Run a Profitable Gym

The floors need mopping. There's a new class that needs coaching. Sales calls to be made; marking campaigns to run. Oh, and there's that great new partnership opportunity you said you'd look into.All these things are important, but you can't do them all—and it's not just an issue of delegation. Some ideas, no matter how good, won't fit your vision. You've got to learn to say "no." Certified Two-Brain Mentor Josh Martin will teach you how.Links:"The Five Filters"Two-Brain Coaching First Degree CourseJames ClearThe 11 Best Books of 2019 For Gym OwnersDriven NutritionArboxRegister for the Two-Brain Summit 2020Timeline:1:55 – When entrepreneurs become martyrs.4:50 – What’s “too much”?10:27 – When saying “no” can benefit someone else.15:58 – How to determine when to say “no.” 20:10 – Standing your ground.26:41 – How mentorship can help you avoid potential pitfalls.28:11 – Saying “no” and the Five Filters.29:55 – How to overcome FOMO.35:38 – Resources for good decision-making.37:04 – If you give, you gotta take.40:04 – Remember your Perfect Day.

High-intensity training isn't new anymore, and you can now find barbells, boxes and rigs in just about any gym you walk into. So what's setting you apart now? The difference between your microgym and the Orangetheory down the street is—or at least, it should be—your coaching. Not just how well you teach the squat, but how well you customize your program for each of your clients and how well you guide them to their individual goals.If you're a regular listener of this show, you've heard Chris Cooper talk about the prescriptive model before. It's more important now than ever, and we've updated it to fit the post-COVID state of the fitness industry.Links:The Prescriptive ModelDriven NutritionArboxFree ToolsRegister for the Two-Brain Summit 2020Contact:chris@twobrainbusiness.comTimeline:3:46 – Why clients quit.4:56 – The No-Sweat Intro: How to write a prescription and sell it.11:30 – After the on ramp.13:04 – How goal-review sessions can increase revenue and length of engagement.19:59 – How to get referrals.23:42 – The prescriptive model post-COVID.

Your client: "My doctor says lifting weights is dangerous; I need to cancel my membership."How do you respond? Do you argue? Give a lecture on why the doc doesn't know what he or she is talking about? Draw some diagrams? Try listening to this episode first.Ashley Mak is a Certified Two-Brain Mentor, the owner of Hudson River Fitness and a doctor of physical therapy. He understands the arguments on all sides, and says there's good news: Doctors and coaches don't have to be enemies.Tune in to learn how to work with heath-care professionals for the benefit of all.Links:Driven NutritionArboxFree ToolsRegister for the Two-Brain Summit 2020Timeline:4:54 – “I’m just going to talk to a real doctor.”9:55 – Why you shouldn’t try to out-explain the health-care pros.15:18 – Making health-care professionals part of your local ecosystem.18:40 – Building relationships.23:14 – How to start networking with the health-care community. 28:58 – Bridging the gap: a win-win situation.33:40 – Starting the conversation.37:19 – Scenario: a client’s doctor says high-intensity training is dangerous.45:53 – Ask questions; don’t confront.48:13 – Developing a symbiotic relationship.

Can't afford to buy ads for your gym? Don't worry. There's a time and place for paid advertising, but the most effective marketing is free.Here, Chris Cooper will walk you through Two-Brain's invaluable guide, The Broke Gym Owner's Guide to Marketing. You'll learn how to keep clients for longer, win back old clients and how to use affinity marketing strategies to expand your circle of influence and market to strangers—all without spending a dime. Links: The Broke Gym Owner's Guide to MarketingFree ToolsTake the TestContact:chris@twobrainbusiness.comTimeline:3:20 – Selling to your current and former clients.7:25 – Selling to future clients.10:12 – Strategies for affinity marketing.19:33 – Getting over fear.27:23 – Make conversation, not a sales pitch.29:09 – The power of coffee.33:25 – Marketing at your clients’ workplaces. 36:05 – How to use lead magnets to bring in new clients.40:00 – Make your clients famous.44:56 – Digital engagement.

If you own a gym, you're not just a business owner; you're a leader. Your staff and clients look to you for guidance and inspiration, and how you respond has a serious effect on the success of your business.Here, Certified Two-Brain Business Mentor, gym owner and leadership expert Andrea Savard joins Mike Warkentin to talk about what it means to be a great leader and how to become one.Links:Register for the Two-Brain Summit 2020WodifyHow to Lead in a CrisisDriven NutritionTwo-Brain Business blogWhen No One Sees Your Vision (and It's All Your Fault)Timeline:2:20 – What is leadership?6:44 – Growing into leadership: trial and error.9:15 – Leaders: Born or built?13:29 – Leading during tough times.17:45 – To become a great leader, observe a great leader.21:48 – Gaining cooperation by building relationships.23:22 – Why authoritarians don’t make long-lasting leaders.26:44 – You have to care—genuinely.31:15 – Be interested in people.33:31 – Great leaders to emulate.35:38 – Characteristics of great leaders in the gym environment.43:24 – The importance of humility.46:49 – How to start strengthening relationships with your team members.

When COVID hit, we pushed the Two-Brain Summit 2020 from June to September. Then we made it a digital/small group hybrid. But make no mistake—this year's summit is going to be one of the best ever. You'll work with Seth Godin, one of the world's top storytellers in business. You'll hear from Chris Voss, an ex-FBI hostage negotiator, on how to handle tough conversations. Risha Grant will answer difficult questions about race and show you how to make your gym more diverse. Cameron Herold will make fuzzy concepts like vision and mission directive. Jen Broxterman will show you how to connect your story to your audience and change lives with nutrition.The best part? You can do all this alongside your neighbors in the fitness business at one of our 30 Regional Meetups, completing directive exercises on the spot and helping each other make your businesses stronger.Links:Register for the Two-Brain Summit 2020WodifyAGuardSeth GodinRisha GrantChris VossCameron HeroldJen BroxtermanTimeline:1:21 – The Two-Brain Summit 2020 at a glance.2:55 – Chris’ dream presenter: Seth Godin.6:02 – Risha Grant, diversity and your gym.9:04 – Chris Voss: Handling difficult conversations.12:47 – Jen Broxterman: Two-Brain’s registered dietician, athlete, cancer survivor and storyteller.15:37 – Cameron Herold: “The CEO Whisperer.”

Julie Johnston once made $18,000 in front-end revenue from paid ads in a single month. But there was a problem: She didn't like how those ads represented her business. Yes, they helped her close sales, but the clients weren't good fits.Tired of the turnover and of feeling icky, Julie quit paid ads—and her business didn't die. In fact, she's actually grown her gym by 41 percent since then by fixing what was wrong in her business, identifying her ideal client and marketing to that client for free.Tune in to learn how you can do it, too.LinksCamp RhinoGym Lead MachineForever FierceGoogle My BusinessFree ToolsBook a Free CallTimeline:4:42 – Making money with paid ads—but feeling gross about it.8:34 – Learning from mistakes.11:02 – Get your mission and your client avatar right.13:18 – Build systems based around serving your client avatar.17:50 – Get a mentor.18:30 – Solve your clients’ problems.21:24 – Your secret weapon: “Google My Business”25:04 – Commit to making one post per day.26:30 – The snowball and the long game.30:40 – Getting attention from local media outlets.35:36 – Content creation: Passion is better than perfection.39:14 – Building a following.

Average gym owners play things by ear; the best ones make plans. And this is a bad time to be average. The COVID crisis is far from over. Even if your gym has reopened, there's a very real chance you'll be forced to close again eventually. But if you make detailed plans for reopening and reclosure and everything in between, you'll come out of this crisis stronger than ever. Here, Chris Cooper breaks down Two-Brain Business' data-driven, step-by-step plan for reopening. You'll learn how to adapt your services to what your clients need, how to manage partial reopenings and restrictions, what to charge for hybrid services and how to tackle marketing when you reopen.Links:How to Reopen Your Gym: A Step-byStep GuideHow to Add Online Training in 24 HoursAffinity Marketing: The Two-Brain Business Guide to Acquiring High-Value Clients for $0How to use MyFitnessPal as a CoachCOVID awareness postersHow to Lead in a CrisisFree ToolsContact:chris@twobrainbusiness.comTimeline:2:44 – The three levels of planning.4:13 – Why you should listen to Two-Brain Business’ advice.6:41 – How to retain clients while your gym is closed.9:30 – How to price online services.12:27 – Flex training in small groups.15:53 – How to price flex training.17:16 – Running outdoor classes.20:08 – How to fully reopen with restrictions.22:52 – Survey results: What clients are saying about reopening.27:11 – Don’t use your gym to make political statements.27:38 – Do you need a new waiver?28:42 – Retention and potential new revenue streams.35:28 – How to decide whether to reopen.40:25 – The disappearing average—and how not to be part of it.

Ever been frustrated because someone just doesn't get what it's all about? Maybe you want beginners to feel comfortable in class, but the competition team hijacks the equipment and space. Maybe you want your gym to be a place for people to let off steam after work, but that drill-sergeant coach is stressing clients out.Guess what? It's not them; it's you.Strong gyms have solid vision statements that staff and clients understand and support, and Certified Two-Brain Mentor Kaleda Connell is here to teach you to write one. Bonus: You don't need stuffy, flowery language—just an idea you care about.Links:Gym Lead MachineForever Fierce"Vivid Vision""Your Vision Statement Sucks"Join the Gym Owners United group on FacebookFree ToolsBook a Free CallTimeline:1:58 – Why your business needs a vision statement.5:55 – You don’t need to perfect it before you start.9:50 – How your vision statement affects every other aspect of your business.10:56 – Step one: Write down words that mean something to you.13:20 – Keep it simple.16:16 – How to implement your vision statement in your business practices.21:26 – Personality, vision and solving the icon problem.24:30 – Hiring according to your vision statement.28:30 – Can’t you just teach thrusters and call it a day?30:56 – What Kaleda’s clients are doing to implement their vision.34:13 – Communicating your vision to clients in the onboarding process.39:37 – How vision statements can help eliminate weed clients.43:03 – Characteristics of businesses with strong vision statements.

When was the last time you brainstormed with the gym owner across town? Or referred a client to a local chiropractor? Or took the local physiotherapist out to lunch?"Networking" is a corporate buzzword, but building a network—an ecosystem—is you how you can grow your business faster and help your clients more—without paid advertising.Here, Chris Cooper shares real examples of how supporting his local ecosystem helped him grow his business and put him in a strong position to give back and help more.Links:Gym Lead MachineForever Fierce"The Go-Giver"What Is Wealth?Join the Gym Owners United group on FacebookFree ToolsTwo-Brain SummitTimeline:1:13 – Building your local ecosystem.7:11 – How investing in your ecosystem can yield returns later on.14:26 – Your ecosystem can also be a safety net.16:09 – Learning from others in your ecosystem.22:54 – Before you can give back to your community, you need a solid foundation.