Gym owner Jason Cohen recently did a hard audit of his business, taking a close, honest assessment of its five most critical aspects: the client journey, operations, facility, marketing, and sales. After the audit, he made some changes. Since then, his gym has been more successful than ever. Here's what Jason learned when he got up close and personal with his business—and how you can find and patch the holes in yours. Links: Locomotion Fitness Level Method Gym Owners United Two-Brain Programming...
Apr 19, 2021•49 min•Season 3Ep. 242
You might be over the pandemic, but that doesn't mean the pandemic's over—just ask Ruth Cheng, owner of CrossFit PTBO in Peterborough, Ontario, which just entered its third lockdown. Each of those lockdowns set Ruth to tears as she watched the cancelations pour in. Yet despite the hardships, the gym's gross revenue grew 20 percent in 2020 compared with 2019. Here, she shares her strategies for retaining clients, increasing revenue and staying positive during one of the toughest years gym owners ...
Apr 15, 2021•31 min•Season 3Ep. 241
You know you've got a great service that gets people results. But how do you get people to your website to sign up for that service? Good SEO—search-engine optimization—is critical. Your SEO practices (or lack thereof) affect where you rank in search results, and you don't wanna be on page 2. Here, digital-marketing expert Mateo Lopez unpacks some of the secrets of on- and off-page SEO and what you can do to direct more traffic to your website for free. Links: Gym Lead Machine The Guide to Local...
Apr 12, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 240
Nutrition coaching is a fantastic way to improve client results while increasing revenue for your gym—if it's done well. The gyms with the most successful nutrition-coaching programs are the ones who treat it with the same level of professionalism as fitness coaching. After completing and implementing the Two-Brain Nutrition Coaching course, designed by registered dietician and Nutrition Rx founder Jen Broxterman, several gym owners have increased monthly front-end revenue by as much as $4,000. ...
Apr 08, 2021•49 min•Season 3Ep. 239
How many leads do you get a month? Of those, how many book an appointment? And of those, how many actually buy? That's number is your close rate, and in February 2021, Joanne Cogle's was 100 percent. Here, she joins Mike Warkentin to talk about how she did it. Links: Should You Post Your Prices on Your Website? Nutrition Challenges Are Dead. Kickstarts Are the Answer Level Method Gym Owners United Two-Brain Coaching Timeline: 1:50 – Getting to a 100 percent close rate. 5:03 – The power of confid...
Apr 05, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 238
Look at all those clients and staff members—what would think if they knew the real you? If they knew what a fraud you actually are? If you've ever had thoughts like those, welcome: You're a fellow sufferer of imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is that voice inside our heads that tells us we're not actually as good as everyone thinks we are; that we've got them all fooled. Everybody has this voice, and as psychotherapist Bonnie Skinner says, it's not actually your enemy. The trick is to learn h...
Apr 01, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 237
You know your program works. You're confident you can help clients reach their goals and change their lives. So why do you sweat and stammer when it comes time to ask for the sale? You're not actually bad at sales, says Jeff Burlingame, Two-Brain sales expert. You just have a bad sales process. On April 24, Jeff will join renowned sales expert Joe Marcoux to deliver a virtual Sales Mastery Workshop. The workshop will help gym owners and coaches increase sales confidence and boost close rates as ...
Mar 29, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 236
No one said owning a gym would be easy, and it certainly hasn't been for Tina Ferringer. Her gym's roof collapsed. A staff member stole her ideas, opened a new gym and undercut her on prices. Then COVID-19 hit and shut her gym down for two months. But Tina's not complaining. In fact, she says she's thankful for the opportunities for growth. Tune in to learn how she sprung back from crisis and made her business stronger than ever. Links: Incite Tax: Profit First for Microgyms Forever Fierce Gym O...
Mar 25, 2021•19 min•Season 3Ep. 235
Chris Doster swore he'd never go to work high. Or drink and drive. Or use intravenous drugs. But he did all three, and he couldn't stop—until he decided to fight to give his son a chance at life. He threw away the drug paraphernalia and got a sponsor—and got into fitness. It didn't take long before he had a new mission in life: to help other people improve their lives with health. But although he had all the passion in the world, he couldn't help people if he couldn't keep his new gym, CrossFit ...
Mar 22, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 234
Your bookshelf is full of business books. You listen to all the podcasts and join all the right groups on social media. So why aren't you making more money? You don't need more knowledge, you need clarity. You need to know what to do right now. Start by getting off Facebook and taking action in these six core areas of your business. Links: Level Method Two-Brain Affinity Marketing guide Free Tools Two-Brain Programming "Gym Owners Handbook" Timeline: 1:44 – Your problem isn’t lack of knowledge. ...
Mar 18, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 233
Why did you get into the fitness business? It probably wasn't to spend all day marketing and worrying about sales. But that's what you'll be doing if you don't prioritize retention. Join Chris Cooper for a fireside chat on why retention is more important than marketing—and how you can improve it. Links: Gym Lead Machine Microgym Myths: The Market Chases Excellence Two-Brain RampUp Program Two-Brain Affinity Marketing guide Incite Tax: Profit First for Microgyms Gym Owners United Gym Owners Handb...
Mar 15, 2021•18 min•Season 3Ep. 232
Running a business with your significant other can be awesome and inspiring while also being stressful and demanding. You see each other all day. You talk shop all day. Pretty soon, work problems become home problems and vice versa—and you can't even go home and vent to your spouse! Two-Brain fitness-business mentor Kenny Markwardt gets it. He runs Sandpoint Strength and Conditioning with his wife Jenn, and the two have had their fair share of ups and downs. Here, Kenny shares his hard-won wisdo...
Mar 11, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 230
Gareth Wayt, owner of Second City Fitness in the United Kingdom, has been through three lockdowns since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gym is still in that third lockdown, yet now, their retention, average revenue per member, and life-time value are all higher than ever. Here's what Gareth and co-owners did to make their business even stronger during the pandemic. Links: Second City Fitness Level Method Forever Fierce "Help First" Free Tools Gym Owners United Timeline: 2:01 – Using What...
Mar 08, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 230
Staff meetings are such a hassle. They're hard to schedule, nothing really gets done and they usually end in arguments. Sound about right? But what if they weren't a waste of time? What if you could use them to get your staff members to take action and even increase revenue right then and there? That's what staff meetings are like at 416 Fitness Club. Here, owner and Two-Brain Business mentor Dan Visentin explains how it's done. Links: 416 Fitness Club "Actionable Staff Meetings: Build Your ARM"...
Mar 04, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 229
You're busy. You've got tons of ideas—what about this new marketing technique? This new speciality-class idea?—but day-to-day tasks keep getting in the way. By the time your head hits the pillow each night, it feels like you spent the day treading water at best and trying not to drown at worst. Here's how to swim—how to focus and prioritize to move your business forward. Links: The Microgym Model: 2021 Take the Founder, Farmer, Tinker, Thief test The State of the Industry Report Arbox Forever Fi...
Mar 01, 2021•15 min•Season 3Ep. 228
Nutrition challenges are quick fixes that don't deliver long-term results—for your clients or your business. Kickstarts, on the other hand, are designed for ongoing progress. When Lindsey VanShoyck swapped the word "challenge" for "kickstart"—and made sure participants understood it was just the beginning of long-term change—she doubled the program's front-end revenue. The change also generated 75% more conversions to ongoing nutrition coaching afterward. Tune in to learn why kickstarts work and...
Feb 25, 2021•22 min•Season 3Ep. 227
A gym owner in Atlanta once told Chris Cooper it was impossible to sell CrossFit in his area for more than $79 a month. Why? The market was saturated, and the only way for gyms to differentiate themselves was to be cheaper than the next guy. But that strategy doesn't keep the lights on for long. Here, CrossFit South Cobb owner and Atlanta microgym-industry leader Miles Davis explains how to get out of the price war and set your gym apart while also high-value services that are good for your clie...
Feb 22, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 226
What would happen to your gym if you got COVID-19 tomorrow? Would you have to cancel two weeks of classes and pump the brakes on your business? At Live Active Charlotte, it was just business as usual when owner Brian Strump tested positive. That's because his gym was already equipped to keep on running whether he's there or not. How? It all comes down to skilled staff members who are in it for the long haul. Here, Brian shares how he cultivates long-term staff with the passion, autonomy and know...
Feb 18, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 225
Karen Hazelton never thought anyone would pay $300 for a gym membership. She could hardly believe people would pay the $140 she was charging—that is, until she joined the Two-Brain family. After overhauling her systems and prioritizing helping first by prescribing exactly what her clients need to reach their goals, Karen is now pulling an average revenue per member around the $300 mark. Here's how she changed her mindset and started selling more high-value services. Links: Telos Strength and Con...
Feb 15, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 224
What does it take to be a world-class coach? Tons of technical knowledge? Lots of certifications? Those things might make you good at correcting movement, but they're not the key to exceptional coaching. Here, Two-Brain Coaching mentor Shawn McQueen explains what is. Links: Railroad CrossFit Two-Brain Coaching AGuard Gym Lead Machine Gym Owners Handbook Contact: shawn@twobraincoaching.com Timeline: 2:49 – What does a great coach look like? 6:43 – Why you still need to rehearse. 8:27 – What a les...
Feb 11, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 223
Brian Zimmerman's ARM (average revenue per member, per month) is more then $300—and those are lockdown numbers. What's his secret? He does a lot of cool stuff, but perhaps the most effective for boosting ARM while getting clients results is his hybrid package: a combination of group classes and personal training designed to give clients the best of both worlds. Here's how it works. Links: Forever Fierce Two-Brain Programming "How to Run Specialty Courses Every Day of the Year" Free Tools Timelin...
Feb 08, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 222
When Storm Strout first opened his gym, he charged $70 a month. Today, that's what he charges for one hour of private coaching. By offering a menu of high-value services including private training, private nutrition coaching and specialty classes, he's also notched an ARM—average revenue per member, per month—of $284. Don't think it's possible? He didn't either, at first. Learn how he made the shift in this episode of Two-Brain Radio. Links: Veneration Two-Brain Programming Incite Tax: Profit Fi...
Feb 04, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 221
How do you tell a staff member he or she is doing something wrong without getting into an argument? It's all about establishing a feedback culture, says Per Mattson, Certified Two-Brain mentor. When you clearly communicate how constructive feedback helps improve the business and makes everyone better, staff members will be more open to receiving—and giving—it. Here's how to do it. Links: Two-Brain Programming Building a Feedback Culture Two-Brain Business February Regional Event When No One Sees...
Feb 01, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 220
Jim Adams knows a few things about the fitness business—after all, he's been in it for more than 30 years. He's been a personal trainer in big-box gyms and he's opened his own studio. He's worn all the hats of his business and he's learned how to hire and develop a great team. He's also the founder and host of the Masters in Fitness Business Podcast, where he speaks with successful fitness entrepreneurs. In this episode, Chris picks Jim's brain on everything from the lessons he's learned develop...
Jan 28, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 219
In Chris Cooper's new book, "Gym Owners Handbook," he writes all about the 400-plus things you need to do to grow your gym and achieve freedom of time and money. In this podcast, he'll tell you how to do each of those things. Here, Coop starts by teaching you how to measure success in your business, explaining the six areas of excellence you need to develop and how to develop them by tacking actionable steps laid out for you on the Two-Brain Roadmap. Links: Get your copy of "Gym Owners Handbook"...
Jan 25, 2021•15 min•Season 3Ep. 218
How many clients does a microgym owner need to be successful? How does he or she find them? And how do operations change as client base grows? The answers are in the data. Here, Chris Cooper pulls important numbers from Two-Brain's State of the Industry Guide—like how many clients gyms have and how profitable those gyms are—and explains how they're connected. If you're wondering why you're stuck at 100 clients—or why you've got 300 but aren't making any money—you won't want to miss this episode....
Jan 21, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 217
The best coaches know they need coaches, too. Mike Watson is one of those coaches. As a mentor for Two-Brain Coaching's First Degree course, he helps new and veteran coaches grow as trainers and develop their careers, whether that looks like personal training, group-fitness coaching, nutrition coaching, mindset coaching or something else. He joined Two-Brain Coaching co-founder Josh Martin to talk in detail about the program and how coaches and gym owners can benefit from it. Links: Two-Brain Co...
Jan 18, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 216
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 cust...
Jan 14, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 215
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 Mass Incite Tax: Profit First for Microgyms Driven Nutrition The State of the Industry 2020 Timeline: 2:28 – Where does high LTV come from? 4:04 – Factoring in ARM and LEG. 7:40 ...
Jan 11, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 214
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 CrossFit Gym Lead Machine Two-Bra...
Jan 07, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 213
