Run a Profitable Gym

Virtuosity—it’s the theme of this year’s Two-Brain Summit. But what is it exactly? Simply put, virtuosity means mastery of the fundamentals. In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper discusses the basics that every gym owner should focus on and explains how mastering fundamentals will help you grow your gym faster than searching for new trends. The allure...

Two-Brain’s most recent leaderboard tracked net owner benefit (NOB): salary, dividends and anything else the business pays for. Every single fitness entrepreneur in the Top 10 is earning between $15,000 and $25,000 per month from their gym. In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with one of these Top 10 earners to lay out the path to success. Ashley Reese, owne...

Competition season is approaching—and it can be a stressful time for gym owners, who often take on extra work without seeing a reward. To help, Two-Brain has a step-by-step, plug-and-play guide you can use to reduce stress, boost retention, make money and ramp up the fun during the Open. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper tells the origin story of the Intramural Open and how i...

As social media becomes flooded with fitness influencers, or “fitfluencers,” a new issue arises for gym owners: cameras in gyms.  Who’s liable when a member is in the background of a photo or video and doesn’t want to be? The gym owner or the media creator? The answer might surprise you. Believe it or not, cameras can cause serious headaches for gym owners. In some situations, they might lose memb...

Are you grinding all day every day and not seeing progress? Are you tired of pushing through discomfort and stress without any reward? It’s time for you to take action and thrive in 2024. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper shares a New Year’s message to help gym owners like you start 2024 strong. Once you start accomplishing personal and business goal...

As gym owners, it’s easy to get distracted by shiny new things. You might be tempted to run flashy promos, offer discounts or make strange additions to your service offerings. But the best way to grow your income is much simpler—albeit a bit less sexy. In this episode, host Mike Warkentin is joined by gym owner Nick Beal of CrossFit Casco Bay, who explains how to build wealth that compounds. A cou...

Imagine bringing home more than $15,000 each month. What would that do for you and your family?    This month’s leaderboard show is all about take-home pay: net owner benefit (NOB)—salary, dividends and any other benefits the business provides. Every single gym owner in the Top 10 is currently earning over $15,000 US per month, and the top earner’s number is even more impressive. These are not one...

Many entrepreneurs think that their dream lifestyle will just appear when they achieve business success. But creating the life you want is harder than most people realize. It takes serious thought and planning, whether you want to work remotely on the beach all day or carve out three hours to play with your kids every afternoon. In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper chats with...

Joleen and Leighton Bingham have about a million things going on. On top of being parents of three, they own multiple gyms, have an impressive real-estate portfolio, mentor other entrepreneurs through Two-Brain Business and travel regularly. In the last 13 months, they’ve been to Greece, Sweden, Portugal, San Diego and Nashville—to name just a handful of countries and cities. How can they possibly...

Should gym owners care about becoming millionaires? Even struggling gym owners who can’t see past the day-to-day challenges of keeping their gyms afloat? In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin and Chris Cooper dig into Chris’ upcoming book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” which will be out in early 2024. In the book, Chris shares his journey to reaching millionaire status, as well a...

With a clear goal, a plan and a mentor, every gym owner can make $100,000 a year. But did you know that it is also possible—and a lot easier than you probably think—to become a millionaire? In this episode, Chris Cooper shares a preview of his upcoming book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” which arrives early in 2024. Coop explains how you can invest to improve your life, the lives of the people around y...

Successful gym owners master the science of business and the art of coaching. Two-Brain helps entrepreneurs level up on the business side. Jason Khalipa, founder and CEO of NCFIT, is focusing on the coaching side, so he created Coach Like a Pro, a live, online coach-development course that’s designed to provide constructive, honest feedback. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain fou...

Oskar Johed, co-owner of CrossFit Medis and CrossFit Sikla in Sweden, is a longtime Two-Brain mentor as well as a member of CrossFit's Seminar Staff. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO Chris Cooper chats with Oskar, who shares his top tips for offering great service at your gym. Oskar says it all boils down to providing an excellent product that sells itself. After all,...

102 leads, 45 appointments, 26 shows and 16 sales: These are real September stats for Vel Bates’ gym, 3D Fitness, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin talks with Vel, who shares the plan behind the numbers. Vel breaks down the main elements at the top of his marketing funnel: organic social media and paid ads. But his leads don’t just book free consu...

Do you have a plan for growing your gym in 2024?   In today’s episode, Chris Cooper goes over Two-Brain’s free 2024 annual plan: It's designed to help gym owners like you get more clients, increase average revenue per member, improve retention, inspire your staff and pay yourself more.   Chris runs through a basic but every effective plan month by month, detailing how you can level up your gy...

Having trouble staffing your gym? You aren't alone. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper sits down with Joe Venuti and Alessandra Bisalti of CrossFit MASS, who share how they’ve used "guided access" to transform their gym in the face of staffing shortages. Essentially, they’ve learned to leverage technology. In a guided or enhanced access model, clients receive in...

In this special episode produced in collaboration with “Gym World Worldwide,” John Franklin chats with Curtis Christopherson, owner of Innovative Fitness. Curtis' personal-training gym chain spans 23 locations, with each averaging over $1 million in annual revenue. Curtis is also the owner and founder of WRKOUT, a revolutionary digital platform designed for wellness professionals. He explains...

Two Brain’s annual “State of the Industry” report is out! With metrics from over 13,400 gyms, the guide provides valuable insight into how gym owners can build better businesses. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Chris Cooper and John Franklin to highlight key points from the guide. Chris is the CEO and founder of Two-Brain Business, and John is the chie...

Every year, Two-Brain Business pours a ton of resources into our “State of the Industry” report, which is regarded by many experts and organizations as the best in the fitness space.  We give the report to gym owners—like you—for free every year so they have the info they need to build world-class businesses. In today’s episode, Chris Cooper highlights some of the key takeaways from our 2023 repor...

Steve Ramsbottom has worked with stars such as Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and Jessica Alba, as well as Paralympic medalists and countless other professional athletes. The owner of Performance Institute in British Columbia, Canada, Steve is also one of Two-Brain’s revenue leaders for September 2023.  In this episode, Mike Warkentin sits down with Steve as he shares the secrets of his success—from how...

The best gym owners in the world share three things: They know their niche, they create a culture of discipline in their businesses, and they build and preserve momentum. Finding your niche allows you to become the best at what you do, which increases client value. Discipline ensures your gym consistently operates with excellence—whether you’re in the building or not. And momentum helps you make i...

Eric Conner is killing it. His gym grosses over US$50,000 a month in a really tough market just outside Los Angeles. Since 2016, he’s increased revenue by 100 percent. In 2022-2023 alone, he increased his gross by 20 percent. And he’s done it without running ads. Today, Eric has multiple staff members who are building careers at his gym while they're supported by benefit plans. And as CEO of...

How much money do the top gyms pull in each month? You’ll find out in this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym” as Chris Cooper runs through the Top 10 leaderboard for revenue in September 2023. Every gym on the leaderboard grossed more than US$49,000, and the top gym's number will leave you speechless. The stats are based on rolling three-month averages, meaning this is consistent, reliable rev...

It’s the end of the year, and you want to generate more revenue for your gym, but Black Friday deals and paid-in-full discounts will hurt you in the long run. So what can you do instead to boost profit? In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper shares five tried-and-tested revenue-generating tactics you can use to close out 2023. The tactics: retail presales, gift certificates, sa...

Black Friday is coming, and it can be tempting for gym owners to slash their rates. But the best gyms in the world don’t offer discounts—and they don’t need to. In today’s episode, Chris Cooper explains why gym owners should avoid discounts—hint: they'll sink your business. Even better, he tells you exactly how to say no when people request a reduced rate. Instead of creating a Black Friday d...