Run a Profitable Gym

Some of the toughest lessons about leadership Ashley Haun learned in an ocean storm.The co-owner of Nika Athletics was a contestant on Eco-Challenge Fiji, a 10-day expedition race and TV show. During the race, Ashley and her team had to sail an ancient sailboat with no wind, climb a volcano in the dead of night and more.It was a grueling physical test—and a great lesson in leadership. Here's what the ordeal taught Ashley about running a business.Links:WodifyIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsBook a Free CallTimeline:1:10 – Getting on the show.2:08 – Training for the race.3:14 – An unexpected challenge.4:49 – The race experience.8:17 – The toughest challenge: teamwork.9:50 – Lessons in leadership.12:51 – How to lead in a crisis.15:14 – Investing in your team.17:15 – Hard things make strong leaders.

It's exciting to get lots of leads, but what really matters is how many of them show up—and how many buy.Matt Andrus, owner of Sequoia Fitness in Oakland, California, closed 75% of his leads in September. In this episode, he shares how he does it.Tune in to learn his approach to advertising, lead nurture and sales—and how he builds trust with potential new clients.LinksSequoia FitnessIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsTwo-Brain CoachingThe Surge: Why Some Gyms are Thriving After COVIDBook a Free CallTimeline:2:02 – A look at Matt’s automations.3:55 – Analyzing the data.6:27 – Surfing the Surge.8:18 – What he did to close 75% of leads in September.11:16 – Evolving from the old school.14:59 – Pamphlets and sandwich boards.17:45 – Rustic but sophisticated.21:48 – What the luxury hotel industry taught Matt about sales.24:09 – “Not a consult, but a conversation.”27:27 – You have to believe your product is worth the price.32:16 – Teaching staff to sell.36:35 – “Hire for attitude, train for aptitude.”41:02 – Successful No-Sweat Intros.48:22 – You have to listen.

Molly Kieland owns Fuelhouse Gym in Seattle, Washington, and she's the winner of Two-Brain's Gym of the Year: Right Brain award for awesome gym culture. But it takes more than good feelings to win that award; you've got to have the numbers to back it up. Here, Molly joins Tiffy Thompson to talk about how she maintained a strong culture at her gym during the COVID crisis and how she maintained profitability throughout—including increasing monthly personal-training revenue from $6,000 to $17,000 per month.Links:Fuelhouse GymIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsTwo-Brain CoachingGym Owners UnitedTimeline:1:23 – About the Gym of the Year: Right Brain award.2:44 – Reacting to the COVID crisis. 4:38 – Shifting online and the learning curve that went with it.5:44 – Maintaining community during lockdown.8:50 – Retention and engagement during the pandemic. 14:07 – Dealing with the stress of the pandemic while in a leadership position.15:59 – Bright spots that came out of lockdown. 18:50 – Increasing personal-training revenue during COVID.21:21 – The future of Fuelhouse.

It's been a hard year—for many gym owners, the hardest they've ever endured.But it's also been filled with opportunities to learn, to become anti-fragile and to fast-track evolution. Gym owners who've made it this far have left the pond and now swim in an ocean of opportunity.So don't let the hardship you endured this year go to waste. Learn from it and get stronger. Here are the top 10 lessons Chris Cooper learned.Links:Two-Brain CoachingDriven NutritionFree ToolsPre-order Coop's new book: "Gym Owners Handbook"Timeline:2:10 – How Two-Brain Business evolved to respond to the COVID crisis.3:24 – You don’t have time to build your wings on the way down.4:20 – When time counts, mentorship becomes more valuable.4:46 – Communication is everything.5:46 – Your business is only as strong as your team.6:28 – Your team is only as strong as its tools.7:04 – Your tools are only as strong as the systems you’ve used to build them.7:43 – Be anti-fragile.8:50 – The first to evolve wins.11:26 – Forgiveness is important.12:52 – In a crisis, leadership is invaluable.

Gyms across the world are facing second shutdowns as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage.If that's you, and you're worried about the health of your business and your clients, you need to listen to this episode.Jen Broxterman is a registered dietician, the founder of Nutrition Rx, a gym owner and co-developer of a new Two-Brain Coaching online nutrition coaching course that will get you up and running with a new revenue source in a month or less.Tune in to learn how it works and how it can help you grow your business despite the COVID-19 lockdown.Links:Nutrition Coaching Course: Book a Free CallPurchase the Nutrition CourseNutrition RxForever FierceTwo-Brain CoachingBook a free call with a Two-Brain mentorContact Jen: nutrition@twobraincoaching.comTimeline:1:46 – How the online Nutrition Coaching Course came to be.3:06 – The benefits of doing nutrition coaching online.4:58 – Is online nutrition coaching as good as in-person nutrition coaching?8:06 – How to measure success when coaching online.10:18 – Rules and restrictions of coaching online: what you need to know.17:24 – Success stories and a 75% close rate.24:03 – The power of simplicity.27:41 – How to build a new revenue stream with online nutrition coaching in just one month.33:20 – What you can do today if you’re not sure where to start.35:49 – Resources available to you.

Chris Cooper used to ask his mentors what they were reading; now, he asks them, "What book have you read five times?"A side effect of the COVID crisis meant fewer books were published in 2019, but that's OK. A book doesn't have to be new to be great. Here are Chris's top reads of 2020.Links:ArboxAGuardFree ToolsPreorder Chris' new bookTimeline: 00:41 – The milkshake revelation. 6:08 – “All Marketers Are Liars” 7:13 – The 75 Hard Challenge8:20 – “Business Secrets From the Bible” 9:28 – "Vivid Vision" 10:37 – “Fix This Next” 12:10 – “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” 13:03 – “The Wealthy Fit Pro’s Guide to Getting Clients and Referrals” 14:02 – “Think Like a Rocket Scientist” 15:08 – “The Big Leap” 15:58 – “Blue Ocean Strategy”Find all the books on Chris' list here. 

When the COVID pandemic hit, many gym owners had to let staff members go or stop paying them. Jared Byczko of NapTown Fitness promoted staff members instead, creating new C-suite level positions in the middle of lockdown.It's just one of many reasons why he earned Two-Brain's Coach Education Award, given to gym owners who've created such a strong business that it supports not only the owners and their families but provides solid careers for staff, too.Tune in to learn how Jared and his business partner, Peter Brasovan, developed such a resilient business.Links:NapTown FitnessIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsTwo-Brain CoachingGym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:21 – About the Coach Education Award.3:45 – Shifting from personal development to team development.5:08 – Hitting their stride with mentorship.6:30 – Promoting staff despite COVID.9:08 – Experimenting with staff compensation methods.11:23 – The Entrepreneur’s Operating System.15:30 – The importance of empathy.16:53 – What to do if you’re struggling with staffing.18:00 – The future of NapTown Fitness.

Think having 500 members will make your gym profitable? It depends on how much each of those members is paying you—and if you have 500 members, chances are they're not paying much. Microgyms don't become profitable by selling discounted services—group training—in bulk. They become profitable by selling high-value services to the right clients and increasing their ARM (average revenue per member). Northglenn Health & Fitness has an ARM of $314 per member—even during COVID. Tune in to learn what owner Jennifer Dawson does to keep that number high.Links:Northglenn Health & FitnessIncite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsTwo-Brain CoachingFree ToolsTimeline:1:40 – Calculating ARM. 3:18 – The big mistake Jennifer avoided when she opened her gym.5:52 – What Jennifer did to increase her ARM. 8:16 – How goal-review sessions can help you increase revenue.10:21 – Helping, not selling.14:14 – Winning by not making the sale.18:16 – The easy sale is soon lost.21:42 – To increase ARM, you have to build relationships.24:06 – Increasing ARM during COVID.32:37 – How affinity marketing can keep ARM going strong. 34:53 – The disservice you’re probably doing your clients (and how it undercuts your ARM).36:08 – Why you need an annual plan.38:04 – The key to high ARM: Offering multiple services.

Phil Kniep has dealt with many of the same problems most gym owners have: Bad partners, weed clients and COVID.  But what sets him apart is how he handled them. Shortly after taking sole ownership of CrossFit Lincoln, he made the tough call to dismiss some clients who were causing problems. Twenty other members left with them.With the help of his mentor, he and his wife rebuilt the membership according to their new vision—and then COVID hit. But while other gyms shuttered their doors, CrossFit Lincoln thrived, reporting record revenue at the height of the pandemic. Tune in to learn how Phil turns devastating situations into opportunities for growth.Links:CrossFit LincolnWodifyGym Lead MachineGym Owners UnitedTimeline:00:20 – The Comeback of the Year Award.1:56 – Becoming sole owners and seeking mentorship.5:55 – Firing weed clients.8:41 – Dealing with the fallout.11:40 – How CrossFit Lincoln delivered its most profitable months during COVID.15:27 – The payoff: Moving closer to Perfect Day.16:45 – Standing apart from the competition.18:20 – What to do when you feel hopeless.

Gym owners: What does your marketing process look like? Do you just toss out some ads and hope for the best?Maybe you're more sophisticated and you've got automations set up to chase after leads. Guess what? That's still not enough. Here, marketing expert Mateo Lopez breaks down the points of performance for the kind of marketing chain that ends in more sales closed. Links:Incite Tax: Profit First for MicrogymsForever FierceGym Lead MachineStoryBrand: Can It Help You Acquire More Clients?Free ToolsBook a Free CallTimeline:1:51 – Learning the lingo: Leads, set, show, close.6:21 – Why gym owners need to learn about the marketing chain. 10:17 – What gym owners do wrong when it comes to lead generation. 14:35 – The top gym-website faux pas.19:40 – What your website should be doing.25:50 – How to get more people to book appointments through your website.28:58 – Fine-tuning the lead-nurture sequence.30:47 – How to make follow-ups personal. 34:31 – How to increase appointment show rates.39:23 – Is your appointment-booking software working for or against you?46:04 – The power of personal touchpoints. 46:59 – How to close the sale.50:01 – Conviction: You need to put in the reps.54:00 – Resources to help you improve your marketing chain and close more sales.