How Much Money Does It Cost To Be a Beachbody Coach?

NOTE: From now until December 31, 2010 Beachbody is running a special promotion where they are waiving the $39.95 start-up fee.

Short answer: It depends.
Long answer: Keep reading . . .

I thought I’d write a post explaining more in detail exactly what it costs to start and maintain a Beachbody coaching business. For some reason I found this information rather difficult to find while doing my own research. Hopefully it can help you make an informed decision if you’re currently in the same boat I was before I joined.

Basically, what I discovered during my first week as a coach is that there’s two different cost scenarios depending on how you want to work the business (if at all). I think that’s why there tends to be a bit of confusion on the issue, because different people may not be working towards the same goal.

Here are the two options:

1. You simply want to purchase Beachbody products at wholesale and have the opportunity to earn extra income by helping your friends, family, co-workers, etc. purchase Beachbody programs via affiliate marketing. In this case, it will cost you $39.99 to sign-up and then $14.95 per month after that. That’s it. No other strings attached. Simple, right? According to the Beachbody folks, this is what more than 85% of Beachbody coaches choose to do.

1.a. Monthly cost after initial sign-up: $14.95

2. You want to use the Beachbody Coaching Program to build a business and have other Beachbody coaches working under you (here’s where it starts to get a bit more complicated). In this case, it will also cost you $39.99 to sign-up and then $14.95 per month after that. However, in addition to the $14.95 monthly fee, you will need to purchase or refer at least $55 worth of merchandise every 35 days to remain ACTIVE. And once you reach the status of EMERALD COACH (explained below) you will also need a Team Beachbody Club membership which costs $38.87 every 3 months. So . . .

2.a. Monthly cost after initial sign-up: $28 (as long as you refer at least $55 worth of sales during the past 35 days.)
2.b. Monthly cost after initial sign-up: $83 (if you’re unable to refer at least $55 worth of sales during the past 35 days you will need to purchase the merchandise yourself.)

Want more details? Keep reading . . .

On Beachbody’s Coaching FAQ page it says, “It only costs $39.99 to start a Beachbody business. That includes your first month’s Business Services Fees and your Coach Business Kit, which comes with everything you need to begin earning income.”

While this is most certainly true, it doesn’t quite give you the entire picture. Yes, in order to “begin” the process of becoming a Beachbody coach there is a $39.99 activation fee. This includes the maintenance of two websites affiliated with your account that you can use to sell products. However, if you plan on using your account for more than just purchasing products at wholesale and affiliate marketing, there will eventually be more costs involved.

After the $39.99 activation fee, there is a $14.95 monthly fee to remain in the program. Beachbody refers to this as the BUSINESS SERVICES FEE. They describe it as “a monthly service fee that supports your online office tools and personal Web site. In order to receive commission and bonus payments you must remain current on all Business Services Fees.”

Sounds fair enough to me!

Once you join the Beachbody Coaching Program, you are listed as INACTIVE. This is because your account is brand new and you still haven’t made any sales. You achieve ACTIVE status once you’ve earned a minimum of 50PV (personal volume) points within the last 35 days. Each item that Beachbody sells is assigned a point value according to the purchase price. The more expensive an item is, the higher the number. 50PV is roughly equivalent to $55. Your Personal Volume points include your own purchases as well as the purchases made by customers through your affiliate link or website.

At one time I was falsely under the impression that you needed to purchase at least $55 worth of products from Beachbody every month to qualify as a coach and earn money. This is not true. As long as your customers are purchasing at least 50PV worth of products every month, you don’t need to buy anything. Even so, it’s important to know that you don’t even need to be ACTIVE in order to receive commission checks!

If you want, you can simply use your Beachbody Coaching Business just like any other type of affiliate program. Beachbody gives you 25% of every sale you refer (minus shipping and handling). However, building up your downline is the best way to exponentially increase your revenue using the coaching program. But it’s certainly not anything you’re required to do if it’s just not your thing.

If your plan is to do more than just affiliate marketing with Beachbody’s Coaching Program your first order of business will be to become an EMERALD COACH. In order for this to happen, you need to have at least two ACTIVE coaches working under you. Once you become an Emerald Coach you are eligible to qualify for Beachbody’s Customer Lead Program. In a nutshell, Beachbody gives you customers. However, in order for this to happen, you need to be a member of the Team Beachbody Club, which costs $38.87 every 3 months. However, at this point you will probably be making enough in commission sales and team bonuses that it will more than cover your cost for the club membership.

Additional costs to consider:

Once you get going you might want to consider some additional tools which would benefit your business. Things like business cards, product samples, a website, etc. Beachbody offers all their coaches an area within their online “office” where they can order things like business cards, promo DVDs, brochures, t-shirts, etc. You can purchase 250 single-sided business cards for $28.99.

One thing you’ll definitely want to do is establish your own personal website or blog. Yes, Beachbody provides you with your own “store” but how are people going to find it? Google isn’t going to magically send them there! You also need to distinguish yourself from all the other Beachbody coaches out there. The best way to do that is with a blog or website that highlights your unique story and personal experiences.

You don’t want to use a free blogging platform like Blogspot to host the website for your Beachbody business. You want to have total control over what happens to your website, and the only way to do that is with a domain name that you personally own. Using a “free” website or blogging service is a lot like renting a house. At any moment they can pull the rug out from underneath you. If you’re going to invest the time and energy it takes to establish a website, it only makes sense to do it right from the beginning.

Final words of advice:

Just like anything else in life, you will get out of Beachbody’s Coaching Program whatever you put into it. You’ve probably heard the expression, “You need to spend money to make money” and Beachbody’s Coaching Program is no exception to the rule! That being said, there’s no reason why you need to dump a ton of money into it right away if you just want to test the waters for a few months. After an initial investment of $39.99, $14.95 per month really isn’t that much to join an affiliate program that sells the most popular products in the fitness industry today. And with your own unique website, there’s no need to limit your business to your small circle of family, friends, and neighbors!

For more information, check out Beachbody’s coach information page and their Statement of Independent Coach Earnings. If you have any additional questions about the coaching program or anything else you read here, please feel free to leave a comment or use my contact form.