Run a Profitable Gym

Episode 63 – OPEX Today we are joined by two very special guests from OPEX. James “OPT” Fitzgerald joins us as well has his business partner Jim Crowell. James Fitzgerald was one of my primary motivators when I first started CrossFit. James started OPEX soon after moving to Arizona which has become one of the most popular training programs in the world. Now on the eve of the rollout of the OPEX ph...

How do you feel about money?

Episode 62 – The Power of Stories Today we talk about using the power of stories to help grow your business, help your clients, and help you live a better life.  Today I share some personal stories and strategies for how to connect better with clients when telling a story. I also talk with Jason Cohen about how he is using the power of stories to help veterans with PTSD.  The 2017 Two-Brain Summit...

Where's your focus?

78% of new clients at Catalyst (my gym) in 2016 listed an aesthetic goal as their top priority. "Fat burning" trumped "performance". "Fat loss" beat "strength". No one said, "I want to move better", keeping my 21-year-streak alive. If your clients want to look like bodybuilders, why NOT incorporate some bodybuilding movement into your programming?...

What if you guaranteed results?

If you read the habits and tricks of very successful people, most of them say they start their day at the gym. Their readers ooh and aah at their dedication to exercise habits at 6am. But what about US - the one turning those lights on before Mr. GrowthHacker shows up? And in the CrossFit world, all too often, it’s the same person who turns the lights off at night. Sherman is really exceptional at...

Is It Worth It?

Why I Started Reading "Tools For Titans" - And Why I StoppedI love Tim Ferriss. There, I said it. I love his podcast. "The Four-Hour Workweek" got me looking for ways to increase the value of my time. So I was really, really excited to get his book.300 pages in, I still loved it. But I put it on the shelf. The interviews, commonalities and stories were good. But I wasn't t...

Last year, Nicole Aucoin of Healthy Steps Nutrition was my guest. She was launching a program to help gym owners add a nutrition component in their gym with minimal work. Nicole, a Registered Dietitian, teaches staff how to run the program, provides the gym with templates to use (for challenges, restaurant partnerships, and even corporate groups) and mentors the coaches running the program. It&apo...

What Are We Selling?

Who are YOU? A three-sided question this week.

Today’s episode is a re-run from a recent webinar entitled “How to Set Your Rates.” In this episode, we talk about raising rates at your gym and the tactics and repercussions that go along with this action. I also lay out a plan for how to make this happen and perform a question and answer session. In this Interview: •Calculate the income you need for your perfect day. •The top services and other...

Are you an inventor? Should you be?

Kyle Posey, founder of Powered by Awesome, joins us on the show today. His company specializes in lead generation and marketing for micro gyms. I met him in Atlanta at an affiliate summit a few weeks ago where we had a chance to chat. He is an all-around great guy and truly believes in helping others first. A quick side note: The day after I did this interview I was on a free call with an affiliat...

Episode 55 – The Path to Profit On today’s show, I replay a webinar entitled “The Path to Profit”. CrossFit gyms are doing great at keeping people healthy and fit but not that great at pursuing excellence in business. Many times they are martyring themselves -- admirable in the short term but not in the long term. Owning a gym requires a long view and a pursuit of excellence in business. This is n...

Do you need to win to WIN?

I used to HATE retail. But I fixed my retail operation. And I asked Matt Albrizio (Forever Fierce) and Bruno Guevremont (Syndicate Gear) to come on the show and tell YOU how to do the same. I no longer inventory extra shirts, or lose money buying stuff my clients don't want. These guys came up HUGE: they put together videos and templates to help. Bruno offered to send a free sample box to any...

Are your actions having any effect? Can you prove it?

Jeff Burlingame is the owner of Friction CrossFit in MI, but he spent most of his career managing globo gyms, where he taught staff how to do more personal training business. At one point, he had 160 trainers working under him. Jeff studied sales techniques for a decade, but after reading "Help First," he realized the best path was to simply help his clients by recommending the best opti...

What difference did TODAY make? Did you move your business forward...or just go to work?

Where are all the millionaires? After five weekends on the road, Chris reflects on conversations with box owners; the need for models of business success; and how TwoBrain is helping. Then he addresses the "9 Myths Gym Owners Believe" from a blog post last week. The myths were:People join CrossFit for “the community”The most important number to track is how many athletes you haveEveryone...

What job are you doing now - a $5 job? $50 job? $500 job? What SHOULD you be doing instead?

On this episode, I provide an excerpt from my book Help First: Sell Less, Profit More. (here it is on Audible.)Content marketing is a critical skill for gym owners (and anyone in the service industry.) If you're using the CrossFit brand, it's especially important. HQ has done a fantastic job of making your audience aware of CrossFit. That's their responsibility. Bridging the gap bet...