Run a Profitable Gym

If you're familiar with Two-Brain Business but aren't yet part of the family, you might have some questions. "Why do you give away so much stuff for free—what's the catch?""I've heard of other business-coaching and mastermind programs; they usually work in groups. Why is your program one-on-one?"Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper's here with the answers to both those questions. Preview: It all comes down to helping gym owners solve more problems and make more money faster.Links:"Start A Gym: Everything You Need to Start and Scale a Fitness Business"Free ToolsGym Owners UnitedBook a Free CallContact: chris@twobrainbusiness.comTimeline:1:07 – Why Two-Brain gives so much stuff away for free.2:00 – Knowledge is not enough.2:56 – Why one-on-one?7:41 – The problem with group mentorship at the start-up level.

Tyler Welch owns six gyms (four of which he bought in the last six months). Not all were profitable when he bought them—in fact, he prefers them not to be—but all were profitable within the first month. By his own admission, he's sort of a Tinker-Founder hybrid. Yes, he's collecting more and more businesses and expanding across multiple cities, but he's got his hands deep in each of them. Tune in to learn why—and how he replicates a successful model from one business to the next.Links:RxFit"Start A Gym: Everything You Need to Start and Scale a Fitness Business"Free ToolsGym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:39 – Why buy a gym instead of starting one? 2:31 – Tyler’s multiple-gym mission.4:08 – Staffing and management structure across the six gyms.8:01 – How he scaled so quickly.10:31 – Why Tyler prefers to buy unprofitable gyms.11:56 – What happens to the existing staff members? 13:55 – Migrating his playbook and policies to the new gym.15:27 – Bro deals, free memberships and other problems that come with purchase. 17:34 – Retention after the takeover. 18:39 – Making the gym profitable in Month 1. 20:24 – Looking to the long term.22:09 – When is it the right time to buy? 24:21 – How Two-Brain helped.26:24 – Lessons in negotiation. 31:52 – How to replicate processes in the new gym.

To move closer to wealth, you need to work on your business, not just in it. But who has time for that? You do.Or you will—after you listen to this podcast. Here's Coop on how to make the time to take your business to the next level, regardless of which phase of entrepreneurship you're in.Links:"Start A Gym: Everything You Need to Start and Scale a Fitness Business"Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:42 – Making time in Founder Phase.4:57 – Making time in Farmer Phase.6:23 – Making time in Tinker Phase.8:51 – Making time in Thief Phase.

Clients leave. They move away. Circumstances change. Maybe they're just bored. But that doesn't mean they're gone forever. Here's Coop on how to prime them to come back without gimmicks or giveaways.Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:14 – It’s not personal.1:02 – Make sure they know they’re always welcome back.1:39 – Maintain a constant line of communication.3:47 – Be the best.5:09 – Offer something new.7:38 – What to NEVER do.

Late in 2021, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper issued a challenge to gym owners: get 100 leads ASAP. He provided an exact plan to help them start conversations with prospective clients, then said “go!”Amanda Chace of CrossFit Torque had great results with the sell-by-chat strategy and joins host Mike Warkentin to talk about them. Amanda shares how many leads she got and how many sales she made, and she offers other gym owners tips for success when using a public Facebook group to build an audience.Listen to this episode if you’re looking for new ways to market your services, don’t want to spend money on adds, want to learn more about content marketing or want to find out the best ways to connect with local people who might be perfect for your gym or nutrition programs.Links:Fitness Nutrition Mindset in Foxboro AreaGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:13—Lead totals and creating a Facebook group.9:35—How to start conversations.20:20—How to use chats to book free consultations.27:36—Weekly time commitment.31:58—Tips for gym owners.

If you don't post pictures of torn, bloody hands like you did in the old days, is it really your gym? If there isn't a shirtless athlete vomiting in the corner, is it really your gym? If you aren't the one unlocking the doors at 5 a.m. and locking them again at 9 p.m., is it really your gym? Things change, and so will your business if it's to survive the test of time. Here's Coop on which changes matter—and which don't.P.S. Coop's new book is out! For everything you need to start and scale a fitness business, get your copy of "Start a Gym" here.Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:14 – The story of Theseus’ boat.3:06 – Grandfather’s axe.4:38 – The story that matters.

You get a scary-looking letter in the mail. The gist: "Pay us now or stop playing music in your gym!" Is it legit? Are they watching you? The truth is that's the smallest of mines gym owners must navigate on the legal battleground of gym ownership. Matt Becker knows firsthand. He's a gym owner, laywer and founder of gymlawyers.com, and here, he joins Chris Cooper to answer your top questions about the legalities of gym ownership.P.S. Coop's new book is out! For everything you need to start and scale a fitness business, get your copy of "Start a Gym" here.Links: Gym LawyersGym Owners UnitedTimeline:2:42 – ASCAP and music licensing fees. Are they legit? 10:36 – Do you need an AED on-site? What about training to use it?15:59 – All about waivers. What do they protect gym owners from? What don’t they? What should you absolutely have on yours? 21:16 – Why you need incident reports on hand.23:19 – Leases and escape clauses.30:37 – Noncompetes and non-solicits: What they are and whether they’re reasonable. 34:41 – Employees vs. independent contractors: rules and language to look out for.42:46 – When a noncompete clause invalidates an entire contract — and when it’s actually valid.45:57 – Non-solicits: Should you have one?49:16 – When to seek help from an attorney.

Aspiring gym owners: What if you had the solutions to all the newbie gym-owner mistakes BEFORE you made them? Current gym owners: What if you could get the answers to the problems that have been plaguing you since you opened your doors? Sit tight — all that and more is coming your way in Chris Cooper's latest book, "Start a Gym" (both the book and its namesake course will be available on Jan. 24, 2022). Here, Coop shares a preview of what the new book and course contain and how they can help new and existing gym owners alike build a stable, profitable business.Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:14 – Now is the best time to start a gym business.6:13 – Should you buy an existing gym or start from scratch?6:58 – Should you take a partner? 8:32 – Choosing your method.10:16 – Choosing a location. 12:02 – Buying equipment.13:58 – Setting up your services.14:29 – Setting your prices. 15:13 – Selling your services.16:27 – Setting up your media platform.17:22 – Getting your first clients before you open. 18:36 – Pre- and post-launch checklists. 18:53 – Advice from millionaire gym owners. 19:44 – Rolling the dice. 

The client/member journey. Helping people lead better lives. Leadership and relationship-building.All of the above and more are key for building a healthy community with healthy community members — and Tres Kennedy is doing just that in two places: Move Church, where he serves as a pastor, and CrossFit Wotown, the gym he owns with his wife Erin.Here, he shares some of the lessons he's learned apply to both his flocks.Links:CrossFit WotownMove ChurchGym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:48 – Planting a church and starting a gym.3:57 – The member journey: surprising similarities.6:11 – Taking Two-Brain to church.8:12 – Breaking barriers.10:08 – Identifying drop-off points and taking action.12:02 – Taking self-improvement beyond the workout.16:24 – What being a pastor has taught Tres about entrepreneurship.21:19 – “People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care.”23:01 – Retention, self-worth and cynicism.25:47 – The critical thing gym owners must know to build tight-knit community.29:29 – Gym owners: your homework.

Chris Cooper sits down with CrossFit Home Office reps Gary Gaines, Austin Malleolo and Daniel Chaffey to talk about CrossFit affiliation and more.First question from Chris: What is the value proposition for CrossFit affiliation now with Eric Roza at the helm? The four also discuss CrossFit's mission, new and upcoming CrossFit products, lobbying efforts, CrossFit in the era after Greg Glassman, and what people can expect in the future from HQ.If you're a current CrossFit affiliate or if you're considering affiliation, don't miss this one. Links:Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:12 – Who is Gary Gaines? And what does he do for CrossFit Home Office? 6:04 – What is the value proposition of CrossFit affiliation? 11:59 – How does CrossFit Home Office evaluate its ideas? 22:22 – How does CrossFit evaluate the outcomes of its new products? 33:21 – What about getting metrics and data from gyms?39:06 – Are we still fighting Big Soda, and what’s the mission now? 41:56 – The new culture at headquarters.51:44 – Direct-to-consumer products. Is CrossFit competing with its affiliates? 55:53 – CrossFit gyms as essential businesses: What is HQ doing? 1:00:46 – Regional gatherings for affiliates.1:05:31 – The future of the CrossFit Home Office roadmap.1:07:58 – Defending the brand.1:12:20 – How to get in touch with CrossFit Home Office.