In the era of year-round sports, there is no better time to start a basketball training business. Parents will do whatever it takes to get their kids on the high school team or try and get them that elusive scholarship.
If you are looking for a side hustle that could eventually turn into a full-time business, a basketball training business is a great one to start.
What is the best way to start a basketball training business?
The best way to start a basketball training business is to start with finding 1 client that you can leverage for referrals. Offer lessons through online postings, volunteer as a basketball coach, and begin to get involved within the local basketball community.
Create a website offering your services and run some online ads to see if you can get any inbound calls. Consider offering lessons for free or for a very low cost for the first few sessions to prove your worth to help get your client base up.
8 Tips on How to Start a Basketball Training Business
1. Get involved locally
The best way to get referrals for new clients is to focus on a small geographic area and go deep within that community. Like any business, referrals are critical and the best way to get referrals is to focus on one area while you build your reputation. Consider volunteering as a coach at rec leagues around town, referee games in your spare time, and get to know parents of basketball players in your area.
2. Evaluate your skill level
Did you play college or professional basketball? If so, you have a reputation that you can leverage in your marketing efforts. You have what most kids and parents want, so leverage that experience to help show credibility. If you weren’t a successful basketball player at a high level, you probably need to have some sort of unique training process with proven results in order to become a success as a basketball trainer.
3. Ask for clients
The best way to get a new basketball training business off the ground is to get your first few clients and generate some success stories. Focus on creating the best possible experience for your initial clients so you can use them for referrals. Once you have a few kids that have shown improvement with their skills it is going to be much easier to get additional clients.
4. Leverage Social Media
Having a social media presence is a great way to generate new clients for a basketball training business. Ask the kids you give lessons to if it would be ok to occasionally get videos of their drills to showcase to other hoopers on social media.
5. Study Competitors
Look into other basketball trainers throughout the country and study their websites and social media handles to see often they post, the type of content they put out there to come up with your own unique strategy. Following a proven process that has worked for other basketball trainers is a great way to set yourself up for success.
6. Find a Mentor
Reach out to other basketball trainers in other geographies to see if any would be willing to help mentor you on your basketball training journey. With the basketball community being a small one, you will be surprised to see how friendly other trainers are especially if you are not targeting the same client base.
7. Pick a Niche
Focus on a narrow age range when first starting out with a basketball training business. Do you want to train high school kids? College? Middle School?
The more narrow your focus is, the more likely you are to get referrals from your client base.
8. Find a facility
You want to make sure you work out with clients in a professional environment. Explore different gyms around town and see if you can work out an arrangement with them to train clients at their facility. Another option is to look into existing athletic training facilities with basketball courts and see if there is an opportunity to rent out the court when you need it.
How to Start a Basketball Training Business Conclusion
A basketball training business should continue to grow in popularity with the shift to year-round sports. Like any business, things take time to get off the ground so make sure you give yourself time and don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to build up a client base. Once you get established and one of your proteges gets that big scholarship clients will be flocking to you for the advice!
