Run a Profitable Gym

Have you fallen prey to the technician's curse? That is, do you think the more credentials you have, the better coach you are and the better your business will do? It's not that simple. "Being good at your job is necessary but insufficient to have the impact that you're trying to have," Chris Cooper says.Here's what clients really care about. Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:20 – What clients actually care about. 3:14 – Being a great trainer isn’t enough. 

Functional-fitness facilities, especially CrossFit gyms, are not known for their machines. "We are the machines!" is a catchphrase touted by many. But at CrossFit Justice in Milford, Michigan, athletes are bringing back the tech—not via elliptical, but with heart-rate monitors. It's not all that different from the "classic" CrossFit workouts you might be used to. But at CrossFit Justice, you're more likely to find athletes dutifully responding to heart-rate-driven coach cues to get the right stimulus for the workout—and less likely to find someone puking in the corner. Two-Brain Radio host Mike Warkentin sat down with CrossFit Justice owner Chris Follick to get the details on how heart-rate training works and how it benefits the affiliate as a sales and retention tool.Links:CrossFit JusticeGym Owners UnitedTimeline:2:46 – How CrossFit Justice came upon heart-rate training. 4:01 – What it costs to implement heart-rate training in the gym.6:42 – What a typical class looks like.9:03 – Coaching an athlete via heart-rate training.11:07 – Benefits for the clients.12:36 – Benefits for the business.13:46 – How heart-rate training yields improved performance. 15:11 – Selling heart-rate training to new clients.17:44 – Selling it to the old-school crowd.21:10 – How the shift changed the membership at CrossFit Justice. 22:17 – Not another Orangetheory.24:29 – What to expect if you shift your gym to heart-rate training.

On the surface, selling open gym and 24/7 keycard access sounds like a great way to make some extra money. But in reality, it's more likely to cost you—now and in the future. It presents issues with liability, security and safety, all the while limiting your earning potential (no one's going to upgrade from access to personal training, but many won't hesitate to downgrade). Not convinced? Here's Coop on what happened when he tried selling access, what the top-performing gym owners have to say about it, and how to decide if it's worth the trouble.Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:16 – Lessons from Coop’s past mistakes selling access.4:58 – It costs more to sell access than selling access brings in.6:03 – Downgrades and weed clients.13:13 – Top-performing gym owners on the 24/7 question.15:52 – The added risks and problems with keycard access.18:24 – Still tempted? Do the math. 

You've made it. Your business has survived a handful of years, you're not worried about the rent and you're making a comfortable living. What's next? It's time to level up again—it's time to become a Tinker. Two-Brain's Tinker mastermind program brings together successful gym owners who are taking that next step: making investments, expanding their assets, and growing their personal wealth. It's a non-competitive environment of learning and sharing that makes everyone better—faster. Two-Brain mentor Jeff Smith runs the Tinker program, and here, he chats with Chris Cooper about what it means to be a Tinker and how to get there.Links:Gym Owners UnitedReal Estate: The Secret to Wealth for Gym OwnersTimeline:1:20 – Going from Farmer to Tinker.6:49 – The value of imposter syndrome.11:21 – Lessons learned from the challenges of Farmer Phase.16:23 – How much time do you need to be a Tinker? 21:33 – How more gym owners are becoming millionaires faster.24:30 – The advantages of being in the Tinker mastermind group. 26:02 – Aspirations vs. action.

Today's the day you're gonna finally dig into Facebook ads manager. Definitely.  So you sit down and log in—but look! You've got five notifications! Better check those out. A few clicks later and you're lost in a sea of half-written messages, 11 new tabs, and a video about puppies.How on Earth do you get focused and actually DO all the things on your to-do list? Chris Cooper will tell you.Links:Gym Owners UnitedFree ToolsTimeline:00:24 – You don’t have ADD.1:10 – Pick your daily focus hour.2:39 – A walk through Mick’s focus hour.4:50 – Take the opportunity to practice focus.

Your gym's been growing and the business is stable—and you're sick of wearing all the hats. That means it's time to hire a GM, right? Possibly. But probably not. If you're not strategic about when and how you hire a GM, you'll end up right back where you started: doing all the things anyway. But just because it's not time to roll out the red carpet for a GM quite yet doesn't mean you have to keep doing everything yourself. Here's Chris Cooper on exactly how to tell if you're ready to hire a GM, how to get there if you're not, and what to pay them when you are.Links:Gym Owners HandbookWomen In Fitness Business podcastGym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:54 – Climbing the value ladder before you hire a GM.3:28 – A GM’s job is to keep things the same.4:20 – The best coaches don’t necessarily make the best GMs.5:21 – How to compensate a GM.6:46 – When to hire a GM.11:45 – The biggest mistake gym owners make when hiring a GM.

It's easy to see the value of a coach or mentor when you're neck-deep in problems. But mentorship is just as valuable—maybe even more—when you're further along your entrepreneurship journey.Once you've solved the critical emergency problems of your business, what a mentor provides is speed and clarity. A mentor connects you with the resources you need and helps you capitalize on opportunities faster without trial and error or mistakes.  "When the mistakes are done, that's when you need more mentorship." —Chris CooperLinks:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:53 – Buying speed.4:36 – What’s bugging you right now?5:21 – Get focused on the most important thing.9:50 – Mentors as connectors.13:24 – Mentors get you out of your own head.

Andrew Alvarado was tired. He was ready to sell his gym to the bigger, flashier gym down the street and get a job in construction. But he decided to give one last Hail Mary and sign up for mentorship with Two-Brain Business—even though he couldn't afford it at the time. Within two months, he'd added $2,000 per month to his gym's bottom line. Today, he's selling high-value packages he'd never dreamed people would pay for, and even better—he no longer feels like he's slaving away at job with no end in sight.Here, Andrew joins Mike Warkentin to talk about why he took a chance on mentorship and how it's changed his business—and his life—for the better.Links:CrossFit Fairway Park"Help First"Free ToolsBook a CallGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:10 – Learning what he was actually selling.2:40 – Mentorship: the final Hail Mary.5:31 – The moment Andrew knew mentorship was working.9:29 – Developing confidence in sales—and selling high-value services.12:58 – Making a plan for growth.14:22 – Setting higher prices with confidence.18:41 – Tracking leads and laying a new operations foundation. 20:31 – The magic of mentorship.23:45 – When it’s time to hit “go.”

Boutique downtown space or giant rustic warehouse—where should you set up shop?The answer depends on more than your aesthetic or even your marketing plan. It all depends on who your audience is and what you're selling them. Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:57 – High-traffic, expensive retail locations: You’re selling convenience.3:59 – Pull up a chair for an old-fashioned stakeout.6:57 – Think about price per square foot—and how much that square foot can generate.9:17 – Difference in profit margin between high-value, low-volume and high-volume, low-value models.

Anders Gatti owns Gatti Training with his wife in Stockholm, Sweden. The gym has just 140 members, and in January, they pulled in nearly 50 grand in revenue — and that's without any paid advertising. Tune in to learn how Anders climbed the value ladder, slashed his work hours and made even more money.Links:Gatti TrainingFree ToolsGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:26 – The who and what of Gatti Training.3:45 – Gatti Training’s revenue growth over time.8:26 – Finding high-value clients through affinity marketing.9:54 – How to get your clients to send referrals your way.12:00 – Mapping the client journey and improving retention after on-boarding.15:49 – Selling high-value packages.19:18 – Balancing growth with providing high-value service.21:40 – Talking profit margins.24:59 – Climbing the value ladder.26:34 – Ask your clients what they need.