From €9 per hour making sandwiches to €9K per month in his own facility
By Sean McGarrity · 29 April 2026
How Scott went from a 9-5 he hated to opening his own gym (and how you could too)
Is college always the right path?
Scott’s dad was a traditionalist thought going to School > college > get Job > have a Pension = "Happy"
But Scott wasn’t…..
So, he decided to do a gym instructor course where he ended up doing step aerobics and for a man with 2 left feet this wasn’t good………………😂
One thing it did make him realise though that he did like the coaching side of things and knew a 9-5 job wasn’t for him…
But after that course he thought there has to be more to this in the fitness industry, so did a bit of research and found Elite.
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Started off in one of the commercial Gyms where he was a glorified cleaner, with a PT Cert
Sitting behind a desk not coaching anyone.
He knew he had to start thinking ahead and start making things happen……
The turning point
The turning point was when his father visited and saw him cleaning up the gym floor with mop in hand.
He was horrified to see this sight after all the money he had spent on his education.
This forced him to get the ball rolling on his ultimate goal of opening his own facilty.
Early steps
He first went on to rent space from another Elite past student Johnny Bruton from Smart Training
went through many learning curves, like Groupon deals which he soon discovered was not the way to go, coaching people for €7 per hour.
“You soon realise what you’re worth…” (is what he said to himself)
Then for 2 years rented a gym in a school which was great initially but as time went on, he discovered this wasn’t going to work long term
Was very restricted with hours.
He knew something had to change as he was working long hours for okay money, he realised he couldn’t do this forever
But didn’t know how.
Learning & growth
“He asked for help, He went to a facebook live event ran by ourselves way back in 2015
“I knew nothing about Facebook, I thought the more likes you get the better, Likes don’t pay the bills “ (Scott)
From that event it opened up his eyes, not just from the business side but also is more confident than he has ever have been.
"I am now in my own facility and have gone from earning 9 euro an hour making sandwiches to earning 9k a month"
Q&A
Scott, what advice would you give to those who think being a personal trainer isn’t a really Job???
1. Everyone has fear…….
And remember you can always go back
If you don’t try you are going to fail anyways, so why fear failure?
Whats the most important thing to get right when opening a facility?
2. Value yourself, know what you want to do and stick with it
Believe in what you do
Get support, someone who is going to make you accountable.
What are the biggest problems, personal trainers are facing out there?
3. Knowledge
not having systems, not knowing the business side, how to market your business.
What advice would you give the younger Scott?
I should have acted faster, I am in the industry 8 years so this hasn’t happened over night,
Also don’t be afraid to ask for help
Fear- control your fear and use it to push yourself forward
Value yourself, trust the process
Wanna know how, we could help you on your journey?
check out the guide how much does a personal trainer earn in Dublin below
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