — If you’ve created training plans in response to specific organizational challenges or skills gaps, let team members know. Otherwise, failing to be transparent about your reason for implementing training might lead people to draw unfavorable conclusions or lead to a lack of motivation. 
• Not asking for feedback — Employee input is a powerful way to evaluate the effectiveness of your training plans. Without those insights, you risk investing in training that doesn‘t align with your team’s needs or preferred ways of learning.
• Implementing a plan that doesn’t align with individual goals — Not taking their personal development goals into account might prevent trainees from feeling a sense of empowerment and ownership over their new skills, which can harm motivation and engagement — not only during the training phase. ‍

Train & develop your people with Leapsome

By providing a structured, strategic approach to learning, a well-crafted training plan can help upskill staff members more efficiently while addressing the knowledge gaps that might be holding your company back. 

Still, it takes time and collaboration to gather the data, resources, and materials you need to develop and implement a successful training plan. What’s more, you may find that your current people enablement tech stack overcomplicates the process.

Leapsome is the perfect platform for organizations that want to simplify planning and offer training at scale. Users can take advantage of our Surveys and Meetings modules to collect employee feedback, our Goals module to track learning objectives against company targets, and our Learning module to deliver interactive courses. Plus, configurable analytics dashboards allow you to monitor completion and success in real time so you can tweak your training plans on the fly.

👊 A platform that helps you roll with the punches Leapsome’s Learning module integrates with surveys, goal-tracking, and powerful analytics so you can roll out training efficiently and adapt it as you go. 👉 Book a demo

FAQs about employee training plans

1. what is an employee training plan.

An employee training plan is a centralized resource — typically a document — that a company creates to systematize a specific training initiative. It’s essential for organizations that want to: 

• Take a more structured approach to learning and development
• Facilitate autonomy around training 
• Create more consistency across all training materials and courses
• Roll out future training initiatives efficiently ‍

2. What should be included in a training plan?

Employee training plans should include these four elements:

• Objectives — Explain why you’re implementing the training and the skills and competencies employees need to build. Perhaps your company is transitioning to a more digitalized business environment due to the ongoing advancement in technology and wants to train the team in digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness.
• Key metrics — The short and long-term skills team members want to develop will also help you decide what key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to track the training’s progress and success.
• Delivery methods — Determine what setting, timeline, and curriculum would work best to facilitate and meet your objectives.
• Action plan — Specify how training will happen step-by-step. How many learning sessions will there be? What tasks or homework will trainees need to complete? How will they be monitored? ‍

3. How do you write an employee training plan?

When designing and writing an employee training plan, people and learning and development (L&D) teams should:

• Perform a needs analysis to determine what performance issues or skills gaps are currently holding the team or organization back. There are also many useful tools to support your team in working out what these gaps are.
• Develop a set of measurable goals you want your training plan to meet in alignment with those gaps and business objectives.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to decide on content and training methods. We’d recommend consulting a well-rounded team to ensure the training is relevant to the business and the employees who will participate.
• Assign ownership. Decide who’s responsible for each aspect of training, including sourcing materials, tracking success, and checking in with team members about their progress.
• Write your plan and share it with stakeholders and trainees. ‍

4. Is there a difference between employee training programs & plans?

A training program involves a series of long-term, strategic employee development initiatives, as a training plan is a single document that outlines how to approach a specific training initiative. A training program is more comprehensive and considers all of your company’s training needs and objectives, while training plans are the focused, written resources within a training program that deliver on those objectives in detail.

Leapsome Team

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By Aimee Picchi

Edited By Alain Sherter

Updated on: May 13, 2024 / 1:33 PM EDT / CBS News

The retail industry is going through a tough time as it copes with inflation-weary consumers and a rash of bankruptcies, prompting chains to announce the closures of almost 3,200 brick-and-mortar stores so far in 2024, according to a new analysis. 

That's a 24% increase from a year ago, according to a report from retail data provider CoreSight, which tracks store closures and openings across the U.S. Although some retailers are planning to expand this year, major chains have announced 4% fewer openings compared with a year earlier, the analysis found. 

Blame changing consumer habits, as well as retailers' management struggles and bankruptcies, with the latter impacting companies including Rite Aid and Rue21. The largest number of store closures stems from Dollar Tree's announcement earlier this year that it plans to close more than 600 Family Dollar locations in 2024, with the discount store citing the impact of inflation on its customers as well as an increase in shoplifting.

"A lot of this year's closures are related to bankruptcies of chains that have been in trouble for a while, like Rite Aid and Rue21," Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, told CBS MoneyWatch. "We're also seeing several retailers, like Family Dollar, take action to weed out underperforming locations." 

Although consumer spending has remained solid this year, there are "pockets of softness creeping in, and retailers want to ensure they are in good financial shape to weather any challenges" Saunders added. "That means optimizing store portfolios."

Brick-and-mortar retailers are also struggling with ongoing competition from online rivals such as Amazon.com. 

By contrast, some companies blundered strategically, such as Express, which filed for bankruptcy last month and announced plans to close 100 of its 500 locations. The clothing chain, known for its workplace fashion, failed to connect with consumers after the pandemic ushered in working from home, Saunders said.

That put the company "firmly on the wrong side of trends and, in our view, the chain made too little effort to adapt," he said in a recent research note. 

Are consumers cutting back?

Recent data shows that Americans are still opening their wallets. Consumer spending in March  rose 0.8%  (the most recent data available), which economists say represents solid growth.

But some signs consumers are starting to fade amid a modest economic slowdown. On Friday, the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumer sentiment index for May dropped to 67.4, the largest monthly decline since mid-2021. Confidence is dipping because of expectations for higher inflation and softer growth, said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial, in an email.

"Uncertainty about the inflation path could suppress consumer spending in the coming months," he noted. 

Consumers have also spent down any remaining extra money they socked away during the pandemic, when federal stimulus checks and other benefits bolstered their bank accounts, Roach said in an earlier report.

"[T]here are potential risks to consumer spending," he said. "When households exhaust these accumulated savings, it could lead to a decline in discretionary spending."

Even so, some retailers are planning to open hundreds of new stores, CoreSight found. Dollar General, a rival of Dollar Tree, said it will add more than 800 locations this year, putting it at the top of the list of retailers opening new stores this year, according to the research firm.  

In second place is 7-Eleven, which plans to open more than 270 U.S. locations this year, followed by discount store Five Below, with plans to open 227 outlets, the analysis found.

• Family Dollar
• Dollar Tree

Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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President Biden touts Microsoft's Racine County 'comeback project,' contrasts it with Foxconn failure

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the number of jobs that President Joe Biden said have been created in Wisconsin since he took office.

STURTEVANT - President Joe Biden on Wednesday touted Microsoft's planned $3.3 billion investment in its Mount Pleasant data center as a product of his administration's economic growth agenda, contrasting it with the unfulfilled promise of the neighboring Foxconn International Holdings development deal that was negotiated during Donald Trump's presidency.

Biden joined Microsoft President Brad Smith and Gov. Tony Evers Wednesday at Gateway College's Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Center to announce the expansion of Microsoft's data server complex, and the tech giant's plans to add about 2,000 permanent jobs over time. The new value of the development is more than three times what was announced a little more than a year ago when Microsoft signed its first deal to buy land in the village's Wisconsin Innovation Park.

Biden said the Microsoft development is a "comeback story," playing out across Wisconsin and the nation, that stands in contrast to the 2017 efforts of Trump and state Republican officials to bring Foxconn to Mount Pleasant. Microsoft is building its data center on land that Foxconn was initially expected to use for a $10 billion LCD manufacturing plant that Trump touted as the "eighth wonder of the world." Neither the investment nor the 13,000 jobs Foxconn promised materialized.

"Foxconn turned out to be just that," Biden said. "A con."

Visit comes as Biden, Trump locked in close race

Biden's stop in Sturtevant, his fourth trip to the state this year, comes as he is locked in a tight presidential race with presumptive GOP nominee Trump, who held a narrow, 51-49 percentage point lead among Wisconsin's registered voters and likely voters, according to the most recent Marquette Law School Poll . On economic issues, the poll found voters favored Trump 52-34.

Biden referenced Trump and Foxconn early in his 20-minute speech before an audience of about 200, using that experience to contrast with the 177,000 jobs that he said have been added in Wisconsin under his watch.

That growth, he said, stems from his " Investing in America " initiative, a package of bills passed in late 2021 and early 2022 that aims to encourage investments in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure, accelerate the nation's transition to clean energy, and create new, well-paying jobs.

"On my watch we make promises and keep promises," he said.

Microsoft workforce development efforts praised

Biden and Smith also highlighted Microsoft's expanded commitment to workforce development, business assistance and training and other initiatives designed to position the state as a hub for artificial intelligence-powered economic activity by helping workers and businesses adapt to working AI. That initiative includes a plan to help 100,000 workers learn new skills by 2030.

"What I want you to know is this isn't just about building a building. It is not just about manufacturing jobs today," Smith said. "More than anything, this project is about using the power of AI to fuel the future of manufacturing companies and jobs and skills across the state of Wisconsin and around the country. That is what we are building together."

The new value of the development reflects the torrid pace at which Microsoft has moved since it bought a 315-acre parcel in the business park in early 2023. It began construction of the first of two data center buildings just a few months later and by December had finalized a deal to acquire another 1,030 acres, for $176 million.

In April, Microsoft received preliminary approval from the village to begin grading land to the west of the construction site to prepare it for two additional buildings. In the near term, the construction project is expected to employ 2,300 union workers.

Smith in an interview said the fast movement was made possible with the cooperation of local, regional and state agencies who help smooth the permitting process and had premade large investments to develop the business park and ensure it was ready for construction. He acknowledged that preparation was done for Foxconn.

AI training for 100,000 workers promised

Microsoft's push in southeast Wisconsin isn't only focused on buildings. Smith said it will also make a multimillion-dollar investment in training programs that will teach business and technical leaders how best to adapt AI and transform work culture, support start up businesses, prepare hundreds of students for careers as data center technicians, and provide boot camp-style training for more than 100,000 people who need new skills to work in the artificial intelligence economy.

The effort builds on Microsoft's previous investments in business and workforce development in Wisconsin and brings in many of the same partners, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Connected Systems Institute , the Green Bay Packers and the Titletown Tech business development center, the Madison startup accelerator gener8tor, United Way and Gateway Technical College.

To support it, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. will provide $500,000 to TitletownTech, the Green Bay-based Packers-Microsoft venture capital and business development partnership. The funds will help TitletownTech set up a Milwaukee office at UWM's Connected Systems Institute , a research and education center focused on advanced industrial processes. 

Microsoft also intends to open an  AI Co-Innovation Lab lab at the Connected Systems Institute to help Wisconsin manufacturers, entrepreneurs and other business connect with Microsoft AI experts for guidance on implementing AI technology to grow their businesses. WEDC will provide an additional $500,000 to cover capital expenses associated with the initiative.

"Looking to the future, we could not be more excited that Microsoft chose Wisconsin for its new and most important AI innovation." Evers said. "Located in UWM's Connected Systems Institute, the Wisconsin AI co-innovation lab will focus on bringing AI skills and capability to manufacturers to strengthen thus vital sector."

One of only three such labs in the country, the lab will be Microsoft's first east of the Rocky Mountains and the only lab that is both run in partnership with a university and also focused on manufacturing businesses. Staff at the lab are expected to work with at least 60 manufacturers a year.

Wisconsin Republicans accuse Biden of trying to 'hijack' credit for project

Local Republican officials walked a line between praising the Microsoft announcement and deriding Biden on a call with reporters ahead of the event.

“Microsoft's announcement of private-sector jobs in Racine is good for workers, and it's all the more important when workers and families find themselves falling further and further behind due to the reckless inflation brought on to us by the Biden administration,” said U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, whose district includes the Racine area.

Steil also noted that data centers use a large amount of electricity, and said Wisconsin will need a “solid domestic source of energy” going forward. He pointed to We Energies’ plans for a new $1.2 billion natural-gas powered generating plant in Oak Creek as a positive step in that direction.

“It's imperative that we continue that investment in our infrastructure, in particular, transitioning the Oak Creek facility to natural gas, but in doing so, we're going to have to make sure that the pipeline of natural gas is actually built,” Steil said.

State Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, and Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming echoed Steil’s thoughts. Bradley characterized Biden’s visit as an attempt to “hijack” an “awesome” announcement for Wisconsin workers because he’s “failing everywhere else.”

“Joe Biden is limping back to Racine today to look for a ‘Racine reset,’” Schimming said, noting that Republican former President Donald Trump carried Racine County in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.