Jonathan Goodman says your first online clients take days, not funnels.
His "Founding Client Strategy" video argues you can sign 1-5 online coaching clients in a week with no paid ads and no phone selling. We break down the method for coaches, add our honest two cents, and give you a day-by-day plan you can copy today.
By Markus Evers · September 15, 2026
why this matters for a coach
The hardest part of going online is not the software or the logo. It is the quiet stretch between "I am a coach now" and your first paying client, and most coaches fill that gap building funnels, editing a website, and reading about ads instead of talking to a single human.
Jonathan Goodman's answer is blunt: you already have enough to start. This breakdown pulls out the method, says where we agree and where we would push back, and hands you a seven-day plan so the next week ends with clients instead of tabs.
"How to Get 1-5 New Online Training Clients in Just 7 Days" by Jonathan Goodman, on his own YouTube channel (@JonathanGoodmanCoach). Goodman founded the Online Trainer Academy and the PTDC, one of the largest communities of fitness professionals. Everything below is our own summary and commentary for coaches, not a transcript. Watch the full video on YouTube.
What Goodman actually argues (our summary).
Our read of the video's core points, in our own words. Watch the original for his exact framing and examples.
- 1
Momentum beats machinery. Sign your first 1-5 clients in about a week. Proof and a few real clients are worth more than a perfect funnel built for people you have not met yet.
- 2
No ads, no hard sell. The method runs on free tools and a bit of hustle: a simple form to capture interest, shared across the networks you already have, instead of a paid-ads budget or a pushy sales call.
- 3
Convert with conversations. You capture interest, then turn it into clients through genuine, client-first conversations, not a scripted close. People buy from a coach who clearly listened.
- 4
Online is its own skill set. Being excellent on the gym floor does not automatically transfer. Communication, content, and remote delivery are learnable, but they are different jobs, and worth respecting as such.
- 5
Prove it, then systematise. Start lean and simple. Over-deliver for a small roster first, and only build the systems and scale once you have shown you can both get and keep real clients.
Our two cents: he is right about the sprint, watch the hangover.
We build coaching software and we have watched a lot of coaches launch, so we will say plainly: the core advice is correct, and it is the opposite of what most new coaches do. Momentum first, machinery later. If you are stuck editing a website nobody has visited, Goodman's video is the shove you need. The no-ads part is realistic too. Your first roster almost never comes from paid traffic; it comes from people who already half-trust you.
Where we would add nuance: "7 days" is a great forcing function, not a guarantee. The hidden ingredient is a warm network. A trainer with three years on a gym floor has a very different Day 3 list than someone starting cold, and that is fine, as long as you are honest about which one you are. If your list is thin, the same steps still work, they just take a few more weeks of genuinely showing up before the conversations turn into clients.
The bigger thing we would push on: getting clients is the easy half. A one-week sprint can win you five clients and a one-month churn can hand them all back. Goodman knows this, it is why his whole message is "client-first", but it gets lost when people fixate on the "1-5 in 7 days" headline. The coaches who compound are the ones who, before they scale outreach, decide exactly how a client's first month will feel: the program, the check-in, the reply time.
So run the sprint. Then build the delivery rhythm that keeps the people it wins, because that rhythm is what turns five clients into referrals and a real business.
Win the clients, then keep them in one place.
Goodman's plan gets you to "yes". The next problem is the one his message really cares about: keeping those clients long enough for the results, and the referrals, to arrive. That is a delivery-and-retention job, and it is the part software should carry so you can coach.
Inside Coachway, client progress tracking puts each client's check-ins, metrics, and trend in one view, so you can spot someone drifting before they go quiet, which is exactly when a coach earns the renewal. If you want to see how much that retention is worth in real money, the client churn rate calculator puts a number on every client you keep instead of replace. And when you are choosing the tool to run all of this from, our roundup of the best coaching apps for online coaches compares the options on check-ins, progress tracking, and a branded client app.
The point is not to bolt on more tools during your launch week. It is to know, before you scale outreach, where the check-in lives and how you will watch progress, so the clients you fought to win in seven days are still with you in seven months.
The 7-day client plan, day by day.
Our own action plan, adapted from Goodman's Founding Client Strategy. Tick the boxes as you go, or copy the whole thing into your notes and run it this week. No ads, no hard selling.
Progress saves in this browser only.
Pick one client and one offer
Build a dead-simple way to say yes
List the people who already trust you
Start real conversations, not a pitch
Post once, and put the form where people can find it
Have the conversations, then invite the fits
Onboard your first clients and over-deliver
Frequently asked.
Can you really get online coaching clients in 7 days?
Jonathan Goodman’s point is that a week is enough to sign your first 1-5 clients if you already have some trust to draw on and you stop hiding behind funnel-building. The seven days are a forcing function, not a magic window. If you genuinely have no past clients and no audience, expect it to take longer, and that is fine. Use the plan to start conversations now instead of waiting until everything looks perfect.
Who is Jonathan Goodman?
Jonathan Goodman founded the Personal Trainer Development Center (the PTDC) and the Online Trainer Academy, and he writes widely for fitness professionals about the business and ethics of coaching online. His consistent message is “client-first”: get and keep real clients before you build elaborate systems. This page summarises and comments on one of his videos; it is not made or endorsed by him.
Do you need paid ads to get your first online training clients?
No. The whole premise of the video is that your first clients come from free tools and genuine outreach: a simple form, the people who already know you, and honest conversations. Ads can amplify a system that already works, but they will not fix a weak offer or a network you have not actually asked. Start with the warm list first.
How do you keep the online clients you just signed?
Getting clients is the easy half; keeping them is the business. Set a weekly rhythm from day one — a program, a structured check-in, and a fast reply — and watch progress so you can act before someone quietly disengages. That is exactly what check-ins and progress tracking are for, and it is the difference between a one-week sprint and a roster that compounds through referrals.
More on building the business
- · Jordan Syatt on building an online coaching business - going from in-person to a real online business.
- · Alex Hormozi's irresistible offer for coaches - engineer an offer clients can't price-shop.
- · The full roundup: fitness YouTubers coaches should study.
Keep reading on getting clients
all guidesHow to get your first online coaching client (2026 guide)
Your first client is the hardest and most important one you will ever sign - and you do not need an audience or paid ads to get there. This guide walks the full path: start in your warm network, build one simple offer, have a real help-first conversation (not a pitch), set a fair founding-client price, deliver an obviously professional experience from day one with a real plan and a branded app, then turn your first happy client into a testimonial and a referral.
Read the guideHow to get clients as an online fitness coach (2026 guide)
The acquisition channels that land your first paying clients, how to convert leads with an application and discovery call, and the intake that makes them stay.
Read the guideBest Coaching Apps for Online Coaches (14 Picks, 2026)
The best coaching apps for online fitness and nutrition coaches in 2026, compared on features, branded client app, payments, and who each one fits.
Read the guideFree tools for this: No-Show Cost Calculator · Referral Value Calculator · Ad Spend Breakeven Calculator
Run your check-ins where you win your clients
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