Run a Profitable Gym

No one said owning a gym would be easy, and it certainly hasn't been for Tina Ferringer.Her gym's roof collapsed. A staff member stole her ideas, opened a new gym and undercut her on prices. Then COVID-19 hit and shut her gym down for two months.But Tina's not complaining. In fact, she says she's thankful for the opportunities for growth. Tune in to learn how she sprung back from crisis and made her business stronger than ever.Links:Incite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsForever FierceGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:28 – Betrayed by a staff member.5:53 – Getting help from a mentor.7:53 – Dealing with adversity.9:56 – Adapting to COVID.13:43 – Revenue PRs during the pandemic.15:24 – The real reason for the work.

Chris Doster swore he'd never go to work high. Or drink and drive. Or use intravenous drugs. But he did all three, and he couldn't stop—until he decided to fight to give his son a chance at life. He threw away the drug paraphernalia and got a sponsor—and got into fitness. It didn't take long before he had a new mission in life: to help other people improve their lives with health. But although he had all the passion in the world, he couldn't help people if he couldn't keep his new gym, CrossFit TYL, open. So he started mentorship with Two-Brain Business.Listen to his amazing story and learn just how far Chris and his business have come here.Links:CrossFit TYLTwo-Brain CoachingGym Lead MachinePaying Attention to Mental Health With Colm O'ReillyTimeline:2:33 – Falling prey to drugs and alcohol.4:49 – Crossing off the list of nevers.6:47 – Breaking the cycle.10:13 – The work beneath the surface.11:12 – Small wins.13:35 – A new kind of high.14:31 – Opening CrossFit TYL.16:13 – Starting in the garage.20:16 – Transcend Your Limits.23:42 – Wearing all the hats.27:55 – Pulling the trigger on mentorship.30:27 – Working on the business instead of in it.34:20 – Big things to come.38:56 – Mental health, mindset and never giving up.

Your bookshelf is full of business books. You listen to all the podcasts and join all the right groups on social media. So why aren't you making more money? You don't need more knowledge, you need clarity. You need to know what to do right now. Start by getting off Facebook and taking action in these six core areas of your business.Links:Level MethodTwo-Brain Affinity Marketing guideFree ToolsTwo-Brain Programming"Gym Owners Handbook"Timeline:1:44 – Your problem isn’t lack of knowledge.4:28 – How to keep your clients longer with one-on-one onboarding.7:08 – Sell more to your current clients with the prescriptive model.9:04 – Get more leads with affinity marketing.14:45 – Improve operations with a staff playbook.15:45 – Teach your vision.17:48 – Upgrade your team.20:41 – Beat overwhelm with mentorship.

Why did you get into the fitness business? It probably wasn't to spend all day marketing and worrying about sales. But that's what you'll be doing if you don't prioritize retention. Join Chris Cooper for a fireside chat on why retention is more important than marketing—and how you can improve it.Links:Gym Lead MachineMicrogym Myths: The Market Chases ExcellenceTwo-Brain RampUp ProgramTwo-Brain Affinity Marketing guideIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsGym Owners UnitedGym Owners HandbookTimeline:00:47 – You didn’t sign up for this.4:47 – Referral marketing at every level.5:38 – Affinity marketing and Two-Brain’s new guide.9:59 – Retention matters: Do the math.12:50 – Tactics to keep clients long term.14:43 – Tag-teaming with other local experts.15:58 – Starting with the right clients in the first place.

Running a business with your significant other can be awesome and inspiring while also being stressful and demanding. You see each other all day. You talk shop all day. Pretty soon, work problems become home problems and vice versa—and you can't even go home and vent to your spouse! Two-Brain fitness-business mentor Kenny Markwardt gets it. He runs Sandpoint Strength and Conditioning with his wife Jenn, and the two have had their fair share of ups and downs. Here, Kenny shares his hard-won wisdom on how to work with your spouse—without burning down the house.Links:Sandpoint Strength and Conditioning“Couple-Preneurship”: How to Work With Your SpouseCouple-Preneurship: How to Hire Your SpouseCouple-Preneurship: What to Do When Things Go WrongAGuardTwo-Brain CoachingThe State of the Industry GuideTimeline:3:35 – Speaking from experience.7:00 – Common challenges couplepreneurs face.10:28 – Benefits of running a business with your spouse.12:14 – Preventing pitfalls.12:55 – Make a financial plan.15:01 – Setting boundaries.18:19 – Don’t forget to work on the relationship.21:11 – Setting goals.24:50 – How to solve problems and settle arguments.27:54 – What spouses can do today to improve themselves as couplepreneurs.

Gareth Wayt, owner of Second City Fitness in the United Kingdom, has been through three lockdowns since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The gym is still in that third lockdown, yet now, their retention, average revenue per member, and life-time value are all higher than ever. Here's what Gareth and co-owners did to make their business even stronger during the pandemic.Links:Second City FitnessLevel MethodForever Fierce"Help First"Free ToolsGym Owners UnitedTimeline:2:01 – Using WhatsApp to keep the community alive during lockdown.10:47 – Getting creative to keep members engaged—and do your marketing for you—during lockdown.13:29 – Using lockdown to evaluate the business and make changes for the better.18:24 – Switching to a hybrid membership model.21:47 – Facing fears when making big changes to your business.23:50 – Why Gareth and his team spent 10 days calling all 225 members of the gym.28:05 – Looking to the post-COVID era.32:03 – Numbers don’t lie: increased ARM, LEG and LTV. 

Staff meetings are such a hassle. They're hard to schedule, nothing really gets done and they usually end in arguments. Sound about right? But what if they weren't a waste of time? What if you could use them to get your staff members to take action and even increase revenue right then and there? That's what staff meetings are like at 416 Fitness Club. Here, owner and Two-Brain Business mentor Dan Visentin explains how it's done.Links:416 Fitness Club"Actionable Staff Meetings: Build Your ARM"Driven NutritionArboxThe State of the Industry Report Book a callTimeline:3:09 – The first key to a successful staff meeting: preparation.4:24 – Know your objectives for the meeting.7:24 – How often should you have staff meetings?9:36 – How much is reasonable to cover?12:00 – How to avoid negativity.12:53 – Top mistakes gym owners make in staff meetings.14:47 – Don’t forget the follow-up.16:34 – Resources to help you run great staff meetings.20:26 – How to get staff members to actually take action.24:52 – How to make money during your meetings.31:00 – Using meetings to energize and motivate staff.33:07 – Using staff meetings to generate content.38:59 – Why you need to have your staff members create content.

You're busy. You've got tons of ideas—what about this new marketing technique? This new speciality-class idea?—but day-to-day tasks keep getting in the way. By the time your head hits the pillow each night, it feels like you spent the day treading water at best and trying not to drown at worst. Here's how to swim—how to focus and prioritize to move your business forward.Links:The Microgym Model: 2021Take the Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief testThe State of the Industry ReportArboxForever FierceGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:13 – The reason you’re overwhelmed.5:24 – Mission.6:33 – Strategy.8:36 – Tactics.9:46 – The importance of mentorship and the objective eye.12:32 – Moving the business forward every day.

Nutrition challenges are quick fixes that don't deliver long-term results—for your clients or your business. Kickstarts, on the other hand, are designed for ongoing progress.When Lindsey VanShoyck swapped the word "challenge" for "kickstart"—and made sure participants understood it was just the beginning of long-term change—she doubled the program's front-end revenue. The change also generated 75% more conversions to ongoing nutrition coaching afterward.Tune in to learn why kickstarts work and how you can implement them to get your clients lasting results and generate increased ongoing revenue.Links:Two-Brain ProgrammingArboxFree ToolsTwo-Brain on YouTubeContact:lindsey.vanshoyck@twobrainbusiness.comTimeline:1:57 – Why Lindsey stopped running nutrition “challenges.”3:55 – How “kickstarts” get clients in the right mindset.6:37 – Boosting revenue big time.9:11 – Opportunities for more conversions and increased ARM.11:54 – How to market a nutrition kickstart.14:30 – How to get people to sign up for a nutrition kickstart.17:23 – How to get people to convert to ongoing nutrition after the kickstart.

A gym owner in Atlanta once told Chris Cooper it was impossible to sell CrossFit in his area for more than $79 a month. Why? The market was saturated, and the only way for gyms to differentiate themselves was to be cheaper than the next guy.But that strategy doesn't keep the lights on for long.Here, CrossFit South Cobb owner and Atlanta microgym-industry leader Miles Davis explains how to get out of the price war and set your gym apart while also high-value services that are good for your clients and your business.Links:"Gym Owners Handbook"CrossFit South CobbArboxAGuardTimeline:1:24 – How Miles got into the fitness industry.3:36 – CrossFit in Atlanta in 2009: a copycat market.7:41 – Why you couldn’t sell CrossFit in Atlanta for more than $79 a month in 2018.11:03 – Making chicken nuggets.16:13 – The Atlanta Two-Brain Group. 20:43 – ARM at CrossFit South Cobb.24:02 – How to mentor staff to achieve their goals.26:23 – How to sell high-value services.28:15 – Competing with the gyms who charge less than you.30:35 – Helping first to make everyone better.33:53 – Communicating with staff and clients.38:09 – To earn more, ask “What can I sell for $200” instead of “How can I charge $200 for this one thing?”