Run a Profitable Gym

After six months of mentorship with Two-Brain, gym owner Wesley Kalkhoven doubled his income, earned more time with his family, and claimed spots on the February 2024 leaderboards for set rate and show rate.  His gym, Calisthenics Amsterdam in the Netherlands, had a whopping 76 No Sweat Intro appointments booked, and 37 people showed up.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with Wesley, who shares exactly how his mentor, Gary Walsh, helped him rev up his marketing to bring in more leads. Wesley also reveals his secret to getting so many leads to show up for their appointments: consistent follow-up.Now, with only 20 group training spots left to fill, Wesley is setting his sights on growing other revenue streams, like personal training.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:50 - How did Wesley get so many clients?6:12 - Why do people come to you?10:33 - Improving the numbers17:05 - Before Two-Brain and now26:07 - How common are no-shows?

Gym owners often ask “how do I get more leads?” when they really need more customers. The problem usually isn’t lead generation—it’s leads that don’t move down the marketing funnel. How do you know if your funnel is clogged? You have to track and analyze metrics.To help you add more clients, our February 2024 leaderboard show dials in on three critical lead-tracking metrics: set rate, show rate and close rate. How many leads set appointments, how many people show up, and how many buy? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper runs through each Top 10 leaderboard, sharing data from the best gyms around the world. Then he gives you tips directly from the owners of these gyms so you can find out exactly what they’re doing to get more clients in the door. One tip came up in every interview: speed—reach out to leads as fast as possible.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:35 - February 2024 leaderboards3:11 - NSIs set5:15 - NSIs showed 6:51 - NSIs closed8:43 - Marketing tips

Make his gym profitable by Christmas or shut down.That was the goal set by Brandon Sundwall, owner of Virtuo Personal Training in L.A., around this time last year.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain Business chief marketing officer John Franklin is joined by Brandon, who shares his gym’s epic turnaround.In just six months, Brandon doubled his gym’s revenue and cut his working hours in half—all with the support of his Two-Brain mentor, Anastasia Bennett.  The keys to reaching his goal? Focus and systems. Brandon has systematized every aspect of his business so it won’t crumble if he’s gone for a few weeks. Now he thinks like an owner, always asking himself, “What’s most worth my time and effort?” Tune in to hear exactly how Brandon revived his gym—and to find out what his goal is for 2024.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:44 - What is Virtuo?8:22 - More clients and expansion14:58 - Expanding business and family23:37 - How Brandon found Two-Brain33:11 - What’s on your Monday checklist?

When you buy mentorship, you buy speed. In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper walks you through the mentorship process to show what’s possible and how fast you can move. It’s all about setting a goal, creating a plan with expert assistance, and having someone hold you to the plan so you get the results you want.At the start of the program, we’ll help you score quick wins. We want you to earn the money you need to pay for mentorship, so your mentor will help you create and sell a better offer. As you gain momentum, you’ll build a rock-solid foundation to your business by focusing on marketing, sales, cost control, retention, operations and team building.In the Growth stage, your mentor will create a customized roadmap to get you where you want to go, and you’ll learn to track your metrics so you know you’re making progress. The focus here: Reach your ideal income level—$100,000 is a common target.Once you have a strong, profitable business and some extra time and money, you can join the elite gym owners in our Tinker program. Here, the goal is to invest to build long-term wealth for your family, while increasing your lifespan and healthspan. Two-Brain Business has produced 48 millionaire gym owners, with more added to the total every month. How long will it take to get there? We move fast: The average Two-Brain client reaches $100,000 in income in just over two years (regardless of starting point), and $1 million net worth can be achieved about two years after that with the help of a mentor. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:47 - Buy mentorship and buy speed3:29 - Six key areas6:18 - An inside look8:49 - Hitting your target income10:22 - Think like an investor

Does being a good coach make you a good gym owner?In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin dives into this question with one of the top coaches in the world, Ben Bergeron. Ben has trained numerous CrossFit Games and Affiliate Cup champions, and he’s also the founder of CrossFit New England and CompTrain, as well as the author of the book “Chasing Excellence.”According to Ben, it takes a lot more than just a passion for coaching if you want to run a successful gym in 2024. He dials in on a few essential business skills for gym owners: building and leading a team, understanding your financials, and being—or having—a high-level coach.Another key question Ben addresses: Will your gym be successful if you get an athlete to the CrossFit Games?To hear more from Ben and other incredible speakers such as Jason Khalipa and Brian “Tosh” Chontosh, get your tickets to the Two-Brain Summit, June 8 and 9 in Chicago, via the link below.LinksTwo-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call3:41 - What happened with Ben10:49 - What did Ben change?19:37 - Did things improve?29:26 - Advice for prospective gym owners35:44 - Competition success doesn’t mean gym success

Who’s my target market? How many class options should I offer? How much should I charge? These are questions all gym owners must ask, no matter what type of gym they run. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper dives into these topics with Jimmy Davidson, a parkour athlete turned gym owner and mentor. Jimmy owns a three-location parkour gym, Freedom in Motion, and he’s a coach at Motion Mentors, a mentoring practice for parkour businesses. By dialing in on his key demographic and offering programs his market wants, Jimmy has grown his gyms to nearly $1 million in revenue per location. Now, he’s on a mission to achieve his goal of helping 1 million people learn parkour. Whether you own a CrossFit gym, a parkour gym or anything in between, tune in to learn proven strategies for overcoming some of the most common challenges gym owners face.LinksMotion MentorsGym Owners UnitedBook a Call2:02 - Parkour vs. ninja gyms5:30 - Why open a gym?16:32 - Problems for parkour gyms19:37 - Low prices hurt your gym25:37 - Parkour level system

Today’s guest has driven up revenue in his gym by 3.5X since starting mentorship with Two-Brain, and his January 2024 total earned him a spot on the Top 10 revenue leaderboard—which ran from $58,000 to $125,000 USD.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with revenue leader Chad Pinther, co-owner of Colfax Strong Strength and Conditioning, a CrossFit affiliate in Denver, Colorado. With the help of a mentor, Chad and wife Esther identified a few key areas where they could increase revenue in the gym. They focused on No Sweat Intros/free consultations with new members and goal reviews with current clients, and they added an in-house nutrition program to create a new revenue stream. Colfax even hired a full-time sales director—an investment that brought returns in just a few months. Chad’s sales director has nearly doubled the gym’s close rate and is selling high-ticket packages through the Prescriptive Model. He’s helping clients meet their goals faster and boosting gross revenue for the gym. Most importantly, the new hire has given Chad and his wife more time to focus on other areas of the business. LinksPrescriptive Model Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:10 - What goes intro the big number3:37 - How Two-Brain helped Chad9:38 - Bringing on help19:21 - Steps to success27:57 - Taking that first step

If you’re not selling personal training in your gym, you’re missing out on a lot of revenue.In today’s episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin and Two-Brain CEO Chris Cooper show how gym owners can boost revenue by $10,000 or more without adding any new clients. Chris explains exactly how to use Goal Review Sessions and the Prescriptive Model to start selling personal training to your existing members to help them meet their goals more quickly. And he even tells gym owners what to say, word for word, to offer PT add-ons without feeling like slimy salespeople. Write down his lines, practice saying them to clients and start using them today to help members solve fitness problems fast. If you do, your gross monthly revenue will go up!You can get the full guide “How to Add $10K in PT Without Adding a Single Member” by joining Gym Owners United and DMing Chris on April 2. LinksGym Owners UnitedThe Prescriptive Model"Help First" by Chris CooperChris Cooper Interviews Greg GlassmanBook a Call1:33 - Group members to personal training6:28 - Hybrid drop-down membership10:59 - How do we scale?14:41 - Semi-private training18:29 - Exactly what to say to clients

Titans Sports Academy, owned by Chance Beam, made Two-Brain’s Top 10 leaderboard for revenue in January 2024. Each gym in the top 10 brought in over US$50,000, and the top gym grossed over $125,000!Chance has been in business for over 20 years, and his program has propelled several athletes into Major League Baseball. In fact, seven of his former players are in the big leagues right now, including World Series champion Nathaniel Lowe of the Texas Rangers. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Chance, who shares revenue-boosting strategies that can work in any type of gym. Chance’s main piece of advice? Look for opportunities to service your clients’ needs. Whether that’s through apparel sales, personal training or something else, solve problems for your customers. In return, they’ll stay with you longer and spend more, boosting your length of engagement (LEG), average revenue per member (ARM) and lifetime value (LTV).Listen to Chance break down problem solving in the gym business, and don’t miss his practical ideas for boosting revenue in your gym. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:46 - Revenue stream breakdown4:36 - Sports training academy10:31 - The great accident19:35 - What’s your main focus?23:04 - Rocket-ship moment

Six-figure monthly gross revenue at a CrossFit gym? It can be done, and we have proof. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents the January 2024 Top 10 revenue leaderboard. The numbers, which are rolling three-month averages, run from $58,330 to $125,606 USD.After the Top 10 rundown, Chris shares quotes straight from the gym owners so you can replicate their success in your fitness business. A quick summary of their advice? Keep it simple. Focus on improving your basic metrics, one at a time.That’s called “virtuosity in business"—which is the theme for this year’s Two-Brain Summit.LinksGym Owners United2024 Two-Brain SummitBook a Call1:23 - January 2024 leaderboard6:10 - Stability is the theme7:39 - Quotes from the leaders16:41 - Headcount is good but ARM is best

Check out these monthly marketing stats from today’s guest:About 60 leads, 25 appointments, 23 shows and 18 closes.These are great numbers, and gym owner Kieran O’Dwyer isn’t breaking the bank to post them.In this episode, host John Franklin sits down with Kieran to learn how he’s built such a successful marketing funnel on a small budget at Bathurst Strength and Conditioning and Orange City Strength and Conditioning in Australia.Kieran’s marketing strategy starts with posts on Google Business Profile and Instagram, and then leads are moved to a more personal setting on Facebook. By the time leads book appointments at one of Kieran’s gyms, they typically already understand pricing and respect the gym’s authority, professionalism and communication. From there, closing the sale is easy. This episode is packed full of tactical and inexpensive strategies for boosting lead generation and sales—tune in to hear them all. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call00:51 - Kieran and his gym7:32 - Be sure to get photos18:32 - Starting the conversations26:41 - One more piece of the puzzle34:51 - Kieran’s onboarding

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin is joined by Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper.They provide a glimpse into the upcoming Two-Brain Summit, happening June 8 and 9 in Chicago. Some of the incredible speakers for this year’s event include Jonathan Goodman, Jason Khalipa, Brian Chontosh and coaches from Mayhem Nation. Attendees will also get to grill a panel of experts from Kilo, PushPress, WodBoard and Wodify with questions such as “why aren’t gyms keeping clients longer?” and “what’s most important for gym owners right now?”Finally, John and Chris dive into Chris’ latest book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” which shares the personal paths over a dozen gym owners used to reach $1 million net worth. Chris is handing out 60 copies of “Millionaire Gym Owner” for free right now—first come, first served. Get yours by joining the Gym Owners United group and DMing him. LinksTwo-Brain Summit tickets Book a Call1:29 - Events aren’t losses, they’re investments11:28 - 2024 workout and coaching partners20:51 - Tinkers at the 2024 summit33:31 - Don’t feel guilty about money35:52 - Abundance mindset

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper and Mike Warkentin run through the jaw-dropping speaker lineup for the 2024 Two-Brain Summit, which goes down June 8 and 9 in Chicago.At the Summit, gym owners will hear about everything from building $1-million net worth to leveraging the four different personality types found in a business. Coaches will upgrade their skills and learn how to build careers in fitness by generating more revenue for themselves and their gym.  Among those taking the owners stage are 2008 CrossFit Games champ Jason Khalipa, Brian “Tosh” Chontosh, Jonathan Goodman and Carrie Wilkerson. Speakers on the coaches stage include Bill Parisi, along with Christi Novak and Darren Hunsucker of Mayhem Nation. And these speakers won’t just be lecturing; they’ll run interactive workshops where you’re given simple, actionable tasks to complete on the spot to improve your gym or career. LinksBe sure to get tickets before they sell out: Two-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:38 - 2024 speaker lineup7:23 - Think "workshop not lecture"13:30 - The four avatars21:11 - Be curious about your members27:42 - Keep your business growing

Have you ever heard of a gym with a waiting list?CrossFit Leiden in the Netherlands has capped its membership at 400 clients. Instead of adding more people, the gym is focused on retention, increasing value for clients and raising average revenue per member (ARM).In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin chats with gym co-owner Jeroen van Duijn to learn how CrossFit Leiden obtained—and retained—so many clients.One of CrossFit Leiden's top strategies for getting new clients is a weekly bring-a-friend event, and Jeroen shares exciting tips for making similar events successful at your gym. To hold onto each new patron, members of Jeroen’s team focus heavily on relationship building and the client experience. From No Sweat Intros to Goal Review Sessions to 100-visit gifts, the gym has touchpoints all along the client journey to make sure clients keep coming back—and want to bring their friends. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:56 - "I don’t want to increase my client count"6:57 - Jeroen’s projects9:12 - The client journey15:58 - Finding great clients22:18 - Making some changes

Focusing on retention can improve just about every metric in your gym, from average revenue per member to length of engagement. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with Chris Cooper, Two-Brain founder and CEO, about all things retention.They dial in on the five pillars of retention: results, fame, compatibility, consistency and referrals. Chris explains what each is and why it matters. Then he provides five actions you can perform today to start keeping clients in your gym longer. And these strategies aren’t pulled out of thin air—they’re proven to work based on data from about a quarter of a million gym members around the world. For more support, and to get Chris's new “Never Lose a Client Again” guide, join the Gym Owners United group. LinksThe Prescriptive ModelGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:38 - What is retention and why does it matter? 6:49- 5 pillars of retention26:42 - Actions you can take today32:11 - Get after referrals

Could you acquire over 400 members for your gym? And if you hit that total, could you hold onto them?Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin chats with Rune Laursen, owner of BoxLife/CrossFit 5512 in Denmark. Rune made our December 2023 Top 10 leaderboard for client count, which ran from 324 to 1,034 members.Rune’s already improved on his late-2023 stats: His gym now has 512 members and is steadily growing. He explains how he brings in and retains so many clients by using No Sweat Intros, Goal Review Sessions and the Prescriptive Model—and he backs up everything he says with data!Rune credits much of his retention success to adding a CSM—a client success manager. He’s even looking at hiring a second CSM to ensure he holds onto all his hard-earned members.Tune into this data-packed episode to learn how to expand your gym’s membership and build systems to support its growth.LinksThe Prescriptive Model Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:37 - Rune’s retention5:17 - Goal reviews & retention10:36 - Always be calling17:09 - Systemizing for success26:33 - Final thoughts

Gym owners often think they have a marketing problem when they actually have a retention problem: It doesn’t matter how many new clients you bring in each month if they aren’t sticking around!In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper presents Two-Brain’s Top 10 leaderboard for client headcount in December 2023. Each gym on the leaderboard has over 300 members and is super profitable. These gym owners have mastered both marketing and retention, and they’re sharing their top tips with you.A few of their suggestions? To get clients in the door, use four different marketing funnels and audit them regularly to make sure they’re working. Then improve your length of engagement by setting up Goal Review Sessions with new and at-risk members. Tune in to get more tips—and hear the astounding headcount of the No. 1 gym on the leaderboard. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call4:02 - Audit your marketing funnels7:19 - Members per gym (not gyms)9:58 - No. 1 gym9:44 - Retention more than marketing12:25 - Most important funnel for you

Many paths lead to millionaire net worth as a gym owner, and one of them involves buying your gym’s building.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin sits down with Brian Strump, a chiropractor and the owner of Live Active Charlotte, who recently bought his gym’s building for $1.8 million. The pair get into the details of the huge purchase and discuss the benefits of owning your building—some might surprise you! Whether you’re ready to buy now or considering real estate as an option in the future, John and Brian share tips to get you moving toward your goal.To find out how a dozen other gym owners became millionaires, check out Chris Cooper's latest book, “Millionaire Gym Owner,” available via the link below.Links"Millionaire Gym Owner"Gym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:04 - Brian and the CrossFit Forum9:09 - Brian’s team17:53 - Brian's building26:28 - Advice for first-time building owners39:22 - When is someone ready?

Here are two big staff-related threats to a microgym: Coaches say “I can’t make enough money doing this” and leave the fitness industry. Or they say “I can’t make enough money here” and leave to start their own gyms.What’s a gym owner to do? You can start by showing your coaches how they can create great careers at your gym—and bringing them with you to the Two-Brain Summit this June is a fantastic way to do that.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper shares the lineup of speakers who will present to coaches at the summit. A few big names to note: 2008 CrossFit Games champion Jason Khalipa, the Mayhem crew, and gym owner Oskar Johed, who is also a member of CrossFit’s Seminar Staff.They’ll be joined by many other great speakers—including Josh Martin from The Refined Art of Coaching—who will get your coaches fired up to create to careers on your platform. LinksFull lineup and tickets: Two-Brain SummitGym Owners UnitedBook a Call0:33 - Inspire your coaches3:36 - 2024 speakers and topics8:35 - Career Roadmap Session12:07 - Mayhem speakers and workout15:36 - The Refined Art of Coaching

Do you have a business model for your gym?In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin and Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper lay out five gym business models that have been proven to be successful—and that’s based on data from thousands of gyms around the world. The models are:1. Group only.2. Group plus personal training.3. Group plus high-ticket offers.4. Semi-private training.5. Guided access.Tune in to learn the pros and cons of each model, and then get Coop's full guide to these models via the link below. In the full guide, “5 Gym Business Models That Work,” you’ll find everything from bulleted executive summaries to spreadsheets full of data, so you can make an informed decision and create the best long-term plan for your gym.LinksFull guide: "5 Gym Business Models That Work"Brian Bott on semi-private training Joe Venuti and Alessandra Bisalti on guided accessBook a Call1:21 - Is the group model still viable?7:51 - Is on-ramp a barrier?11:53 - Other revenue for group models18:47 - Semi-private training27:39 - Guided access and how it works