Run a Profitable Gym

Josh Nimmo owns CrossFit MetroEast in Illinois, and he's the winner of Two-Brain's 2021 award for coach education and opportunity. Here, Mike Warkentin digs into how he earned it — and Josh shares how he went from being a micromanaging Jack of all trades to mentoring to his staff, helping them develop personally and financially rewarding careers and building a strong, successful team that's in it for the long haul.Links:CrossFit MetroEastArboxDriven NutritionGym Owners UnitedTimeline:3:26 – Learning to pass roles onto staff (and teach them how to fill them). 6:22 – Stepping into the CEO role. 8:50 – Learning how to develop staff.11:58 – Teaching staff to sell.14:13 – Becoming a mentor. 18:22 – Teaching staff to charge for their time.20:33 – Leveling up even more with Two-Brain Business.22:44 – Implementing staff contracts.26:26 – Full-effort failure.31:33 – Career roadmap sessions with staff.35:50 – Being OK not being the best at everything. 

When Bryan McDowell joined the Two-Brain Mentorship program in April 2020, his gym was making $6,700 a month. Less than a year later, that number ballooned 400% to $45,000 a month. He also stopped wearing all the hats in the business, passing coaching, personal training and lower-value roles off to staff so he could focus on growing the business. The result? Both Bryan and his staff are happier in their careers and making more money.Here's how he did it.Links:AGuardDrink O2Gym Owners UnitedFree ToolsTimeline:1:26 – Following the plan.2:35 – Getting burned before joining the Two-Brain family.5:32 – Revenue explosion!9:17 – Game-changing changes.13:38 – Climbing the value ladder.16:39 – Developing staff members.18:44 – Next steps: $500,000 and a six-figure nutrition business.23:08 – What to do if you’re struggling (hint — take the advice you give to your clients every day: Get a coach).25:35 – The ROI of mentorship.

How do you decide what your prices should be? Or which marketing tactic to try? Or even what size building you should get? If you're like most microgym owners, you guess. Or you do a social-media poll and make business-altering decisions based on the opinions of 10 keyboard warriors. There's a better way — and it's based on data. Two-Brain Business has spent years and thousands of dollars compiling critical data from microgyms all over the world. Then our mentors use that data to help gym owners make decisions that have been proven to work.  Chris Cooper and Mike Warkentin get geeky and explain the magic behind the numbers.Links:Level MethodTwo-Brain ProgrammingGym Owners UnitedThe State of the IndustryFree ToolsTimeline:1:31 – Why the microgym industry needs data.5:44 – How Two-Brain built its dataset.10:55 – How data helps gym owners make better decisions.18:57 – How data saves gym owners’ time.20:31 – What are the metrics that matter?26:48 – Gym owners who track metrics make more money. This is why.29:48 – Why Two-Brain won’t ever publish the first guide to the next big thing.31:41 – How Two-Brain’s dataset is going to get even better.

Nate Beveridge is competing in the men's 40-44 division at the CrossFit Games this summer.He's an elite-level athlete, but he's also an elite gym owner: His gym, Hybrid Athletics, topped the Two-Brain Leaderboard this spring for revenue. Few people can compete at that level while still running the day-to-day business of the gym. That's why Nate took a few years off competition to focus on the business. The work he did during that time — getting a mentor, setting up systems, hiring great staff and growing multiple revenue streams — is the reason he'll be able to focus on the competition floor in July without worrying about what might be happening back home in the gym.Tune in for a deep dive into how Hybrid Athletics became a Two-Brain revenue leader.Links:Two-Brain CoachingIncite TaxGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:27 – Switching his focus from competitor to business owner. 6:01 – The many revenue streams at Hybrid Athletics.13:23 – Personal training, group classes, and the post-COVID environment.18:25 – Revenue vs. profit margin.25:25 – Building personal-training revenue by showing faith in his own program.28:22 – Getting creative with nutrition programs, the corporate world and kids training.31:25 – Plans for the future.

Chris Coopers gets emails from Two-Brain followers every day. And when they start to form a theme, he makes a resource — like this episode of Two-Brain Radio — everyone can benefit from. In this episode, Coop answers a few hard-hitting questions about marketing: "Which marketing strategy do you teach?""What do you do for marketing at your gym?""What's Two-Brain Business' lead-nurture sequence?"Plus, you'll learn what you need to do before tackling any of the strategies he shares.Links:Beyond the WhiteboardGym Lead MachineFree Resources!Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:29 – “Which marketing strategy do you teach?”4:52 – Why you need to get the fundamentals right first. 7:33 – What you need to know about advertising.11:56 – Should you learn to advertise yourself or hire someone to do it for you?19:44 –  “Chris: What does YOUR gym do for marketing?”23:52 – The secret of marketing at Two-Brain Business.

When was the last time you took a good hard look at your expenses? Not just the big ones like rent or utilities, but really looked at where your gym's money is going and whether your getting a good ROI on that spend? Josh Thorn owns Vashon Strong in Washington state, and he runs a lean business. But that doesn't mean he's a penny pincher. He just knows how to make his money work for him. Tune in to learn his tips for cuttings costs and spending wisely.Links:Vashon StrongArboxForever FierceGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:43 – The $50-a-month gym-management software Josh uses.9:51 – Do you have to be a penny-pinching miser?14:24 – Getting creative and gradual growth.21:13 – DIY vs. the value of your time. 23:40 – Trades and barters: Yea or nay?29:03 – How to decide if something is worth the cost.32:05 – The most valuable thing in Josh’s gym.

When Magnus Bjorsvik increased the rates at his gym, someone complained to the local paper. Two days after the article hit the stands, 55 people called to book No-Sweat Intros — and more than half of them signed up.It's a story you just gotta hear to believe. Tune in for a master class on raising rates.Links:CrossFit UværBook a free call with a Certified Two-Brain Mentor!Driven NutritionDrink O2Gym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:18 – How CrossFit Uvær’s rate increase made the news.2:05 – Putting prices into perspective (spoiler alert: They were dirt cheap).6:21 – Deciding what the new rates should be.8:18 – Best-laid plans, razed by the COVID-19 pandemic.13:42 – Pulling the plug.15:59 – Member reactions and getting called by a reporter.19:09 – How the press actually helped CrossFit Uvær’s case.24:35 – The surge of new potential clients.28:31 – What to do if you’re scared to raise your rates.

Have you ever gone to a big summit or conference, gotten fired up and filled a notebook with great ideas — only to go home and do nothing with them? It's a common mistake, and it's a great way to waste the money you spent on that event. So how do you get a good ROI from attending a live event? Here's how Chris Cooper does it. Links:Register for the 2020 Two-Brain Summit!Drink O2Chalk It ProGym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:29 – Why summits are great for entrepreneurs.4:01 – One action pays for the cost of the event.7:28 – The most valuable lesson Chris learned about getting a good ROI on events. 10:44 – What Chris learned from Colin Powell. 14:09 – What Chris learned from Seth Godin.16:07 – What Chris learned from Henry Rollins — and his snail-mail marketing list.22:53 – What Chris learned from Gary Vaynerchuk (before the slouchy hats and F-bombs).25:39 – How Lisa Nichols got Chris on his feet. 28:14 – Live events and the power of “who luck.”34:01 – Using summits and live events to strengthen your team.

The 2021 Two-Brain Summit starts in nine days — which means nine days from now, your life is gonna change.That is, if you join us on June 19 and 20 for some world-shattering keynotes and actionable workshopping that will send you home with a plan — and the accountability and fire to execute it.Here, Chris Cooper explains how and why he chose this year's Summit speakers — including Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, Lisa Nichols, Todd Herman and Bonnie Skinner — and gives a sneak peek at the resources gym owners and their staff will walk away with. Links:Register for the 2020 Two-Brain Summit!Two-Brain Radio With Laurie Drummond: How to Get the Right People in the Right Roles at Your GymAGuardDrink O2Timeline:4:42 – Why now is the perfect time to spend $400 on developing yourself and your staff.7:51 – What Jocko Willink is going to do for gym owners at the Summit.11:59 – How Lisa Nichols will change your life.14:58 – Todd Herman and the 90-day sprint.17:20 – Pouring gas on the fire by activating your staff.21:22 – How Laurie Drummond will help you transform your team.23:25 – Learning elite leadership with Bonnie Skinner.

Fitness is about more than workout times and macros. The quality of your thoughts is just as important to overall health and well-being. And if you're in the business of helping people get healthy, that means coaching what's between the ears.That's why gym owner and Certified Two-Brain Business fitness mentor Colm O'Reilly founded the Mindset Coaching course with Two-Brain Coaching. Here, he joins fellow mentor Josh Martin to talk all about mindset: what it is, why it matters and how you can help your clients improve theirs.Links:Two-Brain Coaching: Mindset Coaching courseStress, Anxiety and Entrepreneurs: How to Improve Your Mental HealthTwo-Brain ProgrammingBeyond the WhiteboardTimeline:6:15 – The Zen master, a boy and a horse.10:52 – Why your clients need mindset coaching.18:00 – Turning down the noise.22:46 – The power of letting go.26:02 – Rewriting negative self-talk.31:29 – Stilling the mind.35:20 – Setting intentions.38:37 – Leading by example.41:00 – Measuring success with mindset coaching.45:03 – Focus on what you can control.47:13 – Mindset coaching and ROI.