Run a Profitable Gym

An onboarding program is a guaranteed way to ensure real change in the lives of clients at your fitness business—and yet it's often overlooked by gym owners.On today's episode of Run a Profitable Gym, Two-Brain Business founder Chris Cooper explains how an on-ramp or other onboarding program will decrease client churn, reduce the risk of injury or discomfort in your gym, and set up your clients for success over a period of years. And let's not forget that clients who stay for years produce recurring revenue and referrals, and they reduce marketing costs.Onboarding programs can be used at any fitness facility: access gyms, affiliates, personal training studios, strength and conditioning facilities, franchises and more. Remember: the first period of gym membership is critical to long-term retention, so the more work you put into an onboarding program, the stronger your business will be.  To hear more from Chris and the Two-Brain team, join Two-Brain's Gym Owners United group for daily tips and free business guides.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:40 - Why you need an onboarding program4:26 - Adjusting your onboarding program6:09 - Data on onboarding programs in gyms 

Colby Knepp's gym revenue more than doubled in fewer than 12 months. In this video, he explains exactly how he did it.So how did he generate incredible growth at his PT studio in Colorado? According to Colby, Step 1 was hiring a mentor, and Step 2 was doing everything she told him to do. Of particular note, Colby researched mentorship as part of his business plan to open a gym. Instead of flying solo and making mistakes, he used Two-Brain's data, resources and tactics to open with members and pay himself on Day 1. Then he used more business tools to hire staff, grow his gym, increase profit and reduce work hours. Now, he's steadily attracting new high-value clients to Olde Town Athlete without advertising, and he's retaining members to build a strong, sustainable fitness business.You can do the same thing.LinksTwo-Brain Business Prescriptive Model How to Open a Gym With Dozens of Members on Day 1Book a CallGym Owners United12:06 - Colby's strategies for increased revenue20:38 - Why mentorship is necessary for real growth28:34 - The trajectory of your business after revenue growth

The Intramural Open is a fun, annual, multi-week competition to run in your gym. Chris Cooper created it more than a decade ago as a way to boost morale, improve retention and generate revenue.In this episode, Chris walks you through the updated 2023 Intramural Open guide. He'll tell you what the event is all about and how to run it. He's got a timeline, a scoring system, a host of coaching tips and a "survival guide" for organizers.Most important of all, Chris will tell you exactly how to use this signature event to make money for your business, whether you run the Intramural Open on its own or in conjunction with the CrossFit Games Open.The Intramural Open isn’t just about building up your members. It’s about building up your business.LinksClick to get the 2023 Intramural Open guideGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:24 - History of the Intramural Open, where it came from, how to get the guide4:23 - The 2023 timeline12:30 - Setup and pre-event activities16:02 - Running the competition and coaching19:09 - KEY MOMENT: How to generate revenue22:00 - How to put clients on podiums, plus survival tips

Austin Ruesink runs Big Time Results—and he got exactly that through the Two-Brain RampUp program for gym owners.With guidance from a mentor, Austin added $6,000 of revenue in eight weeks, reduced his work hours and moved his average revenue per member into the $300-$350 range. In this episode, Austin talks about how he was nearing burnout before a mentor helped him take clear action to offload some tasks so he could focus on growing a newly purchased business. With a staff playbook and roles and responsibilities in place, Austin was able to focus on optimizing his sales process by creating a sales binder. He also spent time doing goal reviews with clients, which improved retention and helped him connect clients to additional services that would help them.If you're looking to build your fitness business fast, Two-Brain's RampUp program can help you do it. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:44 - Before and after RampUp3:40 - The short summary of Big Time Results7:00 - Why get a mentor?13:48 - $6,000 gross revenue increase in eight weeks21:00 - Reductions in work hours24:19 - Retention of high-value clients

What's hurting your gym or fitness business the most? Not doing regular Goal Review Sessions with clients.First and foremost, goal reviews provide an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with each client just by talking one on one. You can also check in on progress. If you ask the right questions, you'll find out if your training plan is producing results or if it needs to be adjusted to bring success. In some cases, clients will want to upgrade to more valuable services. While goal reviews provide an opportunity to audit your gym programming and help your clients reach their goals sooner, they also allow you to remind clients of all the progress they've already made. Some won't realize how far they've come, and reminding them will measurably improve your retention.How often should you do goal reviews at your gym, PT studio or affiliate? At minimum, you should do them every 90 days. If you do, your average revenue per member and length of engagement will improve.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:33 - Retention stats in gyms1:24 - What are "goal reviews"?4:35 - How goal reviews increase value to the client6:13 - Saving relationships with goal reviews9:12 - How often should you do goal reviews with gym clients?

Two-Brain's November 2022 gross revenue leaderboard for gyms ran from $46,000 to $73,000. Ashley Sell put Midwest Strength and Performance in the Top 10, and she's here to explain exactly how she did it. Working with a large, six-owner team across two locations, Ashley knew that hiring a mentor was the key to pulling everyone together. Her specific management role? Growing the business. To do that, she used a number of tactics, including relocating to be closer to perfect clients, switching to a subscription model for personal training, and establishing solid business systems to support every aspect of the business.As a result of Ashley's focused efforts, the gym's revenue took off in 2020. She even provided a graph to illustrate how her actions produced astronomical results. The visual: dramatic growth clearly starting in 2020 and continuing over the next years. If you're struggling to generate revenue at your gym, take heart: A quick turnaround is possible if you do the right things at the right time.Links"Intrapreneurialism 101"Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:33 - Ashley's business model7:19 - Systemization and moving to subscriptions8:40 - The value of mentorship and sales skills12:04 - What the subscription model looks like14:19 - Delivering a high-quality product20:08 - Hiring and staff development26:00 - Career roadmaps and how they help

Gyms, affiliates and PT studios often don't grow steadily. In the fitness world, business growth is usually a series of steps forward and back. The key is to always grab more total ground than you give.In wartime, you're fighting fires and dealing with emergencies. You've got to run lean and make tough decisions to make sure you don't slide too far back. To help you hold your ground, Chris Cooper has five audits you can perform in times of trouble.When things are good, resist the urge to coast. If the road is free of traffic, that's when you step on the gas and build as much momentum as possible. If you follow that plan, you'll be prepared for the next tough period.By planning for both good times and bad times, you'll ensure that your fitness business becomes a strong, stable enterprise that provides health for your clients, careers for your coaches and wealth for your family.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:10 - What is wartime?1:56 - The five audits for wartime6:20 - Why sprint in peacetime?

Trista Eason, owner of Flex Appeal in Wichita Falls, Texas, successfully bounced back after the pandemic with the help of her Two-Brain Business mentor: She boosted her average revenue per member (ARM) by over $100.In this episode, Eason tells all so you can do the same thing at your gym, personal training studio or affiliate. Trista did a few key things to increase her ARM. First, she swapped out her free intro class for a consultation called a No Sweat Intro, and then she dialed in her client avatar. By offering specialty courses that addressed her ideal clients' needs, she was able to offer more value than ever before. Finally, she successfully moved up "the value ladder" by getting the right staff in the right seats so she could focus on growing the business and working as a CEO.If your ARM needs work, listen and then take action to drive the number up.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:18 - Trista's short success summary5:08 - Hiring help8:30 - Specific action to increase average revenue per member15:16 - Additional revenue generators20:00 - Systems that support gym growth

Every year, Two-Brain Business publishes an industry-defining report for owners of gyms, personal-training and boutique studios, strength and conditioning facilities, CrossFit affiliates, martial-arts businesses, and 24-hour access gyms. You can get the 56-page report for free here.In this video, Chris Cooper goes through the report and offers his insight into stats you won't see anywhere else. Find out:What gym owners make and how many hours they work.The ratio of profitable and unprofitable gyms.What others are charging for group training and PT.How much gyms spend on rent and staffing.How much space gyms rent.What top-earning staff members make.CrossFit LLC affiliation stats and approval ratings.What class times are most popular.How gyms use nutrition programs, online coaching and supplement sales to make money.Don't fly blind in 2023. Get the report and use this data to make sound decisions and grow your fitness business or coaching practice.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call4:06 - Clients15:00 - Client value33:10 - Retention 35:15 - Expenses38:04 - Staff41:00 - Owner benefit46:50 - Industry 

Mentorship—how does it work?In this episode of Run a Profitable Gym, you'll find out.Host Mike Warkentin talks to gym owner Nate Boley, who explains exactly how he uses a mentor to grow his business, Strength Warehouse in Bend, Oregon.The key: Nate's mentor tailors her coaching to him. She helps him focus, prioritize and take action that gets measurable results. Sometimes they solve problems and address emergencies, and sometimes they review metrics and make forward-thinking, step-by-step action plans to improve the business. Every project comes with resources and support that ensure success. If you've ever though about hiring a mentor for your gym, personal training studio, CrossFit affiliate, or strength and conditioning gym, this episode will give you a gym owner's perspective on working with a mentor. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:10 - Finding focus and dealing with overwhelm5:36 - Fighting fires vs. planned growth activities7:05 - Action plans between one-on-one calls9:51 - Examples from Nate's last mentor call15:30 - The value of mentorship18:00 - Nate's future plans