Run a Profitable Gym

The gyms that had the best retention during lockdown were the ones that customized group programming to every client's needs—and if they keep doing that, they'll continue to be successful long after the COVID crisis is over.But customization is a lot of work. That's where Two-Brain Programming comes in: to help gym owners deliver excellent, customized service while saving time and money. A Two-Brain Programming membership comes with in-person and remote programming tracks, each with briefs customized for three unique client avatars.Depending on membership tier, you'll also get daily session plans, video briefs, coaches development videos, built-in opportunities for coaches to advance their careers and daily SEMM (sleep, eat, move, manage) programming. Current Two-Brain Growth clients have access to Tier 1 for free and Tier 2 at a discounted rate. Here, Brooks DiFiore explains the program and its benefits in detail.Links:Two-Brain ProgrammingTwo-Brain Programming InstagramForever FierceIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsThe State of the Industry 2020Timeline:1:18 – Filling the gap with Two-Brain Programming.3:30 – Workout-focused programming vs. client-focused programming.4:05 – What you get.6:12 – The three client avatars.8:38 – The point isn’t to just copy and paste; it’s to build relationships with clients.11:11 – The two tiers of Two-Brain Programming.14:38 – Incorporating SEMM coaching.19:02 – Built-in opportunities for professional development.21:45 – Syncing with the Prescriptive and Help First models.25:31 – A sneak peek.27:59 – How to start a 30-day free trial.

The average long-term value of a client at CrossFit MASS is over $10,000.So what's owner Joe Venuti's secret? Is it about rates? Specialty programs? Sales wizardry? And how does he plan to keep that number high? Mike Warkentin digs in with all those questions and more in this episode of Two-Brain Radio.Links:CrossFit MassIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsDriven NutritionThe State of the Industry 2020Timeline:2:28 – Where does high LTV come from? 4:04 – Factoring in ARM and LEG.7:40 – How CrossFit MASS achieved average client retention of 41 months.8:46 – The rate debate: to grandfather or not.15:42 – Weighing long-term value of raising rates vs. grandfathering long-term clients.19:52 – Client retention.24:42 – Joe’s advice to gym owners looking to increase LTV.26:04 – Replicating seed clients.

You've heard of ARM (average revenue per member) and LEG (length of engagement), but what do you know about LTV—lifetime value?Lifetime value is just what it sounds like: how much a client pays you over the course of their entire relationship with your business. And at Chalkline CrossFit in California, it was over $9,000 per client in October.Here's how owner Emily Cabral achieved such a high number and why LTV is an important figure to track.Links:Chalkline CrossFitGym Lead MachineTwo-Brain CoachingThe Big Win: When Your Gym Supports Your LifestyleMake More Money for Years: Amazing Client OnboardingThe State of the Industry guideTimeline:2:44 – Calculating LTV.6:00 – The secret sauce.9:36 – Dealing with the icon problem.13:40 – Planning to raise ARM.14:11 – Advertising and LEG.19:49 – How LTV informs decision-making and spending.25:58 – Advertising in the post-COVID era.27:27 – Using the 90-day challenge as an entry point for prescriptive selling.31:52 – The key to high LTV.

The COVID crisis fast-tracked the evolution of the fitness industry, but it's about more than online coaching. The gyms that retained the most clients were the ones whose coaches had the deepest relationships with those clients—and that means teaching more than exercise.That's why Two-Brain Coaching teaches the SEMM model: Sleep, eat, move, manage. World-class coaches help their clients with all four pillars because that's what will get them the best results.Here, Two-Brain Coaching's Josh Martin explains how coaches can use each pillar to deliver (and charge for) higher-value services—and why the future of coaching revolves around a holistic approach.  Links:Two-Brain CoachingGym Lead MachineForever FierceAn Economist Walks Into a Brothel With Allison SchragerFree ToolsTimeline:1:05 – How the COVID crisis transformed coaching.1:54 – The four pillars of the SEMM model of coaching.3:58 – Why coaches should teach more than exercise.5:56 – How to use SEMM in group training.7:41 – How coaches benefit from coaching all four pillars.9:37 – How one gym owner more than doubled nutrition-coaching revenue during COVID.11:30 – The Two-Brain Nutrition Coaching course and a habits-based approach.15:10 – Creating content to attract and keep clients.19:17 – Mindset coaching: What it is and how to do it.24:37 – How technology helps and hinders coaching.28:48 – Listening to your clients instead of fighting against them.

Certified Two-Brain Mentor Josh Price has mentored some of the best gym owners in the business—including four of this year’s Two-Brain Award winners.Here’s what they have in common, how they’ve become so good at what they do and tactics you can use to level up your game in 2021.Links:When No One Sees Your Vision (and It’s all Your Fault)How to Be a Better Leader in 2021The State of the IndustryThe Big Win: When Your Gym Supports Your LifestyleSinking Ship to Rocket Ship: How Brandon Evans Did ItConsistent 30% Profit Margins: How Mike Collette Does ItWhen Your Clients Want to Tell the World About YouThe Fired Client Rebellion and the Comeback of the YearThe Secrets of Incredible Staff DevelopmentCreating a Culture of Care at Your GymThe Second Shutdown Plan for Gym OwnersTwo-Brain CoachingIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsTimeline:2:27 – The common thread between Two-Brain’s top gym owners.5:20 – What you need to be a great leader.8:23 – How to get your team on the same page.10:34 – Narrowing your vision.14:21 – Mentorship and the Two-Brain Roadmap.18:15 – The one thing every successful gym owner does.20:07 – Responding to objections to mentorship.23:54 – Numbers never lie.27:20 – What to do today to start strong in 2021.29:12 – Using tactics to prepare for when plans go awry.33:12 – How to connect tactics to your vision.

There's never been a resource like this before.  Eighty-four pages of data-backed information on the state of the fitness industry, including:The types of gyms that are the most profitable.Where the most profitable gyms get the bulk of their revenue.How much gyms are paying their employees.How many gyms had to fire staff during COVID.Most gyms’ typical lead costs.How many gym owners are considering selling their businesses.And more.Download it for free and follow along as Chris Cooper unpacks the data and explains what it means for gym owners like you.Links:The State of the Industry Two-Brain CoachingWodifyArboxAGuardRigquipmentIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsGym Lead Machine"Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief""Gym Owners Handbook"Regional MeetupsTimeline:1:48 – The fitness industry’s greatest test.9:47 – How to read this report—and what it can do for you.11:09 – Where the data comes from.15:28 – Which gyms are the most profitable?20:24 – Owner hours worked.23:25 – Investment in marketing software.25:13 – Profitability and years in business.28:03 – Monthly expenses.29:10 – Monthly spending and profitability.31:47 – The cost of running a gym by segment.34:39 – Owner hours worked by segment.36:32 – Effective hourly rate across segments.39:21 – Revenue models.41:03 – Percentage of revenue from group training.42:36 – Percentage of revenue from personal training.43:19 – Personal training and pricing.46:58 – Online coaching.48:19 – Percentage of revenue from nutrition coaching.48:34 – Supplement sales.50:41 – Kids classes.51:18 – Revenue structure by owner-estimated value.53:44 – Digital marketing.56:16 – On working with marketing agencies.57:14 – The cost of a new lead.58:10 – Conversion rates.58:52 – Staffing.1:00:51 – Coach compensation.1:02:13 – Partnerships and business structure.1:03:37 – Owner-estimated value.1:05:24 – COVID-19.1:07:09 – Gym size.1:08:52 – CrossFit: Affiliation, affiliation and reaffiliation.1:10:27 – Demographics and attendance data.1:13:15 – Average revenue per member and length of engagement.1:14:28 – Revenue and profitability.1:16:06 – Leads and close rates.1:17:58 – Cancellations and closures.1:19:02 – Financing.1:20:26 – How Two-Brain gyms compare.1:24:10 – Who will lead the fitness industry moving forward? CrossFit Inc.?1:27:21 – Gym associations?1:29:16 – Franchises?1:31:37 – Certifying bodies?1:33:18 – Using data to let the best gyms lead.1:34:41 – Bringing the best gym owners together.1:38:53 – New tools from Two-Brain to help gym owners succeed.

If you're a gym owner, you're also a leader—whether you like it or not. You set the example for your staff and members, and how well you lead has a direct correlation to how well your business performs. But what does good leadership look like? And can you get better at it if it doesn't come naturally?Here, certified Two-Brain mentor and gym owner Anastasia Bennett shares five characteristics of great leaders and how to develop them.Links:WOF Strength and ConditioningWodifyForever FierceWhen No One Sees Your Vision (and It's all Your Fault)Free ToolsTimeline:1:26 – Good leaders have clarity.3:35 – Good leaders build relationships based on trust.4:52 – Good leaders are consistent.6:50 – Good leaders have the courage to make decisions.8:19 – When over-communication is a good thing.10:22 – Motivate, don’t manage.13:55 – Are leaders born or made?16:13 – Building leaders by building confidence.19:08 – How mentorship can help build confidence.20:48 – Communication 101: Know your audience.22:47 – Stick to the point.25:10 – Communicate often.27:58 – The importance of body language.30:26 – To improve leadership and communication skills, start with your vision.32:06 – Give credit where it’s due and take responsibility when it’s needed.32:48 – Ask questions.

Oskar Johed and business partner Karl Solberg have some of the best Net Owner Benefit numbers in the Two-Brain family. That means their business is working to their benefit and providing things like good salaries, dividends, pension plans, life insurance and more. But you don't get a high Net Owner Benefit by accident. The owners of CrossFit Medis in Sweden are now reaping the benefit of years of careful decision-making that has made their business profitable. Tune in to learn what Oskar and Karl have done to grow profit, revenue and Net Owner Benefit over the years and how you can start doing it, too.Links:CrossFit MedisDriven NutritionGym Lead MachineFree ToolsTimeline:2:12 – What is Net Owner Benefit?4:05 – Using taxes to maximize Net Owner Benefit.8:28 – How the owners of CrossFit Medis got where they are now.11:46 – How Oskar and Karl increased profit margins.13:52 – The biggest mistakes gym owners make that keep them from achieving high Net Owner Benefit.18:07 – How defining your avatar can increase revenue opportunities.20:02 – Managing costs—including staffing.23:17 – Letting time and the compound effect work for you.25:33 – The power of getting outside perspective.

In September, Pep Leppers got 40 leads. All of them booked appointments, 39 showed up and 28 of them bought something.You could call it a lucky month, but he's maintained those numbers—a set rate of 30-40, a 95 percent show rate and a 70-80 percent close rate—ever since.Learn how he does it and how you can improve your gym's set, show and close rates in this episode.Links:All Round CrossFitArboxAGuardFree ToolsTimeline:1:37 – The history of Pep’s metrics.2:52 – Where do his leads come from?3:14 – Pep’s approach to affinity marketing.7:30 – How Pep customizes Facebook marketing for success.12:14 – The importance of consistency between your ads and your website.14:58 – A glimpse at Pep’s approach to lead nurture.21:07 – How Pep prevents no-shows before they happen.26:19 – The one-hour intro session: Why it’s worth it.31:25 – The best of both worlds: the No-Sweat Intro and the Sweat Intro.42:03 – How Pep’s numbers have changed since September.43:53 – Two simple steps struggling gym owners can take today to improve set, show and close rates.

After Jen Broxterman switched her nutrition-coaching program from a macros-based method to a habits-based method, her revenue increased from $40,000 a year to $150,000. When Lindsey VanSchoyck made the switch, hers went from $56,000 to $116,000—and her length of engagement went from three or four months to almost a year. Here’s how you can get the same results.Links:Two-Brain CoachingTake the Two-Brain Coaching Nutrition CourseGym Lead MachineFree ToolsTimeline:2:16 – Habits-based nutrition coaching vs. counting macros.3:27 – How habits-based coaching leads to greater client consistency, success and length of engagement.6:14 – Why gym owners should consider making the switch: ease of implementation and insurability.8:49 – How habits-based nutrition coaching helped Jen and Lindsey double their revenues.11:08 – Why it works.14:04 – How habits-based nutrition coaching improves client length of engagement.16:20 – Client success with habits-based nutrition coaching.17:38 – Doctor-approved.19:06 – Research to back it up.22:50 – How to transition clients from macros to habits.24:07 – Macros aren’t the devil—but obsessive counting doesn’t lead to results.26:26 – A plug-and-play program for gym owners.