Run a Profitable Gym

High-intensity training isn't new anymore, and you can now find barbells, boxes and rigs in just about any gym you walk into. So what's setting you apart now? The difference between your microgym and the Orangetheory down the street is—or at least, it should be—your coaching. Not just how well you teach the squat, but how well you customize your program for each of your clients and how w...

Your client: "My doctor says lifting weights is dangerous; I need to cancel my membership." How do you respond? Do you argue? Give a lecture on why the doc doesn't know what he or she is talking about? Draw some diagrams? Try listening to this episode first. Ashley Mak is a Certified Two-Brain Mentor, the owner of Hudson River Fitness and a doctor of physical therapy. He understands...

Can't afford to buy ads for your gym? Don't worry. There's a time and place for paid advertising, but the most effective marketing is free. Here, Chris Cooper will walk you through Two-Brain's invaluable guide, The Broke Gym Owner's Guide to Marketing. You'll learn how to keep clients for longer, win back old clients and how to use affinity marketing strategies to exp...

If you own a gym, you're not just a business owner; you're a leader. Your staff and clients look to you for guidance and inspiration, and how you respond has a serious effect on the success of your business. Here, Certified Two-Brain Business Mentor, gym owner and leadership expert Andrea Savard joins Mike Warkentin to talk about what it means to be a great leader and how to become one....

When COVID hit, we pushed the Two-Brain Summit 2020 from June to September. Then we made it a digital/small group hybrid. But make no mistake—this year's summit is going to be one of the best ever. You'll work with Seth Godin, one of the world's top storytellers in business. You'll hear from Chris Voss, an ex-FBI hostage negotiator, on how to handle tough conversations. Risha G...

Julie Johnston once made $18,000 in front-end revenue from paid ads in a single month. But there was a problem: She didn't like how those ads represented her business. Yes, they helped her close sales, but the clients weren't good fits. Tired of the turnover and of feeling icky, Julie quit paid ads—and her business didn't die. In fact, she's actually grown her gym by 41 percent...

Average gym owners play things by ear; the best ones make plans. And this is a bad time to be average. The COVID crisis is far from over. Even if your gym has reopened, there's a very real chance you'll be forced to close again eventually. But if you make detailed plans for reopening and reclosure and everything in between, you'll come out of this crisis stronger than ever. Here, Ch...

Ever been frustrated because someone just doesn't get what it's all about? Maybe you want beginners to feel comfortable in class, but the competition team hijacks the equipment and space. Maybe you want your gym to be a place for people to let off steam after work, but that drill-sergeant coach is stressing clients out. Guess what? It's not them; it's you. Strong gyms have soli...

When was the last time you brainstormed with the gym owner across town? Or referred a client to a local chiropractor? Or took the local physiotherapist out to lunch? "Networking" is a corporate buzzword, but building a network—an ecosystem—is you how you can grow your business faster and help your clients more—without paid advertising. Here, Chris Cooper shares real examples of how suppo...

Adding new programs to your gym is a great way to increase revenue. But there's only so much an owner can do. So how do you add programs without getting burned out? If you hire staff to run them for you, how do you pay them and still make a profit? And how do you find the right person to make a program successful? Peter Brasovan is a co-owner of NapTown Fitness, an Indiana gym with multiple r...

Think you need a gym to make a living as a coach? Think again. In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Chris Cooper delivers a crash course on how to make a living as a gymless trainer. Maybe you offer digital coaching. Maybe you train clients in their homes or workplaces. Maybe you train them from someone else's gym. Whichever path you choose, you'll need to make smart decisions about prici...

How long do clients stay at your gym? A year? Two? Gym owner, chiropractor and Certified Two-Brain Mentor Brian Strump has retained clients for up to 10 years, and even the short end of his average length of engagement is double that of most—or more. Here, Brian shares how cultivating a great gym culture, developing skilled staff and communicating with members regularly can help you create 10-year...

We get it: You got into the fitness business because you want to help people, not sell snake oil. But here's the thing: You can't help people if you can't keep the lights on, and you don't have to sell snake oil to be a salesperson. In fact, good selling is all about helping. Here's Chris Cooper on selling without selling, hiring and training salespeople and the difference...

How to you get a client to stay with you forever? Wow them at the very beginning. Brian Zimmerman is a Certified Two-Brain mentor and the owner of CrossFit Jungle Gym. He says average revenue per member and length of engagement are both tied back to a client's onboarding process. In this episode, he joined Mike Warkentin to talk about the critical steps you need to take when onboarding a new...

"People like us do things like this." — Seth Godin Most potential clients don't want to know about constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity. They want to know how to lose weight. Or build muscle. Or both. So instead of telling them how great your program is, talk about the great things your clients have accomplished with it. In this episode, lifelong wordsmi...

Jason Carroll's got his retirement plan all figured out: be a stunt double for Tom Hanks. But for now, he's focusing on fitness. The Hollywood lookalike made his CrossFit Games debut in 2017 and finished in 28th place as a rookie. He returned two years later and took 39th. He joined Sean Woodland to talk about how basketball led him to the weight room, which in turn led him to CrossFit,...

Good gym owners know that exercise alone will only get clients so far. For real results, they've gotta practice good nutrition, too. But what if you don't know how to teach it? Jen Broxterman is a registered dietician of 10 years, a sports nutritionist, the founder of Nutrition Rx and the creator of the brand-new Two-Brain Nutrition Coaching Course. The self-paced course combines an arse...

Gym owners have faced unprecedented levels of stress over the last several weeks and months. But let's be real—as an entrepreneur, you're always stressed. Always checking your email, overthinking things and running yourself ragged. But what you're actually doing is strengthening your amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for the fight-or-flight response. And to keep it from ge...

Bob Jennings started CrossFit at 40 years old. Six years later, he became a CrossFit Games athlete, taking 9th in the 45-49-year-old division at the 2019 CrossFit Games. He joined Sean Woodland to talk about what it's like to compete at a later stage in life, how just missing out on a trip to Madison in 2018 motivated him moving forward and why the masters community is so tightly knit. He als...

When Rob Connors closed his gym due to COVID-19 this spring, he shut the doors for good—the physical doors, that is. Signum Fitness and Nutrition has been 100 percent digital since May, and Rob has no plans to go back to bricks and mortar. Rob Connors is a Certified Two-Brain Mentor specializing in personal training and online personal training. When considering the jump to digital, he asked himse...

When was the last time you turned a potential client away? Rob Connors, owner of Signum Fitness and Nutrition, does it on the regular—and he says his business is better for it. Instead of trying to market to the masses, Rob "niched down" to focus on clients whose goals align with the gym's mission. He also created content strategically to improve his business' Google ranking. T...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode was recorded before the early June events regarding CrossFit Inc. and the statements made by Greg Glassman. Austin Malleolo is a CrossFit OG. He competed at the CrossFit Games for the first time as an individual in 2010 and took 6th place overall. He made four more appearances as an individual before switching to the team competition in 2017. Austin has also been a...

Every gym owner worth his or her salt knows you can't out-train a bad diet. So why are you expecting your clients to? A nutrition program will help clients get better results while increasing average revenue per member and member retention. But starting such a program can be confusing—where do you get the expertise? Who should run it? What should you charge for it? Lindsey VanSchoyck is Two-B...

Gym owners, you're getting blasted from all sides right now. COVID-19 shuttered your doors. Your clients looked to you for a response to the killing of George Floyd. And just when things seemed like they couldn't get any more complicated, CrossFit Founder and CEO Greg Glassman sent hundreds of affiliate owners packing with his reprehensible comments on Twitter. You feel the weight of a t...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode was recorded before the early June events regarding CrossFit Inc. and the statements made by Greg Glassman. Known for his bushy brown beard, hairy physique and that one time he got naked at the CrossFit Games, Lucas Parker is one of the biggest fan favorites of the CrossFit Games. After making his Games debut in 2011, Lucas returned for five straight years, earning...