Run a Profitable Gym

Chris Cooper
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Sep 4, 2025 • 25min

How He Leveraged Free Tools and Mentorship to Become a Top Earner

After consuming free Two-Brain content for three years, gym owner Tyler Ouwendyk signed up for mentorship. Less than a year later, he earned a spot on the Top 10 leaderboard for net owner benefit (take-home pay), which ranges from US$17,000 to $45,000 per month. Tyler runs three facilities in a town of 30,000 people: two 24/7 access gyms with memberships capped at 400-500, plus a group training studio that launched with 52 members on Day 1 and hit 130 clients in eight months.In this episode, Tyler shares the Two-Brain strategies that contributed most to his gyms’ success:Eliminating all discounts and sales.Raising prices to reach the top of his market.Creating proper onboarding systems. Adding goal reviews to drive retention and upsells.He also explains how mentorship accelerated his growth through expert guidance and accountability. Now, as a Tinker-level gym owner, Tyler’s focus is on building wealth through real estate, life insurance and other investments. His advice to gym owners who are considering mentorship? “Just do it. It's not a cost; it's an investment. You're gonna see the ROI right away.”  LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:50 - Getting results from free content3:54 - Goal reviews in an access gym9:53 - Why go from free to paid help?13:43 - How mentorship added speed17:54 - Opening a profitable new gym
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Sep 1, 2025 • 20min

Build a Systemized, Profitable Gym (Without Losing Your Freedom)

Many gym owners burn out because they reinvent everything daily. In this episode, Chris Cooper shows you how to systemize your gym without killing your creativity.He introduces the concept of “freedom within a framework”—the solution to decision fatigue, staff chaos and businesses that get stuck in the Founder Phase forever.Coop explains exactly where to systemize and where to be creative in each area of your business:MarketingSalesRetentionOperationsLeadershipYou’ll also hear how Two-Brain Business mentors help fitness entrepreneurs build solid systems that support their gyms’ growth without forcing a model or method. Stop starting from scratch every day and start building the stable, profitable gym you want to run.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:19 - The problem and its solution4:41 - Marketing and sales systems9:26 - Retention and referral systems11:53 - Ops and leadership systems17:26 - Mentorship gives you freedom
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Aug 28, 2025 • 37min

$600 Per Member in 1,400 Square Feet—It Can Be Done!

Think you need a huge gym and hundreds of members to make serious money? These gym owners proved that wrong by generating $600 average revenue per member (ARM) in just 1,400 square feet.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Mike Warkentin sits down with Jake Parton and Jenser Gomes from Evolver Fitness in Connecticut, who made Two-Brain's Top 10 leaderboard for net owner benefit (owner take-home) with only 90 members.Jake and Jenser reveal how they built a high-ticket, high-touch personal-training model that keeps overhead low and maximizes profit. They share their bootstrap approach to opening during the pandemic and explain how they lost 85 percent of their clients before rebuilding with systems that now allow them to work fewer hours while earning more.Also up for discussion: their referral-based marketing strategy that eliminates the need for expensive ads and their extraordinary retention system that keeps clients for years. Tune in to hear how these gym owners worked with a mentor to create the systems that transformed their business and allowed them to build a team of trainers to deliver high-quality service.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:27 - Key to high net owner benefit in a small gym4:42 - Planning for high ARM9:57 - Earning more for their time14:47 - Acquiring and retaining clients27:25 - Systemizing their business
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Aug 25, 2025 • 17min

How to Pay Yourself More in 2025: Gym Owner Income Strategies

In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper reveals the monthly leaderboard for net owner benefit—what gym owners actually pocket from their businesses.The top-earning fitness entrepreneur takes home over $45,000 a month!So what are our elite gym owners doing that others aren't?The Top 10 includes gyms from Belgium, Norway, Canada and Hong Kong, proving location doesn't limit earning potential.The leaders also proved small gyms can dominate: One top earner has only 90 members, and another operates in just 1,400 square feet of space.Chris breaks down the two key factors behind high net owner benefit for gym owners: consistency in delivery and total business excellence.You’ll also find out which business models are driving these impressive income stats. Some gym owners focus strictly on one-on-one coaching, while others use semi-private training or a combination of high-value services to increase revenue.Listen to learn about the marketing, sales, retention and staff-development systems that separate top-earning gym owners from those who are barely breaking even.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:58 - Top-earning gym owners revealed4:43 - Keys to high net owner benefit8:45 - Staff systems support growth10:53 - Models with the highest NOB15:56 - What all 10 have in common
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Aug 21, 2025 • 13min

Using Data to Make Smart Gym Decisions

Think you need 300+ members to run a profitable gym? The data says otherwise.In fact, the average gym can generate an extra $45,000 per year just by keeping the clients it already has for two extra months.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper cuts through the noise with hard numbers from the “State of the Industry” report—the most comprehensive data set in the fitness industry.He walks through the six metrics every gym owner needs to make smart business decisions:➡️ Average revenue per member (ARM)—earn more without adding clients.➡️ Length of engagement (LEG)—keep members longer.➡️ Net owner benefit (NOB)—your rewards as an entrepreneur.➡️ Return on investment (ROI)—which expenses allow you to increase revenue.➡️ Effective hourly rate (EHR)—are you a trainer or a CEO?➡️ Client headcount—the lives you are changing with fitness.Listen to hear all six metrics explained, then help build the next report by filling out the survey via the link below.Links"State of the Industry" SurveyGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:32 - Earn more per client3:10 - Keep clients longer6:17 - Take home more money7:57 - Increase return on investment11:11 - Earn more per hour
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Aug 18, 2025 • 5min

Truth vs. BS: Help Separate Fact From Fiction in the Fitness Industry

“Get 500 members.” “Online coaching is dead.” “Don't raise your rates.” How much of the gym business advice flooding your social feeds is actually true?In this episode, Chris Cooper cuts through the BS with a crucial request for gym owners: Be part of Two-Brain's annual “State of the Industry” report.Every year, thousands of gyms worldwide contribute to the report, along with software platforms such as Wodify and Kilo, creating the largest fitness business data set in the world.The data is reviewed by an independent analyst and then published to help gym owners make informed decisions about pricing, staffing, marketing and more—one gym owner even saved $100,000 on a lease just by reading the report. The more gyms that participate, the clearer the picture becomes for every gym owner.Please take five to 10 minutes to fill out the survey via the link below. In return, you'll get immediate access to 19 of Two-Brain's best resources and an advance copy of this year’s “State of the Industry” report delivered straight to your inbox.Don’t just listen to the loudest voice you hear. Let’s separate fact from fiction together. Links"State of the Industry" SurveyGym Owners UnitedBook a Call
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Aug 14, 2025 • 19min

Never Type Again: How Wispr Flow and Chat GPT Can Improve Efficiency in Your Gym

Hate writing but love talking? Here's how one gym owner uses AI to create everything from SOPs to sales scripts without typing a single word.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Mike Warkentin sits down with gym owner Ryan Webb to explore how AI tools have transformed his gym’s operations—with minimal investment of time or money.Ryan shares his workflow for using Wispr Flow and ChatGPT to save hours each week on essential business tasks.He explains how Wispr Flow transcribes and improves spoken thoughts, which ChatGPT can then turn into marketing copy, staff playbooks, sales scripts and much more.These AI tools can even help gym owners navigate tough conversations with employees.This episode will equip you with a complete system for quickly turning your thoughts into polished content that helps you grow your gym.LinksStreamline Ops With AIWispr Flow Book a CallGym Owners United0:58 - Using ChatGPT and Wispr Flow03:49 - Other uses for these tools06:38 - Shortcut for creating staff playbooks12:41 - Feedback on sales scripts16:55 - Future plans for scaling AI
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Aug 11, 2025 • 32min

Systemize, Optimize, Automate: The Gym Owner's AI Playbook

Tired of wearing every hat in your gym? AI can handle repetitive tasks so you can focus on the work only you can do. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper explains how gym owners can use artificial intelligence to automate their businesses without losing the human touch that gyms need. He walks through the three-step process of systemize, optimize, automate—explaining that many gym owners fail to use AI successfully because they’re trying to automate broken or undefined processes.Once solid systems have been optimized, gym owners can use AI for basic customer service, habits coaching, inventory management and similar tasks, which frees up their time for high-value work.Coop also shares specific tools Two-Brain gyms are already using, from Garmin Clipboard for tracking athlete data to ManyChat for nurturing leads.Check out the full episode to learn which tasks to automate first in your gym so you can start buying back your time.  LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  3:02 - AI for ops and systems8:05 - AI for inventory management15:21 - AI for habit-based coaching18:37 - AI for marketing & brand25:38 - Massive opportunity for gym owners29:39 - Culture, community & identity
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Aug 7, 2025 • 26min

“The Golden Hour”: How This Daily Habit Saved Chris Cooper’s Gym

What if one simple daily habit could help you grow your gym?In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Chris Cooper invites you to join him in his Golden Hour—a daily routine that grew his gym and other businesses.  This business-building hour is structured with the GOLDEN acronym:- Go to a place where you can focus.- Open your mind with a brain dump.- Lead with marketing reps.- Do your big projects.- End at the hour.- Next steps.Chris details each component and provides specific examples, from creating content on Monday to mining leads on Thursday.Tune in to see the exact process that's helped top Two-Brain gyms grow 32 times faster than the industry average.Then get your free copy of “The Golden Hour” by Aug. 8, 2025, via the link below—and use it to transform your business.Links"The Golden Hour"Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call  5:13 - Get the free book on Amazon6:11 - GOLDEN acronym breakdown12:21 - Big projects vs. marketing reps18:10 - Real wins from gym owners23:05 - Why gym owners need hope
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Aug 4, 2025 • 26min

Free Books for Gym Owners: Chris Cooper's Complete Library Giveaway

Overwhelmed by business advice and the mountains of fix-your-gym resources?That's common, and overwhelm kills action. To help, Chris Cooper walks through six of his books for gym owners and helps you choose the one that will help you get big-time results today. 👉 You can even get the book you need for free between Aug. 4 and 8, 2025.Maybe you need “Gym Owners Handbook” to help you systemize operations or “The Golden Hour” to build the daily habits that grow your business.If your business is already operating at top speed, it might be time to focus on your coaching with Coop’s newest book, “Help Best.” Or maybe you want to build wealth—your resource is "Millionaire Gym Owner."Don’t read dozens of books and sit on your knowledge. Instead, read the one book you need right now and turn that knowledge into gym growth.Pick your book and download it for free Aug. 4-8, 2025.Links“Start a Gym”“Gym Owners Handbook”“Millionaire Gym Owner”“Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief”“The Golden Hour”“Help Best”Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call  0:01 - What book do you need right now?2:13 - Books on running a gym9:22 - A book to help you take action16:29 - A new book for coaches23:59 - How to get these free books

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