Run a Profitable Gym

Keith Yungel of CrossFit Pawling used to work endless hours doing every task at his gym. He missed time with his family, and his hourly rate was low.Now, as the CEO of his fitness business, he's working about 10 hours a month and taking home $867 per hour. He made the transition in about 2.5 years, and he'll tell you exactly how he did it.The key: creating standard operating procedures for every role in the gym, then filling those roles and mentoring team members to success.If you're asking how to make more money in less time at your gym, studio or CrossFit affiliate, Keith lays out the exact steps his mentor gave him to reclaim his time and earn the income he deserves.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United group3:43 - Offloading tasks and becoming a CEO8:30 - Creating standard operating procedures13:38 - Keith's current high-value roles17:09 - How to start reclaiming your time at your gym

How do you figure out what to do as a fitness entrepreneur to move your business forward?The possibilities are endless, so Chris Cooper gives you five filters you can use to evaluate your options. Then he lays out a clear point of focus for each of the first three stages of entrepreneurship. Using these tools, you'll be able to find the clarity you need to take specific actions to grow your business. If you ever feel confused, overwhelmed or like you're spinning your tires, this is the episode for you.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United groupHow to Create Impact and Legacy as a Gym OwnerFounder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief Quiz1:46 - The five filters2:58 - The BS filter4:40 - The math filter5:54 - The time filter6:57 - The variables filter8:26 - The context filter10:18 - Clarity in Founder Phase11:57 - Clarity in Farmer Phase16:15 - Clarity in Tinker Phase

Staffing mistakes—they're all too common in gyms and other small businesses.Chris Cooper has made a ton of errors with staff in many businesses over the years, and today he'll share his four golden rules for staffing with you. These rules come from Cooper's trial and error, but if you listen and take action, you can avoid mistakes, heartache and stress at your fitness business. LinksBook a CallGym Owners United group1:09 - The first rule3:13  - The second rule5:36 - The third rule11:28 - The fourth rule

It used to take new gym owners a long time to get to profitability. But now fitness entrepreneurs can blow past the once-mandatory period of losses and struggling to start earning money fast. The key: the book "Start a Gym" by Chris Cooper—along with the related course and free resources.Cooper, a gym owner, created the package to help fitness entrepreneurs build strong, stable businesses that last for decades, and you can use it to get your business on the right track today.In this episode of Two-Brain Radio,  Mike Warkentin talks to gym owner Chris Plentus about how he used one part of the Start a Gym plan to add about 70 new members on his move to a new location. Plentus relied on the Founders Club tactic for this growth, and new gym owners can use the exact same plan to launch a new business with 60, 70, 80 or even 90 members signed up and ready to go on Day 1.No secrets here. Plentus shares exactly what he did to add these members, and Warkentin will tell you exactly how you can get an instruction manual and free Founders Club resources.If you're starting a gym, this episode is the key to becoming profitable fast.LinksStart a Gym website, course and free resourcesBook a CallGym Owners United group1:50 - The Founders Club adds 70 members to Kanna Fitness3:02 - The Founders Club offer details13:13 - Adding value without discounts20:45 - The Founders Club timeline23:00 - How much work and time does the Founders Club tactic require?26:38 - How the Founders Club helps gym owners reach profitability

You know that problem client needs to go—so how do you solve the problem without misery?In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Chris Cooper explains how you can set up referral partners who will be able to help the clients you can't. With this network in place, you'll be more likely to offload clients you don't want so you can focus on your best clients.If you don't have a plan, you're likely to get angrier and more frustrated with your worst clients, then eventually blow up. That's bad for you, the client and the business.To get ahead of issues, listen to this show,  then take action. When you determine a client is a bad fit for your gym, you'll have a plan in place.LinksSeed Clients and Weed ClientsBook a CallGym Owners United group1:45 - Referring bad fits elsewhere3:50 - Finding referral partners in your town7:21 - Learning from a mistake

You might feel like you need every single client at your gym.But the truth is that subpar, unpleasant clients will prevent you and your staff from doing great work with A+ clients.Today, Chris Cooper will explain why you don't need "bottom feeders" and how to prevent them from taking up space in your business. You can still serve them—by helping them find a different place to train. By allowing only the very best clients into your gym, you'll create an environment everyone will love, and your stress levels will drop dramatically.LinksBigger Isn't Better (and It Might Be Way Worse)Seed Clients and Weed ClientsGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:54 - The Goldfish5:00 - Bigger isn't better9:45 - Dealing with clients who don't fit12:20 - Finding referral partners

That contract you found on the internet and altered for your gym—it might not hold any weight. Worse, it could get you in big trouble with the law. Most gym owners don't know it, but membership contracts must be carefully crafted to ensure they fall in line with local standards designed to protect consumers. If your contracts fall outside those standards, you could be at great risk.On today's episode of Two-Brain Radio, gym owner and lawyer Matthew Becker of Gymlawyers.com returns to discuss differences in state laws and how you can make sure your contracts are up to code. Listen, then take action to reduce your risk. And if you're lost when it comes to evaluating your contracts, Matthew can help.LinksGymlawyers.comBook a CallGym Owners United group2:42 - Do you really need a written contract?3:28 - State laws on prepaid membership contracts for gyms7:05 - What needs to be in your contract?12:19 - Cancellation and refund policies14:04 - The buyer's-remorse clause16:32 - Differences in contract laws between states21:32 - How do you start figuring this out for your gym?24:35 - Penalties for illegal contracts

When gyms start making more money, their owners often don't think about paying themselves more. But your business exists to serve you, and you deserve to earn a good living from your gym.On today's episode of Two-Brain Radio, Chris Cooper offers four reasons to charge more at your gym, and then he provides five ways to give yourself a raise.  Two-Brain exists to help you make more money from your business so you can change more lives. If you're struggling to pay your bills and never get home in time to see your family, you'll have nothing left for your community. Pay yourself what you're worth, then devote your extra time and energy to serving others.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:35 - Reasons to charge more at your gym5:10 - Why you should give yourself a raise6:50 - How to make sure your income grows as your gym grows11:50 - How to use your new income

You might think setting up an LLC for your gym is enough—but it might not be. In fact, you might be doing five things—accidentally or on purpose—that severely limit your corporation's ability to protect you.For example, if you use your corporation's bank account as your personal piggy bank, you'll find yourself personally vulnerable in the event of a lawsuit. No operating agreement? No protection. Cut corners with paperwork? You're at risk.But you can prevent the ability of litigators to "pierce the corporate veil" by following Matthew Becker's advice. Becker is the owner of Gymlawyers.com and Industrial Athletics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this video, he details the five ways gym owners kneecap their corporations and increase their personal risk. Watch, then take Matthew's recommended steps to protect yourself and your business.LinksGymlawyers.comGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:57 - What is an LLC and what does it do for gym owners?4:07 - Operating agreements7:22 - Distributions10:42 - Taxes12:18 - Commingled funds14:40 - Lack of formality18:56 - Recap

Clients stay with your business for two main reasons: They're solving the problem that brought them to you and they're enjoying the process. So how can a business owner ensure both of those things are happening for every client in the gym?In today's episode of Two-Brain Radio, Chris Cooper shares some tips from gym owner and Certified Two-Brain Mentor Jeff Jucha. Listen and learn how to deliver a successful, personalized program that will guarantee client success and happiness. LinksDelivering a 10-out-of-10 Experience Book a callGym Owners United group1:26  - Figuring out each client's "10 out of 10" experience5:03 - How to deliver that experience7:32 - Checking in with clients regularly9:44 - Converting this experience into long-term retention