Are you considering adding an online component of personal training or health coaching into your existing training or coaching business, but don’t know how to get started? When faced with any big project, I’ve often found that when I break down the project into smaller, manageable tasks, the “big” project doesn’t seem to be as big or as daunting. While I could build an entire class around how to create your online business, here are four simple steps you should start with and build from there: Plan, Prepare, Proceed and Pursue.

Let’s take a deeper dive into each:

1. Plan

One of my favor quotes is, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” If you are serious and ready to explore how to expand into the online side of your business (and by the way, I personally think it is a great idea and the way our industry is moving), pull out one sheet of paper and brainstorm. Write down everything that comes to mind. Don’t judge your ideas—just write. You will be amazed at what you can create in as little as one hour of non-judgmental brainstorming time.

2. Prepare

Once you have created your plan, go through it and start asking yourself questions, such as: What can I do on my own? Where might I need help? Do I have the proper website in place? Do I have the right social media channels created? Who is my ideal online client? How are we going to interact together? What am I going to charge? How are we going to track progress? Will we use an app or wearable? While there are plenty more questions to ask, these are a great way to start your internal discussion and you can add more questions as needed.

3. Proceed

You don’t expect your client to transform overnight, so don’t expect the same from your new plan. Create SMART business goals based on your plan and commit to doing what it takes on a daily basis (small tasks lead to big results). I personally use a productivity tool called Nozbe to track my daily to-do list. There are others available, so find one that works best for you.

4. Pursue

Let’s say you’ve done the work and you’ve created your online personal training business. Now is the time to jump in and see the results. Don’t kill yourself trying to meet the needs of every individual who expresses an interest in your services. Rather, consider working only with a few clients at first so you have a chance to work out the kinks, learn what works and what doesn’t, and get comfortable with your new business model. You might find that working online is not only more enjoyable and rewarding for you and your clients, but also more profitable for your business.

Follow these four steps and you will achieve your dreams of expanding into the world of online personal training or health coaching.