WTF Gym Talk

In the final episode of Shoot The Shit for 2021, I get to sit down with long-time client, colleague and friend - Brandon Couden. Now Brandon might not be as much of a household name as some of the other guests that I highlight on this long-form segment of my podcast, but what he's done from a business standpoint (and consistently over 10+ years I might add), puts him in the .001% of microgym owners.  Brandon is the founder of CrossFit Grandview which is a consistent $1MM/year in revenue microgym with a very healthy profit margin. He's been running the business for over 10 years with consistency and recently just purchased a $2.3MM dollar building in Columbus, OH to further solidify his business and provide a whole new world of opportunity later in life. Ladies and gentlemen, Brandon Couden. 

As we move into the fifth element of Primal Branding, we are touching on the sacred words that our brands use to create a connection to our tribe members - a term called lexicon.  I'll walk you through various lexicons in the fitness industry (and others) and hopefully you can start to really push forward your own brand lexicon to continue to set you apart from the competitors in your marketplace. 

On this episode, I sit down with Tom Sarosi, a ten-year-tenured coach and now the Director of the MadLab School of Fitness location in Vancouver.  We discuss the PT First model that their company has had great success with and how they envision the career path for a coach who wants to have a financially viable career while continuing to work in the craft they love. Check them out at madlabgroup.com/stu 

In today's podcast I share with you why I think that there is a really interesting opportunity for microgym owners who tried their hand at creating their own brand, and for one reason or another, it didn't pan out.   I think there is a really strong argument that those particular owners would make great franchisees and finally see the success they were searching for with their own brand.

I've been taking a personal interest in the hybrid microgym. And no, not a microgym that has in-person and digital offerings, thought that's a great hybrid model as well. But in this episode, I'm looking at the hybrid microgym model that I think has serious legs in the next 10 years. 

"Difference of opinion, are the only reason we have anything in this world." - Me I truly believe that recurring, healthy doses of debate amongst your staff is the sign of a quality team capable of having tough conversations. In this episode I go into my thoughts about allowing your staff to challenge your position and how that back and forth in communication can be the thing that takes your business to the next level.

Continuing on with Primal Branding, we are now looking at the fourth element of primal code - Icons. Icons are more than logos and marks, they manifest in many different ways and can be one of the strongest ties to your brand. Enjoy.

That's literally what we did.   Brandon came over to the new STUdio, we drank great whiskey and had an even better conversation. Definitely make sure to check out the new book that Brandon contributed to - Winners Mindset and his most recent article published on LinkedIn where he breaks down the 7 elements of Primal Branding for MADabolic.  Enjoy!

Most of you know that I'm a big fan of the NCFit brand.    T The leadership team over there that I've interacted with has been stellar, including the obvious Jason Khalipa, rockstars like MDV and a guy that I had not known personally until this interview, but I'm honored to now have in my network of colleagues, Gabe Yanez, the Director of Sales + Marketing.   If you enjoy conversations of branding, rebranding and the unseen elements that resonate within the minds of your customers + prospects, grab the link in bio to check this one out.

Since retirement from the microgym industry, I've been pitched a lot of ideas from ambitious entrepreneurs who would like some type of an investment from me, for their thing. Here's why I'm not going to do it.