Run a Profitable Gym

There's just more than a week left of 2019. Have you thought about where you want your business to go next year?With or without you, the fitness industry is changing. More gyms are embracing the functional-fitness model—and charging less for it—and technology is evolving to provide even more opportunities for service.In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Chris Cooper discusses the state of the fitness industry and what you can do to ensure success in 2020.Links:Building a Sales EngineThe Flywheel: How to Build Momentum and Achieve WealthDon't Fear the CyberThe 6 Best Gym Management Software Platforms: Our Unbiased Review for 2019The 7 Best Fitness Coaching Software Platforms: Our Unbiased Review for 2019Training Coaches: Scope of Practice"How to Start a Gym" guide and other Free ToolsPhases of Entrepreneurship testFree Retention guideBook a free call with a mentorContact:chris@twobrainbusiness.comTimeline:00:31 – The state of the fitness industry.3:00 – Where the data comes from.5:25 – Why we don’t trust surveys.8:10 – Trends from 2019 and what they mean for your gym.9:48 – Why you need to produce content.11:15 – All about retention.12:15 – The competition you don’t know about.13:30 – The soft skills of coaching.14:59 – Why you need to get better at selling.16:37 – Your business flywheel.18:00 – Building your brand.21:00 – Should you become—or stay—a CrossFit affiliate?21:50 – Should you buy a franchise?23:34 – Turning obstacles into opportunities.25:18 – Tools you need—and the ones you don’t.32:03 – Turning your competition into your on-ramp.33:44 – The disappearing middle.35:42 – How to set your business up for success in 2020.

There have been three major evolutions in fitness training: First, personal training in gyms was introduced. Next, trainers left the big-box gyms to open microgyms of their own. Now, the industry is shifting to online training.Jonathan Goodman is the founder of the Personal Training Development Center, the largest community of fitness professionals in the world. He offers the first certification for online fitness trainers, and he's here to explain how online training can be just as personal, effective and profitable—if not more—than coaching in a brick-and-mortar gym.Jonathan and Chris talk about how online training can help coaches make more money in less time, how to get your first clients, what to do if your client doesn't have access to traditional gym equipment and how to use technology to prioritize the personal interactions that really matter.Links:The Personal Trainer Development CenterIgnite the FireContact:Instagram: @theptdcTimeline:1:26 – Working too hard for too little money.3:36 – Learning to be an “infopreneur.”6:37 – The evolution of the fitness industry.9:22 – How online training solves some of the problems of brick-and-mortar personal training.11:11 – What online training looked like in 2013.13:18 – Do the math—then use technology to scale your ability to have a personal touch.15:25 – How to offer unlimited online support without being available 24/7.18:56 – The myth of expertise and the reality of accountability. 20:00 – When to automate and when to support clients in real time.21:52 – Where to start? Get clients before you’re ready.24:46 – Create a compelling offer. 26:43 – Permission to embrace imperfection. 29:26 – How do you train people without equipment?33:28 – The best software for online personal training (the answer might surprise you).37:25 – What happens after you get your first five clients: mentorship and certification.

When should you eat carbs? How important is that post-workout shake? What's the best diet for general health?E.C. Synkowski, founder of OptimizeMe Nutrition, fields questions like these every day, and on today's episode of Two-Brain Radio, she shares the answers with Sean Woodland. You'll learn about her decade of experience on the CrossFit Seminar Staff, why she left CrossFit to pursue a career in nutrition and how she defines good nutrition.E.C. also shares some of her top tips for choosing a nutrition plan, surviving the holidays and sticking with good habits for the long term.Links:OptimizeMe NutritionTwo-Brain Business Free Tools"Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief""Two-Brain Business""Two-Brain Business 2.0""Help First"Contact: Instagram: @optimizemenutritionTimeline:1:06 – Intro to E.C. Synkowski.2:26 – Finding her people in CrossFit.4:02 – How E.C. got on the CrossFit Seminar Staff: “I just kept showing up.”5:28 – Leaving environmental consulting to work for CrossFit.6:23 – Her role as a program manager for CrossFit.8:42 – The power of simple messaging in nutrition. 9:44 – Starting OptimizeMe Nutrition.11:32 – Defining good nutrition.12:12 – Where to start when dialing in your nutrition. 13:08 – The most common nutrition mistakes people make.16:13 – Replacing bad habits with good ones.17:13 – The 800-gram Challenge.19:08 – The Consistency Project. 20:18 – Nutrition and sleep.22:20 – Surviving the holidays without undoing all your progress.23:32 – Overcoming the biggest obstacles to starting a nutrition plan.24:34 – Supplements: Yea or nay? 25:59 – What if you love protein shakes?27:54 – How to maintain good nutrition when you hate cooking and don’t have time to meal prep.29:05 – The biggest misconception about nutrition. 30:33 – How to help loved ones improve their nutrition.

The best digital ad in the world is only as good as what happens after you click it.Do people get sent to your website? To an opt-in form? To a landing page? In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, digital marketing expert Mateo Lopez breaks down why you need a landing page and what information it should contain to get the most conversions. You'll learn about the benefits of third-party page builders, how to organize page information to hold viewers' interest, what NOT to do on your landing page and lots more.Links:Incite TaxFree ToolsTwo-Brain Radio: How to Turn Prospective Clients Into Paying ClientsTwo-Brain Radio: Killer Creative—How to Test Photos Photos for Facebook Ads That Convert Like CrazyContact: mateo@twobrainbusiness.commike@twobrainmedia.comTimeline:3:35 – What should happen after someone clicks an ad? 4:29 – Third-party builders vs. DIY.5:09 – Why you need a landing page.7:31 – Why your website isn’t enough. 9:14 – Designing a call to action. 10:22 – Combating short attention spans.12:04 – Long vs. short-form landing pages.12:53 – Always be testing.13:58 – What should go “above the fold.”16:40 – Experimenting with subheads.17:48 – When to hire an expert to create your media.21:12 – Below the fold: What visitors should see when they start scrolling.24:33 – How to get social proof.25:51 – Outlining the client journey.28:26 – Highlight the benefits of your offer. 30:08 – Show authority. 30:18 – Incentivize with scarcity. 33:10 – Kisses of death: What NOT to do. 36:16 – Don’t forget to collect contact info. 

You probably know Jason Khalipa as a CrossFit Games legend. You might know him as the owner of NCFIT, formerly NorCal CrossFit. But did you know that he oversees more than 20 gyms and 150 employees worldwide under the NCFIT umbrella?Jason began as many gym owners do. He opened his first gym in a 1,500-square-foot space with no credit and a shallow bank account. He coached classes, handed out flyers and did the books. Sometimes he spent the night on the gym couch.At Two-Brain Business, we call that Founder Phase, and Jason didn't stay there long. By treating his gym as a business instead of a hobby—prioritizing sales and marketing, putting the right staff in the right seats and tapping into new markets—he turned his tiny gym into a global fitness empire.In this episode, Jason is here with Two-Brain Business mentor Jay Williams to share how he did it and answer your questions, from payroll to whether or not to affiliate to how to start a corporate wellness program. Links:NCFITFree ToolsContact:Join the NCFIT Collective (Two-Brain Business customers get 50% off the first month!)Timeline:1:27 – How Jason got involved in the fitness industry.2:14 – Opening his first gym.4:13 – Getting bigger and bigger and bigger.6:12 – Bridging coaching and community with sales and marketing.7:10 – The secret to growth: Master the fundamentals (and pick up the phone).9:10 – More is not always better.10:50 – Overcoming the icon problem.12:52 – On hiring: 1099 vs. W2.14:11 – Focus on your strengths.17:29 – Business success: It’s not about the Games.19:55 – The biggest mistake gym owners are making today.21:50 – What he’d do differently if he could start all over.25:53 – When is it time to expand?26:17 – The attitude that sets NCFIT apart.27:50 – The one skill every gym owner must learn in order to level up. 28:50 – All about the NCFIT Collective.30:41 – Expansion and quality control.32:00 – Triaging your time.33:46 – Do you need outside funding to start a gym? 37:44 – On offering 30- and 45-minute classes.40:24 – How to serve both elite athletes and the general population. 41:34 – Managing client relationships.43:04 – Creating opportunities for staff.44:11 – When to affiliate with CrossFit Inc. (and when not to).45:02 – How to get into corporate wellness.45:33 – Payroll and the big picture.47:08 – The future of the fitness industry.48:41 – The NCFIT Collective: how to join and why. 

She's competed at the CrossFit Games four times. She stood on the podium twice. In her final year of competition, she took 8th at the Central Regional—in a boot and with a ruptured Achilles tendon. She's Julie Foucher, and now, in "retirement," she's fighting chronic disease with two swords: fitness and family medicine. In this episode, she and Sean Woodland talk about the memorable moments from her years as a CrossFit Games competitor, how she honed her mindset to build confidence, why she wanted to become a doctor and how she plans on helping her patients with fitness.Links:"Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief""Two-Brain Business""Two-Brain Business 2.0""Help First"Free ToolsContact:http://juliefoucher.com/Instagram: @juliefoucherTimeline:2:30 – Finding CrossFit in the dorms at the University of Michigan.4:31 – Becoming a competitor.5:41 – Lessons in confidence.8:57 – Training for the Games while in medical school.12:31 – Taking 2013 off from competitive CrossFit.14:01 – Returning to the Games in 2014 and developing her mental game.17:11 – Going out with a ruptured Achilles.19:22 – Accepting the end of her competitive career.21:16 – From high-school biology to engineering major to pre-med student.24:00 – Which is harder: medical school or competing at the CrossFit Games? 26:32 – Staying focused for nine years before officially starting a career in medicine.27:44 – What makes a good doctor?28:39 – Bridging CrossFit and medicine. 32:01 – Health care and personal accountability. 33:38 – Health and the power of the mind.35:52 – Fitness post-CrossFit Games.40:46 – Lessons from the journey from athlete to doctor. 

What will get more people to click on your ad: a dude deadlifting or a grandma flipping a tire? The answer could be both. Or neither. It's all about targeting and testing.In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, digital marketing expert Mateo Lopez talks creative: How to tell which images and copy generate the most leads, how often you should change your ad creative and whether or not you need fancy equipment to get the job done. Links:Free ToolsDriven NutritionContact:mateo@twobrainbusiness.commike@twobrainmedia.comTimeline:3:49 – Best practices for ad images.5:00 – Changing times: Why you need video ads. 7:05 – Evaluating ad performance.10:43 – Facebook and dynamic creative.12:34 – Square one: Creative on a budget.14:18 – Stock photos vs. originals.17:42 – Sometimes winners become losers—and vice versa.20:03 – Going against the grain.22:06 – Big Brother: What you can’t do and how to do it anyway.25:15 – Experiment and track.26:47 – Stock photos, the Two-Brain Marketing library and how to “spy” on other business owners’ ad campaigns. 28:36 – When to DIY and when to go pro. 30:00 – Screw up? Don’t sweat it; just adjust. 

Too many gym owners are eating table scraps. That is, they wait to pay themselves until all other expenses are covered, and they're left with a pittance—if anything—as profit. In his book "Profit First," Mike Michalowicz posited a revolutionary cash-flow management system: Business owners pay themselves first, ensuring they make the profit they need to serve another day.John Briggs, founder of Incite Tax in Sandy, Utah, has adapted Michalowicz's philosophy and program especially for microgym owners. His book, "Profit First for Microgyms," will be available in January 2020, and in this episode of Two-Brain Radio, he and Chris Cooper talk about why microgym owners should take profit first, how to do that and make sure everything else still gets paid and how much to save for taxes.Links:Pre-order "Profit First for Microgyms" by John BriggsIncite TaxTimeline:2:08 – Why the profit first concept isn’t greedy.5:56 – Lessons from toothpaste.9:38 – Adapting “Profit First” for the microgym industry.12:17 – The seven essential accounts.14:24 – How much gym owners should allocate to staff pay.18:24 – Customizing profit first for each stage of the entrepreneur’s journey. 22:47 – On the writing process.24:32 – Removing the temptation account.28:03 – On taxation and entitlement programs: limiting how the government spends your money.

What are the most important things gyms should do when it comes to programming? What was it like to compete on champion teams CrossFit Mayhem and CrossFit New England? What's it like to have your mother beat you at Isabel? CrossFit Games veteran and longtime CrossFit Seminar Staff member James Hobart is here with the answers to all that and more on this episode of Two-Brain Radio.James has competed at the Games five times as part of a team and thrice as an individual, winning the Affiliate Cup three times with two different teams. He's also co-owner of CrossFit ONE Nation Boston, and after nearly a decade on the Seminar Staff, he now runs gym programming service The HAM Program with Games vets Spencer Hendel and Austin Malleolo. In this episode, he shares some of his favorite memories from his competition and Seminar Staff days, what makes for good gym programming and how to get your loved ones into fitness.Links:CrossFit ONE NationThe HAM PlanFree ToolsContact: Instagram: @jameshobartTimeline:1:56 – From the kettlebell scene to CrossFit.4:22 – James’ first CrossFit Level 1 experience. 6:39 – The evolution of the CrossFit seminars over time.9:28 – Safe-for-work seminar stories.11:30 – Falling into competition. 14:54 – What makes a great team in CrossFit competition. 18:44 – Training with Rich Froning and CrossFit Mayhem: “We’re gonna work out till one of us dies or we win the CrossFit Games.”20:57 – Highlights from CrossFit Games competition. 23:26 – Stepping back from competition. 26:20 – The HAM Plan.28:07 – What does good gym programming look like? 31:30 – How to become a good programmer.32:45 – The mysterious appearance of an AbMat, a 45-lb. plate and a barbell: James’ mother becomes a CrossFitter.35:46 – How to get your loved ones into fitness.37:33 – Coaching—and being coached by—James’ mother.39:25 – Looking to the future: Running an affiliate, programming for Sanctionals and competing with his wife. 41:51 – Top lessons learned after more than a decade in the CrossFit community. 

Two-Brain Radio: How to Turn Prospective Clients Into Paying ClientsToo many gym owners spend precious time and money acquiring leads only to leave money on the table. Maybe they don't feel like responding to a request for info at 9 p.m. Maybe they give up after the first call goes to voicemail. Maybe they just don't like selling.But just a little extra time and effort spent pursuing those leads—people who have opted in and asked for more info—could lead to great reward.In the second installment of our special series, Two-Brain Media's Mike Warkentin interviews digital marketing expert Mateo Lopez—our regular host. This week, the two are all about those digits. Specifically, what to do with 'em once you've got 'em.Links:Free Help KitUpLaunchContact:mateo@twobrainbusiness.commike@twobrainmedia.comTimeline:2:40 – Mike tries to swipe Mateo’s digits.4:33 – The point of digital marketing: to get contact info.6:27 – What should you do after someone opts in to an ad? 7:26 – The need for speed.9:19 – Uncomfortable selling? Remember, they’re asking for it.11:29 – Being a real person in the age of marketing bots.15:00 – Not everyone will want to talk to you—but you don’t need everyone.17:16 – It’s like baseball: Fail seven out of 10 times and you’re an all-star.19:12 – What’s a good conversion rate? 20:41 – Putting it into perspective: LEG.22:38 – Netflix and the loss leader perspective.24:07 – Speed and persistence.25:15 – When should you give up on a lead?27:24 – How often should you reach out to a lead?28:57 – Whether it’s you or someone else, dedicate a role to immediate response.