Run a Profitable Gym

This month’s leaderboard show is all about average revenue per member (ARM)—how much a gym earns on average from each client in a month. In this episode, host Mike Warkentin is joined by Two-Brain ARM leader Michaela Munsterman. Her gym, Elite Medical Exercise, in Austin, Texas, has a gigantic ARM—but Michaela doesn’t spend any money on ads to attract her high-value clients. Instead, she built a dedicated wellness community entirely through word of mouth and focused local networking, and she’s here to share her strategies with you. Her top tip? Start charging what you’re worth. If you don’t, everyone around you will suffer, from your family to your staff to your clients. Two-Brain even has an exact template to help clients raise rates while minimizing risk so gym owners can have healthy, sustainable businesses and help as many people as possible.Another top tip: Introduce yourself to other local business owners—and don't forget to bring the baked goods!Chris Cooper's Help First concept has been instrumental to Michael’s success, and you can read all about it in his book of the same name, linked below. What would happen to your gym if you introduced yourself to one local business owner every week? Head across the parking lot with coffee today and find out for yourself.Links"Help First" by Chris CooperGym Owners UnitedBook a Call2:24 - What does Michaela do?8:54 - Where does Michaela find clients?15:57 - No paid advertising20:52 - Other revenue streams23:38 - Charging what you’re worth

Many gym owners are scared to raise rates, even though they probably don’t charge enough for the value they provide.The good news? There are a few simple tactics you can use to boost revenue before you do a rate increase.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper is joined by Brendan Rice, CEO of Wodify, to talk about two new Wodify features that enable gym owners to make more money without raising rates or adding more members.One of these features allows gym owners to increase profit by an average of $1,000 each month with just the click of a button.The second new feature—called Free Unlimited—was designed to get Wodify’s state-of-the-art software in the hands of as many gym owners as possible, no matter where they are in their entrepreneurial journeys.Tune in to learn more about these exciting new features—and existing Wodify users who want to enable one or both can contact support@wodify.com. If you’re not yet a member, just head over to wodify.com to get started.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a CallWodify 0:38 - Processing fees explained5:02 - Presenting to members8:22 - The new initiative12:09 - Learning from other industries13:53 - Clients will understand

How much extra revenue would your gym bring in if you increased rates by just $10? What if each client contributed $300 or more to your gross revenue?In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks average revenue per member (ARM) with Kelly Lorenz, owner of FORM gym in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Kelly’s gym boasts an impressive ARM score: It earned a spot on Two-Brain's December 2023 Top 10 leaderboard, which runs from $427 to $800 per month. Kelly built her ARM number with a $10 rate increase and the addition of several new, valuable programs that solve clients’ problems. For example, she developed and sold a 10-week program for kids that had a huge effect on her ARM. She also added on-ramps, personal training and small-group training. Tune in to learn strategies for boosting your ARM, all while retaining high-value clients. Your first ARM target? $205. If you hit that and serve 150 clients, you can earn $100,000 a year as a gym owner.  LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:53 - How has your ARM changed?4:38  - Adding value8:20 - Kids programs13:45 - High-value clients19:37 - Baby steps for gym owners

Every month, Two-Brain compiles a leaderboard of the top-performing gyms so we can find out what the best gyms are doing—and tell you.In December 2023, we focused on average revenue per member (ARM) at more than 1,000 gyms worldwide. ARM measures what clients are paying in return for the value a gym provides, and the businesses on our leaderboard provide a ton of value.The No. 1 gym earned just shy of US$800 per client per month—and that’s a rolling three-month average, not just a one-hit wonder. In today’s episode, Chris Cooper presents the Top 10 ARM leaders for December 2023 and shares the tactics behind the numbers, from Affinity Marketing (referrals) to adding new programs.If you want to hear more from these ARM leaders, our full episode with Kelly Lorenz will air Feb. 1, and Michaela Munsterman’s episode airs on Feb. 8. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:55 - The Top 104:48 - How’d they get those ARMs?7:20 - Creating new programs8:53 - Building value12:47 - What stops gym owners

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin interviews longtime gym owner Ben Bergeron of CrossFit New England and CompTrain. After spending more than 15 years in the fitness industry as a gym owner and coach to CrossFit Games athletes including Mat Fraser and Katrin Davidsdottir, Ben says that virtuosity—mastery of the fundamentals—is essential in a successful gym business. He dials in on four basic areas where every gym owner can improve: leadership, product, marketing and finances. To help you build an amazing business, Ben shares his top tactics for continually improving your gym—from hiring the right employees to onboarding new clients to creating a vision and mission statement. If you want to hear more from Ben, he’ll speaking at the Two-Brain Summit this June in Chicago. LinksTwo-Brain Summit TicketsBen Bergeron on Instagram CompTrainGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 1:42 - Meaning of virtuosity10:21 - Someone good people work with20:47 - Creating a great environment33:38 - Building from scratch40:17 - Practical visualization

How do you dominate your local market? The key is focus: Don’t try to offer every service under the sun. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin is joined by Jack Wheeler of 360 Fitness in Red Deer and Sherwood Park, Canada. Jack’s flagship location does over 4,000 personal training sessions per month, and if you Google “personal training Red Deer,” his gym is the No. 1 result. If you just search “gyms Red Deer,” he’s still on Page 1, but not quite at the top. Jack owns the keyword “personal training” in his market because he dialed in and doubled down on his niche. Listen to find exactly how he did that, and learn about great tactics for gaining traction in your community, such as good-will marketing and going where your target clients are.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:31 - What’s changed?7:36 - Dominating the local market19:12 - Differentiate from online competition23:09 - Getting involved with the community34:50 - How Jack does marketing

Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper is a household name in his community of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where his gym, Catalyst Fitness, is located. He’s a true authority when it comes to dominating your local market.  In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin prompts Chris to reveal the strategies behind his success in making his gym the obvious choice for people in the community.Chris doesn’t mention huge ad spends and earth-shaking marketing campaigns. Instead, he talks about offering value to potential clients, having genuine conversations and maintaining a “Help First mindset.” Chris shares how he built a strong referral web and impressive email list long before the days of Facebook ads. And you might be surprised how powerful a simple cup of coffee can be.Tune in for actionable insights and proven methods from a seasoned pro. Then use Coop's tactics to make your gym the dominant fitness facility in your local market.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 1:20 - Making local connections6:39 - No ads, just buns11:17 - Going where your clients are17:22 - Approaching clients and leads21:59 - Getting clients that don’t sign up right away

Most people are still working the same 40-hour workweek introduced just under 100 years ago, and gym owners often go way beyond 40. In fact, many work closer to 80 hours a week. This can quickly lead to burnout—a killer of small businesses. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper is joined by John Briggs, accountant and author of “Profit First for Microgyms.” The two discuss John’s latest book, “The 3.3 Rule.” In the book, John pushes back against the idea that entrepreneurs—and their teams—should work until they drop. Instead, they can maximize productivity and avoid burnout by structuring their workdays into periods of focused work and breaks. The structure is incredibly simple but effective—and it’s backed by science. John wrote the “The 3.3 Rule” because he was tired of seeing small businesses close shop; he wants to help entrepreneurs preserve the energy and focus they need to build stable, profitable businesses.Links"The 3.3 Rule"The 3.3. Rule websiteGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:35 - Inspiration for the 3.3 Rule8:23 - 3.3 Rule breakdown16:48 - Implementing the 3.3 Framework25:08 - 3.3 Rule and balance31:29 - Challenges with the 3.3 Rule

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 of novelty is strong, but the key to entrepreneurial success is maintaining focus on what matters most—from reading a profit and loss statement (P&L) to improving your close rate. Tune in to learn more, and we hope you’ll join us at the Two-Brain Summit this June in Chicago. LinksTwo-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:53 - Practice virtuosity2:04 - Basics can be boring2:43 - The novice’s curse3:52 - Mastering the essentials5:47- Summary

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, owner of Defining Moment Fitness in Charleston, South Carolina, shares how he jumped from earning $3,000 a month to $10,000 and beyond just by doing the “simple stuff” consistently well. So what are those simple things? Ashley invests his time and attention in three main areas of his business: leadership, the client journey and staffing. Listen to learn exactly how he leveraged his efforts to become one of Two-Brain’s top earners. Whatever you’re currently earning from your gym, sound, simple entrepreneurial strategies can help you boost your take-home pay. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:54 - The simple stuff4:48 - Net owner benefit8:07 - Milestones and timelines11:51 - Why mentorship is important16:17 - The big jump