Episódios
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“We've documented absolutely everything in our sales process,” says closing king Brian Foley, owner of Activate gym in Killarney, Ireland.
Brian and his team at Activate were on the July leaderboard for close rate, which ran from 22 to 34 new clients.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin grills Brian on his impressive sales funnel to find out how his gym closes so many new members.
For starters, Brian has processes for absolutely everything, from the moment a lead enters the funnel to handling objections in the sales office to onboarding and beyond.
Get this: Leads booked 27 appointments at Activate, 24 showed up for their meetings, and 22 of them purchased. Of the two who didn’t buy, one was referred out to a gym that would be a better fit for her.
Brian and his team are constantly auditing their sales system to see how they’re doing, and they make improvements whenever the metrics highlight an issue.
Activate has a dedicated client success manager (CSM) who handles 99 percent of sales, and she does so with a Help First mentality. There’s no slimy, pushy, buy-buy-buy pressure. She truly wants to help people become healthier and fitter through the gym, and this attitude shines through during the No Sweat Intro (NSI) process.
To her, it’s not “selling.” It’s “helping people solve their problems.” That mindset shift makes all the difference when you’re sitting in the sales office.
Links
Chris Cooper’s “Help First”
Read more: The Prescriptive Model
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1:02 - Having a tight sales funnel
5:24 - Simplifying the sales process and pricing sheets
11:25 - Solving problems by watching your numbers
18:05 - Help First and Help Best drive sales
26:33 - Closing tips -
Last year, Facebook generated US$131 billion in ad revenue, proving that paid ads work—but they don’t work for everyone.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Two-Brain chief marketing officer John Franklin to break down why some gym owners struggle with paid ads while others have great success.
The most common ad mistakes gym owners make are not understanding key metrics, underspending and giving up too early.
John also details the common flaws of unsuccessful ad campaigns, including straying from proven offers, using ineffective images and headlines, and targeting too broad of an audience.
Tune in to learn how to avoid critical mistakes and successfully funnel new leads into your gym with digital marketing.
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0:39 - Why do people avoid running ads?
6:26 - Underspending and advertising
11:32 - Do we need to run paid ads?
17:10 - Reasons gym owners say ads don’t work
25:27 - Don’t kneecap your ad campaign -
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Ivan Racic’s gym, CrossFit XV in Croatia, has tripled its revenue since joining the Two-Brain Business mentorship program three years ago, and month after month Ivan is consistently earning more.
This July, Ivan landed on Two-Brain’s marketing leaderboards for set rate and show rate—the number of leads who book appointments and the number of bookers who actually show up.
Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin learns exactly how Ivan managed to book so many appointments and get so many people to show up for them.
Ivan says using paid ads and hiring a client success manager (CSM) were key decisions that his mentor, Taryn Dubreuil, helped him make.
Marketing mentor Colm O’Reilly guided Ivan through setting up highly effective paid ads, which he spends just $5 a day on. Ivan’s CSM reaches out to new leads within 24 hours, and she also has a list of daily, weekly, and monthly marketing and retention tasks—and she does it all in only six to seven hours a week.
Tune in to hear the full episode and learn how to give your salespeople more chances to help clients change their lives.
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0:52 - Paid ads and new members
5:36 - What does Crossfit XV offer?
9:10 - How Ivan brought people to the gym
17:40 - Ivan's ad hook
23:08 - Ivan’s plan for the future -
Are you using your leads to grow your gym?
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents the monthly leaderboards for set, show and close rates.
The owners of the gyms on our leaderboards have mastered key areas of the marketing funnel: they get leads to set appointments, they work hard to ensure people show up, and they change lives by closing sales.
Chris shares proven practices from these top gym owners, including tracking metrics weekly, hiring a client success manager (CSM), training staff regularly and investing in mentorship.
Listen to the full episode to learn how to systemize, optimize, and automate your sales and marketing so your gym can help more people, provide careers for your staff and thrive for 30 years or more.
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01:49 - July 2024 appointments set
2:55 - July 2024 shows
3:42 - July 2024 closes
4:59 - Who is best at all three?
6:19 - Quotes from the leaders -
Today’s guest, Joleen Bingham, has developed an ascension model to help you retain staff by creating careers for them. Since implementing the model, Joleen’s staff retention has improved, and she has multiple team members earning over $100,000 a year.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Joleen, a multi-gym owner and the leader of Two-Brain’s Tinker program for upper-level gym owners.
Joleen’s model begins with a consistent, structured hiring process that eliminates many staffing problems before they appear.
The onboarding stage features a clear checklist and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that document expectations, and the owner's values and vision for the gym are communicated.
Once a staff member has been onboarded, the model focuses on development, moving from basic to more complex skills. Owners also mentor team members to help them work in areas of passion.
The next step is growth and retention. Career Roadmaps are a huge focus here: They help staff members become leaders and stick around long term.
The final component is the exit: ensuring you have a strategy for when staff members eventually leave.
Tune in to hear Joleen’s full staff ascension plan and to get an exclusive look into Two-Brain’s resources for clients.
Links
Mentorship: Tinker/Stage 3
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1:55 - Mistakes and how to fix them
4:44 - Staff ascension template
19:16 - Growth and retention
25:51 - Decrease your turnover
31:41 - Take action with staffing -
A link is missing between credentials and careers in the fitness industry—and it’s costing gym owners a lot of great people.
Common story: A trainer starts making $20 per class and works up to coaching 40 sessions a week. But the trainer isn’t making enough money and can’t see a way to make more without burning out. So the coach leaves the fitness industry to “get a real job.” The gym owner shrugs and tosses another coach into the cycle.
Sound familiar? If so, this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym" is for you.
Host Mike Warkentin and gym-owning mentor Karl Solberg discuss the detailed coach ascension program used at CrossFit Medis and CrossFit Sickla in Sweden.
The model allows trainers to level up as they develop and add the skills that bring more value. Clients get better results and pay more, the gym earns more, and the coach earns more and creates a career. Everyone wins.
The first step: Create an evaluation for your coaches and then review their performance regularly to ensure they’re improving.
To go further, review Karl’s system and consider building something similar to create careers for coaches at your gym.
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1:43 - Ascension plans increase value
3:35 - Levels increase value
6:48 - The coach ascension plan
10:48 - A detailed look at the plan
32:53 - Creating and implementing -
It’s Worst-Case Scenario Week on “Run a Profitable Gym.”
Today, host Mike Warkentin is joined by Matthew Becker, owner of GymLaywers.com, who shares stories of partnerships from hell and explains how to avoid them.
Partnerships in gyms can go wrong fast and create living nightmares for entrepreneurs. Partners might have very different views on topics such as dating members, day-to-day operations and finances, and sometimes a partner might even be involved in illegal activities. Or maybe one partner just isn't pulling their weight.
Without solid agreements in place, these situations can spiral quickly.
For example, gym owners in need of money might sell paid-in-full memberships, then have a disagreement and close the gym abruptly, leaving members out of pocket. In the worst cases, the money is long gone, and the owners can find themselves facing criminal charges.
Matthew, former gym owner, shares tips for avoiding these situations and getting out of them as quickly as possible if you run into partner trouble. It boils down to proper business setup, management and documentation.
To ensure your business will protect you legally and financially, get a lawyer to create or review a partnership agreement. You can reach Matthew at Gymlaywers.com.
Links
"Your LLC Isn't Protecting You if You Do These 5 Things"
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1:41 - Potential legal problems with partners
10:24 - Preparing for the snowball
19:32 - Partners leaving and presales
29:26 - It keeps getting worse?
38:39 - Stopping the daisy chain from hell -
Although fitness training is incredibly safe, injuries and emergency situations are unavoidable.
The best plan: Be prepared.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Erik Zeyher, owner of Warlock Athletics in New York.
In mid-August, one of Erik’s clients had a heart attack at the gym. Coaches and other members quickly worked together to administer CPR and resuscitate the member using the gym’s AED.
At the hospital, the member's wife said that if her husband had been anywhere other than the gym, he wouldn’t have survived.
Erik and his team have a full emergency plan in place and undergo regular AED training, and their preparation allowed them to save a life.
In the aftermath, Erik had to make critical leadership decisions, such whether to continue with classes, how to comfort clients who witnessed the event, how to communicate with his larger community, and how to ensure his staff members recovered from the stressful situation.
Tune in to get the full story and Erik’s tips for emergency preparedness so you can form your own action plan.
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Chris Cooper on the CALM model
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1:15 - Medical emergency at Erik’s gym
8:39 - What about the staff and other clients?
15:11 - Following procedure after a crisis
24:29 - Things to think about post-event
28:49 - What is on Erik’s list? -
Most gym owners experience a revenue slump during the summer months. But today’s guest posted his greatest monthly revenue total of the year in June.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin digs into summer revenue with Stan Skolfield of Skolfield Sports Performance in Maine.
Stan’s gym focuses on youth sports performance, and his summer programs—perfect for kids who are out of school—generate front-end revenue and downstream revenue for rest of the year.
In summer, Stan runs camps and events that target under-serviced demographics. These outdoor camps don’t take up any space in his gym, and they funnel kids into his core programs that run during the school year.
To ensure he’s always got a steady stream of leads, Stan employs a consistent social media posting schedule to connect with youths who are attached to their screens. He pairs great content with sell-by-chat marketing to get more people in his gym.
If your gym focuses on adults, adding a kids program is a fantastic way to boost summer revenue. Stan even shares an exact template for running a summer sports camp so you can avoid a summer revenue dip in 2025.
Links
Bill Parisi’s episode
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2:59 - How did Stan hit his June revenue?
6:07 - Skolfield Sports Performance
11:40 - Breadcrumbs into main program
16:54 - Progress over the last 5 years
23:10 - Add $2,000 to next June’s revenue -
For many gym owners, revenue drops off a cliff in summer. For others, it soars higher than ever.
How can you make sure your gym is crushing it instead of crashing in summer?
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper presents the Top 10 revenue leaderboard for June 2024 and shares the leaders’ tactics.
The top gym in June posted its best month of revenue thanks to a very successful kids summer program that’s a feeder for its main offerings. Your takeaway: Kids programs thrive in the summer months if you build them properly, and they’re a great option for gym owners looking for additional revenue.
Outside specialty programs, the Top 10 gym owners all employed similar strategies to generate revenue: They prioritized consistent growth, they focused hard on their clients, they used targeted ads, and they relied on mentorship.
Tune in to hear more and then use the tactics you learn about to hit your personal best month for revenue.
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1:49 - June 2024 Revenue Leaderboard
5:18 - Consistency, not beginner’s luck
6:58 - Lessons from the Top 10
7:37 - Camp revenue breakdown
11:23 - The common theme for the leaderboard -
What are the best gyms in the world doing?
Two-Brain Business’ annual "State of the Industry" report has the answers. It’s the most robust dataset on microgyms anywhere in the world, and it helps gyms grow by enabling their owners to make decisions based on science instead of guesswork.
You can be part of the 2024 report and get access to 16 special resources for gym owners by submitting your survey response before Sept. 4, 2024, via the link below.
In this special episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder and CEO Chris Cooper joins Sevan Matossian and Matthew Souza on “The Sevan Podcast” to discuss the state of the fitness industry, including the state of the CrossFit community.
They talk about some of the issues facing CrossFit in recent years, touching on everything from the evolution of CrossFit HQ after Greg Glassman’s departure to the best way to help CrossFit affiliates.
Gym owners face lots of challenges in 2024, but they can avoid mistakes and grow their businesses faster by making decisions based on data. Two-Brain’s “State of the Industry” report will be published in late November, and gym owners who contribute their numbers will get the guide before anyone else.
To be part of this year’s data set and get access to a special Resource Hub for gym owners, fill out the survey here.
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0:01 - The "State of the Industry" report
12:39 - CrossFit and its affiliates
29:39 - The CrossFit Games
53:35 - Getting help when opening a gym
59:17 - CrossFit and the fitness industry
1:06:20 - CrossFit ownership
1:13:57 - Fill out the survey! -
Why did you become a gym owner? The simple answer is probably to help others, but the more complicated answer is that many of us have had our own health and fitness transformations.
Many of us have seen depression, obesity and sickness reversed by the pursuit of fitness and health, and we want nothing more than to share that knowledge, joy and wellbeing with others.
But the fitness business is far too fragile. A new law or rent increase might be all it takes for a host of gym owners to run out of money and go out of business.
To protect our businesses and grow with stability, we need to know what works and what doesn’t work. And that info needs to come with proof, not opinions and anecdotes.
To give you the info you need, Two-Brain Business surveys gym owners around the world and publishes our “State of the Industry” guide for free every year. We do this so you can make decisions based on science and avoid wasting time and money on experimentation.
We hope you’ll take a few minutes to participate in this year’s State of the Industry Survey. In exchange, we’ll give you priority access to the guide this fall—and to sweeten the deal, we’ll give you a bonus package of exclusive Two-Brain materials that will help you right now.
But your greatest reward is in pushing the fitness industry forward. If we can build stable, profitable businesses that last for decades, we can help more people improve their health.
Links
State of the Industry Survey
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0:22 - Lifespan is going backward
3:08 - The fragility of the fitness industry
4:40 - The effect of change in your business
8:34 - Here’s where gym owners go wrong
10:57 - State of the Industry Survey -
An undeniable truth in the fitness industry: If your athletes aren’t getting results, they’re going to go somewhere else.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with two of the minds behind NCFIT, a programming and coaching development provider for CrossFit affiliates. Jason Khalipa, a CrossFit Games champion, is NCFIT’s founder and owner. Matt DellaValle, aka “MDV,” is the company’s chief fitness officer.
The trio discuss the evolution of gym programming over the last 15+ years and explain how you can ensure your programming generates results.
Many gym owners get great results for clients and reclaim their time by outsourcing programming to a trusted provider, such as NCFIT.
All NCFIT workouts come with a detailed class plan that includes a description, a teaching outline, suggested substitutions and a coaching video that highlights one or two major aspects of the workout.
Each workout is presented with two variations: one for the high-intensity Performance track and the other for the more moderate Fitness track. Aside from the standard NCFIT workouts, they also offer streams for strength and bodybuilding, competition and on-the-go training.
Listen to the full episode to learn key strategies for improving the programming in your gym—whether you choose to outsource it or not.
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5:06 - Reaching potential with a great experience
11:18 - Do your own programming or outsource?
18:08 - Hard for the sake of being hard
29:12 - The essentials of good programming
38:38 - 2025 programming calendar -
In 2024, workouts shouldn’t be hard for the sake of being hard.
You must ask, “What outcome is this workout designed to produce?” and “What are my clients’ goals?”
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with Chris Cooper, Two-Brain founder and owner of Catalyst Fitness, to talk about what good programming looks like.
One way to ensure you’ve got strong programming is by outsourcing it to an expert provider like NCFIT, Mayhem or CompTrain.
But whether you outsource your programming or create it yourself, the key is being intentional.
Goal reviews play a crucial role in that. Do your clients want to get stronger? Do they want to lose weight? Do they want to compete at the CrossFit Games?
Good programming produces the results the clients want and increases retention.
Tune in to hear why “spicier” workouts aren’t the answer and find out what you can do to improve your programming today.
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1:57 - The programming story
5:49 - Should you do your own programming?
12:04 - Why did Chris go back to programming?
17:08 - How does programming help coaches?
22:47 - Pressure to over-program -
What do your prospective clients need to see one week before joining your gym?
In this episode, host Mike Warkentin and marketing expert Colm O’Reilly talk about how to build a direct-response campaign that stops the scroll and brings in new members.
A direct-response campaign asks people to take action and makes it easy to do so: “Do you want to get fit? Here’s how to get started.”
Colm—a Two-Brain mentor and the owner of CrossFit Ireland and We Do Your Paid Marketing—explains the importance of knowing who you are targeting and what problems you can solve for them, and he outlines simple but effective direct-response strategies such as sell by chat and monthly email campaigns.
One of the benefits of direct-response campaigns is that you can track their effectiveness and return on investment (ROI). If you set your funnel up properly and run the numbers, you’ll know for sure if you’re wasting money on ads or using them to generate front-end and downstream revenue that more than covers your marketing costs.
Two-Brain mentors help clients create and maintain four marketing funnels that ensure a steady flow of high-quality leads. If you’re struggling to acquire new members, a mentor can help.
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Read more: Direct-Response Campaigns
Read more: QuickCasts
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0:46 - Paid branded vs. paid direct-response campaigns
6:14 - What to focus on right away
16:26 - Powerful tactic: sell by chat
21:55 - Solving the client’s problem
29:00 - What can Colm do for you? -
When you think of a business with an iconic, unforgettable brand, what comes to mind? What sets this brand apart?
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Two-Brain CMO John Franklin to talk about how gym owners can use brand and direct-response marketing to grow their businesses.
Brand marketing is all about telling your story: why you do what you do, and for whom.
Direct-response marketing is all about creating offers to get people to do something specific “right now.” Two examples: Paid ads that give people a compelling reason to purchase gym services today and social-media sell-by-chat strategies where the goal is getting a follower to book a free consultation.
As John explains, brand and direct-response marketing go hand in hand. The stronger your brand is, the more effective your direct marketing will be because a strong brand has earned the trust of consumers.
Tune in for key tactics from a marketing expert, as well as real-world examples from established brands such as CrossFit, Zumba, Beachbody and Budweiser.
Links
How to Discover Your Brand/Niche
Two-Brain blog on QuickCasting
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0:43 - Brand vs. direct marketing
2:39 - Fitness brands that did it right
7:47 - Essential elements of direct-action marketing
13:32 - Clarify who you are and what you do
21:56 - Gyms with great brands -
In good times, your gym will rise to the level of your marketing.
“Should we talk about this?”“Is it important to get in front of the conversation with our community?”“Should we post online about our feelings, or should we wait and calm down, or should we say nothing at all?"
In bad times, it will fall to the level of your leadership.
Your gym is more than a place to exercise. It’s a community of people united in a common goal. It’s a movement to change health and longevity in your town.
As the owner of a gym, you’re the leader of that movement. Nobody opens a gym just to make a living. They open a gym to make a difference. It’s not just a job; it’s a crusade.
This week the CrossFit community experienced a tragedy: a death on the CrossFit Games swim course. Every gym owner is going to face a crisis in their community at some point, too.
My job is to lead the Two-Brain movement: to help caring, compassionate coaches build sustainable gyms that last for decades; provide opportunities for other coaches who are on the same mission; and actually change lives.
You can’t become a better leader by reading a book or taking a course or participating in a round-table discussion on leadership. You become a better leader by leading through a crisis and evaluating the effects of your actions afterward. You do that by having mentors and models, and we do that through mentorship at Two-Brain.
One of my personal mentors is Bonnie Skinner. Bonnie is a registered psychotherapist and the founder of Level Up Mental Fitness Coaching.
On this special episode of our podcast, Bonnie will answer questions such as:
Then I share a model for communication that I fall back on to help me in times of crisis. It’s called the CALM model, and it can be used by leaders in any challenging period. I’ll lay out the structure and use the CrossFit Games tragedy as an example.
Clarity: Here's what happened: It's a tragic accident.
Assurance: These are high-level athletes who understand their risks and eagerly accept them. He would have wanted the Games to continue for his brother, his fellow competitors, his fans and all of us.
Leadership: Let's all remember how fleeting life can be and reflect on it during our gratitude practice this week.
Movement: We're going to remember him with a tribute on Monday.
Your clients will always look to you for leadership in times of crisis. Help them by going first: Don't wait for them to see some of the horrible criticism online. Help by keeping them focused on the athlete and his family. Help by giving them a way to express their grief, memorialize the person and lean on their community.
Being a leader doesn’t mean inventing solutions from scratch; it means seeking and finding the best way to lead.
You can use others as models—you can read biographies, for example. Or you can find a mentor. -
Theft, fraud, lies and messy affairs—these are just some of the reasons why staff members get fired from gyms.
So how do you deal with severe staff stress?
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks HR horror stories with Two-Brain mentor Andrea Savard, who has co-owned her gym, FirePower Fitness and Wellness in Ontario, Canada, for 20 years.
Over the years, Andrea has had to part ways with staff members, and even clients, who did not live up to her gym’s standards.
She shares some of her worst staffing conundrums and how she handled them. (Yes, she has tense tales.)
According to Andrea, many situations are not preventable. If you stay in the game long enough, you’ll have to fire a staff member.
But there are steps you can take to mitigate the likelihood of HR disasters and facilitate swift action when they do appear. Individualized electronic access codes and passwords, staff agreements and regular evaluations, and a code of conduct are just some features of gyms that are set up to professionally manage staff. A good lawyer on call doesn’t hurt, either.
Tune in to hear more top tips from a veteran gym owner.
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Andrea's Code of Conduct
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0:53 - Andrea’s interesting situations
6:35 - Did you take the cash box home?
16:23 - Theft can turn into fraud
27:59 - What did Andrea change?
33:07 - Don’t share private details when firing -
How do you know when it’s time to part ways with a coach?
To answer that question, “Run a Profitable Gym” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Josh Martin, former gym owner, Two-Brain mentor and owner of The Refined Art of Coaching.
Often the issue isn’t actually with the coach—it’s caused by a lack of clear and reasonable expectations.
The key is to get your expectations out of your head because people can’t read your mind.
Josh shares tactics for ensuring your coaches are hitting standards and explains how you'll know when they’re damaging your product.
And sometimes you might have the right people—but they’re in the wrong positions.
Eventually, though, almost every entrepreneur will have to remove a coach, so Josh offers different approaches to firing and lays out their pros and cons.
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Sample Coach Evaluation
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1:13 - When to part ways with a coach
8:09 - Career Roadmaps & evaluations
13:51 - Having to fire a coach
24:30 - Signs a coach can be saved
31:49 - The right people in the wrong seats -
Two-Brain’s Top 10 leaderboard for client headcount in May ran from 341 to 941 clients at single-location gyms.
In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin talks with Robin Sowden-Taylor, owner of the large gym Ion Strength and Conditioning in Wales, as well as a smaller gym that’s on track to follow the same path to growth.
Ion’s mission is to have a positive impact on health and wellness in the local community. With 430 members and impressive length-of-engagement (LEG) stats, Sowden-Taylor’s business is on the right track.
Ion specializes in group training and has large classes of up to 80 participants. Robin explains how his coaches manage these huge groups and how Ion’s growth comes partially from specialty programs that serve kids, over 60s and moms.
It can be very difficult to run a huge gym without guidance and a commitment to improving entrepreneurial skills. Robin takes inspiration from Jason Khalipa, Ben Bergeron and his Two-Brain mentor, Lisa Palmer, who provides him with the accountability he needs to get things done.
Listen to hear exactly how Robin has strengthened staff and client retention and grown his gym to 400+ members. A Two-Brain mentor can help you determine exactly how many clients you need at your gym, then teach you how acquire and retain them so you can run a thriving business, too.
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3:53 - Summary of Robin’s larger gym
9:25 - Staffing
15:26 - Managing massive groups
21:47 - Retention numbers and success
34:43 - Goal Review Sessions - Mostrar mais
