Run a Profitable Gym

In this episode, I talk with Jason Ackerman about selling two of his gyms and setting up his third. More and more, entrepreneurs are purchasing gyms from others, or buying out their partners, or selling their gyms. To help, I provide a Gym Valuation Tool (thanks to RigQuipment) and then answer the question, "Should I De-Affiliate?" (answer: no.)

Sam Brumenschenkel is a behavior therapist and co-owner of CrossFit Port Orange with her husband, Kyle. Nicole Marchand is a Registered Dietitian in Florida, where box owners can't legally prescribe a diet without the oversight of an RD.Before the conversation started, I mentioned two great ideas from other affiliate owners:Butch Santucci uses the Meijer grocery "curb" service in Mi...

I do up to a dozen free calls every week. On 90% of them, I hear this comment:"I just need 10 more clients."It's usually not true. But if it IS true, this episode will present a new option for getting a ton of clients. Tommy Hackenbruck has acquired well over 100 after running the program three times; Ken Andrukow signed up 120 after running it ONCE.Full show notes at http://twobrai...

Every gym owner is aware of the "Baby Boomer" market--that massive way of the newly-retired--but most aren't sure how to attract seniors into their program. The key, says Alexander, is to understand what THEY want--or what their kids want FOR them. Many of these 50-60-year-olds are watching their parents decline into decrepitude, physically and mentally, and think, "That's...

Imagine it's 2003. Your high school volleyball coach decides weightlifting will help the team's jumping, so he Googles "clean and jerk Santa Cruz."The coach was Tony Budding, and Pat Barber was on the volleyball team. Over the last 13 years, Barber has "grown up" with CrossFit, first training in the original HQ gym and then becoming part of the early CrossFit Media st...

Sean Manseau is the author of “By The Numbers.”A former animator, Sean found CrossFit in 2005 and believed he was “the only person in New York who had ever heard of CrossFit.” As often happens, he was drawn to coaching after a few years as an athlete. In the animation world, a “master animator” draws the major positions of movement, and then an assistant draws all the joint angles between those po...

Doug Chapman was the 13th CrossFit affiliate.  At his peak, he had 400 members at HyperFit in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Though that number has declined in recent years, he's best known for his online programming for athletes such as Julie Foucher. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Lindsey Valenzuela, Jennifer Smith, Nick Urankar, Neil Maddox, Chyna Cho, Jacob Heppner—they're all coached remotely by Do...

This podcast is about ideas. Every week, I try to introduce a guest whose ideas aren't exactly the same as your own. Sometimes they're VERY different; sometimes they iterate an old idea differently. Sometimes I agree with the idea, and sometimes I don't. That doesn't matter: the ideas provide context. Too often, we all get caught in the "get 10 more clients!" mindset...

Coach Mike Rutherford did his "Level One" before there was a "Level One." The group was so small, Greg Glassman introduced each person. When Greg reached Rutherford, he reportedly said, "He is my Coach. I've been learning and copying what Rut does. It is essential to CrossFit now. Our athletes are getting so much better. He is my Coach." Two attendees of the same...

Jake Johnson served two tours in Iraq as a Marine. He returned home and pursued a career as a firefighter, where he now serves as a lieutenant. After one particular call to rescue an obese woman, Jake decided to open CrossFit Gettysburg to proactively help people. Now he's partnered with Matt Verlaque to create RunYourGym.com, an email marketing service specifically made for gyms. Today, he&a...

Brian Costello is the owner and Head Coach at CrossFit Long Island. Brian is also the former captain of Team USA Lifeguarding, a former State-level wrestler, a competitive weightlifter, and high-level finisher at Regionals (both individual and team.) He’s one of the few CrossFit Level 3 trainers on Long Island. BUT…as Brian will attest, none of those things are as important to his clients as the w...

"If you can afford him, you need to go see Greg Glassman." In 1999, Brian Mulvaney found Greg in a dojo in Santa Cruz after his neighbor--a fitness trainer herself--described Greg as "the best in town." Fifteen years later, Mulvaney is the director of strategy for CrossFit HQ. The brand, which didn't have a name then, has become a worldwide phenomenon. But the exercise pre...

I should have hit "record" before I dialed the phone. And I should have hung up before I hit "STOP."I first encountered Dave Tate over fifteen years ago on the Supertraining Forum, and I've read or watched something from him every week since. But I still wasn't prepared for the depths we reached in this conversation. Eleven minutes into the call, I had to say, "S...

Knowing WHY you choose a given exercise can have a lot to do with its correction and instruction. In this episode, we run through a few common mistakes Dr. Phillip Carlyle teaches through his SpinalFit program. But MORE importantly, we talk about what CrossFit coaches are doing RIGHT. Phillip is a CrossFitter, a chiropractor and owner of SpinalFit.co, and he believes most chiropractors will want t...

Greg Everett of Catalyst Athletics is almost a household name. Anyone (especially in the USA) interested in weightlifting has heard of Everett—but why? Greg is an incredible coach. But he's an even better producer of content, and that's why he's able to make a great living as a nationally renowned coach. Get that? He's a great coach—and he knows how to tell you so. Greg spends...

Jay is co-owner of CrossFit Thames -- arguably the best-known gym in Europe -- and CrossFit Hale in California. He believes gym owners can do just as well with a small gym as a large one IF they focus on individual coaching and retention instead of large class sizes. Jay has learned to be an entrepreneur through his CrossFit gyms, and believes "The Cat in the Hat" to be a great read for...

Several months ago, Deacon Andrews sold his brick-and-mortar box, packed his family into a horse trailer and started driving toward California. He kept a squat rack, his dirt bikes and a love for coaching. Deacon moved all his programming online to SisuStrong.com. I was lucky enough to be included on the project as a mentor, and saw the idea go from concept to delivery. With any new technology, yo...

Episode 2 - Jason Ackerman I met Jason Ackerman at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in 2013. Over the next several months, Jay and I shared a weekly call to discuss business, but regularly digressed into training clients, diet and programming. After a few months, Jay accepted an offer for his affiliate (CrossFit Albany) that was the highest price I've ever seen paid for a gym of this...

The original CrossFit firebreather, Amundson is still coaching sixteen years after his first WOD. His coaching is self-described as "old school," but his spiritual approach to exercise is cutting-edge.