WTF Gym Talk

Please Be that microgym owner that send me the DM that reads  "Hey Stu, how can I make my clients refer me to more of their friends?   I tried raffling off a pair of shoes, but it didn't work!" My response: Your mother should have had an abortion.  But she didn't...so shut the fuck up...sit down and let's get learned.

This 6th episode of Talking to Myself goes deep into the concept of ego and why I'm glad that I have a fuckton of it. 

There's two skills you need as a business owner: Math + Communication. I'm going to discuss my thoughts on the latter. 

The other day a fellow gym owner made an account of her experience when visiting her local F45 studio and it inspired me to make some commentary on it - hope you enjoy.

I don't know when this will be going down...but I feel pretty confident from where I stand now in the paradigm shift that is happening.  Can you see it? 

Sure.  The title is balls deep in clickbait, but the theory is sound. If you are going to be a barbell centered fitness model - a CrossFit affiliate, a strength & conditioning gym, etc And you are setting up shop in a facility that is under 3000 sqft, you've got a serious issue on your hands IMO. Let me explain...

I bet most of you would say that your city has been or is on the brink of experiencing significant growth. New apartments + homes. New retail, hotels, restaurants, etc.  New schools, businesses setting up shop, hospitals, etc Residential development....commercial development...it's been a fucking feeding frenzy over the past 10+ years. So how should you be thinking about this economic cycle a...

IMO, this is a boring ass topic - but it's one that is warranted because half you fuckers don't even send out a weekly newsletter to members and/or prospects. Your inbox is FULL of weekly newsletters from SUCCESSFUL companies.   You haven't gotten the hint yet?

The continuation of my long form insight into the microgym industry during a recent road trip. 

Been having some thoughts regarding the lifecycle we go through as microgym owners. First we are stuck in the technician role, dreaming of the day we have staff so we can transition into management and then the coveted "Working ON the Business, Not IN the Business" role. And I think you'll find this podcast is counter intuitive to the typical mindset on this topic. 

I had a lengthy road trip last weekend and I used some of that time to record a long form podcast with just some random thoughts and musings regarding the microgym scene and where I see all of this heading. Stay tuned for Part 2. 

Most people look down on part-time owners. Hell, even the part-time owners think they are in a shit position because they can't go full-time into the business. But I've got a different perspective on this.

Almost two years ago I created a two part podcast discussing why I was still paying my CrossFit affiliate fee, but not utilizing the name in any marketing or operationally. Now here we are with a significant update. 

Jason Rule, founder of Driven Nutrition, is by far one of the best humans I know. Especially because he lives in a world of slimy, shitty sales people peddling their supplements. Driven is more of a consulting service where they teach you HOW to incorporate supplements into the client experience and create a unique system where your microgym becomes more convenient than Amazon with auto shipping.&...

Recently added some new decor to my home office and wanted to talk about how it's a visual reminder to me everyday to do what I do best.  Any if you're interested in jamming with me on Saturday March 7th down in Charleston, SC - I'll be delivering a keynote and taking your questions at the Fittest of the Coast Affiliate Seminar.   More details here --> https://fittestofthecoast.com/

Unfortunately, a communication blunder on my part didn't get this podcast out in time before the SELF MADE SUMMIT - but regardless it's an awesome piece with Nathan Holiday, the founder of the Level Method and myself on how to create a new and unique class experience for someone who wants group strength & conditioning. https://www.levelmethod.com/

Corporate Wellness is a topic you hear a lot of gym owners ask about - but far too prematurely. We've been pretty successful with  Corp Wellness accounts and I'll lay out exactly how we land them - but please realize these are not magic by any means.  They don't move the needle too significantly and new players into the market (like Gym Pass) are going to make it even more difficult to l...

Got kids? Own a business? Yeah, me too. And the similarities between the two roles are crazy similar.

Profitability vs. Growth.   It's damn near impossible to do both really well for a sustained period of time. Joe and I get into how we see this manifest in the microgym industry as well as the buzz news of all the IPOs that have fallen on their face in the likes of WeWork, Snapchat, Uber, Peleton, etc Here is the article that I referenced in the podcast

My goal in 2020 is to increase the amount of speaking gigs I book, travel more and get to meet more of you awesome fuckers in person.  Interested in getting a group of microgym owners together and having me come jam on any topic of your  choice?   Have a competition or event and you want to add a business coaching element to it?  Email me at stu@wtfgymtalk.com and I'd love to j...

Back in 2006 I had a hard time explaining what CrossFit was to people. As time went on, other brands emerged like P90X and Insanity - the best selling at home fitness DVD series to date.   So I would brand against those brands... "Well CrossFit is just like P90X, except it's blah blah blah...." It's a marketing tactic that companies have been using forever - comparing yourself to your competi...

Are you leveraging October to do good in your community and acquire some "free" leads? 

Clay has been on my podcast before.  He's even come down to Urban MVMNT to meet in person and talk shop. So when I decided to put on the SELF MADE SUMMIT and wanted to find companies to partner with, Clay and his team were a no-brainer. For a microgym looking to rebrand, you may need some extra cash for upfitting, equipment, etc - this is where RigQuipment comes in. www.rigquipment.com ...

So if you've been paying attention to my VLOG on YouTube, you'll notice that I've been dropping hints as to my work with a company to complete the rebranding process for Urban MVMNT.   This is my interview with Boris, owner of Metcon Creative who has an extensive brand design background and has recently been a wrecking ball in the fitness industry by working with OPEX on their rebranding and...

As the founders of our microgyms, our personality and individual brand is entrenched in the brand of our business. But as we grow and more people start making up the DNA + personality of our microgym, we need to seriously evaluate the difference between our own brand voice and that of our microgym.