Run a Profitable Gym

Two-Brain Radio: Taking Control of Your Business With Natalie MarcomWhen Natalie Marcom opened Nakoma CrossFit in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, she knew fitness. She had lost a significant amount of weight with CrossFit herself and felt right at home coaching people. Running a business? Not so much. For a long time, she just "white-knuckled it."She knew she needed some guidance to grow her business and make it sustainable for the long haul, but she was skeptical about Two-Brain mentorship at first. But just three months after she decided to give it a shot, the investment had already paid for itself.Since joining the Two-Brain family, Marcom's fixed costs have decreased by 10%, she saw about a 200% increase in attendance during July—normally the leanest month—and turned $260 in ads into $4,400 in front-end sales.Links: https://www.nakomacrossfit.com/Contact:natalie@nakomacrossfit.comTimeline:2:46 – Mistaking a CrossFit gym for a Christian gym. 4:16 – Deciding to open her own gym.5:54 – Starting from scratch and “white-knuckling it.”6:41 – A long courtship with Two-Brain.9:32 – The goal: Make Nakoma CrossFit a “legitimate business.”10:31 – Opening the fire hose: record attendance, increased revenue and decreased fixed costs.14:38 – Learning to create ads. 17:07 – On selling a service. 18:13 – The lead-nurture process: From Acuity to video text messages to phone calls.20:14 – If you just listen to prospective clients, they’ll sell themselves.22:14 – Setting a foundation for retention.25:36 – Words of wisdom: Ask for help and let go of fear.

Food For Thought Friday: Are Your Members Telling You What They Want?You wouldn't tell your doctor what to prescribe you or what kind of treatment you need. So why would you expect your clients to do the same?Listen to a prospective client's goals first, before assuming what they need. Then, simply prescribe them the next step. 

Two-Brain Radio: Launching a Podcast With Jared ByczkoJared Byczko is the co-owner of NapTown Fitness in Indianapolis, Indiana. He's also the co-founder and host of the Drink Culture Podcast. At first just a side project and creative outlet for Jared, the podcast originally focused on the whiskey and craft beer industries. Today, the podcast tells the stories of local "entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and creators who are shaping the culture of Indianapolis."In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Jared takes you through the evolution of the podcast from side project to near-full-time venture, discusses tactics for generating sponsor interest and shares some of his top tips for anyone who's considering starting a podcast of their own. Links: https://www.drnkcltr.com/https://affiliateguard.infoContact: jared@drnkcltr.comTimeline:3:42 – Getting to know Jared Byczko and NapTown Fitness.7:15 – How the Drink Culture Podcast came to be.8:46 – From craft beer and whiskey to a larger conversation.11:31 – Telling compelling stories about interesting people.14:04 – From side project to business.16:20 – Creating systems and developing the team.21:29 – Emulating the Perfect Day model.24:50 – The struggle of appealing to potential sponsors as a hyperlocal podcast.27:38 – Looking to the future: partnerships and potential expansion to other cities.31:59 – Words of wisdom for would-be podcasters.

Two-Brain Radio: Covering the Sport of Fitness With the Buttery BrosOn this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Sean Woodland talks with Heber Cannon and Marston Sawyers, better known collectively as the Buttery Bros.Heber and Martson have been involved in CrossFit and the Sport of Fitness for ten years, bringing you the action and taking you behind the scenes of the CrossFit Games, Regionals, Invitationals and more. They were instrumental in the creation of four of the top 100 best-selling documentaries on iTunes while they were working at CrossFit Inc.Now, they're out on their own, creating more great content around the CrossFit Games season. They talk about how they got started making videos for CrossFit, the challenges they faced while creating their documentaries, some of their most memorable moments from the past 10 years—and how they turned Buttery Bros from dream to reality.Links: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp00ppkfPFBUTiiNNd8kS9Qhttps://butterybros.comhttps://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSXContact:Instagram: @butterybrosTimeline:2:31 – How it all started: From knee rehab and a Vanilla Ice documentary to covering the Sport of Fitness.6:35 – Transitioning from highlight videos to feature-length films.8:15 – The challenges of documentary filmmaking.11:02 – It takes a village: the team behind the screen.13:28 – Developing relationships with CrossFit Games athletes.15:05 – After the CrossFit Inc. layoffs.17:25 – Becoming businessmen.21:18 – Producing content outside of the CrossFit umbrella.24:01 – From dream to reality: financing the Buttery Bros.25:42 – The 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games? Or Game of Thrones?27:21 – Adapting to the story you’re dealt.30:18 – The time Sam Briggs bit off a beer cap and other highlights from a decade of CrossFit Games coverage.33:02 – When Marston outran Mat Fraser at the CrossFit Games.34:41 – The meaning behind the madness.37:20 – The future of the Buttery Bros: See you in Aruba.

Two-Brain Radio: From "Coasting Along" to Serious Growth With Teegan WebbWhen Teegan Webb opened SkyBox boxing studio with her husband just over two years ago, her only goal was to have a cool job. They were making ends meet, but not growing or doing any real marketing. After they joined the Two-Brain family, they launched their first ad campaign, turning $380 in ad spend into $8,500 in front-end sales.In this episode, you'll learn how Teegan caters to both competitive boxers and everyday athletes just looking to get fit, how she boosted revenue with targeted ad campaigns and how she learned to balance keeping the roles and tasks she loves with delegating low-value tasks to others.Links:https://www.skyboxstudio.com.au/http://affiliateguard.info/Contact:Instagram: @skyboxstudiogeraldtonTimeline:4:47 – Turning a passion for fitness into a job.6:08 – SkyBox Studio at a glance: kids programs, boxing, PT and more.7:48 – How to cater to both competitive athletes and everyday clients just looking to get fitter.10:47 – Pre-Two-Brain: Making ends meet, but with no real sense of direction.13:13 – Revolutionizing SkyBox marketing: from simple word of mouth to targeted campaign strategies.15:56 – On-ramp for boxing: a six-week package. 17:54 – Discovering a love for lead nurturing.20:41 – The lead-nurture process: phone calls, No-Sweat Intros and puppies.23:50 – Running a business with your spouse.26:04 – From cool job to serious business.

In this week's morsel, Greg Strauch encourages you to answer this question: What are you more passionate about—being a gym owner or being a business owner? Both answers are OK. The point is to think critically about the answer and decide if what you're doing is moving you closer to wealth—the freedom to choose how you spend your time. 

Two-Brain Radio: Paying Attention to Mental Health With Colm O'ReillyColm O'Reilly owns CrossFit Ireland in Dublin and recently celebrated the gym's 12th anniversary. But he's not here to talk business; he's here to talk mental health and entrepreneurship.When Colm was 17, he attempted to end his own life. Since then, he's dedicated years to understanding his own psyche and how his response to outside events affects his inner emotional state. In this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Colm explains why business owners and entrepreneurs are especially susceptible to depression and anxiety and shares techniques for rewiring the brain according to a positive, self-compassionate growth mindset.Links:https://crossfitireland.ie/https://www.levelmethod.comhttps://www.amazon.com/Lost-Connections-Uncovering-Depression-Unexpected/dp/163286830X Contact:colm@crossfitireland.ieTimeline:2:47 – From Nestle employee to CrossFit affiliate owner.5:04 – Surviving attempted suicide and lessons learned from self-reflection. 7:48 – Why open a gym?10:22 – Business owners and depression: a loss of identity, security and connection.12:53 – Don’t go to failure.15:41 – Have self-compassion. 16:36 – Recognize the Bright Spots.20:42 – The inner vs. outer worlds.22:35 – Finding happiness and strength in the inner world so that you can tackle the outer world. 24:51 – Just as in your business, establish systems—work on yourself—before you try to fix anything else.29:21 – Don’t let stress about one issue cloud everything else.29:55 – Tackling the outer world, piece by piece.31:37 – Step one: Take time for yourself each day.32:26 – Forgive yourself. 

Two-Brain Radio: Getting Through Tough Times Using CrossFit With Carleen Mathews On this episode of Two-Brain Radio, Sean Woodland talks with four-time CrossFit Games athlete Carleen Mathews. She took second overall in the 35-39-year-old division at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games following a three-year career as an individual Games athlete.Carleen shares her experience being addicted to drugs and alcohol and how CrossFit helped her transform her life after she got sober, ultimately leading to her career as a competitive CrossFit athlete.She and Sean talk about what it was like to become a Games athlete, her first Masters experience in 2019 and her plans for the future. Carleen also talks about what she is currently doing to help people who are dealing with addiction and how friends and family can help them, too.Links:http://crossfitsainthelens.com/https://www.amazon.com/Founder-Farmer-Tinker-Thief-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B07QH85HSXContact:Instagram: @teamcarleenTimeline:1:10 – The CrossFit Games Masters experience.1:52 – Training for the Masters competition and coming out with a silver medal.4:13 – Why go Masters? 6:41 – Falling into the world of addiction. 7:43 – The turning point.9:43 – How Carleen got sober. 12:32 – Insight on addiction.13:41 – How online dating led her to CrossFit.17:07 – CrossFit: a healthier addiction. 19:22 – Becoming a competitor.22:07 – Carleen’s debut CrossFit Games: A lesson in discomfort.25:13 – Injury and burnout.26:46 – Why competing at the Games level doesn’t necessarily indicate peak health.28:39 – Second place is cool, but the real reward is showing people they can change.29:11 – Setting an example and helping other addicts through CrossFit.34:30 – What the future holds.36:07 – Lessons from the journey: “It’s OK to be uncomfortable.”

Two-Brain Radio: Partnerships With Ashkan AmirsoleymaniIn this episode of Two-Brain Radio, we hear from your host Mateo's business partner Ashkan Amirsoleymani. The pair co-own CrossFit Rittenhouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.They'll take you down memory lane as they share how they got their start in a free park workout, eventually using that same concept to bring new members into the gym when they took over. Then, Ashkan discusses what it takes to present a unique offering in a competitive market—there's another CrossFit gym a mere eight feet from Rittenhouse's doors—and how to fire members and employees who don't jive with your business' vision and values. He also shares how he starts the relationship-building process in the No-Sweat Intro and why you should avoid the quick hire in favor of the right one.Links:https://crossfitrittenhouse.com/https://www.meetup.comhttps://www.levelmethod.comContact:info@crossfitrittenhouse.netTimeline:5:02 – Meeting future business partners in a free park workout.7:52 – Meet-Up: Free targeted advertising.11:53 – How to build a great community and a unique offering in a competitive market.12:49 – A coach’s perspective on building community: Building relationships.14:26 – An owner’s perspective on building community: Establishing vision and values.17:22 – What to do when a member isn’t a good fit.22:26 – A membership fee isn’t worth cancer in the locker room.24:01 – What to do when a staff member stops being a good fit.28:42 – The sales process at CrossFit Rittenhouse.30:23 – The No-Sweat Intro: Prioritize relationship-building over the hard sell.36:15 – The key to success: Take the time to build the right team. 

Food for Thought Friday - Part 2 of Who Are You Listening To?In this week's morsel, Greg Strauch explains the meaning behind the three questions you should be asking your top clients:1. What do you like best about my business?2. What do you dislike about the fitness industry in general?3. What is the biggest challenge you face outside of the gym?