Run a Profitable Gym

The real key to long-term business success: keeping clients for years.Retention is even more important in the fitness business. You can’t save lives if clients quit after a few months. Long-term adoption of exercise and nutrition strategies requires at least two years of consistent attendance. Sadly, the industry average for retention is under eight months, even in coaching businesses.Then consider economics: You can’t build a sustainable gym business with high churn. If you’re constantly losing members, you’ll struggle to turn a profit, and you'll spend too much time and money marketing.So what actually keeps clients in gyms long term? Our data reveals five keys. In this show, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper digs into each retention pillar—use the links below to take action to improve your business!Links1. ResultsThe Prescriptive ModelTwo-Brain client resources2. FameHow Sharing Joy Makes You HappyTwo-Brain client resources3. CompatibilityUnlikable Gym Owners: Don't Do This Stuff!Two-Brain client resources4. Consistency Gym Business Systems: How to "Survive a Bus Crash"Two-Brain client resources5. ReferralsBuilding a Referral CultureTwo-Brain client resourcesBook a call: Click here2:08 - Pillar 1: Results3:52 - Pillar 2: Fame5:29 - Pillar 3: Compatibility8:12 - Pillar 4: Consistency9:38 - Pillar 5: Referrals

Can you launch a nutrition-coaching program that will generate about 10 percent of gross revenue at your gym in just six weeks?Yes—and we'll provide you with an exact plan to do it.Cynthia Fotti is a Two-Brain Business mentor and gym owner who has built a very successful nutrition-coaching program, and now she teaches other gym owners to do the same thing.In about 20 minutes, Cynthia lays out a step-by-step plan a gym owner can use to get a simple but very effective nutrition-coaching program up and running—from obtaining a credential to launching a group kickstart to selling ongoing coaching when the challenge ends. Listen, take notes and take action. If you do, you'll help more clients, create a career for a coach and add to your bottom line.LinksHow to Generate 20 Percent of Gross Gym Revenue Through NutritionBook a CallGym Owners United1:38 - 10 percent of gross revenue5:06 - Kickstart launch8:15 - Pricing your kickstart11:50 - Marketing: getting the word out22:47 - Providing solutions for clients

The 2023 Two-Brain Summit is an investment for entrepreneurs. The annual event is designed to connect top gym owners and coaches with world-class speakers, expert business mentors and forward-thinking peers so they can grow their businesses fast.In this episode, Chris Cooper lays out the agenda at the summit and explains how attendees can use the knowledge they acquire to generate huge ROI. It's all about growing gyms and coaching practices.Chris also goes over some new features for 2023, including social events and workouts led by Jason Khalipa of NCFIT. LinksTwo-Brain Summit TicketsBook a CallGym Owners United2:20 - Headliners: Jason Khalipa, Dan Martell, Chris Cooper4:38 - Additional Day 1 speakers12:36 - Workouts13:08 - Day 223:14 - The path to success

Dixie Burns made it onto the Two-Brain Top 10 Leaderboard for March 2023 with her stellar client count. So how did the owner of a 24/7 access gym do it? And how does she keep her clients when so many similar gyms regularly bleed members?In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Dixie and host Mike Warkentin talk about the importance of client check-ins and strong connections—even in an access gym. According to Dixie, it's key to link up with her clients to make them feel valued.If you run an access or 24/7 gym, check out Dixie's tips and then take action to keep more of your members longer.Links6 Simple Steps to Generate Revenue Using a Local Fitness EventBook a CallGym Owners United3:18 - The No-Sweat Intro8:31 - Opening communication9:44 - Quarterly motivation12:20 - Client check-ins 16:58 - What does a good access gym feel like?19:50 - Demographics and churn22:59 - Client success manager duties

Gyms with huge client counts—how do they do it?Many gym owners reach a certain number of clients—often 150—and then growth stalls. But other gyms go on to hit 300, 400 or even 700-plus clients.In this episode, Chris Cooper reveals the client counts of the Top 10 Two-Brain gyms in March 2023, then he explains exactly what the owners did to reach these levels. Some of the secrets: goal review sessions, affinity marketing, airtight retention, reacquisition campaigns, special events and guidance from a mentor.You won't get this info anywhere else. If you're looking to increase your client count, listen to this show and then take action.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United4:40 - Virtuosity6:14 - Teach staff the "why"7:51 - Cleanliness and "clean systems"10:47 - Focus on retention

Jason Khalipa has learned a lot of hard lessons in gyms. Getting his start in a traditional facility, Jason went on to become one of the most famous CrossFit affiliate owners after winning the 2008 CrossFit Games. In this interview with Chris Cooper, Khalipa describes how his fitness business evolved into NCFIT—a company with bricks-and-mortar locations, digital streams and corporate fitness programs that served the likes of Western Digital, Twitter, GoPro and Lucasfilm. The 2020 pandemic shutdowns forced Jason to adjust his business, so he consolidated NCFIT with the intent of growing anew with California's restrictions behind him. His current plan: Make every aspect of his expanding business world class.This June in Chicago, Jason will share his passion for virtuosity—doing the common uncommonly well—at the Two-Brain Summit. He'll speak about excellence in business ownership and how fitness coaches can move from a rating of 7 to 10 out of 10. As an added bonus, Jason will coach morning workouts each day for attendees to demonstrate what he believes is true excellence as a fitness coach.LinksTwo-Brain Summit ticketsBook a CallGym Owners United0:00 – Intro1:29 – NCFIT 2020-20236:44 – Lessons and the future8:26 – Virtuosity in business16:36 – Coaches: from good to great20:49 – Programming evolution28:00 – NCFIT workouts at the Two-Brain Summit

Joe De Sena is the founder and CEO of Spartan and Death Race, as well as the author of books including "Spartan Up!" and "10 Rules for Resilience."An entrepreneur with a rich history, Joe created brands and events that give runners and fitness athletes a chance to experience exciting challenges. In this interview, Joe and host Chris Cooper discuss Spartan's link to the gym world, certifications for coaches and the new DEKA indoor challenge. Also on the call: Benjamin Killary, Spartan's national field sales director. The trio also discuss the early days, the growth of the company and the future.Watch, then throw on your running shoes and sprint toward a set of monkey bars.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United4:03 - Gym/Spartan connection7:46 - Early days10:44 - Pivotal moments12:39 - Certification17:32- DEKA challenge22:01 - After the race24:50 - Affiliation

Gyms just don't generate enough revenue from nutrition coaching.Despite the fact that nutrition services naturally link up with fitness coaching, most gyms aren't seeing much movement at the bottom line.The stats: About 74 percent of gyms offer some sort of nutrition coaching, but these services only contribute about 4 percent to gross revenue, on average. That number is far too low, and gym owners are leaving money on the table. Worse, they're missing a golden opportunity to help clients get results faster.Ric Thompson of CrossFit PTC implemented a nutrition-coaching program that benefits his gym in a big way. He created Smart and Simple Nutrition to deliver habits-based coaching, and the company also partners with other gyms to help them generate nutrition revenue.In this episode, Ric talks with Chris Cooper to offer advice on selecting nutrition coaches, onboarding clients, navigating legal restrictions, and building a nutrition program that will create long-term success for clients and business owners.LinksBook a CallGym Owners UnitedSmart and Simple Nutrition0:54 - Why your nutrition program is failing1:21 - Finding the right coach10:00 - How to roll out your nutrition coaching13:55 -Smart and Simple integration16:26 - Legalities18:22 - Real-life example21:45 - Social media and marketing

In the gym business, a client's first 90 days are critical.Do a great job onboarding a new client and you'll likely have an opportunity to change a person's life over a period of years. Do a poor job and your new member might be gone in weeks or months, likely never to return to a gym.To help more people and build a great business, you must have a precise plan to set new clients up for long-term success.In this episode, Two-Brain Business founder and CEO Chris Cooper maps out the exact onboarding process in place at his gym, Catalyst Fitness. Coop will walk you through the operations documents his staff members use to onboard new clients so you understand the entire client journey, including key touch points, measurements and milestones, opportunities for positive reinforcement, and much more.If you want to dramatically improve your gym business quickly, create a client journey and invest time to ensure the first 90 days are perfect. If you do, your members will improve their health and fitness and your business will thrive.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United1:30 – 1. Intro and assessment6:08 – 2. Admit and Affirm9:40 - 3. Activate and Acclimate15:40 - 4. Accomplish18:59 - 5. Adopt and advocate22:20 – Ongoing retention

Is your negative attitude pushing away potential gym clients? Are you turning off your members with social-media rants? Are you trying to impress clients with random fitness knowledge instead of actually listening to people? Do you let the stress of entrepreneurship show in public? Do people think you're more interested in your cell phone than what they're saying? Being likable is incredibly important. You can be the best trainer in the world, but you won't have any clients if people don't want to be around you.Good news: You can become more likable by reducing stress, cultivating positivity and committing to self-improvement.In this episode, Chris Cooper and Mike Warkentin reflect on their own mistakes and share the lessons they've learned about how to be more likable to those they serve. LinksBook a CallGym Owners UnitedThe CALM Model: How to Lead in a CrisisChris Cooper's 10 Tips for Being More Likable Don't Be a Jerk of a Gym Owner1:33 - Stop complaining and shaming5:20 - Social-media traps9:23 - Why you're unlikable14:29 - Hire likable staff18:49 - Find an objective place to vent21:20 - How mentorship helps