Gyms are fragile businesses. Seasonal fluctuations, local competition, staff departures, economic changes and even pandemics can all reduce or eliminate profit. At a recent meetup for top gym owners, Two-Brain mentor Kenny Markwardt laid out a plan to help entrepreneurs prepare for a financial downturn.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Kenny walks through his four-stage plan with host Mike Warkentin.Performing a stress test will help you see just how prepared your business is for a worst-case scenario.Kenny—who owns Sandpoint Strength and Conditioning in Idaho—explains how you can strategize for revenue dips ranging from 10 to 40 percent. Some of the tactics include eliminating costs, putting off non-essential purchases, helping staff generate more revenue and negotiating with landlords.Tune in to learn how to increase your ability to survive a financial downturn. You’ll sleep better knowing you have a plan.LinksRead more on Affinity Marketing: The Prescriptive ModelCutting tiny classes: How to Kill Poorly Attended ClassesGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:21 - Helping gym owners find clarity6:29 - Plan for potential revenue loss10:23 - The impact of larger revenue loss18:57 - Hiking through Death Valley28:56 - Plan now even if you’re doing great

Gym owners give their members reps to help them get results, and business experts do the same thing with their clients.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents several common scenarios gym owners face regularly. If you practice operating in these situations, you’ll be ultra-prepared when they come up in the real world. And your gym business will grow.Chris gives you practice reps for selling, performing goal review sessions, using the Prescriptive Model, generating referrals through Affinity Marketing and having hard conversations (think firing staff or raising rates). Then he shares tips for navigating these situations like a true pro.You don’t want to get your reps "when it's real." For example, it’s too expensive to fumble around and lose clients in the sales office while you gain experience. Instead, practice having these critical conversations with your coaches, your spouse or your dog. Or even talk to yourself in the mirror. If you put in the reps as an entrepreneur every single week, you’ll soon have an A+ fitness business.LinksRead more: The Prescriptive ModelGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:24 - Sales: sell to your dog first2:57 - Practice the sales scenarios8:29 - Getting referrals12:04 - Hard conversations15:10 - Build good habits: do your reps

“We've documented absolutely everything in our sales process,” says closing king Brian Foley, owner of Activate gym in Killarney, Ireland.Brian and his team at Activate were on the July leaderboard for close rate, which ran from 22 to 34 new clients.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin grills Brian on his impressive sales funnel to find out how his gym closes so many new members. For starters, Brian has processes for absolutely everything, from the moment a lead enters the funnel to handling objections in the sales office to onboarding and beyond. Get this: Leads booked 27 appointments at Activate, 24 showed up for their meetings, and 22 of them purchased. Of the two who didn’t buy, one was referred out to a gym that would be a better fit for her.Brian and his team are constantly auditing their sales system to see how they’re doing, and they make improvements whenever the metrics highlight an issue.Activate has a dedicated client success manager (CSM) who handles 99 percent of sales, and she does so with a Help First mentality. There’s no slimy, pushy, buy-buy-buy pressure. She truly wants to help people become healthier and fitter through the gym, and this attitude shines through during the No Sweat Intro (NSI) process.To her, it’s not “selling.” It’s “helping people solve their problems.” That mindset shift makes all the difference when you’re sitting in the sales office.LinksChris Cooper’s “Help First”Read more: The Prescriptive Model Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:02 - Having a tight sales funnel5:24 - Simplifying the sales process and pricing sheets11:25 - Solving problems by watching your numbers18:05 - Help First and Help Best drive sales26:33 - Closing tips

Last year, Facebook generated US$131 billion in ad revenue, proving that paid ads work—but they don’t work for everyone.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Two-Brain chief marketing officer John Franklin to break down why some gym owners struggle with paid ads while others have great success.The most common ad mistakes gym owners make are not understanding key metrics, underspending and giving up too early.John also details the common flaws of unsuccessful ad campaigns, including straying from proven offers, using ineffective images and headlines, and targeting too broad of an audience.Tune in to learn how to avoid critical mistakes and successfully funnel new leads into your gym with digital marketing.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  0:39 - Why do people avoid running ads?6:26 - Underspending and advertising11:32 - Do we need to run paid ads?17:10 - Reasons gym owners say ads don’t work25:27 - Don’t kneecap your ad campaign

Ivan Racic’s gym, CrossFit XV in Croatia, has tripled its revenue since joining the Two-Brain Business mentorship program three years ago, and month after month Ivan is consistently earning more. This July, Ivan landed on Two-Brain’s marketing leaderboards for set rate and show rate—the number of leads who book appointments and the number of bookers who actually show up.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin learns exactly how Ivan managed to book so many appointments and get so many people to show up for them.Ivan says using paid ads and hiring a client success manager (CSM) were key decisions that his mentor, Taryn Dubreuil, helped him make.Marketing mentor Colm O’Reilly guided Ivan through setting up highly effective paid ads, which he spends just $5 a day on. Ivan’s CSM reaches out to new leads within 24 hours, and she also has a list of daily, weekly, and monthly marketing and retention tasks—and she does it all in only six to seven hours a week. Tune in to hear the full episode and learn how to give your salespeople more chances to help clients change their lives.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call   0:52 - Paid ads and new members5:36 - What does Crossfit XV offer?9:10 - How Ivan brought people to the gym17:40 - Ivan's ad hook23:08 - Ivan’s plan for the future

Are you using your leads to grow your gym? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents the monthly leaderboards for set, show and close rates.The owners of the gyms on our leaderboards have mastered key areas of the marketing funnel: they get leads to set appointments, they work hard to ensure people show up, and they change lives by closing sales.Chris shares proven practices from these top gym owners, including tracking metrics weekly, hiring a client success manager (CSM), training staff regularly and investing in mentorship.Listen to the full episode to learn how to systemize, optimize, and automate your sales and marketing so your gym can help more people, provide careers for your staff and thrive for 30 years or more.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  01:49 - July 2024 appointments set2:55 - July 2024 shows3:42 - July 2024 closes4:59 - Who is best at all three?6:19 - Quotes from the leaders

Today’s guest, Joleen Bingham, has developed an ascension model to help you retain staff by creating careers for them. Since implementing the model, Joleen’s staff retention has improved, and she has multiple team members earning over $100,000 a year.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Joleen, a multi-gym owner and the leader of Two-Brain’s Tinker program for upper-level gym owners.Joleen’s model begins with a consistent, structured hiring process that eliminates many staffing problems before they appear.The onboarding stage features a clear checklist and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that document expectations, and the owner's values and vision for the gym are communicated.Once a staff member has been onboarded, the model focuses on development, moving from basic to more complex skills. Owners also mentor team members to help them work in areas of passion. The next step is growth and retention. Career Roadmaps are a huge focus here: They help staff members become leaders and stick around long term.The final component is the exit: ensuring you have a strategy for when staff members eventually leave.Tune in to hear Joleen’s full staff ascension plan and to get an exclusive look into Two-Brain’s resources for clients. LinksMentorship: Tinker/Stage 3Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:55 - Mistakes and how to fix them4:44 - Staff ascension template19:16 - Growth and retention25:51 - Decrease your turnover31:41 - Take action with staffing

A link is missing between credentials and careers in the fitness industry—and it’s costing gym owners a lot of great people. Common story: A trainer starts making $20 per class and works up to coaching 40 sessions a week. But the trainer isn’t making enough money and can’t see a way to make more without burning out. So the coach leaves the fitness industry to “get a real job.” The gym owner shrugs and tosses another coach into the cycle. Sound familiar? If so, this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym" is for you.Host Mike Warkentin and gym-owning mentor Karl Solberg discuss the detailed coach ascension program used at CrossFit Medis and CrossFit Sickla in Sweden. The model allows trainers to level up as they develop and add the skills that bring more value. Clients get better results and pay more, the gym earns more, and the coach earns more and creates a career. Everyone wins. The first step: Create an evaluation for your coaches and then review their performance regularly to ensure they’re improving.To go further, review Karl’s system and consider building something similar to create careers for coaches at your gym.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:43 - Ascension plans increase value3:35 - Levels increase value6:48 - The coach ascension plan10:48 - A detailed look at the plan32:53 - Creating and implementing

It’s Worst-Case Scenario Week on “Run a Profitable Gym.”Today, host Mike Warkentin is joined by Matthew Becker, owner of GymLaywers.com, who shares stories of partnerships from hell and explains how to avoid them. Partnerships in gyms can go wrong fast and create living nightmares for entrepreneurs. Partners might have very different views on topics such as dating members, day-to-day operations and finances, and sometimes a partner might even be involved in illegal activities. Or maybe one partner just isn't pulling their weight.Without solid agreements in place, these situations can spiral quickly. For example, gym owners in need of money might sell paid-in-full memberships, then have a disagreement and close the gym abruptly, leaving members out of pocket. In the worst cases, the money is long gone, and the owners can find themselves facing criminal charges.Matthew, former gym owner, shares tips for avoiding these situations and getting out of them as quickly as possible if you run into partner trouble. It boils down to proper business setup, management and documentation. To ensure your business will protect you legally and financially, get a lawyer to create or review a partnership agreement. You can reach Matthew at Gymlaywers.com.Links"Your LLC Isn't Protecting You if You Do These 5 Things"Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call  1:41 - Potential legal problems with partners10:24 - Preparing for the snowball19:32 - Partners leaving and presales29:26 - It keeps getting worse?38:39 - Stopping the daisy chain from hell

Although fitness training is incredibly safe, injuries and emergency situations are unavoidable.The best plan: Be prepared. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Erik Zeyher, owner of Warlock Athletics in New York.In mid-August, one of Erik’s clients had a heart attack at the gym. Coaches and other members quickly worked together to administer CPR and resuscitate the member using the gym’s AED.At the hospital, the member's wife said that if her husband had been anywhere other than the gym, he wouldn’t have survived. Erik and his team have a full emergency plan in place and undergo regular AED training, and their preparation allowed them to save a life. In the aftermath, Erik had to make critical leadership decisions, such whether to continue with classes, how to comfort clients who witnessed the event, how to communicate with his larger community, and how to ensure his staff members recovered from the stressful situation. Tune in to get the full story and Erik’s tips for emergency preparedness so you can form your own action plan.LinksChris Cooper on the CALM modelGym Owners UnitedBook a Call   1:15 - Medical emergency at Erik’s gym8:39 - What about the staff and other clients?15:11 - Following procedure after a crisis24:29 - Things to think about post-event28:49 - What is on Erik’s list?