Introduction
A trainer network lets a group of trainers work under one admin. The admin sets a commission rate per trainer, and Foundations collects that commission automatically from members' client payments.
In this article we'll cover:
- Being invited to a network
- How commission works on your payments
- Rate changes and your consent
- What your admin can and can't see
- Leaving a network
- Running a network of your own
1. Being invited to a network
Invites arrive by email, sent to the address your admin used to invite you. The link takes you to a consent page showing the exact terms: the network's name, who runs it, the commission rate you're being asked to accept, and what the commission covers (all of your sales, or only clients the network sends you).
If you don't have a Foundations account yet, you can create one from that page. Use the same email address the invite was sent to, since the invite is tied to it.
Nothing changes until you accept. Declining an invite has no effect on your account, and your admin is simply notified either way.
2. How commission works on your payments
Once you're a member, your agreed commission rate is applied to each new invoice you issue. When a client pays, the commission is deducted automatically before the money reaches your account. There's nothing to do each month and nothing to transfer manually.
- Each invoice shows the network commission as its own line in the payment breakdown, so you always see exactly what was deducted.
- Your earnings figures in Foundations are always shown net of commission. What you see is what you keep.
- If a client is refunded, the commission on that payment is reversed in proportion. You never fund your admin's share of a refund.
Commission covers one of two things, agreed when you join:
- All sales. Every invoice you issue carries the commission.
- Network clients only. Only invoices for clients the network sends you carry commission. Clients you find yourself carry none. You mark which clients came from the network when you add them (and can change a client's marking from their profile), and your admin gets an email for each network client. Your own clients are never shared with your admin.
3. Rate changes and your consent
The rate on an invoice is locked at the moment the invoice is issued. A rate change never rewrites history; it only affects invoices issued after it takes effect.
- Increases always need your consent. You'll get an email and a prompt on your Network page, and nothing changes until you accept.
- Decreases apply immediately, since they only ever work in your favour.
- The same rule applies to what commission covers. Widening it to all sales needs your consent first. Narrowing it to network clients only applies immediately.
4. What your admin can and can't see
Your admin runs a business that depends on yours, so they get a working view, not full access. They can see your upcoming schedule and your earnings figures. They cannot see your clients' surnames, contact details, session notes, or locations. Client names appear as first names only.
If your commission covers network clients only, your admin also sees the list of clients you've marked as from the network (first names only) and is emailed when you add or mark one. They are never told about your own clients, and nothing they see reveals how many clients you have in total.
5. Leaving a network
You can leave at any time from your Network page. From that moment, no commission applies to new invoices you issue. Invoices issued while you were a member keep the terms they were issued under, including any that are still awaiting payment.
6. Running a network of your own
Many great trainers reach a point where they have more demand, more knowledge, and more ambition than one diary can hold. Running a network is how you turn that into a business: bring other trainers under your wing, help them grow, and earn from the team you build, all while staying a trainer at your core.
Foundations handles the business side for you. You invite trainers, agree a commission rate with each of them, and commission is collected automatically from their sales. For each member you also choose what the commission covers: all of their sales, or only clients you send them. With network clients only, members mark which clients came from you and you get an email for each one, so you always know your referrals are being counted. Your Network page shows members, rates, commission generated, recent commission activity, and payout history, so growing the team never turns into administering it.
Payouts work like this:
- Commission is earned when a member's invoice is paid, and settles to your Stripe account every Monday. There is no minimum payout amount.
- If a member's client is refunded, the commission on that payment is reversed in proportion.
- If a refund reverses commission that has already been paid out to you, the difference carries forward and reduces your next payout. We never take money back out of your Stripe account.
Network creation is currently invite-only while we onboard the first networks. If you'd like to run one, send us a message from the Network page in the app, or email support@usefoundations.app, and we'll set you up.