Run a Profitable Gym

Derek Batman knocked out 34 free consultations in December, which put him near the top of our marketing and sales leaderboard for gym owners.In this video, Derek spills the secrets of his success when it comes to set, show and close rates. His keys? Targeting the right clients, creating an airtight system for follow-up, and tracking data.Derek's worked really hard to ensure the right people see his Facebook ads, and he uses retargeting strategies to warm his leads with repeated exposure. When a lead enters the sales funnel, staff at Hardbat Athletics contact the person within five minutes to book a free consultation. Derek reports that his set rate improved measurably when he took control of the booking process instead of letting leads select—or not select—a time slot themselves through a booking system. In free consultations, the Hardbat crew uses an iPad sales binder to make sure everything is presented clearly and professionally.If you only take one thing from this show, take this: Prioritize responding to leads as quickly as possible.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United2:43 - Lead nurture and speed of follow-ups6:13 - Social media targeting12:22 - Creating systems14:23 - Tracking metrics20:52 - Improving sales numbers

Chris Cooper checks in with exact client-acquisition stats from the top gyms in the world. He'll tell you how many consultations the best gyms book each month, how many people show up for the appointments, and how many sales are made. Set, show and close rate leaderboards are just a few of the many Two-Brain creates each month to determine which gyms are posting the best stats. We use these leaderboards to track progress and celebrate wins but also to identify new best practices used by the leaders. If their tactics stand up to rigorous testing, we'll tell you about them so you can grow your gym.You'll get info on three client acquisition leaderboards from December 2022 in this episode, as well as Chris's insight into how these top gym owners posted such impressive numbers. Check out what the best are doing and then take action to make your gym's sales funnel sing.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United1:40 - Set, show and close rates in gyms2:34 - Set rate leaderboard5:32 - Show rate leaderboard8:14 - Close rate leaderboard11:48 - How to use set, show and close rate stats to improve your gym

Gym owner Corey Lapell has more than doubled his revenue, almost doubled his membership, reduced his work hours dramatically and quadrupled his salary since August 2020. When COVID hit, the longtime CrossFit affiliate owner knew he needed help. Corey turned to Two-Brain, and his mentor got him to take action: writing SOPs, creating contracts, installing a hiring process, rebranding and more.The result of the hard work? Corey and his partner transformed their Vancouver gym from a labor of love into a thriving fitness business. Corey is now enjoying more time with his family, and he's able to focus on building a better business for his clients. In fact, he's now taking bold steps to purchase a building to ensure Empower is able to serve its members for decades. LinksBook a CallGym Owners United0:45 - Empower's structure, business model and 2020 COVID plan3:19 - The fear of signing up for mentorship while losing money5:40 - Taking action when a mentor "kicks your ass" and pushes you9:40 - Dividing roles between owners, and Corey's focus on SOPs13:28 - Rebranding to market personal training and specialty groups18:05 - From making $1,000 a month in 60 hours to $4,000 in 3521:50 - Corey's advice to other affiliate owners

You might be tempted to offer a free trial to get some new clients at your gym, studio or affiliate—that's a mistake.Years ago, prospective clients might have wanted to "taste the intensity" before signing up. But we're not in 2015 anymore.Now, fitness consumers know what functional fitness is. They aren't looking to sample a one-size-fits-all workout. They have specific fitness and nutrition problems, and they want to know how your gym can solve them. The only professional way to present your solution is with a free consultation. The data from thousands of gyms is clear: On average, doing a free consultation instead of a free trial will increase length of engagement from 8 to 13 months. It will also allow you to present the best, most complete solutions to prospective members, and some of them will want your premium packages. That increases average revenue per member. Best of all, a consultation ensures you give clients exactly what they need to get the results they want and improve their lives.Free trials are a thing of the past. To build a stronger business, start using free consultations.LinksBook a CallGym Owners United0:45 - The consultative process1:44 - Length of engagement stats3:16 - Client value

With the help of a Two-Brain mentor, Evan Armstrong increased his gym's revenue by 500 percent in just one year. Here's how he did it.First, he quit his day job and shifted his attention to growing his gym/physical therapy business. He clearly mapped out his client journey, then he systemized and optimized as many tasks as he could before automating the systems.He also overhauled his website to make it easier for potential clients to engage with him, and he dramatically improved his sales process with a video "sales binder" to ensure he wasn't winging it during consultations with prospective members. Evan committed to improving his business one percent every day with clear, actionable tactics from a mentor, and now he's working for even greater success.Listen, then take action so you can boost your revenue, too.LinksCrossFit Gym Business PlanChris Cooper's "Gym Owners Handbook"Book a CallGym Owners United3:35 - Growth of Evan's business7:08 - The 1% improvement mindset16:46 - Day-to-day mentorship21:35 - What's next for Evan's gym?27:46 - How to 5x your revenue: Evan's advice

An onboarding program is a guaranteed way to ensure real change in the lives of clients at your fitness business—and yet it's often overlooked by gym owners.On today's episode of Run a Profitable Gym, Two-Brain Business founder Chris Cooper explains how an on-ramp or other onboarding program will decrease client churn, reduce the risk of injury or discomfort in your gym, and set up your clients for success over a period of years. And let's not forget that clients who stay for years produce recurring revenue and referrals, and they reduce marketing costs.Onboarding programs can be used at any fitness facility: access gyms, affiliates, personal training studios, strength and conditioning facilities, franchises and more. Remember: the first period of gym membership is critical to long-term retention, so the more work you put into an onboarding program, the stronger your business will be.  To hear more from Chris and the Two-Brain team, join Two-Brain's Gym Owners United group for daily tips and free business guides.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:40 - Why you need an onboarding program4:26 - Adjusting your onboarding program6:09 - Data on onboarding programs in gyms

Colby Knepp's gym revenue more than doubled in fewer than 12 months. In this video, he explains exactly how he did it.So how did he generate incredible growth at his PT studio in Colorado? According to Colby, Step 1 was hiring a mentor, and Step 2 was doing everything she told him to do. Of particular note, Colby researched mentorship as part of his business plan to open a gym. Instead of flying solo and making mistakes, he used Two-Brain's data, resources and tactics to open with members and pay himself on Day 1. Then he used more business tools to hire staff, grow his gym, increase profit and reduce work hours. Now, he's steadily attracting new high-value clients to Olde Town Athlete without advertising, and he's retaining members to build a strong, sustainable fitness business.You can do the same thing.LinksTwo-Brain Business Prescriptive Model How to Open a Gym With Dozens of Members on Day 1Book a CallGym Owners United12:06 - Colby's strategies for increased revenue20:38 - Why mentorship is necessary for real growth28:34 - The trajectory of your business after revenue growth

The Intramural Open is a fun, annual, multi-week competition to run in your gym. Chris Cooper created it more than a decade ago as a way to boost morale, improve retention and generate revenue.In this episode, Chris walks you through the updated 2023 Intramural Open guide. He'll tell you what the event is all about and how to run it. He's got a timeline, a scoring system, a host of coaching tips and a "survival guide" for organizers.Most important of all, Chris will tell you exactly how to use this signature event to make money for your business, whether you run the Intramural Open on its own or in conjunction with the CrossFit Games Open.The Intramural Open isn’t just about building up your members. It’s about building up your business.LinksClick to get the 2023 Intramural Open guideGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:24 - History of the Intramural Open, where it came from, how to get the guide4:23 - The 2023 timeline12:30 - Setup and pre-event activities16:02 - Running the competition and coaching19:09 - KEY MOMENT: How to generate revenue22:00 - How to put clients on podiums, plus survival tips

Austin Ruesink runs Big Time Results—and he got exactly that through the Two-Brain RampUp program for gym owners.With guidance from a mentor, Austin added $6,000 of revenue in eight weeks, reduced his work hours and moved his average revenue per member into the $300-$350 range. In this episode, Austin talks about how he was nearing burnout before a mentor helped him take clear action to offload some tasks so he could focus on growing a newly purchased business. With a staff playbook and roles and responsibilities in place, Austin was able to focus on optimizing his sales process by creating a sales binder. He also spent time doing goal reviews with clients, which improved retention and helped him connect clients to additional services that would help them.If you're looking to build your fitness business fast, Two-Brain's RampUp program can help you do it. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:44 - Before and after RampUp3:40 - The short summary of Big Time Results7:00 - Why get a mentor?13:48 - $6,000 gross revenue increase in eight weeks21:00 - Reductions in work hours24:19 - Retention of high-value clients

What's hurting your gym or fitness business the most? Not doing regular Goal Review Sessions with clients.First and foremost, goal reviews provide an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with each client just by talking one on one. You can also check in on progress. If you ask the right questions, you'll find out if your training plan is producing results or if it needs to be adjusted to bring success. In some cases, clients will want to upgrade to more valuable services. While goal reviews provide an opportunity to audit your gym programming and help your clients reach their goals sooner, they also allow you to remind clients of all the progress they've already made. Some won't realize how far they've come, and reminding them will measurably improve your retention.How often should you do goal reviews at your gym, PT studio or affiliate? At minimum, you should do them every 90 days. If you do, your average revenue per member and length of engagement will improve.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:33 - Retention stats in gyms1:24 - What are "goal reviews"?4:35 - How goal reviews increase value to the client6:13 - Saving relationships with goal reviews9:12 - How often should you do goal reviews with gym clients?

Two-Brain's November 2022 gross revenue leaderboard for gyms ran from $46,000 to $73,000. Ashley Sell put Midwest Strength and Performance in the Top 10, and she's here to explain exactly how she did it. Working with a large, six-owner team across two locations, Ashley knew that hiring a mentor was the key to pulling everyone together. Her specific management role? Growing the business. To do that, she used a number of tactics, including relocating to be closer to perfect clients, switching to a subscription model for personal training, and establishing solid business systems to support every aspect of the business.As a result of Ashley's focused efforts, the gym's revenue took off in 2020. She even provided a graph to illustrate how her actions produced astronomical results. The visual: dramatic growth clearly starting in 2020 and continuing over the next years. If you're struggling to generate revenue at your gym, take heart: A quick turnaround is possible if you do the right things at the right time.Links"Intrapreneurialism 101"Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:33 - Ashley's business model7:19 - Systemization and moving to subscriptions8:40 - The value of mentorship and sales skills12:04 - What the subscription model looks like14:19 - Delivering a high-quality product20:08 - Hiring and staff development26:00 - Career roadmaps and how they help

Gyms, affiliates and PT studios often don't grow steadily. In the fitness world, business growth is usually a series of steps forward and back. The key is to always grab more total ground than you give.In wartime, you're fighting fires and dealing with emergencies. You've got to run lean and make tough decisions to make sure you don't slide too far back. To help you hold your ground, Chris Cooper has five audits you can perform in times of trouble.When things are good, resist the urge to coast. If the road is free of traffic, that's when you step on the gas and build as much momentum as possible. If you follow that plan, you'll be prepared for the next tough period.By planning for both good times and bad times, you'll ensure that your fitness business becomes a strong, stable enterprise that provides health for your clients, careers for your coaches and wealth for your family.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:10 - What is wartime?1:56 - The five audits for wartime6:20 - Why sprint in peacetime?

Trista Eason, owner of Flex Appeal in Wichita Falls, Texas, successfully bounced back after the pandemic with the help of her Two-Brain Business mentor: She boosted her average revenue per member (ARM) by over $100.In this episode, Eason tells all so you can do the same thing at your gym, personal training studio or affiliate. Trista did a few key things to increase her ARM. First, she swapped out her free intro class for a consultation called a No Sweat Intro, and then she dialed in her client avatar. By offering specialty courses that addressed her ideal clients' needs, she was able to offer more value than ever before. Finally, she successfully moved up "the value ladder" by getting the right staff in the right seats so she could focus on growing the business and working as a CEO.If your ARM needs work, listen and then take action to drive the number up.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:18 - Trista's short success summary5:08 - Hiring help8:30 - Specific action to increase average revenue per member15:16 - Additional revenue generators20:00 - Systems that support gym growth

Every year, Two-Brain Business publishes an industry-defining report for owners of gyms, personal-training and boutique studios, strength and conditioning facilities, CrossFit affiliates, martial-arts businesses, and 24-hour access gyms. You can get the 56-page report for free here.In this video, Chris Cooper goes through the report and offers his insight into stats you won't see anywhere else. Find out:What gym owners make and how many hours they work.The ratio of profitable and unprofitable gyms.What others are charging for group training and PT.How much gyms spend on rent and staffing.How much space gyms rent.What top-earning staff members make.CrossFit LLC affiliation stats and approval ratings.What class times are most popular.How gyms use nutrition programs, online coaching and supplement sales to make money.Don't fly blind in 2023. Get the report and use this data to make sound decisions and grow your fitness business or coaching practice.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call4:06 - Clients15:00 - Client value33:10 - Retention 35:15 - Expenses38:04 - Staff41:00 - Owner benefit46:50 - Industry

Mentorship—how does it work?In this episode of Run a Profitable Gym, you'll find out.Host Mike Warkentin talks to gym owner Nate Boley, who explains exactly how he uses a mentor to grow his business, Strength Warehouse in Bend, Oregon.The key: Nate's mentor tailors her coaching to him. She helps him focus, prioritize and take action that gets measurable results. Sometimes they solve problems and address emergencies, and sometimes they review metrics and make forward-thinking, step-by-step action plans to improve the business. Every project comes with resources and support that ensure success. If you've ever though about hiring a mentor for your gym, personal training studio, CrossFit affiliate, or strength and conditioning gym, this episode will give you a gym owner's perspective on working with a mentor. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:10 - Finding focus and dealing with overwhelm5:36 - Fighting fires vs. planned growth activities7:05 - Action plans between one-on-one calls9:51 - Examples from Nate's last mentor call15:30 - The value of mentorship18:00 - Nate's future plans

You're in the service business—but that doesn't mean you always have to listen to your clients.As a gym owner, you need to carefully consider when to give the squeaky wheels the grease and when to keep your own counsel.In this episode of Run a Profitable Gym, Chris Cooper gives you an exercise that will help you identify your best clients, and he'll help you use them to improve your gym or fitness business.A word to the wise: Avoid member surveys at your gym or affiliate. Your clients deserve your respect and care, but their feedback won't help you grow your business. Your best clients won’t give you anything actionable in a survey. Your worst clients will complain and expect action. Worst of all, surveys make it easy to confuse the squeaky wheels with the people who are really driving the train.Instead of surveys, identify your best clients. Take them for coffee. Listen carefully. They won’t give you good advice on how to run your business (that’s a mentor’s job), but they’ll tell you how to serve them more—and how to find others like them, too.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:40 - Identifying your best clients3:50 - Questions to ask your best clients5:35 - When to ignore clients and members of the "loud minority"10:30 - Why surveys are a bad idea

Gym owner Ashley Kates made significant gains in just six months after hiring a Two-Brain Business mentor:- Her take-home pay increased.- Her gross revenue at her training studio increased.- Her husband was able to quit his job to be a stay-at-home dad.- She worked fewer hours and had less stress at her gym.With the help of a business coach, Ashley solidified her fitness business with procedures and policies, and she mapped out her client journey to include data-backed best practices. From there, she implemented a lead-nurturing process that fed perfect clients into a business that was carefully created to help people accomplish their goals through high-value coaching. By adding touch points throughout the client journey, Ashley increased length of engagement (retention) and drove her average revenue per member way above $300. The result: She's now running a sound, profitable business, and she's living the life she wants.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:57 - Pre- and post-mentorship statistics2:41 - The exact changes Ashley made with a mentor7:58 - Is mentorship worth the investment?9:34 - The business model at Mom+me Strong14:41  - Ashley's future plans for her gym18:16 - Ashley's advice to other gym owners

The key to exponential growth in your gym: have your clients bring you more clients.Your existing members are one of the most valuable assets to a gym owner— but your clients aren't salespeople, even if they see the immense value of your service. You just can't wait around for them to bring more members into your gym, studio or affiliate. So how do you create a "referral culture" in your business and your community? In this show, Chris Cooper shares advice he earned by creating a referral system that continuously supplies clients to his gym—even during COVID shutdowns and tough economic times. Anyone can use this marketing technique, and the time you spend on it will prove to be a great investment that compounds over time. With a strong network in place, you'll reduce your marketing costs for years and enjoy a steady stream of very warm leads who are eager to train with you. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:49 - Five steps to building a referral network in your gym16:43 - What can a referral network do for you in the Tinker Phase?17:20 - Setting up a referral web for your entire town

Jake Fields runs a profitable gym with a lot of clients. That's an important distinction because piles of clients don't guarantee profitability.Fields has close to 300 members at his CrossFit affiliate and earned a spot on Two-Brain's leaderboard for most clients in October 2022. In this episode, he shares the secrets of how he retains and acquires members. For Jake, it's all about systems: He has specific processes to generate leads, prequalify them, sell to them with free consultations, onboard them and retain them for years. The staff at CrossFit Devotion have their roles clearly laid out, and they know how success is measured.It wasn't always this way. At one point, Fields was losing clients as fast as he was acquiring them. Then he solved his retention problems with systems and now has his business running like a well-oiled machine.LinksHow to Sell With BonusesBook a CallGym Owners United1:08 - Retention at CrossFit Devotion: systems and client success managers10:48 - Client-acquisition strategies20:42 - Systems, procedures and getting the client count unstuck

Making $100,000 as a personal trainer might seem impossible at first. But it can be done if you create the right business plan.It's not enough to just be a great coach. You need coaching skills for sure, but they must be balanced by entrepreneurial skills if you're going to create a career in the fitness industry. On today's episode of Two-Brain Radio, Chris Cooper—a former personal trainer and current gym owner—tells you exactly how to build a coaching practice that will allow you to earn $100,000 a year in a PT studio, commercial gym or CrossFit affiliate. He'll give you three ways to make 100 grand, as well as six reasons you aren't hitting that number now. Use this info to build a business that helps clients and provides a great income for you and your family. LinksBook a CallGym Owners United0:53 - Three ways to make $100,000 per year28:31 - Six reasons you're not making $100,000 per year44:33 - How to resolve those six issues and find succcess