Influence Of Personal Branding on Entrepreneurial Success of Fitness Coaches in the UK

Abstract

Personal branding allows entrepreneurs to develop strong relationships with their customers and drive emotional affinity, trust, and loyalty. Nonetheless, the specific strategies that lead to entrepreneurial success in the fitness industry remain less clear. The present study evaluates the influence of three personal branding strategies (authenticity, attractiveness, and credibility) on the tribalist entrepreneurial success of fitness coaches in the UK. Drawing on data from 169 surveys, the study reveals that when examining each dimension separately, authenticity has a significant influence (β = 0.612, p < .001) on entrepreneurial success, while credibility has a suggestive influence although below the significance threshold (β = 0.186, p = .068), and attractiveness has no significant influence on entrepreneurial success (β = 0.006, p = .944). Moreover, the composite variable of personal branding strategies indicated a significant influence on entrepreneurial success (β = 0.796, p < .001). These findings allow practical recommendations to be provided to fitness coaches to develop an integrated personal branding strategy that encompasses the three dimensions evaluated in this research to maximise their entrepreneurial outcomes. Additional research utilising qualitative or mixed methodology and focusing on both customers' and fitness coaches' perspectives would be valuable to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the influence of personal branding strategies on the tribalist entrepreneurial success of fitness coaches in the UK.